Editor’s Note: This is the sixth part of a series sharing my recent travels to Greece.

The island of Rhodes is the largest in the Dodecanese island group. These islands are a group of 15 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea.

On our visit to this island, we went to the Acropolis of Lindos, which stands 400 feet above the sea. From the top, we were able to view the Bay of St. Paul, which was one of the most breath-taking views of our trip.

The bay is named for St. Paul becasue the apostle cast anchor there during his hsitoric voyage to Ephesus.

Following the long walk to the Acropolis…or the donkey ride for those who chose to take that mode of transportation, we returned to the city of Rhodes.

The Old Town of Rhodes falls within the original medeival castle walls. Constructed by the knights of St. John in the 13th century, the city is one of the only ones still contained fully within castle walls.

The cobblestoned Street of the Knights, one of the best preserved medieval streets in Europe, is packed with medieval inns that used to play host to the soldiers of the Order of the Knights. At the end of the Street, in the Museum Square, stands the Hospital of the Knights, which houses the Archaeological Museum.

We traversed the Street of the Knights where we saw residences of the knights that still bore their corresponding crests.

Also within the walls were crests and symbols indicating where various countries had headquarters at times including during World War II. There was one such symbol marking the Third Reich and is the only one of its kind still visible today. Following the fall of Hitler’s Germany, all others were destroyed.

Outside the walls of the Old Town lies the “new” city, with its magnificent Venetian, neoclassic and modern buildings. We did not travel through much of the “new” city but chose to spend the afternoon on the beach.

The beach outside of the old city of Rhodes is covered with pebbles rather than sand. This is common along much of the coastline in the Greek islands. While a bit rougher than sand for sunbathing, it didn’t take our group long to adjust.

Walking on the pebbles was a bit difficult as well as they tend to sink moreso than sand we normally see on beaches. The teens also found it great fun to swim out to the diving area and jump 30 feet into the still-chilly waters of the Aegean Sea. They spent several hours enjoying the water.

Next stop: Santorini.

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