The Island of Rhodes (Wednesday)

Today was a more relaxed day, as we were docked in the port of Rhodes for the entire day. It is here that the famous "Colossus of Rhodes" once stood, an 100-foot statue of bronze that is listed as one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world. We took a tour of the island by bus, and went first to the acropolis of Philermos, the highest point on the island. Here, we saw ruins of the temple of Athena, constructed circa 300 B.C. (wow!). There is now a greek orthodox church here, the original having been built in the 11th century. The current structure was revitalized and restored in the 14th century, and it was in pristine condition when we saw it. Typical greek orthodox characteristics...icons on every wall, oil lamps hanging everywhere, beautiful.
We next walked not far to a long path that contained the 14 Catholic stations of the cross, built by the Italians who occupied Rhodes from 1912-1943. We observed the stations, prayed there, and ended the path at a HUGE cement cross that stood approximately 5 stories in the air, and Kris, along with Linda, Joyce, and Beth, went up inside and onto the arms to look out over the mountain top (I got a great picture here).
We drove down to the acropolis of Rhodes, where we saw the remains of the temple of Apollo. Afterward, we went to the medieval center of town, and walked the cobbled streets of the ancient city before breaking for lunch. The majority of the crowd went back to the ship for lunch, but several of us stayed to visit and shop in town, and have lunch on our own (the ship's food leaves a little to be desired). Kris and I walked in and out of back alleys, searching for the ultimate "non-touristy" place we could find. But getting more tired and hungry by the minute, we ended up settling for what we believed was going to be a typical tourist trap...and being pleasantly surprised. One of the proprietors was standing outside trying to lure every passerby he could into his taverna..."Come, come! Good menu...you like my mousaka...you need place to have little food, little drink..." The name of the place was even cheesy: "Mama Mika"...(oh, puh-LEEZE). But, we actually had a nice meal. Their dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) were superb, and Kris had the most beautiful Greek salad of the trip...our main courses were great....Kris had a margheurite (sp?) pizza, and I had a "fisherman's spaghetti" with shrimp, calamari, mussels, and octopus...it was REALLY good!
I'm finishing this in a nice little cafe with internet hookup, enjoying a double espresso, while Kris is dashing off back into the little town for some shopping (I hung with her for a while, but I've had enough). The afternoon is free, so I'll head back to the ship before long, and then captain's dinner tonight on board the ship. Another 2 "famous" islands are in store for tomorrow (Thursday)...Santorini and Crete!