2 Rhodes, 1 Grotto

 Rhodes is a city where the ancient and modern live side by side. First there is the medieval walled city, the palace of the Crusading Knights of St John, the Archaeological Museum and the Temple ruins of Athena. And second, within a fifteen minute walk of the old town, you are confronted with high rise beach resorts, a casino, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops selling beach towels, flip flops and tacky T-shirts. Think: Ocean City, Maryland.

We, however, preferred the solitude of a walk along a rocky cliff side path that led away from the beach umbrellas and instead offered us vast panoramic views of the Aegean and Turkish coast. By chance we came across the entrance to an Orthodox shrine, the Cave of Archangel Michael Panormitis. We were not alone, as a number of locals had arrived to light candles and kiss the Ikons. Within the dark cave, the lit candles illuminated a countless number of religious Ikons and the scent of incense filled the air. The discovery of this cave chapel was an unexpected pleasure.

Here is a short video clip inside the shrine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC7-I1AUfYI