(Disclaimer:  We were writing blog posts daily during our cruise, but the wifi was so abysmally slow, it would take 5 or 6 hours to upload 10 photos or so.  Now that we’re home, we’re adding the photos and posting…)

We last visited Rhodes three years ago, and loved our short time there. So, we were very excited to visit this island again on our vacation.  Best known for being the home of the Colossus of Rhodes, it is a very charming island, and the Old Town is still behind the ancient walls, lending a special sort of charm to the city.  The old town also holds the remains of the occupation of the Knights of St. John during the crusades, including the Palace of the Grand Masters and the Street of the Knights.  It also has beach resorts, and the remains of the Acropolis of Lindos (which we didn’t visit on this trip…next time).

Last time, we’d purchased some shoes for Belinda and some handmade throw pillow covers while there, and we visited each store again this time around.  Happily, the stores were still there!  Belinda was happy to get her shoes and were were happy to buy more throw pillow covers and a hand-embroidered silk duvet cover.  The store owner of the tapestry shop even remembered us from three years ago.  If you’re in Rhodes, visit Peridis in Old Town…they have beautiful hand made rugs, pillow covers, even purses!  Greece has instituted a 24% VAT tax on all purchases made there, and the business owner said that this is killing their business.  They’ve been in business since 1960, and they’re not sure they can survive much longer.  Luckily, as American citizens, we can get a refund of the tax, so we were happy to make a larger purchase and get some unique souvenirs for our home.

While there, we also decided to get a good Greek lunch, and we stumbled upon the Golden Olympiade.  The kids enjoyed trying some traditional Greek mezedes (absolutely delicious), and Kenneth got adventurous and ordered calamari “spaghetti” with pesto sauce and crispy fried potatoes (a dish I’ve been asked to recreate at home).  Of course, the grown ups tried yet another Greek white wine, recommended by the waiters, and it was very good.  We wish we could find some of these wines in the USA! We ended our meal with a delicious baklava, which we couldn’t resist ordering!

Our initial plan on this visit was to shop and then walk to the beach for a quick swim before heading back to the ship, but both kids got tired and hungry before we could make that happen.  However, this charming little island is so nice, and there is so much more we’d like to see there, that we know we’ll be back someday to see the rest of it!