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Sea: Calm
Weather: Mid-High 30s
Happy Birthday Jon!!
Today’s stop was on the Island of Rhodes. Dating back to 408 BCE, Rhodes Town is a wonderful contrast between ancient and modern, with two distinct halves. The magnificent UNESCO-listed medieval Old Town lies inside the confines of the modern city but remains entirely separate, thanks to a double set of soaring walls topped with domes and minarets. Inside is a maze of narrow cobbled streets and squares just waiting to be explored.
The Palace of the Grand Masters is a medieval castle in the city of Rhodes. It is one of the few examples of gothic architecture in Greece.
Street of the Knights is one of the most well-preserved, most intact medieval streets in the world. It was once home to the Knights of Saint John, who occupied Rhodes during the Middle Ages.
The buildings along the street include inns dating to the 15th and 16th centuries. Some buildings are constructed from finely chiselled sandstone, while others are adorned with intricate carvings or commemorative plaques.
A double archway spans the road at its highest point, while elegant doorways wide enough to accommodate a horse and carriage are found throughout.
The old Mandraki Harbour, dating from the city’s founding in 408 BC, is protected by a long breakwater, lined by three disused windmills, with the 15th-century Fort St. Nicholas on its northern tip. These three Mandraki windmills were built in the 15th century to grind the grain unloaded by merchant ships.
Flanking the entrance to the and a doe. Deer are the heraldic symbol of Rhodes and are still depicted on local ceramics such as
plates, ashtrays, and tiles sold as souvenirs. In times gone by, the mythical Colossus of Rhodes (this was a giant 3rd-century BC statue of Helios, a handsome Greek god and personification of the sun) is said to have straddled the entrance to harbour where the deer now stand.
It was incredibly hot outside and heading towards the hottest part of the day. Back onboard for lunch in the Glass House and then spent the rest of the day in the shade by the pool and back in the cabin, diving in and out from the balcony for a little respite from the sun.
Everyone was back on board and Azura set sail on time to make our way to Santorini.
To celebrate Jon’s birthday, we booked a table in Sindhu. Starters we all went for the Tandoori Mixed Starter. Mains, I had the curried fish (red mullet, sea bass and I think haddock), Callum chose the chicken korma and Jon the Signature dish. This consisted of three small portions of Prawn Tikka Masala, Chicken Tariwala Curry and Lamb Bhuna. Rice, breads and lentil dahl was served on the side. Words I never dreamed I’d hear Jon utter … the lamb was phenomenal and the dish of the night. For puddings, Callum and I had the chocolate sphere and Jon the chilli and chocolate tart which he said was awesome.
On the way out, we checked if our reservation for Sunday would be the alternate menu … alas, it was the same as tonight. Thankfully, it was not a problem to switch to Friday so we could try the other menu (Callum excited as he could have the lobster).
I finished the Charity Shop Detectives. Very easy reading and enjoyed it. Couldn’t download and start the next book as no mobile data!
