We sailed to Rhodes in the night, it is fun to wake up to a new city! Another sun-scorched day. We walked through the medieval town of Rhodes where the Knights of St. John ruled around the 1300-1500s. The walls still stand and shelter a quaint little town with pebble streets and gates to the harbor. We met Michael, one of Rachel’s friends by the Palace of the Grand Masters and took a walking tour through the city and down the street of the nights. Michael was a no-nonsense guide and kept us in order and on task. He did a magnificent job explaining to us that we pay for their lives in Rhodes – being tourists and all. More shopping, obviously, then back on the boat for lunch.
our guide. 
We rested and prepped for fun on the beaches of pebble. Rachel hooked us up with a special ride to a small private-like beach… 25 minutes away. 
Steph brought a black beach ball to play with, but the wind made that optional null and void, but she used it to float around and donated it to Andy later. The blue boardwalk leads us to the umbrellaed rest spots, paid 4 Euro each to rest, and on to the water. Once in the water, the depth was deceiving through the clearest water imaginable. The salt buoyed us up with little to no effort… though some had a difficult time staying afloat (too skinny?). Steph preferred napping under the umbrella while the rest responded to the call, “DO THEY DANCE HERE?!” - A spontaneous flash mob in the sea! 
At the moment our internal thermometers clicked “done” the buses arrived to return us to our ship. Chelsea stepped onto the pebbled beach and sunk to her knees in rock. When she retrieved her leg, no sandal remained. She searched until Ogden joined the search and found it in no time. The rocks were both a blessing and a curse.
Dinner was a black tie affair and we dressed to the nines. 
We waited in line, for the first time, to eat in the dining room. The Captain joined us for dinner – at the Captain’s table we ate at the night before. Tanya was slaphappy silly throughout dinner, Ali felt ill, and the rest of us just giggled non-stop at all of the silliness. The waters were wild and the boat teeter-tottered throughout dinner. Many of us were feeling slightly motion sick by the end, while steph felt terrified of the rocking boat. She stared out the porthole, white knuckled, awaiting certain death by drowning in our own miniature Titanic experience.
Ali, turning green, took leave from the table just prior to the lights going out and the dancing waiters entered the dining hall. They sang and danced with dessert on fire!! We whipped our white napkins in the air and yelled “OPA!” at undetermined intervals. 
Joy and fun filled the atmosphere, enough to distract us from the length we had to wait for our food. With smiles on our faces we laughed and retired to our beds, walking like drunks down the swaying hallways. Sandra and steph’s room felt the brunt of the wild waters throughout the evening. Steph never fell asleep, even after iPod, regular earphones, noise reducing headphones, prayers, and meditation. The rest slept like logs.
By Fars: Ali’s bless you, tour guide in Rhodes, Medieval Rhodes, pebble beach, beach umbrella, Chelsea’s lost shoe, Tanya’s card in the rocks, Steph’s white pants sprint to the bathroom, Amy’s carrot soup, gelato and sorbet, floating in the water, flash mob in the water, sleeping in and post breakfast nap, clearest water ever, dressing up for dinner, McConaughey paparazzi, Amy’s straight hair, banana hammock, imitating Titanic off the back of the ship, eating w/ the Captain, games on deck.
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