". . .Like All Women. . ."

We are currently passing through the Dardanelles. We gone past the Narrows – some of the most historical happenings in the ancient world took place here. There are two stone forts on either side of the Dardanelles, as well as various monuments to World War I.

This was also the first day we had lunch on the ship – with Indonesian being the featured cuisine. It was quite good, and we’ve spent the day relaxing, reading, and writing. There’s certainly a lot to do in Istanbul.

Yesterday, we traveled for eleven hours from Bodrum to Kusadasi, only one hour of which was under sail. The ship covered 82 miles, with an average speed of 7.5 knots per hour. The head winds were tremendous.

Let’s go back to Tuesday. Rhodes is the last of the three Greek Isles we were visiting. It is also the largest of the three islands, and easily has to most to do and see. It is a very popular tourist spot. But, it also has some of the most historic and interesting backgrounds of any of the Greek Isles.

The main city/port on the island of Rhodes is helpfully called "Rhodes." We spent the morning exploring Rhodes Old Town. We live near Old Town Alexandria, VA. Old means something different in the New World than in Europe/Asia. People have been living in Rhodes Old Town for more than 2,400 years, so Old Town Alexandria has only 2,200 years or so to catch up.

The ship (the Windstar for those joining us late – one of the largest sailing vessels in the world, and one of the smallest cruise ships in the world!) was able to dock at the docks (is that the right expression?) – so no tender needed.

Old Town Rhodes is surrounded by the widest, sturdiest, most successful set of city walls in the Mediterranean Sea. We went through the Marine Gate, which stands approximately five stories tall (estimated by the author), and into a labyrinth of walkways and small streets with shops and restaurants. However, we made our way to the famous medieval Street of the Knights, which housed the knights of the different countries that belonged to the Order of St. John after they had been chased out of Jerusalem in 1291.

After living for a time on Cyprus, the Order bought the island from a pirate and then subdued the locals. The knights built the walls around the city (actually, slaves did the work but The Man always gets the credit).

Anyhow, we walked up the narrow cobblestoned street, and were able to go into the House of Spain. There was an art exhibit there, but we were more interested in the building. (I did read the description of the artists’ work – it was written by someone in the Ministry of Culture, and contained all the typical art buzzwords to either impress someone or make them laugh. I opted to laugh.)

Then we came to the Palace of the Grand Masters. That was ten Euros each to enter – but only for Carol and I. The girls got in free (including Julia and Maddy, ages 16 and 14 respectively) to nearly everything in Greece. I suppose when you have a birth dearth, you do anything as a country to encourage having children.

The Palace is, well, grand, and well worth the price of admission. The Grand Masters (different from Dutch Masters) were the various leaders of the Knights. There is much to see, including many early Roman mosaics that were taken from nearby islands to decorate the palace. They also had Exhibits from Ancient and Medieval Rhodes. All very interesting.We were impressed that so many rooms were open to wander around in. Reprising a photo from Italy, Torie stood in one of the huge fireplaces

(Quick aside: looking aft from the stern of the ship, there are six big freighters and a car ferry plying the Dardanelles.)

I had to laugh, however, when I came across part of the exhibit on Ancient Rhodes. Written by a Greek professor who apparently specializes in misogyny, the sign next to the various ancient bottles/stuff started with – and I kid you not:

"The women of ancient Rhodes, like all women, appear to have spent long hours taking care of their appearance."

And the professor wonders why he never gets a second date. For some reason, Carol and Julia were not as amused by the awkward sign as I was.