[Greece Self-guided Trip Day 2] Morning swim in the Aegean Sea, leisurely wandering through Rhodes Old Town on the final exploration day

Trip Overview Today is our full day of exploration in Rhodes. From stepping onto the beach in the morning to greet the early sunshine, to venturing back into the medieval old town in the afternoon to visit churches and ruins, and finally boarding an evening flight to Athens. Although there were delays along the way, the wonderful memories of this little Aegean island remain full and rich. 📍Today's Route: Hotel beach walk → Breakfast → Beach swimming → Old Town exploration (West Gate, Clock Tower, shopping street, Church of Our Lady) → Dinner → Rhodes Airport → Flight to Athens Early Morning Walk and Morning Swimming Experience: Greeting the Sunshine of the Aegean Sea In the morning, I arranged with my family members to wake up early and take a stroll along the coastline where we watched the sunset yesterday—this beach area also belongs to our hotel. We ventured to the other side of the coast of Rhodes Island, and it was just perfect to admire the scene where morning light scattered—on the islands of the Aegean Sea, with just a turn around one street block, we could welcome the sunlight from a different direction. After taking a short walk, I returned to the hotel first to enjoy breakfast.Greek breakfasts mainly consist of three categories: • Vegetable and fruit salad area: pairing with olive oil and vinegar is a must • Ham and cheese cold cuts area: rich selection, strong flavor • Bread and jam area: often paired with dried fruit and local jam After eating, I'm ready to start today's main event: swimming at the beach!

▲ Aegean Coast at Dawn

▲ Hotel breakfast plate photo: olive oil and cheese, standard Greek breakfast setup Arriving at the beach at 9 o'clock sharp, I first found a good beach chair to place our belongings, then excitedly headed toward the water. Unexpectedly, today's temperature was about 5 degrees lower than yesterday, the sky was overcast, and the sea water was only about 20 degrees, which was unbearably cold, so I had to retreat back to the beach chair and wait. At 10 o'clock, the sun finally peeked out from the clouds, and I took the opportunity to warm up before entering the sea again. With a life jacket and snorkel goggles, this place is actually perfect for snorkeling, with crystal-clear water that you can see through to the bottom, as if you were in a natural aquarium.

▲ Beach and crystal-clear seawater Afternoon Wander: Deep Exploration of the Old Town and Church Ruins In the afternoon we regrouped with family again, and this time chose a different route into Rhodes Old Town, unexpectedly discovering the real western entrance, and smoothly entered via the bridge over the moat. On this trip we filled in the bell tower and mosque we hadn't managed to photograph yesterday, and passed by several lovely fountains along the way, including the Owl Fountain and the Seahorse Fountain. The shopping streets sell many Greek specialty souvenirs and snacks, making it a great place to wander slowly.

▲ Enter the Grand Fortress Palace from the west entrance

▲ Bell Tower

▲ Shopping street and a small, adorable fountain 📍 Church of the Virgin Mary of the Burgh • Built in the 14th century, it was the spiritual center for the residents of the Burgh district at the time • Although it was destroyed during the war and only some stone pillars and walls remain, one can still feel its solemn grandeur

▲ From the Church of Our Lady heading towards Apollo Ruins, you can see the entire harbor 📍 On the other side of Apollo Ruins• Besides the famous doe statue, there are also small fortifications and windmill groups • The fortifications could originally be climbed for a view, but it was not open when we visited

Transfer to Athens: Rhodes Airport and a Delayed Journey In the evening, we returned to the hotel to collect our luggage and took the reserved shuttle to Rhodes Airport. The airport was much livelier than expected, with a Starbucks, a Burger King, and several duty-free shops inside. Unlike in the Nordic countries, luggage here is still checked in manually, and security was stricter — all liquids had to be poured out. Our original flight was delayed by two hours, and we didn't board until almost nine o'clock. On top of that, we were held at the airport for quite a while due to weather. Still, the cabin crew were friendly and professional throughout the flight, so even the waiting didn't feel too stressful. At last, we arrived in Athens past one in the morning. Thanks to the airport pickup staff for waiting so patiently, we checked into the hotel smoothly. Tomorrow we'll head to the ancient oracle site — Delphi — kicking off one of the most essential journeys into Greek culture!

▲ We didn't board until almost 9pm

▲ The transfer arranged by the travel agency — thank you to the driver for waiting for us until past one o'clock, more than 3 hours later than expected Trip Summary & Further Reading Though Rhodes is small, the two-day itinerary lacks nothing — from history and culture, to natural seascapes, to modern shopping streets. Whether swimming along the Aegean coast in the early morning or exploring history in the old town in the afternoon, every moment was worth savoring slowly. Tomorrow we head to Athens, which will be the cultural climax 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: Cappadocia's Wondrous Hot Air Balloons｜Day 5: Exploring the Green Line Underground City Day 6: Salt Lake Mirror and Konya's Whirling Dervishes｜Day 7: Antalya's Ancient Theater and Old Town Day 8: Lake Salda and the Golden Glow of Pamukkale｜Day 9: A Relaxing Day in Marmaris Greece Chapter Day 1: The Knights' Road of Rhodes｜Day 2: Morning Swim in the Aegean 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