Greece Is Open For Travel (pt. 15) - Rhodes
Although the largest island in the Dodecanese chain, and with a rich ancient Greek history, its modern day fame owes mostly to Christian Crusader knights, and the famed Colossus. No longer extant, the giant sculpture of the Greek sun-god Helios in its day was referred to as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It stood taller than today's Statue of Liberty. Today, there is not even a hint of pedestal or inkling it ever existed.
The marvel of the city of Rhodes, the principal town is the fortress erected by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, ("Knights Hospitaller" for short) who held the island 1310 until 1522. It was these knights who turned the idea of a hospital from a place to feed the wounded and lame to a place where their injuries and ailments were actually treated. Part of the fortress today remains as a hospital.
The town of Rhodes is a vibrant, popular tourist attraction. The myriad snaking streets (walkways, really) that are customary for Greece are populated by shops, ice cream stands, coffee shops and sidewalk cafes. And the food...
The sigil of the Knights Hospitaller at one of the entry gates
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A moat once flowed where now there is green
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When you think "castle battlements" is this what you have in mind?
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Very Byzantine (and medieval)
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Cast of the statue of the Laocoon and his sons strangled by sea serpents (the original is in the Vatican) Laocoon warned the Trojans to not accept the Horse
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A minaret (unused) and a church steeple viewable from the palace
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Avenue of the Knights (Ippoton street)
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