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August 4, 2015

The Wonders of the Mediterranean - Rhodes

06/15 - We arrived in Rhodes after a day's journey on the Aegean sea. 


Rhodes is the island with the RED STAR

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands (a group of 12 larger islands plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea). It is the island group's historical capital. 

Shortly after breakfast, we left the ship to venture out into the city and take in the history. The city of Rhodes can be navigated by car, bus or walking about. We didn't know what to expect so we initially took a bus tour around the historical sites. Afterwards we realized most of the important sites are close to the port so got off the bus and walked around.



One of those historical gems is the Colossus of Rhodes (pictured above is where it once stood). After an earthquake in 226 BC, the 30 meters statue was reduced to rubble. It was known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Another popular tourist attraction is the Grand Master's Palace of the Knights. It is a medieval castle -- one of the few examples of Gothic architecture. 




The palace is full of things to see from paintings, canons and canon balls, clay oil lamps, bone needles and combs, and mosaics (shown below). 




One of my favorite parts of the visit was capturing the essence of these mosaics; they are from the Byzantine empire and 2nd century BC. I couldn't walk away without taking a few snapshots with my Samsung phone. 



We walked down the cobble stoned path inside the palace and found a cafe hidden within the walls for a light lunch. 


We dropped our bags and relaxed  at this quaint little cafe/bnb. We enjoyed the infamous Greek salad and bruschetta and for dessert, we ate baklava and ice cream. YUM!!!

As we finished up lunch, I caught up with a friend on google hangout. ***Note: Always double check the time difference before waking up your friends before the crack of dawn.***


My dad is 'chillaxing' with a Pina Colada
After a long day of sightseeing, we stopped over at the sunset bar and grabbed some tropical cocktails. Perfect ending to a good day.



Stay tuned...the fun has just began...onwards to Mykonos...the island with the famous windmills!


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