The Medieval City of Rhodes, Greece

June 8th, 2014

The island of Rhodes, one of the twelve islands in the Dodecanese, has been inhabited since the 15 century BC.  The city of Rhodes was built in the year 408 BC. In 50 AD, the Apostle Paul made Rhodes a significant Christian center, and it was on Patmos, a small island off of Rhodes, that the Apostle John wrote about the Apocalypse. But it was, perhaps, the Knights of the Order of St John in the 14th century, who had the greatest influence on Rhodes.

The Knights of St John was an order of Hospitalers whose mission was to protect and care for Christian Pilgrims. By the beginning of the 12 century, this order had become military in nature, and in 1312, the Knights inherited the immense wealth of the Templar Knights which they used to fortify Rhodes.

Old Town Rhodes is a medieval town, with fortress walls and a castle and cobblestone streets that are right out of a story book.

Our ship was able to dock in the city harbor, just a few blocks from the Old Town. This made it very convenient to tour Rhodes on our own and ‘on our feet’.

As we walked through the main gate we were greeted by a charming collections of  shops and cafes that were housed in the original buildings of the old medieval Rhodes.

This is the ‘Half Church’ – it was cut in half to make room for the road, or walkway, that passes just in front of it. Now, it serves as a backdrop for a unique café.

On top of the highest point in the city is the Palace of the Grand Masters, built in the 7th century to act as a citadel for the Byzantine fortress. During the period of the Knights of St John (1309-1522) the building was repaired and converted to the residence of the Grand Master and the administrative center of their state.

The Palace of the Grand Masters is a roughly square building designed around a courtyard. It has medieval towers, ramparts and 150 rooms.

It also houses an amazing collection of sculptures and mosaics and any number of antiques that were unearthed in the excavation of Kos (a neighboring island in the Dodecanese).

I really just loved this candelabra wall sconce. It was not hard to picture the time when the entire Palace was lit by candles.

The presence of the Knights and the Crusaders could be felt in the halls and walkways and gigantic meeting rooms…..

And most especially along the Street of the Knights, which linked the commercial port with the Palace. We could just imagine the Knights on horseback, maybe in full armor, riding up this cobblestoned street and into the Palace. All along the street were the buildings which were the knights residences.

After finishing our tour of the Palace, we strolled several back streets……

And ended up in this quieter section of shops, just off the main drag, where we had a delightful lunch.

After lunch, we continued our walk which took us outside of the Old City walls. This area, which was once a moat between the city walls, now protects a rose garden.

Our  destination was Mandraki Harbor, where the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World was said to have stood. At the harbor, we saw these traditional windmills.

This narrow channel, flanked by these deer statues on either side, marks the spot where legend says that the Great Colossus once straddled the Mandraki Harbor. The 110 foot tall, bronze statue of the sun god Helios was commissioned at the end of the 4th century BC. It stood for only 50 years. In 227 BC, an earthquake toppled the Colossus, and Delphic Oracle advised the people of Rhodes to let the Colossus lie where it had fallen.

We sat at the base of this pedestal and did some awesome people watching……. and thought of the sailing ships of times past, who would have sailed under the giant Colossus. What a sight that would have been!

Santorini, Greece

June 7th, 2014

Santorini is what one typically thinks about when you think of the Greek Isles. Beautiful island landscape, beautiful blue water, and those classically cute ‘Greek’ blue and white houses. We were really looking forward to touring Santorini.

We had lined up a shore excursion with an overview of the island, then a chance to explore the smaller town of Oia, before heading back to the main town of Fira, and our cruise ship.

We started our tour by bus to Prophet Elias Mountain, where we could get a 360 degree view of the island. Santorini has a unique landscape, surrounding a volcanic caldera - the crater left by a volcanic collapse. Around 1.600 BC, Santorini suffered a massive volcanic eruption and the resultant tidal wave wiped out the island’s civilization, later rumored to be the fabled Atlantis.

