From Ruins To Revelations-Rhodes

Finally, our pilgrimage had a day that wasn't so jam-packed. When I woke up the ship was docked at Rhodes, Greece, the only stop of the day. After breakfast Hubby Tony and I got on the bus and left for our Religious and Medieval tour excursion.

Before we got off the bus at our first stop, the Monastery of Panagia, we received Wbispers.Again, it was really helpful because I could explore the area and still hear the guide's explanations.

Monastery

The Monastery was at the top of the hill, and accessed by a walk and set of stone steps lined with Cypress trees. It was built in the 15 Century by the Knights of St John, is Gothic style, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary the Life-Giving Source.

There were quite a few peacocks roaming the grounds. Although the males were going through the molting process and had lost their beautiful tail feathers they were still impressive to see. The guide handed out dried corn for anyone who wanted to feed the birds.

Peacock

We took the bus back to the second stop of the day, the Kastello (Palace of the Grandmaster). The Gothic-style complex was built in the 14th century by the Knights of Saint John on the foundations of the Temple of the Sun God (Helios). In 1856, an explosion destroyed much of the Palace, and at the beginning of the 20th century it was restored by the Italians. It served as a holiday residence for the King of Italy and Benito Mussolini. In 1947, a peace treaty transferred the area to Greece.

The palace rooms have antique furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries, marble sculptures, and mosaics.

Palace courtyard

We returned to the bus via the Street of the Knights, which was once lined with inns for knights from different European countries. The street still has cobblestones.

Be careful walking in the street!

After returning to the ship the rest of the day was free. (Whoo hoo!) In the afternoon Tony and I went to a souvenir shop at the port and bought refrigerator magnets for the grand kids. We also attended a pilgrimage group Mass in a conference room next to the ship's auditorium. Tony bought me a fancy watermelon and lime slushie drink.

It was very good

That evening the pilgrimage group attended dinner together in the main dining room. It was nice to have a waiter take my order and bring my food instead of walking through the buffet line. After dinner we attended a show in the ship's auditorium, then hit the hay to get ready for another day of fun.