Greece, Historic towns, Travel

A Taste of Greece

Suzanne

We wanted to take one big bite into Greece, so we had to remind ourselves that little nibbles are far more satisfying and memorable.

Our first small taste was Rhodes city on the island of Rhodes; well, it was just a hop and skip away from Turkey, where we had been housesitting for the last few months.  Rhodes was such a gloriously relaxing place and so full of history, which did whet our appetite, and we wanted to explore more.

As with most first bites, the first is usually the best.

Marmaris, Turkey to Rhodes, Greece

It has been a while since we have ventured onto a ferry.  After this short trip, we are not that fussed if we don’t do another one for a time.  It was a rough journey where one minute you see the sea, the next it’s the sky.  Even the Squire was on the verge of developing a bit of seasickness, which is surprising as he is an old sea dog, so if he was to succumb, there was no hope for me not coming down with it.  Luckily, we reached Rhodes and hopped onto land before it became an issue.  Unlike some people around us clutching those sick bags like they were filled with gold.

Within an hour, we had booked into our hotel room, put clothes on hangers, had a drink, and headed out the door to explore.

Firstly, Rhodes Old Town is surrounded by stone walls, guarded by several towers and moats,  and the oldest continuously inhabited medieval town in Europe and the island’s most alluring attraction.  The added bonus of a refreshing sea breeze made wandering the narrow streets and archaeological sites a pleasurable experience.

The photograph below is a Mosque built in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent after conquering Rhodes.  Unlike most Mosques in Rhodes, it was initially constructed as a Mosque.  It is now used as a Museum.

 La Juderia is home to Greece’s oldest synagogue, Kahal Shalom Synagogue.  Inaugurated in 1577, it is the island’s only remaining synagogue of the original six.  The website is a fantastic resource curated by the Jewish Museum of Rhodes.

Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes

This is where we got to view the only Gothic Architecture in Greece.

The Palace had been rebuilt as part of The Grand Master’s Palace, which was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion in 1856.  It was rebuilt by the Italians, who spared no expense in restoring it with much attention to detail, which some may say is far better than the original.

This once again lavish Palace is now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Museum.  It is fascinating to explore this Palace with the rooms set up like the occupants had just left it.

Most rooms include antique furnishings and mosaic floors, which had been brought over from Kos Island.  On the ground floor, we viewed an exhibit about Rhodes from the early Christian period to the Turkish conquest in 1522.

 Apart from the glorious view, the outstanding feature of these rooms was the dramatic wallpaper.

 Municipal Art Gallery 

The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.

The second Museum we visited was in the Old Town of Rhodes, which can be found in the Hospital of the Knights building in the Palace of the Grand Master.  It all began in 1440 by Grand Master de Lastic and was completed in 1948 by Grand Master d’ Aubusson.  As well as the whole of the Medieval Town of Rhodes being renovated in the 20th Century by the Italians, so was the building that now houses the Museum.  Today, the Archaeological Museum contains findings from excavations all over the island and some small islets of Dodecanese.  We saw an array of vases, figurines, small objects and tomb groups from the Ancient Ialyssos and Ancient Kameiros, dating from the Geometric to the Roman times.  There are also mosaic floors from the Hellenistic times and funerary slabs of the Knights.  The mosaic floors were terrific.

Strolling by the Seaside

Published by Suzanne

Travel and Life Musings from New Zealand and Beyond. . . . . . .

69 thoughts on “A Taste of Greece”

  2. So beautiful! I’ve only seen the “beachy” side of the Greek islands so it’s lovely to see your images and I can’t wait for more! My parents love Rhodes and they have friends that live out there so they go out to see them every couple of years – maybe we should tag along next time!

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    1. Thanks Em, yes I think you would enjoy it if you love wandering around historical places. The weird part about this island is that most or nearly all [according to the taxi driver] hotels etc close during the off season. I think it would be a lovely place to visit off season even with a bit of rain!

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  3. I absolutely love Rhodes and your post has made me want to revisit. The whole island is fantastic to explore. I’ve also done that boat trip between Rhodes & Marmaris & the sea was rough for us too! I remember one of the boatmen having to fetch me from the deck and help get me inside the boat as huge waves were coming over the boat. A tad scary!

