Rhodes, Greece: Colossus of Rhodes, Mandraki Harbor, Rhodes Hydrobiological Station, & Butterfly Valley
Rhodes, Greece is an island and not just a city in Greece. The largest city of this beautiful and historic island is also called Rhodes. Fewer than 120,000 people live on the island and just about half of them live in the city. One of the major industries on the island is tourism, so everyone from all over the world is made welcome. The usual way of getting to Rhodes is from a small plane from mainland Greece to the island’s Diagoras International Airport.
The Sights
Unfortunately, the Colossus of Rhodes no longer exists (although there are plans to rebuild it), but there are still many wonders to discover. The city of Rhodes has a section in it called the Old Town has been declared a World Heritage Site not only because of its beauty, but because it still contains many historical buildings.
The big place to see is Mandraki Harbor for its old deer-sculpture topped towers and the beauty of the shoreline. You will be able to easily tell the Old Town from the New Town of Rhodes, because dividing the two is a large wall built in the Middle Ages. Inside the Old Town, there are gardens and ruins of a stadium and a temple to the Greek god Apollo.
The island of Rhodes has other towns to explore, all with graceful churches and buildings from all along Rhodes’ long history. One such town is Kremasti, which holds a crafts fair every August 11 – 23 as part of a country-wide festival of Greek arts. If you still can’t get enough history, there are no less than twelve museums on the island.
The Creature Comforts
Since tourism is the main industry, finding a clean hotel, delicious food and modern roads on Rhodes is not a problem. Also, if you are sick of human history, you can always check out the natural history of Rhodes by looking at its aquarium, the Rhodes Hydrobiological Station, and Natural History Museum in the aptly named Butterfly Valley.
The Old Town not only features colorful sights, but a great shopping experience at the folklore bazaar. The island is also surrounded by clean beaches. Away from the city, there are many unique environmental sites. If you are lucky, you will get a glimpse of the extremely rare small and graceful Rhodian Horses living in the mountains.
(Photo by Bartek)
January 24th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
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