The end of the first week of our cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean found us on the island of Rhodes. It was a Sunday at the end of (Orthodox) Easter week and still early in the cruise season (mid May), so the town was relatively quiet. Our ship was docked right alongside some of the medieval ruins, and the city itself was but a short stroll away alongside the clear blue waters of the harbor.

Rhodes has an ancient history, and it was settled throughout the Hellenic, Roman and Byzantine eras, but the structures that dominate the city today are relatively recent. From 1309 to 1522, Rhodes was inhabited by the Knights of St. John, and it was an important point for Crusaders traveling to and from the Holy Land. The Knights are responsible for the massive walls, gates and the Palace of the Grand Masters  (updated from an earlier Byzantine citadel) as well as hospitals and churches. We clambered around the remains of one of the fortresses which guards the entrance to the harbor before passing through a formidable gateway into the Old Town.

 We followed a series of quiet back streets and stairways up to the Palace of the Grand Masters, which dominates the high point of the city. It is surrounded by tall trees and lush gardens, and one passes through a series of thick stone walls and wide dry moats before reaching the Palace (which looks more like a fortress) itself. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Palace was closed this day to visitors, so we found a pleasant café along a pedestrian street just outside the walls to enjoy a cold beer and free WiFi before continuing our explorations.

We meandered our way down past the Suleyman Mosque to the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, housed in the former hospital of the Knights of St. John. Built in the latter half of the 15th century, it consists of a large interior courtyard surrounded by two stories of vaulted porticos opening into a series of rooms. These now contain displays of artifacts from as far back as the 9th century B.C.  from Rhodes and surrounding islands. I was especially taken by the collection of mosaics which had been brought here from basilicas and villas in the area.

Of course, we had to stroll through the bazaar and grab a gelato before heading back to the ship, but those modern Rhodian experiences are a pale memory beside the powerful images of the might and beauty of a bygone Rhodes.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor