Rhodes - A Medieval Island at the Edge of the Western World

Although we have visited many “medieval” towns throughout western Europe, none so far have compared to old town Rhodes. It is simply amazing. We felt like we were in the center of a castle, which in fact, we were. Rhodes Town was the headquarters and fortress of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, the last crusader knights. Many bloody battles and sieges were fought here against the Ottoman Turks. The castle finally fell in the 1500’s, but has been remarkably preserved. There are battlements everywhere, and the streets are made of the most elaboratly designed pebble-stone, not cobblestone, which is very interesting, but can hard on flip-flop clad feet. The knight's castle, city walls, and hospital are all still around and in good condition, making it a fabulous city to visit, deffinitly one of our favorites thus far.

Because there are no direct ferries, and the roundabout way via boat takes almost 2 days, we flew from Crete to Rhodes, which was a bit of an adventure in itself, because the short flight was on a turboprop (propeller) plane. Neither Laura or I had ever been on one before, so we weren’t sure what to expect, all we knew was that we had been told to avoid them. There were very strict luggage requirements for this small plane, so we spent the better part of a half-hour moving books and heavy objects between our bags and carry-ons, so that we could meet the 15 kilogram (35 pound) per bag requirement, to avoid any extra charges. The flight went fine though, and was smooth as silk, so no worries.

Our first day in Rhodes, we hung out at our hotel all morning and chatted with the owners, Louisa and Guido. They made us breakfast, and over a few cups of coffee, we talked about everything from politics to stories about travels and their hotel to family. In the afternoon, we went for a walk around the city and shopping for gifts and souvenirs.

Once we made it back to our room that night, we were interrupted by a chorus of cats, hissing and meowing. It was quite odd, and only lasted for a few minutes each time, and we found it extremely hilarious. This happened every night we were there and Eric’s theory on this was that there was somesort of cat eating beast below that attacked the cats, but that is another story altogether…

The next day, we slept in again. Later in the day, we dropped off our laundry, and headed out to do some sightseeing. Our flight to Jerusalem wasn’t until 12 PM that night, so we decided to keep the hotel room until 8 PM, to store our things there and so we could shower off after a hot day on the town, before traveling onward.

WHat we found durring our time in Greece is that apparently, the Greeks, as well as Europeans in general, love french fries. They come with just about any meal, from roasted chicken, grilled fish, and lamb, they come on gryos and sandwiches, on pizza, with eggs for breakfast, served with steak for dinner, and even served with pasta dishes. Just about every time we eat out, we end up being served french fries. We are excited to move to a new region that serves less fried potatoes.

So, a new chapter is now unfolding in our travels. We are officially done with Europe, and moving on to the middle east. We will be there for the next month or so, until we venture onto India. A change in language, food, customs, and culture is very anticipated and welcomed at this juncture, but we had a blast in Europe, making memories and friends to last a lifetime.

We miss everyone from home, and hope that you all are enjoying the blogs. A few words of encouragement from you all go a long way. Thanks so much for responding and sending us emails! Now hope you enjoy the pics!

Eric and Laura



Laura, in front of our turboprop plane, a Dehavilland Dash 8.
The view from the top balcony of our hotel.
Laura, shopping in the small tourist stores along the main shopping street.
Eric, in the main street of Rhodes
Laura, in front of an Ottoman fountain
Eric, in front of the bell tower of Rhodes
Eric, in front of one of the towers of the Grand Master's Palace.
Laura, in front of one of the gates of Rhodes old city.
Eric, in front of the outer wall of the castle. Note the stones below from the final seige in 1520.
Laura in front of one of the gatehouses in the outer walls.
The old port of Rhodes, where a huge tower once stood.
Eric, on the Avenue of the Knights
Eric, in front of one of the Knight's Inns. Note the pepplestone street.
Laura, in a back alleyway of Rhodes
Eric and Laura
Laura, at our rooftop restaurant, in front of the bell tower
Laura and a stray cat
Laura, walking outside the castle walls
Eric on Greek Street
This cook is riding a donkey!
Eric, in front of an Ottoman fountain and a tower
Eric, in front of the Knight's Hospital

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Friends, and Friendly Faces We've Met Along the Way

Image
So far on our trip we have met many wonderful people. Unfortunately, we make friends best when we are drunk. So, please forgive us, as we have excluded all names to protect the innocent, but we have included locations, Enjoy! Our drinking buddies from Vienna, 4:00 a.m. never came so quick! Thanks for the good times! Our English friends we met in Vienna that we played Euchre with in the bar Our Budapest BBQ crowd! Another Budapest pic from the BBQ Good times and Good friends in the Buda part of Budapest. Our German friend we met at a bar in Bruges, Belgium More German pals- Bruges, Belgium Goo Germany! Foose Ball Champions in Bruges Our Brewery Tour pals from America- (congrats on the engagement!) Bruges, Belgium Late night laundry mat friendship was made in Amsterdam! (Our friends from Spain studying architecture) Oban, Scotland (I cant wait to get home to buy a bottle of Glenmoranje!) Too many Scotches that night... Hello to our friends from Glospie, Scotland! London, Britis...
Read more

Life is what happens while your making other plans...

Picture this: Husband and wife, driving across the country in a rented SUV, packed with everything the two of them own, apart for a few things left with Grandma. Two pullovers, one doctors visit, and 3000 miles later, they end up in Keene New Hampshire, holed up for a few days so the new wife can get over her well deserved ear infection before embarking on the trip of a lifetime. Fast forward to the present, we are now in Ireland, trucking around Dublin, meeting Irish people at every turn, throwing back a few Guinness. Well, not the beer yet, its only 11:30 AM. So far, we have seen the Irish Post Office, O'Connolly Street, Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Bank of Ireland, and are heading to Christ Church and the National Museum. Next stop, Scotland! The adventure has begun, stay tuned for pictures and videos. They are coming soon! Eric and Laura
Read more

Rome - Another Day, Another Gellato Flavor

Image
Rome was a very enchanting city. With quite a history, there was lots to see and do, and by the third day of exploring the city, we were pooped. To start from the beginning, we departed Florence in the afternoon, and enjoyed the short trip to Rome. We got to see a bit more of the Italian countryside, which looks a lot like southern California. It is covered with red tile buildings, vineyards, and olive groves though, with of course, the occasional castle. No more mountains though...we left those in northern Italy. That night, we had arranged to stay in a small private bed and breakfast. The owner was late though, so Laura ran out for some pizza and coke. Turned out to be some of the best pizza of the trip. No tomato sauce, just cheese spinach, sausage and dough. So good though. Eric caught up with the bed and breakfast owner, and we were led inside to a place with marble floors and antique furnishings. They provided Espresso every morning and croissants, but no internet. There was a re...
Read more