Rhodes: Back to civilisation = chaos but not only...
Knotty Girl
Tanya/Roberto
Mon 16 May 2022 17:43
36:26.9N 28:13.5E Arriving to the city of Rhodes after having been in quiet (sleepy for some) islands for a couple of days was a shock to us. We were not used anymore to seeing big buildings, very touristy beaches, parasailing boats, queues of cars, etc. In Mandraki harbour (in the city center) we were asked to moor on the quay of all types of tourists boats (instead of on the opposite quay with all of the other sailing boats - we suspect that it is because we were only there for 2 days - but one will never know !). Bottom line by the end of the 1.5 days we spent there we know the schedule and destination of each tourists’ boats and could easily become tour operators for some of them :) - we were surprised no one asked us when our boat was leaving and for where…! :)The day we arrived, at anchor in the commercial harbour was the biggest cruise ship ever built - the ODYSEE OF THE SEAS which definitely was NOT embellishing the view of the town... Just impressive how big that ship is ! We were very happy the next day when it left, even if others replaced it - they were much less huge ! So our first impression of Rhodes was not exceptional - yet this was before visiting the old town surrounded by its walls built by the Knights. You see a lot of original medieval stonework, blended into the restored parts done by the Italians during their occupation of the island. The old city is very charming and visiting the Palace of the “Grand Master” and the cathedral was very worth it. Plus wandering among the narrow streets (some of them with a bit too many tourists shops in my opinion) at night was very charming. Waiting for our friend Jean-Luc & Ingrid to arrive we did some washing of: the boat, us :), the sheets, the laundry… :) and provisioning as we left on Sunday for Turkey (Fethiye).     |