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At 8am we arrived at the pier in Rhodes . We booked a tour that would take us around the island. We stopped at several very scenic places just to take in the beauty of the island. The most impressive stop was at Lindos, which gave us a view of the Acropolis and also St. Paul's Bay where Apostle Paul used to preach. To think, that we stood on the same place like apostle Paul was just amazing. 
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 When we got back to the pier, I went to explore the roads of old town Rhodes with its medieval buildings and towers. I even walked the grounds of the Grand Masters Palace. This island, the largest of them all has been inhabited since the Stone Age, it is really a sight to be seen. As in every place we have been, vendors are in the hundreds. One Lady approached me and started a conversation in English. Well to make a long story short, it turned out, that her brother lives in Switzerland and she had visited him many times. She invited me to have coffee with her. She was shocked to hear that I don’t drink coffee and offered me a glass of USO instead. You might have a good laugh at that, because that’s like drinking gasoline and has a worse effect on my body then coffee. I told her that I needed to get back to the ship and thanked her for her well-meant hospitality. She gave me a hug instead, like we were friends. Actually, she tried to sell me a fur coat since I was on my way to Switzerland, because it gets cold there. I don’t think that is the case in May. So I marched to the ship without a fur coat and called it a day . I needed some rest because the next day would be a long one since we also booked a tour of the Island of Santorini.

Rhodes (Greek: Ρόδος, Ródos [ˈroðos]) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of land area and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean administrative region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Rhodes.[2] The city of Rhodes had 50,636 inhabitants in 2011. It is located northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. Rhodes' nickname is The island of the Knights, named after the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who once conquered the land.[3]

Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site . Today, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

The island has been known as Ρόδος in Greek throughout its history. In addition, the island has been called Rodi in Italian, Rodos in Turkish, and Rodi or Rodes in Ladino.

The Travels of Sir John Mandeville incorrectly reports that Rhodes was formerly called "Collosus", through a conflation of the Colossus of Rhodes and Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, which refers to Colossae.[8]

Geography[edit]

Topographic map of Rhodes.

Akramitis mountain

Ixia beach, Rhodes

Valley of Petaloudes

The island of Rhodes is shaped like a spearhead, 79.7 km (49.5 mi) long and 38 km (24 mi) wide, with a total area of approximately 1,400 square kilometres (541 sq mi) and a coastline of approximately 220 km (137 mi) . Limestone is the main bedrock.[9] The city of Rhodes is located at the northern tip of the island, as well as the site of the ancient and modern commercial harbours. The main air gateway (Diagoras International Airport, IATA code: RHO) is located 14 km (9 mi) to the southwest of the city in Paradisi. The road network radiates from the city along the east and west coasts.

Outside of the city of Rhodes, the island is dotted with small villages and spa resorts, among them Faliraki, Lindos, Kremasti, Haraki, Pefkos, Archangelos, Afantou, Ixia, Koskinou, Embona (Attavyros), Paradisi, and Trianta (Ialysos). There are mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes sea water) used to give medicinal baths and the spa resorts offer various health treatments.

Rhodes is situated 363 km (226 mi) east-south-east from the Greek mainland, and 18 km (11 mi) from the southern shore of Turkey.

Flora[edit]

Further information: Natural history of Rhodes

The interior of the island is mountainous, sparsely inhabited and covered with forests of pine (Pinus brutia) and cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) . While the shores are rocky, the island has arable strips of land where citrus fruit, wine grapes, vegetables, olives and other crops are grown.

Fauna[edit]

Further information: Natural history of Rhodes

The Rhodian population of fallow deer was found to be genetically distinct in 2005, and to be of urgent conservation concern.[10] In Petaloudes Valley (Greek for "Valley of the Butterflies"), large numbers of tiger moths gather during the summer months. Mount Attavyros, at 1,216 metres (3,990 ft), is the island's highest point of elevation.

Earthquakes[edit]

Earthquakes include the 226 BC earthquake that destroyed the Colossus of Rhodes; one on 3 May 1481 which destroyed much of the city of Rhodes;[11] and one on 26 June 1926.[12]

On 15 July 2008, Rhodes was struck by a 6 .3 magnitude earthquake causing minor damage to a few old buildings and one death.[13]

Climate[edit]

Rhodes has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate

Country    Greece

Administrative region                South Aegean

Regional unit              Rhodes

Area

 • Municipality           1,401 km2 (541 sq mi)

Highest elevation     1,216 m (3,990 ft)

Lowest elevation     0 m (0 ft)

Population (2011)[1]

 • Municipality           115,490

 • Municipality density               82/km2 (210/sq mi)

Time zone                   EET (UTC+2)

 • Summer (DST)      EEST (UTC+3)

Postal code                 85x xx

Area code(s)              2241, 2244, 2246

Vehicle registration ΡΟ

Website   www .rhodes.gr