Rhodes

[Minimalist]

I took this shot out the window of the bus of the old harbor of Rhodes. According to legend the Colossus of Rhodes stood straddling the harbor entrance, marked by the two columns. Modern engineers and archaeologists have dismissed the idea saying that such a structure could not support itself in such a pose. They believe that it was either at the site of the medieval fort in the background or in town near the palace and main temple. We didn’t stop as there is nothing left there.....similar to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos which also was one of the 7 Wonders.




The tour was taking us to Lindos a town across the island and one which dates back to the Archaic period. Colonists from Lindos founded the Greek city of Gela on Sicily so it was a site of some importance until eclipsed by the growth of the City of Rhodes, itself. The bus dropped us off about 200 yards from town and we walked into the main square. This seems to be as far as cars can go. Further on, the only traffic on the roughly five foot wide streets were donkeys. While waiting for the group to assemble I took these shots of the harbor area. High, yes...but nothing compared with what was to come.



At a rest stop later on, I got this shot of the harbor with less interference from trees. We were on our way to the top of the Acropolis which, according to guide books is 116 meters or roughly 450 feet. I have no idea how high we were at this point.

[Minimalist]

After much huffing and puffing...and me sweating out my knee at every step...we reached the medieval walls built by the Knights of St John. We later found out there was an easier route but we proceeded straight across, from back to front, over bare rock scraped clean by the wind. My wife, typical woman, noted that all the Americans were wearing sneakers but the Europeans were wearing sandals or, in the case of one woman...heels! She must live in an Alpine village and be used to mountain climbing!



The Knights incorporated the Greek buildings into their fortifications.



The temple of Athena, at the highest point of the hill.



Got my wife to pose on the steps....



before passing her the camera to take this shot of the ancient harbor. It’s a natural and so well protected that the entrance is not visible even from this height.



I finally dragged myself up there....just to prove that I had actually made it.



While there, I took this shot of the temple interior. It’s pretty easy to see the modern reconstructions from the original stones.

[Minimalist]

While there...just took some nice touristy shots....





This last one shows the stairway that we could have taken if our guide hadn’t wanted to go the hard way!



On the way down I snapped this photo of the donkeys which were lined up to take tourists up the hill. The guide book said it was okay to take them UP but cautioned against taking them DOWN because they know they will be fed and watered when they get DOWN and tend to RACE!!! There were so many jackasses around I thought Bush must have been in town.



Lindos is an amazingly quaint little town but it exists for tourism and it is clogged with souvenir shops at virtually every step. It tends to ruin the effect until you get away from the town itself.
The above tends to be true of the Greek Islands in general.

Anyway, I went on the web and found this long shot of the town....on top of the acropolis, to the right, is the temple of Athena. My knee got me there and back....I should probably tip my doctor!

[Donna]

Min,
Great pictures, thanks so much for posting them. I may die of envy as I sit here looking at them.
Donna

[Minimalist]

Back to Rhodes the city for a tour of the old town.



The “moat” in front of the first wall of the medieval castle. The round balls are for catapults, not cannon. The guide claimed they weighed about 250 pounds apiece. The guides maintained that the moats were never flooded but were designed to provide a killing field for the archers. The castle wall was lined with archery loopholes designed to give each archer about a 60 degree field of fire out of an aperture that was only about 4-5 inches wide. They did this by chipping out the inside of the wall. Of course, at the thin point, one of those stone balls would crash right through but I guess it was an acceptable trade off.



The second moat, between the first and second walls. It is now converted into a promenade.



Just some various shots of the fortifications....European military architecture, a long way from home!







Inside the old town....the Ottoman Turks built their mosques after forcing the Knights out in 1522.



The Knights of St John, or Hospitalers, were an intriguing bunch made up of various nationalities each of which had its own virtual “club house” on this street.



The building with the turrets is now a bank or something...re-cycling at its best.



I got this shot through an open doorway. The houses are built in Roman style, around a central courtyard, although this one had a grand staircase built in it.


The outer sea wall....the Turks easily breached this and besieged the castle which surrendered but was not successfully stormed. Suleyman the Magnificent is alleged to have sent an army of 200,000 to subdue about 7,000 Knights so the battle would not have been in much doubt.



There is something incongruous about modern cars and ships alongside ancient walls...but I think one could learn to live there.



Before leaving I caught this shot of sunset over the old harbor. I must have been getting poetic!

[Minimalist]

Tomorrow, Knossos...long sail to Crete but we all needed the rest. I think I fell asleep at 9:30 that night.