Journey II
A lady, a flag, a lifetime of defiance.
The story of Despina Achladiotou — the Lady of Ro — told on the island she guarded.
Ro is a small, almost empty island seven kilometres west of Kastellorizo. Almost empty — except for a chapel, a grave, and the living memory of one woman.
For forty years, Despina Achladiotou raised the Greek flag on Ro every morning and lowered it at sunset. Alone. Through Italian occupation, German war, and everything after. She was Greece's easternmost inhabitant, and her flag was Greece's easternmost assertion.
Duration3–4 hours
LandingYes · short walk uphill
Departure10:00 or 15:00
BringClosed shoes · Respect
Itinerary
The crossing
A smooth half-hour west. The Turkish coast stays on your right the whole way.
Landing at Ro
A small pebbly beach. We secure the boat. You walk up.
The chapel and the grave
Despina's grave. A whitewashed chapel. Nothing else. Nothing more is needed.
The flagpole
Still flying. Maintained by the Greek Navy now. But her hands raised it first.
Swim in the channel
On the return, we stop for a swim over a seabed thirty metres down. The water is colder here — different colour, different weight.