Today was a shore excursion day for us while the ship was docked in Rhodes or Rodos as the Greeks call it. The island has a population of 100,000 with the main industries being tourism and agriculture (primarily olives). Occupation of the island dates back to the 3rd century BC, however in more modern times it came under the Ottoman Empire, then Italian, British immediately following WWII and now Greek rule.
The capital city of Rhodes has a well preserved and occupied old walled city section which has a UNESCO heritage listing.
Following a walking tour of the old city we drove along the island's one main highway on the eastern coast to the village of Lindos, along the way visiting a local family ceramics shop which had some gorgeous pieces. However with luggage weight limits in mind we didn't purchase anything.
We arrived at the coastal town of Lindos which presents a stunning vista on approach with the clear turquoise blue sea, whitewashed buildings and temple ruins on top of the cliff or high point (known as the acropolis) but not THE Acropolis in Athens. There were 303 steps to climb to the top of the temple and fort originally built by the Greeks and then occupied and extended by the Romans. And it was a hot day with at least 15-20 tourist coaches. If we hadn't realized prior, we now knew it was approaching the tourist high season. We couldn't imagine what it would be like during the peak season!
The little village and bazaar through which you walk to reach the ruins was like a postcard with narrow walkways and alleys of whitewashed buildings. It was quite a stunning view up the coast to Rhodes and out to sea. On the return journey we noticed a beautiful house door with a sign which had been posted stating 'Siesta, please do not disturb'. How quaint!
You may recall the movie The Guns of Navarone and it was here that the movie's 'cliff' scenes were shot.
It was so hot we had no energy for a swim following lunch so we snoozed and relaxed on deck instead.
It was The Captain's Cocktails this evening so we frocked up and dined with one of the very few Aussie couples on board (mostly Americans) and sailed away into the sunset towards Santorini on a mill pond sea once again. The only waves we've encountered to date have been those produced by the ship!
And after dinner we stayed around for the onboard entertainment which was actually very good.