Day 133: No Kos for Us … Rhodes, Greece Instead

Friday, 19 May 2017
At Sea — Aegean Sea

Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:00p (EEST) … UTC 5:000p (19 May)
Temp: 67.5F (19.7C)
Position: 36.17.81N / 27.28.37E

We travel not to escape life.  We travel so life doesn’t escape us.
~ Anonymous ~

I was woken up by flashes of lightning and booming thunder.  It was only 5:00a, so I turned over and went back to sleep.  The next time I awoke, it was almost 7:00a.  Mui was just stirring, too.  “Sleeping in,” I thought to myself, “good … we’re on track for taking it easy in Rhodes … the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese Islands.”

Rhodes?  Weren’t we supposed to be in Kos, Greece today?  Well, that stop was canceled yesterday when Captain B came on the P/A shortly before we left Limassol to advise us that a forecast for strong northerly winds — up to 40 knots — made the port of call unfeasible … unsafe to enter the harbor to conduct tender operations.  Hence the replacement port of Rhodes.  Having been twice before to this island where the Knights of St John were the last Christian holdouts before the island fell to the Ottomans in 1523, familiarity bred comfort … and we enjoyed our day at a relaxed pace.

So, let’s see how our day turned out.

There was a definite chill in the air — it was only 60F (15.5C) — when we went up to the Terrace Café for breakfast.  With the A/C still going strong, it actually felt no colder outside than it did inside, so we opted for an al fresco breakfast as usual.  The crisp air felt really good.  And the occasional light rain that was falling did not bother us since we were well-protected by the overhead canopy.

We were all set to disembark Insignia around 9:00a, but when the light drizzle changed to a steady downpour, we decided to dally a bit.  After all, nothing urgent awaited us in the immensely walkable and DIY-able old city.  The Accuweather hourly forecast was spot on and the rain was replaced by partly sunny conditions and brightening skies just before we left the ship half an hour later.

This was a three-ship day in Rhodes — RCL’s Jewel of the Seas was already docked in the berth closest to the walls when we arrived.  Insignia docked behind it.  Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator, on approach on the horizon while we were eating breakfast, docked on the other side of the pier.  It made for a crowded port.  Now that all the cruise lines have completed their spring transatlantic crossings, we probably need to get used to sharing ports with multiple ships.  That’s not to say we have to like it … but it is what it is.

We found things in the port area changed since our last visit to Rhodes in 2013.  For one thing, the mound of dirt on the pier was now an excavated site of ancient ruins.  Also, visitors could safely walk down the pier on either side of the ruins to get to St Catherine’s Gate … the near-hidden break in the walls surrounding the city.  This gate being the closest entry point to the walled city, it was our destination.

Cats are a common sighting around Rhodes … and they cooperate for photo ops.

Inside the walls, we found ourselves in front of the Byzantine era Church of Panteleimo, an Orthodox church dating back to the 15th century.  Seeing the door open, we peeked inside.  The caretaker welcomed us — “Kalimera [good morning/day/afternoon],” she said — and bid us to enter.  Religious-themed murals decorated the walls and ceiling …  a lovely surprise for a mural-lover.  Before leaving, we put a small donation in the box to show our appreciation and got a beaming smile from the caretaker in return.

One of the many murals inside the Church of Panteleimo.

Back outside, we had a decision to make.  Head straight ahead and follow the main road into the city … where there were bound to be tourists galore.  Or head to the left for a meandering walk along the maze-like back streets … where fewer tourists were bound to be exploring.  We opted for the latter.  At first we followed the city walls, but soon we were peeking into alleys and strolling along narrow side streets, some barely wide enough for two scooters to pass each other.  The cobblestone streets were slippery where they were wet from the rain, but we walked slowly and enjoyed the quiet morning for the next hour.  By the time the sun broke through the clouds, the city was awakening.  Slowly the shutters on the shops slid open.  Shopkeepers set out signs and put their wares on display.  Restaurants started setting up tables, the aroma of Turkish coffee wafting out of tiny bistros.

Scenes from the back streets of the Walled City.

Eventually we got into areas that were familiar from previous visits.  We had no specific sightseeing goals in mind, so we just kept walking.  By 11:30a we were in the hubbub of the central square.  Time to figure out where to meet Sonia and Boris for lunch.  We already had two places in mind.  Mui asked a shopkeeper for directions to both restaurants, making the decision to choose one over the other easier … one of the restaurants was outside the walled city … scratch that one off the list.  We texted with Sonia and agreed to meet at Hermes at 12:30p.

