November 21 - Rhodes, Greece

I was here last year in the spring and I wrote a lot of the history of the island which I am going to include again so that maybe I’ll remember it.  If you read it before skip over it.

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands and has been inhabited since the Neolithic period but there are only a few remnants of that time. In the 16th century BC the Minoans came from Crete which lies to the south. A century later the Mycenaean Greeks arrived.  Homer mentions that Rhodes participated in the Trojan war. It wasn’t until the 8th century BC under Dorian Greeks that some substantial settlements arose. The legend was that the island was created by the union of Helios, the sun god, and the nymph Rhodos so the three major towns were named for their three sons.  

The island was conquered in subsequent centuries by the Persians, Athenians and Alexander the Great.  Following Alexander’s death in 323 BC his empire was divided among his three principal generals. Rhodes formed a strong trading alliance with the Ptolemies in Egypt (Ptolemy I was one of Alexander’s generals and the last member of his dynasty was someone everyone has heard of – Cleopatra.)  Another of the generals, Antigonus sent his son to lay siege to Rhodes to break the alliance. The son brought catapults, battering rams and a huge siege tower, but after a year he signed a peace agreement and left, leaving behind all his war materials.  The enterprising Rhodians took all the armaments and melted down the metals, sold the rest, and used the proceeds to build the Colossus of Rhodes to celebrate the peace.

The Colossus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  It was constructed around 280 BC of bronze over an iron frame and was around 108 feet tall. It represented the sun god Helios.  The exact location on the island is unknown because the Colossus was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC.  Everything we know about it is from fragments of writings by ancient authors.

I know I'm writing a lot of history but perhaps this way I'll remember it (and who knows it may help in trivia one day 😃).  Over the ensuing centuries Greeks came and went as then did Romans, both western and eastern (Byzantine).  Then we come to the age of the Crusades.  The Knights Hospitaller (AKA the Knights of St. John) who built the castle in Bodrum, also had a stronghold in Rhodes, the walled old city. They left Rhodes after Suleiman the Magnificent overran them in Bodrum and moved their headquarters to Malta.

Since I’d taken a tour of the island last time, I decided today to visit the old town of Rhodes.  We were docked right next to it; in fact from my veranda, I looked right out at the city walls.  I’ll digress for just a moment to say that as I was having breakfast a huge NCL ship came into the dock next to ours.  It was like watching an apartment building slide by.

These were views from my veranda and the dock

Just a slight difference in size

It wasn’t a long walk to get to the first of the old gates to the city. I had heard how lovely the old town is and it didn’t disappoint.  The streets are very narrow and many are paved with cobblestones.  I’m not sure what the rules are but apparently a few people can have cars inside the walls and motorbikes are definitely okay.  There were lots of stores selling those floaty, gauzy Greek dresses like something you’d see in Mamma Mia, and much as I’d like to have one, I just don’t think they would look quite the same on me as on Meryl Streep.  I went in to one of those shops and a Greek lady who was no Twiggy herself told me the dresses look “beautiful on everyone.”  I noticed she wasn’t wearing one so I just smiled on went on my way. 

These are some street scenes from inside the walls

I went in a tiny jewelry shop that had things which looked Greek and handmade and found out it’s owned by a family.  The Papa is a jeweler and goldsmith; the Mama reminded me a lot of the mother in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”  The son is the moneyman and the daughter Theodora is a jewelry designer and goldsmith who also does design work for museums in Rhodes and in Athens.  They invited me to sit down and Mama insisted I have some coffee and cookies. You can guess the rest; I did buy something. When I’d finished the friend who also works in the shop pulled her car around and Theodora hopped in the back seat, I was in the front and they drove me around the narrow streets so I could see the Knights’ Castle,  the beautiful trees and flowers around it; we drove through the covered gateway where the portcullis must have been across what used to be the moat.  There was a lot of Greek floating around by my two escorts which I think was “turn here, no there.”  We did a lot of horn-beeping to get tour groups out of our way on what I really thought  were pedestrian only streets. But then what do I know.  Anyway, eventually we went outside the walls and back to the dock.  A big conversation ensued with the guards there because cars weren’t supposed to enter, but they let us pass.  We pulled up to a customs office and Theodora raced in to get some form stamped so I could get the EU VAT tax refunded.  We drove back inside the walls to the shop, where Mama fixed me another cup of coffee and gave me a cookie (I must look poorly fed) and they proceeded to give me back the tax money. We zipped back in the car and they drove me back to the guarded dock and took me nearly to the gangway. Even if I didn’t like what I bought, the experience was worth it just to watch this Greek family in action. 

Me and my new Greek friends

The Knights' Castle

The old town looked quite magical as it got dark

It was mid-afternoon by this time so I stayed on board. We played trivia (didn’t win) and then it was time for oysters, caviar and champagne by the pool.  It was chilly and windy and I didn’t stay long at all because I was shivering.

Before dinner I met my two new dancing friends for a drink and then we went off to our respective hosted tables.  There was a show with a British Motown group who were so-so, and then of course we went down to dance until the music stopped.  I had to work off the extra cookies I had along the way.  And that was my day.  I know I’ve gone on too long, but it was a really fun day and I hope I’ve conveyed that.  The next several days we’ll be at sea as we make our way to the Suez Canal and then into the Red Sea.  I need some days to rest. 

I don't know why they loaded down here; they were supposed to be by the other street scenes. The last is to show they're getting ready for Christmas.