Volendam 2026, Rhodes, Greece...

I was out on deck this very early this morning in horrible weather conditions; dark, windy and rainy. Sometimes you have to work for those photos…  George our driver picked us up at the port. Today another crew friend Andy joined us on our adventure. George explained that Rhodes was the crossroads of religions with four; Ancient Greece, Knights of St. John, Ottoman (Muslim) and Venetian…and is evident in the architecture throughout the island. Our first stop was Mandraki Harbor on the eastern coast of Rhodes, near the New Town. We stopped at the Marine Gate, the entrance to the Old Town then visited the gateway to this ancient port. Two bronze stags named Elefos and Elafina stand over the entrance to the old port. From here we drove up to the highest area in the city, Monte Smith Hill, for some nice views. On this hill also sits the Acropolis of Rhodes. It stands at the highest point above Rhodes Town and has been shrouded in scaffolding on our last few visits. The ruins date back to the 3rd century BC Greek period. Unfortunately, the overgrowth of foliage has blocked a good view of the ancient Stadium and Theatre. We then left the city for Lindos. Prior to stopping in Lindros, we went to St. Paul’s Bay to the see the picturesque views of the bay, village and the Acropolis. Built more than 4,000 years ago, Lindos was constructed around the base of the Acropolis. The village is quaint, bustling with tourists and full of history with narrow winding cliffs, cobblestone streets, leading down to the beach and up the steep hill to the fortress walls and the ancient acropolis. The Lindos Acropolis, stands 386 feet above sea level and is a dominant feature of the area. Its grandeur and majestic fortress walls provide a breathtaking backdrop to the town below. George dropped us at Lindros town square and we meandered through the narrow alleyways of the charming town, stopping at the Virgin Mary Church with its lovely clock tower. We followed the signage for the Acropolis and Andy and I climbed the 360 steps up to the top.…Making our way back to meet our driver George, we stopped for a coffee and shared a snack of Tzatziki and met our friends Marianne and Marcel who had just arrived in Lindos. We stopped for photos at the Anthony Quinn Bay originally called Vagies, the bay was renamed after actor Anthony Quinn who fell in love with the area and purchased land there during the 1960 filming of the movie The Guns of Navarone. Back in Rhodes we had George drop us at the Palace Gate and we made our way through the Street of the Knights passing the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent. This mosque was built in 1522 to commemorate the Ottoman victory against the Knights. Our last stop was for a delicious lunch of my favorite Gyros…we left the old town via the picturesque Virgin Gate and returned to the ship. The weather turned out great and we dodged all the rain showers. Another wonderful day in Rhodes.