The Walls of Rhodes Town

Today we arrived in Rhodes early in the morning and Rhodes Town looked beautiful from the top of the ship where we have our breakfast. We wasted no time in setting off the short walk along the harbour-side to the medieval city walls, dating back to the mid-14th century although rebuilt after an earthquake in the 1480s. Still pretty old though! You can’t walk right round them but we climbed up onto one section and it was amazing. We strolled around the moat which is now a path lined with grass and a few trees, with great views of the walls. There were little birds tweeting and many cats strolling about. We went through one of the smaller gates and emerged into the old town. It is very lovely and historical, with cobbled streets and ancient houses. We walked up the Street of the Knights and along Socrates Street, taking in the atmosphere of all the little shops and had coffee and orange cake in a café in a most enchanting little courtyard. We even did a bit of jewellery shopping. We visited the Grand Master’s Palace, which was originally built in the late 7th century as a Byzantine Citadel, although it has been repaired, modified and repurposed many times since then. Its name dates from the occupation of Rhodes by the Knights Hospitaller in the 14th century, when they converted it into their headquarters and palace for their Grand Master. We also visited the Archeological Museum, which is a peaceful little museum with a lovely roof garden. Later we had lunch in a roof-top café with views of the city walls with the sea beyond. Rhodes Town is a very attractive place and I would love to visit there again.

Back at the ship we went swimming in the pool before drinks and dinner.