We had the whole day in Rhodes, and again decided to go it on our own. We started with a two-hour taxi tour, although it didn’t actually take the full two hours. The taxi drivers hang around the cruise port entrance and are ready with their pitch as soon as you appear. We paid too much, but our guide was charming and isn’t that the way of the world.

First stop, above, this very ornate church. Dedicated to St Somebody. Lovely, but what are you gonna do with all that in 10 minutes? Snap a photo and move on.

Actually, that’s not quite right. First stop was down by the port where the Colossus stood. So here we are, and you’ll just have to imagine the Colossus behind us.

Next, he took us to this funky shrine to St Somebody Else (Gregory? Nicholas?). It is a modern thing, privately run, set in a cave and grotto off the side of the road. Perhaps there was a real miraculous event that gave birth to this veneration. Perhaps that religious fervor is still burning strong in the owners. Perhaps it’s a way to collect a bunch of 2-euro coins. Who knows.

Then up to the scenic overlook. The driver made a big show of posing us for this shot. Ooh, the composition.

And now the Acropolis of Rhodes, and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I expected more than this. The plaque about the ruins was interesting… apparently a Fascist archaeologist (Mussolini was in charge of this part of the world for some years) messed things up really badly.

We said goodbye to our driver at the entrance to the walled medieval city. Lots of cool stuff to see in there.

There were semi-feral cats everywhere in Greece. Way better than the chickens and dogs that overrun some other islands.

After a snack, we kept walking and got slightly away from the main shopping streets.

They’re doing clever things with the dead space between the inner and outer walls.

And by then, we were hot and tired and headed back toward the ship.

Rhodes was a nice stop. I could certainly imagine spending some time there.