Rhodes is the easternmost island of Greece, separated from Turkey by only 40km of Mediterranean Sea. We stayed at an Air BnB in the city of Rhodes at the northernmost point of the island.
Rhodes is a mish mash of several cultures. At different points in history, Rhodes was ruled by the Romans, the Ottomans, the Knights and the Italians, which makes for an interesting-looking island.
Here's what I got up to in Rhodes!
The Medieval (Old Town) City of Rhodes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and entrance into the old town is free. It features Gothic architecture as well as Italian and Turkish influences. If it weren't for the locals on motorcycles and all the stray cats, old town Rhodes would have felt like a ghost town. Most of the businesses inside the old town were closed but it was fun to explore the quiet alleyways.
Agora near the Old Town
Where the statue of Hercules supposedly once stood
On our first night, we visited a little Snack Bar called To Steno, a little family run restaurant (the father and son were waiting tables while the mother was cooking in the back) by our Air BnB. We had a Greek salad along with some noteworthy fried dishes that the waiter told us were typical of Greek cuisine.
Fried Zucchini Flowers at To Steno in Rhodes
Fried Pumpkin Fritters at To Steno in Rhodes
Popcorn Fish at To Steno in Rhodes
The most disappointing sight in Rhodes was the Acropolis of Rhodes. It was a nice walk through some of the ritzier neighbourhoods of Rhodes but the Acropolis was under construction and didn't appear all that grand. Also, trees and a hill were blocking the view of the sunset from the Acropolis.
Luckily, 50km away (€5 and an hour by bus) from the town of Rhodes is the Acropolis of Lindos, a grand old temple on a hill built around 300 BC and fortified by the Knights of St. John in the 14th Century. Entrance into the Acropolis is typically €12 per person but we went on Greece's National Museum Day so it was free! Not surprisingly, every view from the top of the Acropolis of Lindos was one of breathtaking.
The town of Lindos from the Acropolis
What I tell people if they ask if I even lift...
Two more noteworthy meals in Rhodes. Firstly, spice-filled plates of Northern Indian cuisine in a restaurant run by a Rhodes native that grew up in Japan, travelled to India and brought back some stellar Indian chefs to the island of Rhodes. Saffron Restaurant was a little overpriced (compared to Scarborough's Indian food) but high quality ingredients and a unique blend of spices made it the best Indian cuisine that I've had in a while.
Our last dinner in Rhodes was at Tamam Restaurant. Yes, it's named the same thing as my favourite restaurant in Chania, Crete but have no relation to eachother. Tamam had some amazing dishes and the restaurant itself deserves its very own blog post so I'll save all the photos for another day.
And that's a wrap for Rhodes. After Rhodes I headed to Athens for the last leg of the trip...
This is the fourth post in a five part series.
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