Old Town Rhodos

---

Day 5

We wake early, now that we are caught up on some needed sleep, head to breakfast, and then make our way to Old Town Rhodos via taxi. The taxi driver is very nice and recommends that he drop us off at the top of the hill and we make our way down the hill through town. Old Town Rhodos is a pedestrian only town with no cars allowed inside the walls. The town is surrounded by ancient stone walls for protection. The architecture is very medieval however the majority of the town is filled with souvenir shops and restaurants. We walked in a large circle from the top of the hill, down through the city, around the outside wall, and ended up exactly where we started. The water is such an amazing mix of blues it is hard not to stand and stare. Warren has been experimenting with our new camera settings that allow him to accentuate the blues of the water. It looks really cool.

From our starting point, we decide it is time for lunch, we enter the ancient city again. We stop at two restaurants before all agreeing on a lunch spot. The restaurant overlooks one of the main squares. It is getting quite warm and we are ready to fill our bellies and quench our thirst with a cold beer. As we order our drinks the waiter questions wether I really want to order a large beer. The table next to us has beers in cute little boot glasses and I say "yeah like those over there but a large, please". The waiter acknowledges my order with a funny look on his face and walks away. Moments later he returns with waters and our beers. When he returns with the beers I understand why he questioned my order. The beers are gigantic! Our table starts busting out laughing as well as the table next to us. The waiter stated, "you wanted the large". This "Das Boot" is 2 liters of beer and is like something out of the movie Beerfest!

The food is satisfactory and we actually manage to finish our giant beers. I must admit that Warren did help me a little with my beer. The waiter was very impressed with our ability to finish so much beer. I am not sure we should be bragging about this. A short cab ride later we find ourselves back at the hotel. We relax in our room with the breeze blowing in watching the one channel of English t.v. I also do some laundry by hand-washing some items in the bathtub.

After some chill time our stomachs begin grumbling and we seek out a restaurant for dinner. We consult the front desk and they recommend "Le Gourmet". We stroll a few blocks past multiple other restaurants that are desperate for business. The Greek economy is drastically falling following the change to the Euro. There is a great amount of competition in the tourist industry here. Waiters stand in front of restaurants and try to reel you in by pointing you to a seat and shoving the menu in your face. This is a turn off to us. We turn down a side street and find the quaint "Le Gourmet". We are immediately greeted by the owner and she shows us to a table. She states she would be happy to suggest items or if we trust her she will arrange the meal for us. We opted for the traditional Greek way by trusting her. She provides us with multiple "mezes", small dishes of different items. One by one the dishes arrive and each one is better than the last. We feel as though we are eating at a friends home. The food is amazing and has blown our previously favorite restaurant in Athens, out of the water.

We begin chit-chatting with the owner and she tells us that this restaurant is a family business. They purchase fresh food everyday and everything on the menu is homemade daily. By the time we leave the restaurant we have also received free dessert and a homemade liqueur. We also have discussed coming back the next evening for lobster. The lobster must be pre-ordered the day before in order for it to be as fresh as possible.

As we attempted to pay the bill, the hostess/owner informs us that the credit card machine is not working tonight but states that if this is a problem we can pay tomorrow. What trust! We paid cash and appreciated the hospitality. Anyone who says the Greeks are rude are insane. We have encountered nothing but kind and helpful people. Drunk on wine and overindulgence, we meander back to the hotel and tuck ourselves in for the night.

---

Photos

Das Boot
I believe we ordered the large!