Our First Cruise

Well, not really. But we are taking the night ferry to Rhodes, and we get to sleep in our very own cabin, so I'll call it a cruise. With one last Santorini sunset behind us, and bellies full of moussaka, keftedes and dolmades, it was time to get to the port.

Our boat didn't leave until 12:50 am, but we were lucky enough to find some fellow travellers with whom to pass the time. A young couple from Singapore proved to be great company - so much so that they were also our dinner companions the next day in Rhodes. 

Once aboard, we had little time to enjoy our cruise. No buffet dinner or dancing in the ballroom or strolls on the promenade deck - it was straight to bed for our tired family.

Not a lot of space, but four comfy beds is all that we need.

This was our ride - the Blue Star 1. Been on three Blue Star ferries now during our two weeks in Greece, and I have to say that this ferry system is pretty impressive. A nice modern fleet of ships, at a reasonable price, and always leaving on time. Hey BC Ferries, you listening?

The arrival into the harbour in Rhodes is quite impressive, as the Old Town, a remarkably well preserved medieval fortress, dominates the skyline. This is yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. I'm beginning to get suspicious of this title. They seem to grant it to quite a few attractions in the world - it's a diluted brand. Almost like being vice president in a Canadian bank.

We chose to come to Rhodes because it will allow us to enter Turkey by ferry. We'll be here for four nights, and while I'm not expecting too much in the way of attractions (after all, we've pretty much had our fill of quaint Greek villages, ancient ruins, greek food, etc.), it should serve as a nice place to relax for a few days.

It was a fairly long way from the disembarkation point to our hotel. In hindsight a taxi may have been wiser, but the walk ended up skirting the harbour and was a great way to see some boats belonging to the 1% crowd - or maybe the lucky 0.001% group.

As many of you will know, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World was the Colossus of Rhodes, a gigantic stone statue of the Greek god Helios straddling the entrance to Rhodes Harbour. It was tall enough for ships to pass through its legs!! It was built in 280 BC but fell victim to an earthquake only 50 years later. For those who can't imagine what it was like, I have thoughtfully assisted with my own rendition. Enjoy.

The Old Town and its walled castle are amazing - so far we have only strolled through the cobblestone streets, but we plan on giving some more time to the sites and museums a little later during our stay.

<insert joke here>

One of the most spectacular features of the castle is the gigantic moat (not a water moat) surrounding the fortifications. This made the walled city nearly impenetrable. The picture above shows the kids walking by the outer wall - the castle itself isn't even in frame, but would be to the right.

While Asia is full of stray dogs, Greece belongs to the cats - they're everywhere and thankfully in pretty good shape.

Poor Owen - he would love to bring swords, catapults and armor back to Canada as his souvenirs, but none are feasible. Count on mean old Daddy, aka "Dr. No" to ruin his plans.

No kids, Rhodes is not famous for it's ice cream (it's not even called gelato here), and it has not been soooooo long since you had one. In actual fact it has been 12 minutes and 43 seconds since your last one.

Our one-day reunion with David and Reena.

We're staying at a lovely little guesthouse in Rhodes, and it has the added benefit (for the kids, at least) of being home to a huge flock (??) of tortoises. This gives Annie and Owen plenty to do when we have some down time.

The kids are 'helping' to feed them, but I hope they don't kill them with kindness.

They are kind of cute, and wouldn't you know it, the kids now want a tortoise as a pet. What did you expect? Actually, it might be easier than a dog. It seemed like a possibility until the proprietor told us that they can live past 80 years.

Still fairly early in the tourist season here on Rhodes - the umbrella rental business is not too brisk. Hope that one customer got a good discount.

2,000 years of history behind them and the kids would rather catch a grasshopper, and we didn't even scold them for it. This just shows that we are 'so done with ruins'. 

That is, until the ruins become interactive. This little stadium was a perfect place to run off some steam. See who can make it there and back the fastest, shall we?

It's easier to win when you turn around half way!!