title The Cats of Rhodes, Ρόδος, Greece - 24th October 2023 intro Once again, Isobel sorts out the half-term family holiday, this time to the Greek island of Rhodes, down in the southern Aegean. We're staying at the Mitsis Grand hotel on an all-inclusive deal, which is a novelty in itself, although we never did quite get used to leaving the retaurant after lunch or dinner without having to settle some sort of bill. After we've done a late-night buffet and breakfast, we start exploring Rhodes old town, which is only about 15 minutes walk away. If it was the Dogs of Barcelona, then it's definitely the Cats of Rhodes as there are cats and kittens everywhere, although unlike some other places with feral cat populations, these all seem to be well fed and generally healthy. After a day or two, we're walking along the pier at Mandraki Harbour (Μανδράκι Νισύρου) and finally get sucked into signing up for one of the many tour boats touting for trade - this one being the Yellow Submarine. It's only an hour long, and it's a fun trip as the glass-bottomed boat even has a resident diver who swims around feeding the fish and doing some impressive underwater bubble rings. Then, we catch some of the hotel's nightly entertainment as we drink ouzo and espresso martinis, and then stop at the Suomalainen Baari around the corner - the legendary Finnish karaoke bar. imgp8060 We trundle off towards the terminal imgp8063 The gang wait for Nosher to actually lock the car imgp8064 We get a go in the "Escape Lounge" at Stansted imgp8068 It's off on the train to Gate 6 imgp8069 Fred has a moment of ennui imgp8070 Someone has a sense of humour imgp8073 It's Harry's turn to look bored imgp8077 Same plane as usual, different livery imgp8080 Stansted's fire engines are all out imgp8084 Another plane looks like a missile above the clouds imgp8088 We've arrived at Diagoras airport in Rhodes imgp8092 It's quiet at Diagoras arrivals imgp8093 Harry heads down the long corridors of the hotel imgp8095 Our first all-inclusive drinks of the holiday imgp8100 It's quite the operation in the restaurant imgc0104 It's the first breakfast in Greece imgc0107 We scope out the hotel's games room imgc0122 Isobel and the boys float in the Mediterranean imgp8101 Fred pokes around in the "everything" shop imgp8102 We head off for an explore imgp8106 A 1930s building, which is now an aquarium imgp8111 An enormous cruise ship dominates the harbour imgp8115 There's a Love Lock window thing going on imgp8117 The fort of St. Nicholas in Mandraki Harbour imgp8124 Fred roams the tat shops of Rhodes old town imgp8125 A cat lurks amongst silk scarves imgp8127 The Virgin cruise ship lurks behind a city gate imgp8129 A Rhodian street imgp8133 A cat looks guilty about something imgp8134 Harry shows off one of his new Pokémon cards imgp8138 Inside Island Lipsi/Niki's Place on Agessandrou imgp8139 Isobel looks up at Niki's Place imgp8143 There's a wall of fridge magnets on a side street imgp8145 One of the millions of shops in the old town imgp8147 The Suleiman Mosque at the top of Sokratous imgp8151 The boys find more cats to interact with imgp8155 A lone cat roams some ancient ruins imgp8156 We head off to the castle imgp8157 The Palace of the Knights of Rhodes imgp8159 Two women look at a wall inscription imgp8161 A cat gets fed scraps from a window above imgp8162 There's an Arabic inscription above a city gate imgp8163 A pigeon sits on a hole in the wall imgp8164 Another 1930s Italin building imgp8165 A derelict apartment block and supermarket imgp8169 We head back to the lobby of the Mitsis Grand imgp8170 Isobel on the beach imgp8177 The boys work on trashing their room imgp8179 There's a nice view from the Italian restaurant imgp8180 We're in the hotel's Italian restaurant for dinner imgp8188 There's an enormous wood-fired pizza oven imgp8191 Harry has a little sleep on the table imgp8192 The adjacent restaurant does a late-night buffet imgp8193 A young BBs fan roams the corridors imgp8198 There's entertainment every night at the hotel imgp8221 Someone gets a photo with the band after the gig imgp8225 Renting a car's not the best time to push limits imgp8228 An evening view from our balcony imgp8234 KiKA's bonkers Bernd das Brot - Bernd the bread imgp8238 The derelict Imperial Hotel on Georgiou Papanikolaou imgp8240 The awesome Imperial Hotel from the late 1960s imgp8241 The alley besides the Imperial Hotel, Rhodes imgp8243 Hands up for a mannequin in a rubble sack imgp8244 Some derelict 1930s architecture imgp8247 A mosque near Evdomis Mertiou imgp8251 One of many submarine boats trundles around imgp8252 We walk the pier to the Rhodes windmills imgp8255 One of the traditional windmills of Rhodes imgp8260 A view of St. Nicholas fort imgp8269 A fountain in the old town imgp8270 Isobel finds a very wiry kitten imgp8277 A very rustic house imgp8278 Some ruins in one of the few quiet areas imgp8282 An old house in Athenas imgp8284 A pile of old ruins imgp8286 A cat sits with us in Socratus Gardens imgp8288 We stop for a large beer imgp8291 A bright yellow house near Sokratous Gardens imgp8294 Another cat roams the streets of Rhodes imgp8295 It's possible to find some quiet streets imgp8305 Isobel and Harry do the buffet dinner imgp8306 Harry and Isobel in the lobby of the Mitsis Grand imgp8312 Tonight's entertainment is a guitarist imgp8313 The boys make a mockery of the laundry bag idea imgp8314 A derelict apartment block imgp8316 Isobel and Harry hang around on a boat imgp8326 A view from the other side of St. Nicholas imgp8337 The boat skipper has a good range of icons imgp8343 There are loads of fish in the sea imgp8351 Fred and Isobel in the Yellow Submarine imgp8358 A diver floats by with a lobster imgp8368 Isobel gets a phone photo imgp8369 The diver makes some cool bubble rings imgp8373 Harry and Fred look at the sea life imgp8375 The famous Rhodes deer statue in Mandraki harbour imgp8378 We're back at Island Lipsi for a drink imgp8379 It's busy on Sokratous imgp8382 A pink elephant imgp8384 A church on Nikiforou Mandilara imgp8385 Isobel crosses Ionos Dragoumi imgp8387 A shop and apartment block look bombed out imgp8393 An evening view from the balcony imgp8395 Isobel and Harry are in the Pan-Asian restaurant imgp8397 The Supermarket Kahlua at night imgp8399 We stop for a beer in the Finnish karaoke bar imgp8400 Someone sings a Finnish song imgp8403 There's a traditional dancing demonstration imgp8410 A dance about a drunk unkle at a wedding imgp8416 A dude plays a Cretan lyre imgp8417 There's more traditional dancing at the hotel imgp8427 A cat walks onto a boat for a look imgp8430 There's a tiny kitten in a tree imgp8431 A helmetless dude on a moped imgp8436 The Rhodian Goat on a Stick imgp8438 The pirate ship sails around Fort of St. Nicholas imgp8442 People on the beach imgp8444 The sun sets over the Mediterranean imgp8447 A fishing boat heads back to Mandraki Harbour imgp8454 Harry gets a cuddle imgp8457 The Blue Star ferry heads out to Turkey imgp8461 The lighthouse of Fort St. Nicholas imgp8469 The Palace of the knights is lit up