Rhodes, not Roads

Sunday September 29, 2024

This is the point of land in Rhodes that marks where the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea meet.

Fun Facts About Greece

• The Greeks love dancing so much, there are over 4,000 official traditional dances in Greece. They originate from all over the country.

• Traditionally, Greek children do not celebrate birthdays – they celebrate their ‘name day’ on the day of the Saint they were named after.

  
  

• In ancient Greece, beauty standards were slightly different than today.  Back then, having a unibrow was considered a sign of both intelligence and beauty. Women who did not have one would draw it on purpose with charcoal.

Today we are on the island of Rhodes. It was famous during the times of antiquity as the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Now it is known for the beach resorts and ancient ruins of the Grand Master's Palace.

The Grand Master's Palace in Rhodes is best known for how well protected it was from attack. The palace had not one, not two, but three moats! The moats were not filled with water, but the high walls overseeing each moat were designed to allow the castle occupants to defend themselves from those trying to breach the walls.

The walls overseeing a moat.

The main entrance to the castle.

The entrance through wall 2.

The rest of this day will be dedicated to food and wine!!! After the tour we headed to a Greek restaurant for a cooking lesson and lunch. Unfortunately we were having so much fun eating I only remembered to take one picture of the food.

The inside of the Island Lipsi Restaurant

The cooking demonstration, the Greek Salad, the Eggplant Dip and Tzatziki Sauce, which we were taught how to make and then were served for lunch, with a glass of white wine.

We also were showed how to make Greek meatballs and Moussaka, and then had them for lunch. It was all delicious! And dessert was a lovely whipped cream pudding with honey! Yum!!

Then we walked back to the ship through the old town, which was charming and right next to the beach. There were many cute little shops with Greek goods, and of course the touristy shops. To get back to the port, we walked through one of the 11 gates of the medieval town within the walls of the Grand Master's Castle.

In the old town area some of the cobblestone streets were made of these rounded pebbles. And, although I do not like cobblestones in general, I did find these smaller ones easier to walk on.

Tonight we are going to a wine and food pairing on board the ship, at the Chef's Table restaurant. We usually really enjoy this restaurant so we are looking forward to tonight!

Tomorrow we sail to Crete, another Greek island! Kalinychta!