Rhodes, Greece 4
Day 4 was our last full day in Rhodes. Like the day before we were already walking around the harbour before sunrise. The majestic Sea Gate is usually the bustling entrance to the Old Town, but wasn't so in the early morning.
We walked along the harbour and entered the Saint Paul's Gate, located at the northeast corner of the Old Town. A short stone staircase led us up onto the walls. We watched the moment of the sunrise there. It was the most cloudy time during our stay in Rhodes.
We strolled on the east mole of Mandraki harbor. There medieval windmills stood in the middle, which were once used to grind grains from merchant ships.
A huge ferry was arriving at the Rhodes Port.
Mew! A kitten was following us.
At the end of the mole was the Saint Nicholas Fortress, a 15th century bastion to guard the harbour entrance and now a lighthouse.
Also, the doe stood on this side. We were on the opposite (stag) site the day before and the photos I took were backlit. This time my photos captured the bronze color of the deer!
Another giant ferry was approaching to the port. No wander why the Old Town was so crowded.
It was still too early to have breakfast at the hotel. We explored the moat around the Old Town, which was a nice and healthy way to kill time. The medieval defensive dry ditch is a peaceful landscape park today. We enjoyed walking on a part of the approx. 2.4 km (1.5 miles) path. You can find many old stone cannonballs there, which were fired in the Ottoman sieges of 1480 and 1522. They became historical ornaments of the moat.
It was almost time for breakfast. We took an exit at St. Athanasios Gate, which was hidden under the gate. If we couldn't find it, we would have needed to walk much more further to the next exit. We walked in the Old Town to the hotel. It was a lovely morning exercise.
The breakfast was almost the same as one we had a couple of days ago. Two dolmades were served instead of two bacon-wrapped somethings (olives? dates? I didn't have any but J ate them and didn't tell me what were inside.).
We explored in the Old Town more, trying to find an alley that we haven't walked.
We happened to run into a model posing for a team of a photographer on the Street of Knights.
We visited the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, located at the lower end of the Street of Knights. The museum was housed in the 15th century building that was once used as the Hospital of the Knights, also known as Knights Hospitaller.
The main collection consists of archaeological finds in Rhodes from prehistoric times through the early Christian period, including numerous sculptures and pottery, as well as medieval artifacts such as tombstones, statues, and emblems of the Knights and the Grand Masters. They were extensive and impressive. I could easily spend a whole day or more there.
Several old Stone cannonballs were neatly displayed.
The Head of Helios from the 2nd century BC is considered as one of many worth seeing in the museum.
The white marble statue protected in the glass case was the Hellenistic masterpiece, Aphrodite of Rhodes from around the 2nd or 1st century BC, unearthed almost intact in 1923.
I saw at least three cats in the museum.
The museum visit was followed by shopping. We walked to a grocery store outside of the Old Town and bought Rhodian olive oils, Greek Delights, and cookies. Then, we walked further to a pastry shop called Melenia. I was looking for Melekouni, which is a traditional Rhodian sweet, commonly made from honey, sesame seeds, almonds, and spices such as nutmeg, along with the zest of orange and/or lemon. I saw some at souvenir stores in the Old Town and also the grocery store outside of the Old Town that we visited, but I wanted to try authentic one, handmade by a local pastry shop. Melania is a small bakery, specializing in handcrafted sweets that showcase traditional recipes unchanged over time. I happened to find the place online as a hidden gem that "attracts mostly locals, allowing visitors to experience an authentic and local atmosphere." Eventually we found Melenia and their Melekouni! Actually we saw many Melekouni in the small shop. It must be their specialty. I was also interested in their cardamon cookies, which was also available on the day. Lucky!
We revisited Kova Restaurant for lunch. We thought they would serve fried sardines on the day, but we were wrong. There was no seafood dishes. I was shocked and disappointed. However, we were pretty tired after a long walk under the sun, carrying heavy shopping bags, and didn't have Plan B. We ended up with the dishes that the host recommended and brought to us - bread, feta cheese, vegetable soup, roasted vegetables, and beef and cabbage stew that was made with the host's family recipe. They were nice and homey.
After we went back to hotel and dropped the shopping bags off, we walked up to Mandraki Harbour to see the deer once more.
The Enhydri Beach stretches along the coast north of Mandraki Harbour. Hundreds of beach beds and umbrellas were aligned on the beach. The beach wasn't so crowded. I guess it would be packed during the peak summer months. It was still pretty warm, just like summer for people who came from Germany or northern Europe like us.
The Enhydri Beach stretches all the way to the northernmost tip of the island. To the west there was another beach, the Elli Beach. We walked up to the point. Surprisingly there was no umbrella or bed but only a few people at the northernmost tip. While J was resting on a concrete block near the promenade, I went to the water's edge and stood there for a while, watching the waves. I felt I had the inconceivably beautiful sea all to myself!
I know I can't stay at the beach forever. It was time for sweets. We visited Rodon Café in the New Town.
We visited Rodon Cafe in the New Town. I had mix fruit smoothie and Kataifi, which was super sweet! J had a kind of chilled, chocolatey and creamy dessert, which I don't remember the name, as well as Greek coffee and lemonade.
It was an amazing trip! The island of the Sun God was extremely beautiful and romantic. Thank you Monsieur Poirot for giving us a great travel idea and Thank you J for making it happen!
