Saturday 9 July 2022

Rhodes, the walled city on the fourth largest Greek Island.... Port Guide.

 Rhodes is an excellent cruise shop. You can walk from the ship into the walled city, walk around it hassle-free, and it is not expensive. An example of how easy they make this visit is the tourist's authority normally deliver maps to the ship to be taken at the reception. The city was the former site of the Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and it was the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe.

Fridge magnet one Euro compared with ten dollars in Bora Bora ... so bonus. This is the fourth largest Greek Island and the largest of the twelve Dodecanese islands on the Aegean's eastern edge. It is a find. Great food, great art, nice people, fantastic wine. We stopped there with P&O, and we were followed around by the Norwegian Spirit.

We have guides to Athens, Malta, Crete, Zakynthos, Antalya, Kusadasi, Canakkale and many other Eastern Mediterranean port stops.

Well, we did end the day with an incredible bottle of rose wine with some grilled sardines and a Greek salad just away from the oldest square in the town, in a restaurant where we were not hassled to go inside. The town is an old walled city, whilst there is a new part with designer shops that we looked at quickly at the end, it is, without doubt, the charm of the old town that wins.
The cotton and art are not expensive, and we were not over-hassled. It was hot and whilst you feel protected sun cream and a stop for liquid are recommended. The ship is very close, and you can enter at any gate. The maps handed out are clear. There is no need to prep this site or spend a lot of money, the film may help.
There are options to visit, inside the buildings with or without guides.
In brief, Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a well-preserved city with about 10,000 residents. The streets inside the wall are flat, and the roads up to the back of the city have a gradient which is a nice climb. Sensible shoes. Castles, narrow streets, mosques, fountains, squares, vines draping, wine, fresh fish, and more. The old city wall is thick, it has been a strategic island for the Knights Templars and many others for centuries. Mussolini wanted to use the old Palace of the Grand Masters as his holiday home. It was originally a Byzantine fortress in the 7th century, then the administrative centre of the Knights after they conquered the island. To find it, walk up the cobblestone alley, the Avenue of the Knights. You will see the Knights of St John's palace on the right at the top. There are explanatory boards to read.
The knights had a hospital to deal with the wounded and then the plague that developed because of mounting dead bodies.


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