ENPages That Mention Rhodes, Greece
"On board Bark Winthrop commanded by Capt. Shephard Blanchard October 10, 1853, Tuesday," a journal describing a journey from America to the Holy Land, [Almira Steinbeck diary] [196] 1853-10-10
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quite a consequential personage. He walks around dressed in a long flowing robe, big white turban, and clumbsy yellow shoes. He says his prayers with much ceremony and parade.
At four dinner, consisting of a number of courses, which were all strange and new to us. In the evening a cup of tea and a small piece of bread. It being very windy, the captain ran into a small place nearly surrounded by land anchored for the night. No one hurries in this part of the world. There were old forts on the top of a hill and down the sides seemed to be ruins of buildings there were huge rocks on every side.
Dec 13th We entered the harbor of Rhodes this morning “It is only eight miles from the continent and posseses of fine climate no day passes without sunshine, thus it is poetically said The sun is in love with Rhodes. The city was once nine miles in circuit now it is only three. The port is large and commodious and is commanded at the entrance by two rocks upon which stand two towers. There is another port devided from this by a mole running obliquely into the sea. This is called the inner harbor. On this inner
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harbor once stood the famous Collosus of bronze seventy cubits high, the legs of which were more than fifty feet apart. Ships could pass between them Rhodes is famed for art, science, literature, and illustrious men it has produced.” There are many windmills on shore used for grinding grain. An Austrian war ship came in port soon after us, they fired a salute to our steamer.
We were introduced to two engineers of the boat Englishmen. They are well acquainted in these parts and will assist father.
Dec 16 Friday. Warm and delightful. Yesterday at Messena and today at Alexandretta. They are small places depots for inland cities. The mode of traveling in these parts is slow and tedious. Yankees would accomplish as much in two days as these people do in ten. Last night we listened to a musician with a harp. He seemed master of his instrument and we enjoyed the sweet music. The young german we find very agreeable, he speaks Arabic as do the consul and his wife. Caroline is