Rhodes Part 2 - the old town and the Knights of St John of Jerusalem

After visiting the ruins of the ancient Greek acropolis, we drove back down the hills into its very well-preserved, picturesque, medieval walled city, which was designated a UNECSO World Heritage Site in 1988. This is called the Old Town of Rhodes.

What was interesting was the Knights of St John of Jerusalem lived and worked here several hundred years ago, setting up a hospice to care for everyone who came to their doors needing medical attention, no matter what their race or beliefs. However, patients had to swear allegiance to God on a Bible before they were treated. The medical staff were all Jewish or Arab. This hospice is now a museum. As a result of this history, many of the souvenirs and displays in the considerable number of very tempting shops and stalls within the walls featured knights - their banners, their coat-of-arms, their armour, their swords and shields, and their images.

The Old Town was just charming - one could have spent all day wandering over the cobblestones, down the laneways and through the arches, tasting the tempting foods at the many cafes, buying or just admiring the variety of jewellery, works of art, handcrafts, and so on. It was very hard to tear yourself away and go back to the ship. It would have been great to have time to see inside some of the historic buildings, including the Hospital of Knights museum.

By the way, I still am not able to send emails. So frustrating! But please do not stop sending them. It is always great to hear from family and friends. 

Walking into the Old City of Rhodes. There were lots of tourists, as usual. 

Walking across the dry moat. Notice the stone canon balls strewn around below.         

A view of the palace.

Another view of the palace, from behind.

There were many archways on this site.

More archways.

Along the left,  past what looked like 'garage doors', was the Hospital of Knights museum.  

View from the ship after I returned. The other two smaller ships are Greek Island ferries. Notice the ruins of a fortress on the pier.