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Tuesday - Rhodes: What a perfect day to visit Rhodes: nice wind but not too hot, clear skies and interesting sites. We had some excitement arriving at the dock as the wind was against us and we had to very carefully ease into the space. We had some helpf from a little tug, Herokles 3, which managed to push right up against the portholes of our cabin. Peggy heard a noise and looked out the porthole to see a gentleman with a cigarette about four feet away! Once settled we enjoyed a fine breakfast. Then we left the ship early – around 8:15 – and walked into the old city … which was deserted as nothing opens before 10:00. Except the Palace of the Grand Masters. This was where the Templar Knights settled and built fortifications in the 15
thcentury after leaving the holy land. When the Ottomans took over from the Italians the place declined and it was Mussolini who rebuilt it in the 1930s to honor Italian heritage and Emperor Victor Emanuel. The Italians did a great job of repairs even if they were hard on the people of Rhodes.
After walking through a bit of history we walked
down the street of the knights as represented by the French, Spanish, and English. We saw a monument to a knight who died in the hospital/hostel down the street and had been sent to the holy land by King Ferdinand in 1493. The room where the monument was placed had numerous little cubby holes off the main hall where the very sick could be separated from the rest of the visitors.
We wandered back down into the old town, now incredibly alive with merchants of every kind, selling whatever tourists wanted and didn’t need. We stopped at one shop to have our feet scoured by little fish. What a sensation to have dozens of them taking the dead skin off and tickling you. Can’t say that we noticed a difference but it certainly is unique. The owner of the shop shared with us his sadness about being part of the European Union and how it diminished the number of Americans who came because the drachma was so cheap against the dollar. Interesting.
We promised our friend John that we would walk the old wall that encircles the entire old town, so we went up onto the ramparts and
went as far as allowed, which may have been half the distance of the wall. Then lunch at a place John recommended, Dinoris Fish Restaurant near the museum and Grand Masters Palace. We enjoyed fresh seafood linguini and penne with shrimp. Both were excellent … and the place was quiet and charming.
Back to the ship for a little rest mid-afternoon and a dip in the pool for Peggy. John took the opportunity to walk some more of the harbor front, with particular focus on the small boat docks and the old port with its special entrance that used to be the location for the “Colossus of Rhodes”, one of the seven wonders of the world. It may have been colossal but it did not span the harbor entrance as it would have impacted trade to greatly by limiting the size of vessel that could enter.
John and Peggy met at the special dinner Windstar put on for the guests at Casino Rhodos, a classic hotel on the beach north of the old town. The dinner was good – lots of different Greek foods – and the entertainment was interesting, including belly dancing and some modern Greek dances.
We left a little early and took a taxi back to the ship for an early evening, as tomorrow we arrive in Bodrum Turkey.
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