Next, we stopped by a winery and learned a bit about the unusual way that grapes are grown on Santorini. The vineyards do not have rows of grapes growing on wires or supports or arbors, as we are used to seeing. Here they let them grow low to the ground, forming the grape vines into a circle around the base of the plant. This creates a sort of ‘basket’ that helps collect water, and protects the vine from the harsh winds.

From there, it was a picturesque drive to the town of Oia, on the north end of the island.

Oia is the second largest town on Santorini, and, after an earthquake in 1956 destroyed the town, it was carefully rebuilt in the original fashion, with the typical white homes with blue accents and narrow walkways. It seemed a bit inauthentic, as there is a building code to mandate this, and, by the 1970’s, Oia had really become THE place where the wealthier people of Santorini wanted to live.

We had about 1 1/2 hours to explore Oia……not long enough to really do much more than stroll the streets and look in a few shops.

We did get to see those classic settings that have been in countless photos. Oia is the Aegean's most photographed village.

But, Oia was CROWDED! Those cute little narrow walkways were bumper to bumper with tourists just like us.

We did get a glimpse of those tucked away little homes, and did stick our heads into several really nifty shops….but overall, we would have been better off (in hindsight) just sitting at a café and sipping a coffee while people watching.

It s always hard to know what would be the best way to see a port town, when you arrive by cruise ship. Santorini, and especially Oia, would be awesome to experience over several days. I could picture staying in a small B & B and enjoying the amazing scenery, and the sunsets (which are said to be unforgettable) from the  quite of our own personal balcony. But, alas, our time in Oia was up, and we loaded back up on the tour bus and were dropped back off in Fira, the main town, located just above the harbor.

Our experience in Fira was not much better than in Oia……crowds there, too, and so many little souvenir shops all selling the same things. We strolled through the main street area, just getting a feel for the town.

Fira sits right on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the harbor. When it was time to head back to our ship, we had a choice of how we might get down to the water. There was this pathway……with a whole lot of switch backs…….which you could walk……

Or ride a donkey…..but we had been warned about the donkeys – they smell! And it was said to take days of washing to get rid of the smell!

The other, more attractive alternative was an aerial tramway.

As we strolled down the main street in Fira, we were headed in the direction of the tram (knowing that the last tram left at 4:30pm and we had better not be late). What we did NOT expect was to run right into the line for the tramway….winding down and around for several blocks! We just sort of fell into line…..and waited……We did finally make it down to the harbor and back on our ship, with time to spare.

All in all, Santorini was a bit of a disappointment. Too much hype…and therefore, way too many people. This is, sometimes, the drawback to cruising…….the up side – we settled into our nice, cool room for a rest, then enjoyed the spectacular ‘sail away’ as we sailed all around the island. Later, we had a wonderful dinner cruise ship style.   : )

Chania, Crete, Greece

June 6th, 2014

Chania is the second largest city in Crete and was its capital until 1971. Chania has been inhabited for over 5,000 years, and was the site of the ancient Minoan settlement of the Greeks called Kydonia. We could have chosen an all day shore excursion to tour a Minoan Palace, but decided not to take a guided tour, but rather, explore Chania on our own.

The Star Pride docked just outside of the Old Town Harbor, and we took a small boat tender in. With a map in hand, we set out to explore Chania.

Most of the town’s (and tourist) activity centers around this very pretty water front. Indeed, this harbor was used as the set for “Zorba the Greek”

Crete had, over the years, come under Byzantine, Venetian, and later Ottoman rule, and all left their mark on Chania. The Old Town area is a wonderful mixture of Venetian-Turkish architecture.

This is the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary. The construction of this church was completed in 1860.

Beautiful! I find that visiting churches when we travel gives a sense of the ‘universality’ of religion.  note – almost all of the Christian churches in Greece are Orthodox, not Catholic.

