As someone who is big into history as well as historical travel destinations, I’m a little ashamed to admit that I had never heard of Rhodes, Greece prior to this trip other than the Colossus of Rhodes. But I had no idea that it was a Greek island in the Mediterranean. But, I believe this turned out to be my family’s favorite stop.
Our morning started out as usual, with our breakfast from the buffet while enjoying the views of us pulling into the port. This was our first day going on a scheduled excursion so the deboarding procedure was slightly different. We received tickets for each one of the tours for each day and on them it told us where we would need to meet in the morning. It was always somewhere on the ship. Once at the meeting point, we received a sticker with a number on it that indicated our bus number for the day.
The excursion that we picked for this port was “Lindos and Ancient Rhodes”. I do not remember our tour guide’s name, but he was easily the best one of our trip. Very informative, very passionate, and shared several personal stories of him growing up on the island. Our journey started with a bus ride to Lindos, a city located about 30 miles down the coast from the port. Lindos was absolutely stunning, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. All the houses and buildings in the city are white, to help reflect the sun.
Sitting atop the city of Lindos was the Acropolis, or “highest city”. With close to 400 steps to reach the top, this climb is not for the faint of heart, but we were ready to take the challenge. After walking through part of the city, just before reaching the bulk of the stairs to the top, they had what they call the “Lindos Taxi”. Donkeys. You could ride a donkey to the top for a few Euros.
It was definitely a challenge to make it to the top, but the views were 100% worth it! Not only were we able to get up close to the ancient structures that remain, being that high up gave us incredible view of the island, the shores, and the sea.
After spending about 20 minutes or so on top and listening to our tour guide talk about the history of the Acropolis, we made the equally challenging trek back down the never ending steps.
On our way back to the bus, we stopped in a local church, where we encountered the first of many instances where women must be covered to enter, something that we don’t see too often in the US. They had a box of scarves and other covers sitting outside that you were able to borrow. The church was beautiful, as was the hand-made floor of pebbles that led the entrance way.
Once we got back on board the bus, we headed to a local pottery shop. While here, we had the chance to watch someone work the pottery wheel as well as explore their shop with lots of handmade goods. It was really interesting to see some of the things that they had made.
Hopped aboard the bus again, and drove about halfway back to the port. We stopped for lunch at a 4 star hotel along the beach. Here they had a buffet with all things Greek included. Food on food on food, and it was all delicious. I was too excited and hungry to take any pictures of the food that was here, but there were 5 or 6 tables about 50 feet long each filled with food. It was here that I had the best baklava that I have ever had. I think I had about 3 or 4 pieces after indulging in all the other goodies.
There was a little bit of extra time waiting for all the tour groups to finish up eating, so I decided to go for a short walk along the beach at the hotel.
We once again got back on board our bus and headed back up to Ancient Rhodes for the final part of the excursion.
Along the way, our tour guide told us about how the Greeks still use dowrys when a couple is getting married. This is when the bride’s family gifts property, such as a house, to the husband upon marriage. It was interesting to learn about the cultural practices of the country. This was just one example of the fascinating information the tour guide shared with us along the journey.
Our excursion then led us with a walking tour of Ancient Rhodes, also referred to as “Rhodes World Heritage City”. This included a tour through the castle. The castle was stunning inside and out, there were so many historical sculptures, paintings, and other artwork to look at. Once we exited the castle, we walked through the narrow streets of the city where there were churches, fountains, shops, and other buildings. It was a little comical to see our massive cruise ship in the distance as we walked down one of the streets.
Our tour guide gave us the option of continuing on our own or taking the bus back to the ship. Since we were so close and had some time, we decided to explore a little bit more. We got down closer to the water and I decided that I wanted to put my feet in the water, just so I could say that I have been in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was freezing cold, but it was worth it!
We then made our way back to the ship and to the dining room. Anyone that knows me well knows that I am one of the pickiest eaters in the world, but I stayed true to my goal for this trip in being adventurous with my dining choices. The menu on this night had something that I thought would truly fit the bill of “adventurous” for me, fried alligator. I did not enjoy it, but hey, I tried it! But once again, I had my melting chocolate cake, which more than made up for it.
That night we decided to try another one of the frequent night time entertainment options offered on the ship, karaoke. We did not participate, but we really enjoyed watching the other passengers show off their talents. Some of them were really good, others made for some great entertainment.
Then we were off to bed, the next day was our one and only “Day at Sea” for the whole trip. Time to relax as the next several days would be busy!
It's a Magical Life 