25th March 2016

What a wonderful day! It began when we opened our blinds to reveal the castle of Rhodes, resplendent in the sunshine, with the Greek flag flying proudly.

I had visited Rhodes before, with Nan, Sarah, and Jamie. Sue and Charlotte had stayed at home due to the scheduling of the British examination boards. I remember the island fondly and was looking forward to showing Sue some of the sights I had explored in the Old Town.

We had a leisurely breakfast as we weren’t sailing on until the evening.

Disembarking onto a quay just a few hundred metres from the castle walls, we were soon strolling between the sea and the fortifications. They are truly impressive. You can easily imagine how any potential attacker would have been deterred and would likely have moved on to seek easier plunder. The multiple layers of defence remain practically intact, untouched by time or human interference.

After navigating the lower ramparts, we made our way inward through the walls via a heavily fortified system of gates, which, for any aggressor, would have meant certain death. The large, round stone ‘crushing’ balls scattered around were a testament to past failed conflicts.

Upon entering the Old Town, we found ourselves in a maze of narrow, cobbled streets lined with shops and restaurants. Immediately, Sue switched into search mode and began investigating each shop in turn, while I sat on a bench beneath the imposing walls, playing ‘scratch my ear’ with one of the town’s cats. Without any Euros, no purchase was possible, so we located an ATM, and the buying spree began. At this point, Sue insisted that we must not, under any circumstances, let our daughters know what a wonderful place this is for bargains. I promised to keep quiet and not mention it when we returned home.

A Christmas bell, a jumper and blouse, a dress, glass trees for the windowsill, and wooden Easter eggs were all carefully packaged before we exited through the castle walls three hours later and headed back to the ship.

Once on board, we dropped our ‘booty’ in the cabin and made our way to the restaurant. There, we met Aylo, who had been having a difficult morning. Like us, he had spent the morning in the town, but for him, it was a painful experience, as it brought back memories of a visit he had made with his now-deceased wife. It had been very upsetting for him, and he was in tears. During lunch, he asked if he could join us on our afternoon excursion into town, and of course, we agreed.

We met him again on the quay for our second outing, this time vowing to take ‘no booty.’ Aylo proved to be excellent company. He was very knowledgeable about everything we saw and an expert on where to find the best sights. The castle keep was a particular highlight. After taking numerous photographs and reading several information boards, we found ourselves back in the main tourist area, where we had earlier been caught in the retail trap.

A leather bag (Sue), a Gant T-shirt (me), and a Lexus baseball cap (Aylo) later, we found ourselves in the main square. Deciding to quench our thirst on this gloriously warm day, we chose a restaurant with the highest level of floors and secured a table with wonderful views of the town fountain, the square, and the castle. Upon ordering drinks, I was delighted to discover that my Mythos came in a litre glass boot. How novel, and definitely worth a photo.

We stayed chatting and observing the people below for over an hour, enjoying the sunshine and the ambience of Greek culture.

On our return to the ship, meandering through the maze of streets, it was a close call on several occasions not to expand our already large carrier bags. Sue and I vowed that we would return here in the future and spend more time getting to know the place better.

Back on board, we once again deposited our bags in the cabin and made our way ‘up top’ for tea and sandwiches. Does this ever end?

Sue watched our departure from the ancient harbour of Rhodes on deck, the sun low over the town, and the sky acquiring that mellow glow reminiscent of warm summer evenings in the UK (Charlotte, on Messenger, mentioned that it was tipping it down in Rothwell).

We went for our evening meal very late and caught the 9:45 pm magic show. And it was magic! Novel, amusing, quirky, and at times downright astounding. Where do they find these people? Frederiko Fontanili, you should be on the telly.

No late-night walk along the deck; the sea was becoming rough, and the swaying of the boat made it unsafe for Sue’s bone structure. So, hand in hand, it was down the lift (for once) and into hammocks (well, nearly).