All Rhodes lead to Rome

Those early Romans were everywhere! While docked in Rhodes several days ago, I took the tour to Lindos. On the way, we of course passed by the Roman ruins of the old walled city. I'm beginning to be able to use that one college semester of Art and Architecture History now. You remember me reminding you of the three different Greek column types in an earlier blog, well now I can pick out an ancient Roman fort with the best of them!

Lindos was by far the highlight of the Rhodes visit. Those early Greeks sure know how to pick a site for a temple! We must have climbed 8,000 steps (none of them the same size as the next, no hand rails, great drops to the sea, and lots of tourists trying to get both up and down at the same time -- yikes!) to get to the top acropolis, but once up there, it was stunning! Both the front and rear columns (Doric) of this small temple remain, along with the altar stone. All of this reminds me that my own home, built in the early 1980's, can hardly be considered old!

Some general observations I've noted over the past 11 days --
-the Turkish cabs are spelled Taksi
-some yogurt flavors are universal (black cherry, mixed berry, vanilla)
-those wacky plastic Croc shoes are everywhere! Even the old Greek ladies hawking embroidered tablecloths to the tourists in Lindos were wearing them!
-older Japanese couples are probably the most well dressed tourists....Chanel suits, gorgeous subdued REAL gold jewelry, perfect leather shoes and bags, walking slowly and regally, never seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere
-Barbra Steisand, George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra are universal
-the Italians have a different line dance for every song - mambo, samba, even polka. The really enjoyable watching is when two different groups, one at each end of the dance floor, start their own little group. It's kind of like watching the Sharks and the Jets have a "dance-off"
-every time this ship, the Mediterranea, leaves a port, we hear Andrea Bocelli sing "Time to Say Goodbye" over the ship's loudspeakers. It never gets old.
-Bridge really is an international card game. Yesterday I played with two French ladies and a Belgian man (really old, but sharp as a tack!). They all were very serious about their game and played like they had 17,000 Master points! You can imagine how distressed they were that they had to play with me! Thank goodness Stayman, Jacoby transfers, and other normal rules of play are used everywhere. (And thank you to all my bridge friends at home for having taught me the etiquette of duplicate bridge!)

It's raining in Dubovnik today. Tomorrow is Venice and my transfer to the Emerald Princess. As much as I feel like a duck out of water as an American surrounded by so many international others on the Costa ships, I'm sad to leave this atmosphere. Every now and then it's good to be reminded that we Americans are not the only people in the world. Sometimes another point of view is worth listening to.