Monday, November 2, 2026
Day 28/50
Rhodes, Greece
71F, rain and more rain
Part of the fortress surrounding Old Town Rhodes
Today we met our Princess tour group at
7 a.m. for today’s tour. TK told me it
was going to be a very rainy day and he was 100% correct. I did not take my DSLR camera, opting to use
my cell phone camera today.
Diana, our tour guide, greeted us and
we were on our way on a comfortable bus.
She told us many things about the island, another one that TK visited in
his U.S. Navy days (1968-1972) on the USS Columbus.
USS Columbus CG-12
Heavy Guided Missile Cruiser
Rhodes has a total island population of
approximately 125,113 people, with about 50,000 to 60,000 living in its capital
city, Rhodes. It is the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands, sitting in the
southeastern Aegean Sea within 11 miles of Turkey. It covers about 540 square miles. The economy relies heavily on tourism,
supported by local agriculture like wine, grain, and citrus fruits.
You have probably
heard of the Colossus of Rhodes. We did not see it today because it no longer
exists and no one really knows exactly where it was located.
There are many interpretations of
what the bronze statue,
Colossus of Rhodes, looked like
Ancient
descriptions indicate this bronze statue of the sun god Helios was about 108
feet tall and was built between c. 294–280 BCE. The statue collapsed in an earthquake around 226
BCE. The Colossus of Rhodes was one of
the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Evidence suggests it may have stood beside the Mandrakion
harbor.
The island of
Rhodes and Greece depend on tourism. Four million tourists arrive yearly by
plane and about 600,000 arrive by sea.
It is Greece’s 4th largest island. There are 8 military bases
on the island. It is strategically located from Europe, Africa, and the Middle
East. For example, Diana said it was a one hour flight to Athens, Cairo, and
Tel Aviv.
LINDOS
Soon we were on our way to Lindos, a town about an hour
from the city of Rhodes known for its cliff top acropolis, ancient
ruins, and scenic white houses. While
on the way we were stopped briefly because of a mud slide in the road. Diana said the rain was very unusual. Rhodes
generally has 300 days of sunshine.
Acropolis of Lindos
Greek key pattern made with
pebbles outside a home
Souvenir shop
Tower along a street in Lindos
By the time we reached Lindos the rain
was really heavy, in fact something like a flash flood. I consider myself adventurous,
but I was not going to walk up and then down 300 wet marble steps with no handrails to the Acropolis of Lindos and the Temple of Athena in ruins. Neither
was TK.
Temple of Diana on the right side of the
Acropolis (highest point in the city), surrounded by a fortress
as taken from the bus
Lindos is such a quaint historic village,
a labyrinth of interesting walkways and shops. Most of the houses, built by sea
captains, have been converted to shops. Basically, the season is over October
31, but several places were open. Captain's House Café and Bar seemed like a great place to hang out while a few people in the group decided to visit the Acropolis. Cozy, warm, and dry! 
Looking inside
Great tasting pure orange juice!
Captain's House
Bed on upper right
Captain's living room
The oldest house in Lindos, the Captain's House dates from the 16th century. The handpainted ceiling is 400 years old. The 100 year old floor has over 100,000 stones, selected one by one and put in one by one. Just remarkable!
We left Lindos to return to the ship,
an hour away. The flash flood had caused
more mudslides, so the bus had to wait for about an hour while we waited for a
road crew to clear the road. I give the
bus driver a lot of credit for his patience.
Removing the mud from the road
Flooded olive trees
When we were on our way again, we noted
the “flooded” olive tree groves. The
landscape has more rocks than I have ever seen except for Sicily on our way to
the volcano Mount Etna. Free range goats prevailed!
There was a stop at Bonis Ceramics for
a demonstration of unique art. Three
generations of artists specialize in these beautiful, handcrafted pieces, most
with ancient Greek designs. https://www.facebook.com/bonisceramics
Demo
Painting
Engraving
Fabulous pieces which I could not afford
All of the art is one of a kind
Back to Rhodes
The fortress surrounds the Old Town (Rhodes)
Inside the Old Town
Old Town Rhodes, a Medieval city
I think will suffice to say that the
history of Rhodes parallels Greece, with Minoans, Mycenean Greeks, Phoenicians,
Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Ottoman Empire, Italians, Germans, British, and
finally back to Greeks. Before we
boarded the ship, we walked around the very well-preserved Old Town of
Rhodes. The fortress is breathtaking and
encircles the area. Since it was still
raining hard with lightning we decided to return to the ship. By the way, Rhodes is 11 miles from Turkey across the sea--Mehil said this same thing yesterday too!
TK’s Takes: Goats roaming the
hills. Cats all over. Raining cats and dogs.
A cat!
