Rhodes Greece; An Amazing Day

Posted by Michele September 21, 2024

Rhodes Greece; An Amazing Day

Historically, Rhodes was famous for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Medieval Old Town has been declared a World Heritage Site. Apparently, it is one of the most popular destinations in Europe. Who knew?

The island of Rhodes is a crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The island has been inhabited since about 4000 BC.

The greatest thing about arriving in this city, besides the amazing view from our balcony, is the fact that you can simply walk into the old town. I have never seen a city with such an enormous wall around it. It is HUGE and LONG! It looks as though it goes around the entire city.

We went into the first opening and came across ruins with three arches. The square where the arches are looks like it is straight out of a movie set. Continuing onward through the cobbled streets we came across so many amazing, well-preserved ruins.

Eventually, we found the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. The entrance fee for the Palace and Rhodes Castle, plus two additional museums, was only 10 euros per person. A bargain!

The palace was originally built in the late 7th century as a Byzantine citadel. After Knights Hospitaller occupied Rhodes in 1309, they converted the fortress into their administrative center and palace of their Grand Master. The palace was damaged in the earthquake of 1481 and was repaired soon afterward. It is remarkably preserved, and situated on a hilltop with amazing views of the sea and a cooling breeze flowing through the open “windows”.

We also went to the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes. The museum is housed in the monumental edifice that was the hospital of the Knights of Saint John. Construction began in 1440. There are a vast amount of archaeological artifacts from various parts of Rhodes and neighboring islands. It would be easy to spend the day within those walls.

After touring both of those sights, we decided that we had seen enough ruins, pots, spears, sculptures, heads, and headless statues for one day, so we gave our remaining two museum tickets to a young couple from Australia.

Walking back to the ship my dream finally came true! I was able to swim in the Aegean Sea! The water was a little cool, but felt wonderful on this hot day. The water is super salty and buoyant. It was the best part of the day for me!