Turns out the restaurant is across from the Ottoman era [Pargalı] İbrahim Paşa Camii [mosque] — built in 1531 and dedicated to Sultan Süleyman’s vizier … and later, his brother-in-law.  Mui took a seat at one of the tables at Hermes while I went for a short walk in search of more photo ops.  The mosque was closed, but by the time I rejoined Mui, the imam had unlocked the doors.  I sent Mui off to take photos inside since I didn’t feel like taking off my shoes.  Turns out the imam was Turkish and invited him in to take all the pictures he wanted!  While Mui was gone, I took advantage of the restaurant’s fast internet to touch base with my family.  By the time I was done, Sonia and Boris had arrived.  Time to get some food in our bellies.

Hermes is a very casual place, with paper-covered tables set out on the street in front of the restaurant for an al fresco meal.  The temperature was perfect for eating outside and we had shade overhead to keep us comfortable.  The guys ordered gyro platters — pork here instead of the traditional beef/lamb; the gals ordered gyros wrapped in pita bread.  Sonia and I shared a local beer, and she ordered a Greek salad, which was easily shared by the four of us.  Revani for dessert — good sized portions — all around … compliments of the proprietor.  Wrapping it up with Turkish coffee.  All very tasty — and inexpensive at €25 for the four of us.  We would definitely return to eat here again when we find ourselves in Rhodes.  As a matter of fact, we expect our ship to call here on a cruise we’ve got booked for fall 2018, so we won’t have to wait long.

A tasty and inexpensive meal with our friends Sonia and Boris.

After lunch the four of us headed to the main square and came upon DaVinci — a sorbeteria and gelateria that promised “daily fresh products of Greece based on Italian recipes.”  The mounds of gelato in the display cases looked downright luscious … so hard to resist … not that we tried hard ;-)  I can highly recommend the orange-flavored dark chocolate flavor.  This is another place we would definitely return to for a sweet treat.

At this point, Mui and I left to go meandering on our own and check out some familiar sights.  By that I mean sights popular with tourists.  Ippoton Street was frustratingly crowded, but we decided to walk slowly from one end to the other, dallying along the way to give the tour groups time to get well ahead of us.  Lined with buildings from the time of the Knights of St John, this cobblestone street is also known as the Street of the Knights.  We wandered inside the Inn of France — commissioned in 1492 to house the Priory of the Tongue [nationality] of France.  Today it serves as the French Consulate.  A charming building … though there wasn’t much to see in the section open to the public … except for a free art exhibit on the second floor.

Looking down Ippoton Street.

From here we continued up to the top of the gently sloping street and went into the courtyard of the Grand Master’s Palace.  We didn’t go inside since we had done that before, but here we found the entrance to the walk along the top of the city walls.  We were told we’d need to buy tickets from the Grand Masters Palace to do the walk (€2/person).  It was past 2:30p, so we decided to leave the walk to another time.  Instead, we began a slow meander back to the ship.  An hour later we were back in our cabin and I was enjoying the breeze and shade on the veranda as I downloaded photos from our thoroughly satisfying day.

From the outer courtyard of the Grand Master’s Palace … the entrance to walk
on the city walls is behind us … we’ll do that next time we are in Rhodes.

We were a little late leaving Rhodes.  I later heard announcements had been made for six passengers … no idea if they made it in time or if we left them behind.  The missing/late passengers might have contributed to the delay, but the main reason we were a little late getting away was that we waited for Jewel of the Seas to leave so we could maneuver away from our berth.  Sailaway was nice … would have been better if the light had been behind us to turn the city walls golden.  This is definitely a port where the sail in provides better light conditions than the sail out.

Both Captain B and Cruise Director Ray warned us at sailaway that the winds would be picking up as the evening progressed, increasing the movement felt on the ship.  The suggestion was for ladies to wear flats if they expected to be out and about.  Well, it’s now 9:00p and there is a definite jiggle and wiggle as the ship cleaves through the Mediterranean.  Things are expected to calm down by morning, but it looks like we are going to feel the motion of the ocean overnight.

Tomorrow is a day at sea.  I am looking forward to it … and to the hour we will be gaining overnight.

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