【Greece Independent Travel Day2】Morning swim in the Aegean Sea, wandering through Rhodes Old Town on the final day of exploration

Itinerary Overview Today is our complete exploration day on Rhodes. From taking a morning stroll on the beach to greet the early sunlight, to delving deeper into the medieval old town in the afternoon, visiting churches and historic sites, and finally taking an evening flight to Athens. Despite the repeated delays along the way, we still carry wonderful memories of this charming Aegean island. 📍 Today's Route: Hotel Beach Walk → Breakfast → Beach Swimming → Old Town Exploration (West Gate, Bell Tower, Shopping Street, Church of Virgin Mary) → Dinner → Rhodes Airport → Flight to Athens Morning Strolls and Morning Swimming Experience: Greeting the Sunlight of the Aegean Sea In the morning, we arranged with our family to wake up early and stroll along the beach where we watched the sunset yesterday—this is also the beach area that belongs to our hotel. Going around to the other side of Rhodes Island's coastline, we could perfectly appreciate the scene of morning light streaming down—on the islands of the Aegean Sea, you only need to turn a corner to welcome sunlight from a different direction. After a brief stroll, I returned to the hotel first to enjoy breakfast.Greek breakfasts are mainly divided into three categories: • Fruit & vegetable salad section: pairing with olive oil and vinegar is a must • Ham and cheese cold cuts section: a rich selection with bold, rich flavors • Bread and jam section: often served with dried fruit and local jams After eating, I'm ready to start today's main event: swimming at the beach!

▲ Early Morning Aegean Coast

▲ Hotel breakfast plate: olive oil and cheese, a standard Greek breakfast spread. Arrived at the beach right on time at 9am, first found a beach chair to set down our things, then excitedly headed toward the water. Unexpectedly, today's temperature was about 5 degrees lower than yesterday's, the sky was overcast, and the sea was only about 20 degrees — truly unbearably cold, so we had no choice but to retreat to the beach chairs and wait. At 10am the sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds, and I took the chance to warm up before heading back into the sea. If you have a life jacket and swim goggles, this place is actually perfect for snorkeling — the water is crystal clear all the way to the bottom, as if you're inside a natural aquarium.

▲ The beach and the seawater are crystal clear Afternoon Wandering: Deep Exploration of the Old Town and the Church Ruins In the afternoon we regrouped with family and this time chose a different route into the Old Town of Rhodes, unexpectedly discovering the real entrance on the west side, and successfully entered by crossing the bridge over the moat. On this trip we managed to photograph the bell tower and the mosque that we hadn't gotten to the day before, and along the way we passed several lovely fountains, including the Owl Fountain and the Seahorse Fountain. The shopping street sells many distinctive Greek souvenirs and snacks — it's a great place to stroll around slowly.

▲ Enter Fort Santo Domingo Palace through the west entrance

▲ Bell Tower

▲ Shopping street and a small, charming fountain 📍 Church of the Virgin Mary of the Burgh • Built in the 14th century, it was once the spiritual center of the residents of the Burgh district • Although it was destroyed in war and only some stone pillars and wall sections remain, one can still sense its solemn grandeur

▲ Looking out from in front of the Church of Our Lady toward the Apollo Ruins, you can see the entire harbor. 📍 The other side of the Apollo Ruins • Besides the well-known doe statue, there are also small bunkers and a cluster of windmills • The bunkers were originally open for climbing up to take in the view, but they were not open to visitors when we went.

Transferring to Athens: Rhodes Airport and a Journey of Delays In the evening, after returning to the hotel to get our luggage, we took the reserved shuttle to Rhodes Airport, which turned out to be much busier than expected, with a Starbucks, a Burger King, and several duty-free shops inside. Unlike in the Nordic countries, checked baggage here is still handled manually, and security was stricter, requiring all liquids to be discarded. Our original flight was delayed by two hours, and we didn't board until nearly nine o'clock. We were also held up at the airport for quite a while due to weather. Still, the flight crew was friendly and professional throughout, which kept us from getting anxious even while waiting. Finally, we arrived in Athens past one in the morning. Thanks to the pickup staff who waited patiently for us, we checked into the hotel smoothly. Tomorrow we'll head to Delphi, the ancient site of the Oracle, kicking off one of the most quintessential legs of our journey through Greek culture!

▲ We didn't board the plane until almost 9 PM.

▲ The travel agency arranged our pickup, and we're grateful the driver waited for us until past 1 o'clock, more than 3 hours later than expected Trip Summary and Further Reading Although Rhodes is small, the two-day itinerary lacked nothing — from history and culture to natural seaside views and modern shopping streets. Whether swimming along the Aegean coast in the early morning or exploring the old town's history in the afternoon, every moment was worth savoring slowly. Tomorrow we head to Athens, which will be the cultural highlight chapter of our Greece self-guided trip! 📌 Full Record of Our Turkey & Greece Self-Guided Trip Turkey Chapter Day 1-2: First Impressions of Istanbul | Day 3: Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar Day 4: The Wondrous Hot Air Balloons of Cappadocia | Day 5: Exploring the Derinkuyu Underground City Day 6: Salt Lake Mirror and Konya Whirling Dervishes | Day 7: Antalya Theatre and the Old Town Day 8: Lake Salda and the Golden-Lit Pamukkale | Day 9: A Relaxing Day in Marmaris Greece Chapter Day 1: The Knights' Road of Rhodes | Day 2: Morning Swim in the Aegean Sea and a Tour of the Old Town Day 3: Delphi and Monastery Day Trip | Day 4: Athens Acropolis Classic Route Day 5: Flea Market and Acropolis Museum | Day 6: Attica Department Store and Archaeological Museum