Exploring Rhodes
Medieval Knights & Days of Yore
By Rick Millikan
 Hearing a short port talk yesterday, my wife Chris and I
readily debark our cruising Carnival Freedom hotel and stroll to St. Catherine’s
Gate. Within ten minutes, we’re exploring medieval Rhodes in the days of yore.
Our quest has begun.
Inside this high walled city, gothic churches mingle with
homes of early squires, smithies and merchants who had served the crusaders.
Fourteenth century masons had refortified the original Byzantine wall and
created residences featuring arched gateways, sculpted coats-of-arms and paved
courtyards.
 They also built the central Knights of St. John Hospital to
care for Holy Land pilgrims. Now an Archaeological Museum, we enter noting the
ground level archways once leading to storehouses. Crossing its sparse
courtyard, we climb a wide staircase to its early infirmary. Exhibit rooms in
the two-story arcade celebrate those noble knights and reflect upon their
zealous struggles.
Crossing Knight’s Street, we gaze inside Our Lady of the
Castle Cathedral. The crusaders revamped this former Byzantine church to fit
their reverent needs. When Suleyman the Magnificent later conquered Rhodes, his
Ottoman craftsmen converted their cathedral into a mosque, replacing its
bell-tower with a soaring minaret.
 Lofty stone inns still border the cobbled street. Above
each arched doorway an emblem represents the language once spoken within. Thus
contingents of English, Italian, Spanish, French and German knights were
welcomed to their “Inns of Tongue.”
At the end of the street stood the formidable Palace of the
Grand Masters, the Knights of St. John headquarters. Becoming a dilapidated
Turkish prison during the Ottoman period, during WW II Mussolini restored it for
his residence. The Palace aptly evolved into a stunning museum. Eagerly
entering, we investigate its twenty-four rooms. Among the trove of treasures
lie magnificent Grecian mosaic floors from ancient Kos. Roman statuary border
its large courtyard.
 Ambling north we exit another gate to see the Temple of
Aphrodite just outside the walls. Nearby lies Rhodes’ ancient acropolis and
cemetery lay. Looping southward, we pass a pink-domed mosque and almshouse
constructed by Suleyman. Returning along Socrates Street, stalls overflow with
jewelry, pottery, clothes and embroidery. Narrow side streets lead to an old
Muslim Library, Ottoman mosques, various Crusader and Byzantine churches, as
well as a famed local Turkish bath.
Finding a “taverna” in Hippocrates Square, we sip strong
Greek coffee. A Greek pal taught me the old custom of reading coffee dregs.
Placing the saucer atop my cup, I swirl my cup and flip it over. Thumping it
three times, the cup releases. I note, “So my lady love begins with letter
three.” Chris smiles as I continue, “That line inside the cup shows a journey.
Those few grounds on the bottom mean life’s good.” Having no grounds for
complaint and feeling energized, we walk back to the ship.
 That afternoon we take a taxi from the dock to a beach
below Old Town. Renting lounges and a red umbrella, we join the multitudes of
sunbathing sea nymphs and mermen. Refreshing ourselves in the crystal blue
waters, we strolled back along the sunny shore.
From 280 to 244 B.C. mariners beheld the Colossus of Rhodes
towering atop this hillside city. Collapsing during an earthquake, the ancient
world’s seventh wonder was never resurrected. The Colosus once straddled
platforms on both sides of the entrance into ancient Mandariki harbour. A bronze
stag and doe now stand at these sites honouring the legendary deer that stomped
out the island’s poisonous snakes.
Old Town Rhodes proves a unique world heritage site.
Walking through its four periods of historic splendor, we return once more to
our cozy cabin laden with prized memories and priceless insights.
If you’re going:
Our Carnival Cruise Ship Freedom served as a convenient
traveling hotel for unique excursions from eight port stops to explore ancient
Greece, Turkey and Italy. Contact: www.carnival.com for Mediterranean
itineraries.
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