I was taking the picture of this statue of a patriarch, just outside of the church square.  Then I really had to smile when I noticed the ‘authentic Chinese food’ restaurant behind it!    : )

One of the major attractions in Chania is the Municipal Market, an enclosed cross-shaped market building which was built in 1913 and serves as the ‘heart’ of the city.

There was stall after stall of fresh produce and goods……

And fresh fish and chicken?  There were several cats hanging out just under that table of fish (I did not get their picture). I think that if the owners turned their back, even for a second, the cats would be on the table scarfing down a tasty fish!

The Market was a wonderful symphony for the senses……but I was a bit frustrated. So many wonderful things to  buy and cook and enjoy! If we had been in the camper, we would have loaded up on breads and cheeses, wines, olives and olive oil, Cretan honey, fruits and vegetables. But heading back to a cruise ship, and knowing that we would not be home for several weeks, and then flying home with the airline regulations….well we just had to enjoy looking and not buying.   : (

Walking on around town……

So many beautiful vignettes!

And some areas….not so pretty……

Chania had been heavily bombed in WWII, and the people just built around the bombed out buildings, rather than dozing and cleaning up the rubble.

We stopped in at a small church building….nothing in it except several signs (none in English) and this  bulletin board with these old pictures.

I don’t know the story at all……but their faces were haunting.

Our walk-about took us back around to the Old Town Harbor and the Venetian arsenal buildings (those pointed roofed buildings on the left), constructed in the 16th century when Chania was under Venetian rule.

We walked on around the harbor……enjoying the picturesque setting.

Finally walking all the way out on this lighthouse wall, and sitting down for a bit to just take in the sights.

The Walled City of Monemvasia, Greece

June 5th, 2014

We had a guided shore excursion scheduled for today to tour Monemvasia, a fortress- like city at the tip of the Peloponnese Peninsula. Monemvasia is linked to the rest of Greece by a thin causeway that once had a drawbridge. It’s name is derived from two Greek words meaning ‘single entrance’.

Monemvasia’s nickname is ‘the Gibraltar of the East’ or ‘the Rock’……..

Because it hides behind this massive rock, which protected whoever happened to be occupying the walled city.

Monemvasia is located along the sailing route from Italy and Western Europe to Istanbul and the East, offering a strategic rest and resupply stop for passing ships. As such, it was often fought over and alternately occupied by the Venetians, Byzantines, Turks, Franks, and Ottomans.

The walled city’s isolated position was easily defensible, but also easy to cut off from the rest of the Peloponnese and its supplies, thus making it easy to occupy. When the draw bridge was up, or it was cut off from the mainland, this rocky access was the only way that Monemvasia had to get supplies into the city.

For their part, the people of Monemvasia seemed to take a pragmatic approach to occupation, as long as it did not interfere with their way of life, even siding with the country which offered the ‘better deal’.

In its medieval heyday, Monemvasia was home to some 50,000 inhabitants. Now, fewer than 100 people live in Monemvasia full time. It has become a destination for honeymooners and other people looking for a cute, secluded, romantic get-away.

We first strolled through the narrow main street of Monemvasia……(That is our guide with the umbrella)

And we emerged onto the town square, with its ocean overlook.

In the square, was this little Christian church.

The rather simple exterior hid this amazing, ornate interior! The front panel altar screen is unique, in that it is carved from marble, rather than wood.

Our guide showed us to a small alcove where this original, very old icon hung. It had been cut into sections, and hidden during occupations, and thus, saved.

We strolled up and down the streets of Monemvasia, listening to our guide describe life during the city’s peak.

We could picture the families who lived here….the women who did their chores outside in the courtyards, and the children who played on these rock pathways between houses.

We stopped in at the small shops, and cafes…….Our tour group took a break, where we sampled the local Ouzo, an anise (liquorish) flavored alcoholic drink with quite a kick!

We really liked Monemvasia and found it to be charming and full of character.

It really would be just the place that we would love to come back to and spend a few days ……..