My Rhodes Vacation - II

Pin It       I wanted to write a seperate post about eating/drinking in Rhodes because it is both one of my favorite subjects and a very rich culture there. The most popular food type is the sea food -not surprisingly. You can eat fresh fish, octopus, mussels, calamari and such. However in our first day we ate the worst fish in our lives. It was very hard and tasteless (I think the owner realised his mistake because he came by and wanted to kiss and hug us many times and afterwards served many free offers!!) but except for that first inexperienced try, everything was just wonderful.
      When you hear the word "Greece", probably the second word you hear will be "ouzo", the anise-flavored local drink -which is almost the same as our national drink, Turkish raki. It goes very well ice-cold with sea food.



Grilled octopus along with garlic bread and ouzo

      In Rhodes you can try many different foods at the same time with mixed plates. We did that a couple of times and by that way tasted many Greek foods (which also belong to our cousine with small differences:) like mousakka, tzatziki ("cacik" in Turkish), lazagna, dolma (stuffed vegetables), meatballs, cheeseballs, rice, mashed eggplants and many more...



Mixed sea food plate - it is called "Simi Plate"

Mixed Greek food plate

Our hotel owner's surprise in the breakfast: Home made grape jam on home made cake

If you are fond of meat, I recommend you to go to "Lemoni" grill restaurant. It is in the center of the Old Town and one of the cheapest but most delicious places in Rhodes!

Tasting the local wine in one of the center spots in the Old Town is a must as well.

And in our last day: Very happy me after eating so many good foods but also very unwilling to end the vacation.

 

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Magnificent Computer of the Ancients: The Astrolabe

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Astrolabe @Museum of the History of Science, Oxford

      I frequently search for interesting topics, new designs, pictures and various kinds of information and yesterday I came across an ancient inclinometer which is called astrolabe. Here are some information about it.

      The name is derived from Greek astrolabos meaning "star-taker" and it is used by astronomers to predict the positions of the sun, moon, stars and the planets. These ancient computers are also used by navigators to show how the sky looks at a specific place at a given time and by astologers to cast horoscopes.   

       The system basicly consists of a deep disk holding one or more flat plates. These plates are made for specific latitudes and are engraved with stereographic projections of circles. The rim of the main disc is graduated into hours of time, degrees of arc or both. In order to use it, you just adjust the moveable parts to a specific date and time. After that, much of the sky, both visible and invisible, is represented on the instrument.  

       The history of the astrolabe begins more than 2000 years ago. An early one was invented in the Hellenistic world in 150 BC and is often attributed to Hipparchus. It seems to have been the most popular astronomical instrument until 1650s and then it was replaced by more accurate tools. Mechanical astronomical clocks (like Prague Orloj) were also influenced by the astrolabes. 

      If you are interested, the largest astrolabe collection in North America, and the best displayed in the world, is at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago. Some other museums are: British Museum, Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi and The Mariners' Museum.            

     

Prague Astronomical Clock (Prague Orloj)

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