Souvenir Chronicles: GREECE 2026: RHODES -- LINDOS ACROPOLIS

June 27, 2026

We had a half-day in Ephesus, but Bob was going birding and I was not feeling well, so I skipped that day and took a very long nap. We had visited the ruins and Ephesus before, and while I was really looking forward to going back, I just needed some sleep.

The next day I was much better and ready for our adventure in Rhodes.

Rhodes is the largest of a group of Greek islands in the Southeastern Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean Seas known as the Dodecanese islands. See it highlighted in red in the map below. You would thank that because of its proximity to Turkey, it would belong to Turkey rather than Greece. Because of its key location at the entrance to the Aegean Sea, it has changed hands fairly often, belonging to the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Ottomans, among others. The Ottomans possessed the island from 1522-1912, at which pointed Italy seized the island during a war with Turkey. Germany occupied the island during World War II, and after the war Rhodes was eventually united with Greece in 1947.

Rhodes comprises 540 square miles and has a population of about 128,000. The largest city, Rhodes City, has a population of over 50,000, but we started our Rush Through Rhodes by traveling to the city of Lindos, population approximately 3,000 and known for having the most visited the archaeological site on the island, the Acropolis. A bus took us from the port in Rhodes City 25 miles south to Lindos and the base of the Acropolis. Like all good tourist sites, we had to walk through a market to get to our destination, and guess who I saw there?

Frida is everywhere.

The acropolis is perched on a cliff almost 400 feet above sea level, which doesn't seem that high until you think of going up in a wheelchair on a path that has over 300 stone steps. Bonnie, game as always, wanted to join everyone at the top, and so an alternate form of transportation was provided. Dave had to trust her in the hands of strangers and on the back of a donkey. As always, Bonnie was game, although it can't have been a pleasant ride.

Dave carried the wheelchair up, also not easy.

Nice views, happy traveler.

Structures on top include this medieval castle surrounded by stone walls which now serves as the entrance to the Acropolis. It has a long, complex history that includes architectural changes multiple times by various conquerors, but in the 14th century it served as the headquarters of the Knights of St. John.

The Temple of Athena Lindia was erected in about 300 BC, though the site was used for religious ceremonies long before that. According to the Greek poet Pindar, Athena was born on this island (although other myths place her birth elsewhere). It is said that Alexander the Great and many of his successors offered sacrifices here.

Here are views from two different sides. It was built right on top of the rocks, and it is amazing to me that the foundation has more or less held for 2,400+ years. (🎝The wise man built his house upon the rock . . . 🎝)

The view from the Temple of Athena includes a unique heart-shaped lagoon known as St. Paul's Bay. Legend has it that the nearby town and islands were the site where St. Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked in 60 AD (as recorded in the New Testament Book of Acts). That is interesting because we saw a place in Malta that is supposed to be where St. Paul was shipwrecked, but I guess he was actually shipwrecked four different times, so both places could be legit.

Time to head back down to the village.

On the way we passed the Byzantine Church of Ayios Ioannis (St. John), built around the 12th or 13th century and possibly reconstructed in the 14th century.

As usual, there were plenty of cats hanging around and hoping for a morsel to be slipped to them by a tourist.

Our group was more likely to slip some frozen morsels into our own mouths instead. Well, Bob, I caught you, so those calories count (according to the sign)!