Rhodes, Greece

Today we are doing Rhodes on our own.
Rhodes has more then 10,000 year of history and in 1988, the Medieval City earned UNESCO World Heritage status.

We left ship shortly after 9:00AM and walked the waterfront toward Liberty (Eleftherias) Gate, one of 11 gates which surround the fortified Old Town.
Our first stop was Archeological Museum of Rhodes. The museum is located inside 15th century former Knights Hospital. It contains 7000 years of treasures.

We then walked the Streets of the Knights, where Knights of St John once lived. We ended at the Palace of the Grand Masters. This Gothic Palace was build in the 14th century as an administrative center and residence of the Grand Master, who was in charge of the Knights of St John.

After walking all over the old town, we ended in the Square of the Jewish Martyrs.
At the start of the 20th century, 5000 Jews lived in the city. Many left in 1930s and 1673 were deported to Auschwitz during WWII. Only 151 survived the Holocaust.

There is a black marble Holocaust memorial in the center of the square dedicated to Jews from Rhodes and Kos who lost their lives. Also there is the Sea Horse fountain in the square, which is a replica of an original destroyed during WWII.

There was a music in the square and Greece tradition of dish breaking.

Few minutes walk from the square, we found an old synagogue building in 1577. It is the oldest synagogue in Greece. And the last of the six original synagogue still in use.
We also visited a Jewish Museum located in the same building.

We walked back to the ship to rest and take shower.Read more