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    1. Orla, go in Spring or Autumn though cooler weather is not guaranteed, wear a hat, cotton clothing, drink lots of water and have a siesta time in the hotter part of the day 🙂

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    1. We are now in Portugal housesitting 🙂 You would love it as it is one Greek Island that has more things going for it than a beach and a party scene!!

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    1. You are very fortunate to have so many destinations at your doorstop, and we are making the most of it. As normally it takes us 24 hrs to get over here, so luckily we can stay over here longer!

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    1. Thanks Clare, I do enjoy your comments 🙂 Wallpaper is becoming more popular and there is so many creative ones out there now, and of course they come with an even more creative price tag 🙂

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        1. OMG, I am the last person to criticise your typos as I am terrible. I post a comment thinking it is the most amazing insightful piece then reread it and go OMG what the heck happened between the thought and my typing LOL

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    1. Ummm, our priorities when younger was to have fun and most memories are fuzzy to say the least 🙂 Especially if you were on a party island! It’s an interesting island with much history to enjoy, not sure about the party scene 🙂

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    1. Thanks April. We are adjusting to the rural Portugal environment very easily and to be honest it is a lovely change from busy Athens. Very dry and dusty here as it’s been a hot summer for the farmers. Enjoying the walks with the dogs.

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        1. April, funny that you should mention that, would you believe we forgot to buy some yesterday on our first visit to the supermarket. Will let you know about the cheese we find later on!!
          Suz

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  15. Absolutely inspiring; so much history. It’s easy to forget many places are rich in that in this day and age. Media detracts from that aspect and yet things like these have been around centuries. Really enjoyed the photos too; it gives the places you visit a true definition and makes the world feel nicer than news tends to persuade us.

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    1. Thanks, Gary, always appreciate your very kind comments 🙂 Unfortunately, good news doesn’t sell as well as bad news. We enjoyed learning a bit more about the history on Rhodes, so much information!! Greece is a very poor country and very orientated towards tourism. Most countries that rely on tourism are usually never wealthy!!

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      1. You’re very welcome 🙂

        And sadly you are right about news too. Its very dispiriting. I have actually seriously reduced the amount I watch now and prefer to tune into the radio.

        It’s a shame they have to rely on tourism though. So much history and previous in these places and yet today one would have hoped that things economically would be moving upwards. Beautiful place though.

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  17. Stunning photographs of a stunning Rhodes! I’m sure you could have spent more time there. Now that you are sharing your traveling experiences in between house sits, I would like to go to Greece again! The colors, the light and the atmosphere (and history and culture, of course) are amazing.

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    1. Arghhhh, don’t remind me that we could’ve spent more time there, as that is exactly what we said to each other. Though having said that, Les had to have 3 rest days in Athens so it all worked out well in the end!
      We would love to see more of the countryside of Greece and eat more food 🙂
      Suz

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  19. Great photos. That first one with the bright bougainvillea, and the blue sky, and the gorgeous colours of the buildings really hooked me in. If that’s what just a nibble looks like, a bite must be absolutely stunning.

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    1. Chris, thanks for commenting. I apologise for not replying sooner, I somehow managed not to finish my reply to you!! Hopefully the bite is stunning to view in the next post 🙂

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  22. I always look forward to seeing other parts of the world through your posts! I’m not a huge traveler, at least not at this point in my life, but I do LOVE exploring and seeing new things. Anyway, your pictures are brilliant, and so are your words that go with them.

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    1. Thanks very much Erin. You have a busy family life which no doubt takes all your energy let alone thinking about travel!! We are enjoying the freedom and I love to share our travels with the wonderful blogging community, such as yourself 🙂

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  24. I haven’t been to Greece or her islands for over ten years – your seductive photos remind me that I absolutely have to take my husband (hugely well travelled, never been to Greece … what???) and soon. Rhodes is high on the list since I have never been – thank you for this tantalizing post!

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  26. Loved your photos, which brought back memories of when we were there in 2009.

    Our friends were on their sail boat in Turkey and decided to rendezvous with us in Rhodes. We spent five days around Rhodes and sailing down to Lindos, before sailing to Rhodes. Simply gorgeous part of the world and what a great place to have a boat in just island hopping. 😉

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