The port of the day was Rhodes. This was the site of the Colossus of Rhodes stature, on of the Seven Wonders of the World. The historic old-town, the Citadel of Rhodes is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in all of Europe, and is still inhabited. Our adventure today began with a walking tour of this site. Even though, the Disney Magic docked right by the old-town, Adventures by Disney had a bus waiting for us so we could store our belongings that we did not need until the afternoon.
Once everyone was situated we began our walking tour of the historic city. Among the highlights was the Grand Master Palace, which was rebuilt and expanded for Mussolini during his reign, but he never had a chance to use it. We also got to see the old Hospital of the Knights of St. John, which was built to assist those headed to, or coming back from, the Crusades. This site had a beautiful courtyard garden with an interesting museum with ancient artifacts.
Following our walking-tour it was time for lunch. As has proven typical, the lunch was huge and once again included wine. We had bread, greek salad, octopus salad, french fries, and so much more. Our main course was a “smugglers” dish. It was chicken, potatoes, and peppers wrapped and cooked in paper. For dessert we got to try another rendition of baklava, and compare it to the Athens version. Following lunch, we were given some free time to shop and explore the old-town. Our local expert was kind enough to give my family a private tour of some site’s that my mother was interested in. I also took the opportunity to buy a new belt, as it is one of the recommended purchases to be made in Rhodes.
Once we were done exploring we met our group in Aristotle Square and took a short walk to the bus. Following some snacks and “toner time,” we learned some more facts about what it is like to live in Rhodes today. After we passed the airport, we came to the Valley of the Butterflies. This valley attracts tons of butterflies and was quite beautiful. We were free to hike up as high as we would like and I chose to go all the way up. While the steps and were high and un-even it was quite a relaxing experience with the foliage and running-stream creating a “cool” atmosphere which was much appreciated following the day in the sun.
When we got back on-board and the bus returned to port, James said we were missing Dusty. We then saw Dusty hitch-hiking a few feet away. It turns out, he was picking up a gift for us. To commemorate our trip we all received a Valley of the Butterflies pencil. As we headed back, we received our pin of the day to commemorate our “Rhodes Trip”. The pin featured Goofy as the Colossus of Rhodes.
Upon returning to town we made one stop for those who wished to return to the Old City, and then continued back to the beautiful Disney Magic. The show of the day was Villains Tonight. This is my least favorite of the three Broadway-style shows. I don’t dislike it because it plays with character integrity or mocks the Disney classics. I dislike it because it’s just not funny despite desperate attempts to be so. After enduring the show, I attended a history presentation in the Buena Vista Theatre; “Windmills of Greece.” This lecture was all about Mykonos and discussed the history of the upcoming port while providing hints about visiting the island.
Dinner was “Kouzina of the Greek Isles.” The consensus was that this was the weakest menu of the cruise. Despite this, the Calamari was highly recommended by all who ordered it. (While I was underwhelmed with dinner, the specialty drink “Pegasus” was divine. Before desert, the dinning team brought in the Baklava as part of a Greek Celebration which included dancing and a lot of “Opa”’s . But having had my fair share of Baklava, and in an attempt to rescue the meal, I had a Mickey bar. In our room, we discovered a mini collectible plate for our Mediterranean voyage. It was a nice surprise and a fine kiss-goodnight as we prepared to head into another port.
