Some scholars think that the Colossus of Rhodes stood here at the entrance to the historic port. Unlike the famous medieval interpretation, it was logistically impossible for the statue to have his legs span the entry point and he probably didn’t carry a torch; however, the Colossus was approximately the same size as the Statue of Liberty.
St. Nicholas’ Fortress guards the harbor.
This Orthodox Cathedral, The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, stands next to the harbour.
The Street of the Knights is the most famous street in Rhodes and is lined with the town’s most important medieval buildings like the Knights’ Hospital, the Grand Master’s Palace, and the international inns that housed the Knights of the Order of St. John.
The ruins from the Church of Virgin Mary of the Burgh are picturesquely nestled into the old town.
The layers of history seamlessly meld in the historic city center.
Anthony Quinn Bay, named for the actor who tried to purchase it, is aptly known as the most beautiful beach on the island.
The Seven Springs Waterfall is another popular tourist spot we visited.
The water on the east coast was so unbelievably calm and crystal clear — perfect conditions for snorkeling!
Lindos fits all the categories of a Grecian resort town.
This bay outside of Lindos demonstrates how intensely blue the water is.
The Lindos Acropolis was one of my highlights.
Much like the rest of the island, the acropolis is a mixture of ancient, Byzantine, and medieval architecture.
I took the opportunity to teach everyone a little bit about classical architecture.
The acropolis had elements in both their ruined and reconstructed states.
Medieval fortified walls surrounded the acropolis.
With fall weather creeping back into Munich, it was fantastic to get an extension to summer.
The coast varied between sandy beaches and rocky bays.
The bougainvillea flowers and narrow streets are postcard worthy.
On the wilder west coast we stopped to see the ruins of the castle of Monolithos perched on a hill above a bay.
This church is built inside the ruins.
I guess the locals have a sense of humor.
For the first time this year I left German speaking territory and added another country to the list of those I’ve visited. Kacper, his brother, his brother’s girlfriend, and I went to the island of Rhodes, Greece. 

On Saturday we went out to lunch before heading to the airport to catch our evening flight to Rhodes. We arrived late at night, picked up our rental car, and went straight to the hotel to sleep. Sunday morning we headed into the city of Rhodes and started at the northernmost point on the island, where we looked across the water and saw the outline of the Turkish coast. We then walked to the historic harbor and saw one of the most-probable locations of the Colossus of Rhodes as well as some medieval fortifications. From there we headed into the historic city center and walked the cobblestone streets, most notably the Street of the Knights. The Knights of the Order of St. John had a strong presence here during the Crusades, and their influence is visible all over the city. We walked past the Grand Master’s Palace, saw the knight’s international inns, walked through markets, stopped in different squares, and passed churches and mosques. We were eager to eat gyros and fries for lunch.

After lunch we said goodbye to the city of Rhodes and drove south down the east coast, visiting interesting places along the way. We first stopped at Anthony Quinn Bay, named after the actor, who, after filming in the area, wanted to purchase this location. Despite its incredible beauty, we decided not to swim there since it was super crowded. Instead, we drove a little farther south to stop and swim at a sandy beach. The guys, who typically aren’t huge fans of swimming, were won over by the warm, calm, and clear water in which they could snorkel and see the sea life. After two hours on the beach we drove to the Seven Springs Waterfall which involved a mini-hike. We then continued along the coast to reach the hotel condo just south of the city of Lindos, where we were staying the next two nights. After getting settled we went a little inland to a local restaurant that had good reviews for a traditional Greek meal. I ordered Kleftiko, bone-in goat meat cooked with herbs and a lemon sauce in a clay pot. The meat was so tender it fell right off the bone. 

On Monday we enjoyed Greek foods for breakfast on the terrace of our condo, eating olives, feta cheese, Greek yogurt and honey, and pita bread with olive oil. We then drove to Lindos where we walked around the tourist destination and climbed the hill to the acropolis, which due the combination of architecture, history, and great views, was probably the highlight of my trip. After seeing the city we went to Glystra Beach. Unfortunately I don’t have pictures since we didn’t bring our phones onto the beach with us, but it’s definitely worth a Google search or a click of this link to see pictures. Due to the way the bay wraps around we were able to snorkel along the edge to where the water got pretty deep revealing a reef life area. Truly spectacular! After three hours at this beach we packed up and went back into Lindos to eat dinner, have a drink, and see the city at night. We hung out a little more back at our condo, taking a quick dip in the water, then went to bed. 

We woke up on our last day, had another Greek breakfast, checked out, and drove across the island to the west coast. While the scenery was impressive, it was quite harsh since the island is experiencing a drought. Everything was beige. We crossed river beds that were completely dry. We even saw some evidence of wildfires that ravaged the island earlier this summer. Once we made it to the west coast, the scenery became a little more lush. We briefly stopped at the ruins of Monolithos Castle which are dramatically perched on a hill above the coast. Then we drove the hilly, windy, and car sick-inducing roads north to another beach, where we took a quick swim. The west side of the island is windier than the east coast, so the waves are rougher and the water is less clear, but it was still a great refresher. We said goodbye to the island while eating tasty burgers and fries from a restaurant called “Boston Burger Bar,” and then returned our rental car, before heading to the airport and flying back to Munich. 

The next few days I was busy catching up on work, attending meetings, and preparing for my next vacation the following week.

This site is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author, Stephanie Kubus, and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.