Rhodes, Greece (Ρόδος)

Deer Statue Marking Site of Colossus of Rhodes

Dear Family and Friends,

For our fifth day, we docked in Rhodes island about 11 miles off the coast of Turkey. This island is famous for being home to the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue that was over 100 foot high before it was destroyed in an earthquake, and for the fortifications built by the Knights of Saint John following the first crusade.

Village of Lindos

 After picking up our rental car at the dock, we drove about 30 miles to the village of Lindos on the east coast of the island. Along the route, we were intrigued by the many goats grazing freeing in the fields as well as by how arid the island was in comparison with Olympia. The town itself is tangled maze of little cobble-stone streets lined with small shops.

Greek Church in Lindos

Our first order of business was to climb up to the Acropolis of Lindos that sits on a peninsula overlooking the town. We stopped briefly at this small Greek chapel, which contrasted greatly with the grand cathedrals we are used to seeing in France.

Hiking up to the Acropolis

 The Acropolis is now surrounded by more recent fortifications built by the Knights of Saint John in the thirteen hundreds. As we got close, we noticed a sign that said that kids should be watched closely. We soon understood the reason for this as there were no guardrails along the ramparts, many of which overlooked St. Paul's Bay hundreds of feet below (hence the reason for Nathaniel holding mom or dad's hand in every picture).

Ancient Triremes Warship - 180 B.C.

Once inside the midieval fortifications, we stopped to look at a carving in the rocks of a Greek Warship called a Trireme. These ships had three rows of oars with one man on each oar. However, unlike later Roman ships that got their propulsion from slaves, rich and poor rowed side by side on Greek vessels (after all, Greece is the origin of modern democracy).

Greek Stoa - 200 B.C.

The Acropolis sits on top of the plateau and consists of a large Stoa, or covered walkway, and the Temple of Athena. Much like the temple in Jerusalem, Greek priests climbed stairs before entering into a santuary. Only certain priests were allowed to lay offerings at the base of the statue of Athena, greek god of warfare.

Castle of the Knights of St. John - 1300 A.D.

During our visit, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel made friends with some of the Acropolis cats. One in particular, Twinkle, followed them around until we finally exited the Castle and started our decent back down to the village. We then picked up new friends in the old ladies along the trail persuasively selling their wares of Greek linens and lace.

In town, we rested at a small restaurant for Gyros and freshly-squeezed orange juice. While the kids liked the tightly wrapped package of meat and fries, the dangling tail of a cat from the ivy-covered lattice above the street was enough to throw the meal into chaos.

Saint Paul's Bay

Our drive back to Rhodes was a leap of faith since the only things we had for navigation were an tourist map of the island that showed the relative locations of various sites and the signs written mostly in Greek. The Apostle Paul stopped here on his third missionary jouney. It is said that Paul used the Bay of Lindos to take refuge from a storm at sea.

Courtyard in the Walled City

In the afternoon, we spent some time walking around the medieval city walls of Rhodes town. Like Lindos, the old city was a maze of tiny winding streets and alleys. There seemed to be something new around each corner.

Street of the Knights

The old city was built by the Knights of Saint John as a base of operations after they lost the Holy Land to Islamic forces in the twelfth century. The street leading to the Palace of the Grand Master contained the residences of various European nobles, including one from Provence, and still retains an untouched medieval feel.

Kids on Cannon Balls

Rhodes is the largest continually inhabited walled city in Europe. The fortifications built by the knights withstood several invasions, including confrontations with pirates, with cannons and other weaponry for defence. It wasn't until Sultan Sulieman the Magnificant brought 200,000 troops over in 1522 that the city finally feel and the knights fled the island after a long seige.

Midieval Moat from Rampart

The very large dry moat around the city goes on for four kilometers. We explored a kilometer until we finally found a staircase that led back into the city. At the base of the inner walls were numerous holes and tunnels used by the Ottomans to try and plant explosives. There was also a rampart in the middle of the moat that was accessed by the knights through a secret tunnel. Joe ascended the narrow four-story high uneven stairs to take pictures, but regretted it once he realized how high he was without anything to which he could hold. The kids also remarked that the moat would have made a perfect cat resort.

Upon leaving the moat, we proceeded to prove the cruiseship brochures correct about how easy it is to get lost in Rhodes. Nevertheless, this provided us with a good opportunity to escape the tourist areas and pass by a fifteenth century Ottoman mosque. All in all, it was an amazing adventure!

Athio (αντίο)!

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel