Rhodes...the small, huge island

I can't account for the rest as once we get on a cruise ship, it's every persons vacation and whichever way the wind blows you, is the way you go. Mom and I decided against a guided tour in Rhodes, though I know many of our group did the tour and are all the wiser about what they saw today. We slept until 9am and waited until the touring folks got off of the boat before we rushed down for the last few minutes breakfast was being served. After getting our aesthetic act together, we walked off the boat and right in to the fortified Medieval town refered to as "old town Rhodes"...not very clever but it works as there is indeed a "new Rhodes." That said, the rock walls, buildings, turrets, etc. give away the old town as you come off of the pier. Mom and I decided to follow Irene's advice and simply "get lost" in the streets. It's Assisi (for those of you who have been) but much much larger and the cluster of streets like Venice. There are shops after shops and the vendors are all charming and completely unaggressive. We did some shopping for some more "original fakes" and finished up our check list of those we needed to bring back souvenirs for. This is the appropriate time to note that most of us, by now, are wearing Ray Dan's...not to be confused with Ray Ban's as these look just like them but only cost us 5-6Euros, unless you are Joe as in his case, they are 8Euros. 

Mom and I decided to cool our heals at a sweet cafe that faces one of the many busy squares. We got a front row seat and took our time in ordering some pita and Tzatziki and shared a prawn appetizer that is swimming in a light red sauce/white wine and melted feta. Yum! This was the perfect place to watch the Greeks at work and the tourists wandering in visual overload. There are many tamed Parrots around the square which of course are for photos and to draw people in to the cafe's that own the birds. It works..

We wandered some more, checking out some of the charming archetecture in this medieval fortress and then made our way back towards the pier. The water is blue blue and clear, but a dark blue, not like the clear water we are accustomed to in South America or around Florida, etc. It's a deep, beautiful shade. We skipped the beach even though this was our original plan, and opted to drop our many bags and make our way poolside on the ship. There, we were able to swim in the Aegean just the same and hydrate the mess out of ourselves.

The food on the ship is terrific. It's not like Carnival where it's round the clock eating, which is actually a good thing. There are designated times and two locations to eat as part of the cruise package. Most of us are taking advantage of this by getting back on the ship in time for meals.