Wednesday, June 22, 2022

{EUROPE} Day Fourteen - Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

 What an incredible day!

We docked early in Kusadasi...


what is considered a resort town... 


along the Aegean Sea...


Kusadasi comes from a combination of the Turkish words "bird" and "island" and is connected to the smaller island, Guvercinada ("Pigeon Island") by a manmade causeway...


Shortly after docking, we met up with our tour group and learned that though Turkey is considered a transcontinental country, the majority of it lies in Asia Minor, described by our tour guide as like a bridge between Europe and the Middle East...


So, described in that way, this is definitely the most unique country we've ever visited - a new one for all of us, and coincidently, a new continent for the kids and me!

We chose the tour based in and around Ephesus for its importance to us, as Christians... 

We boarded the bus...

{Tell me you're in Turkey without telling me you're in Turkey - seen on the steps of our tour bus!}

and made our first stop at the site of the Basilica of St. John and entered through the Gate of Persecution...


The ruins of the church sit on the slope of Ayasuluk Hill...


The church was originally built as a sort of mausoleum over the Apostle John's believed burial site...


though, the underground tomb is empty today...


Within the church remains, there are certain defined areas...


including the baptistry...


which was designed to be entered West to East so that one would walk into the light and leave darkness behind...


From there, we continued on to the House of the Virgin Mary, which sits outside the walls of Ephesus...


It is believed that when the Apostle John was exiled from Ephesus, Mary moved to this area outside of the city walls and lived here the remainder of her life...


The home has been reconstructed on the original foundation...


Though no photos were allowed inside, the home consists of a large entry room that holds an altar and a smaller room to the right where it is believed that Mary slept...


Down below the home are fountains with water believed to hold healing powers...


and a wishing wall, of sorts... 


Our last stop in this area, was the old town of Ephesus...


Grandma remained on the bus for this one, as there was a good bit of (hot, uneven) walking involved...


Our guide explained that Ephesus had been rebuilt several times over the years, coming under different rulers...


The marble streets were quite impressive (and slippery, too!)...


The Apostle Paul lived and taught in Ephesus, while working as a tentmaker...


There is a somewhat well-known depiction of Nike, the Goddess of Victory, in Ephesus...


We also found a fig tree!


The mosaics show the detail on the sidewalks(!)... So pretty and intricate...


There were several cats, and a few dogs, hanging around...


These were the public toilets used by the men...


The library was my favorite, for many reasons...


The last thing we saw was the amphitheatre, which is still used to this day (but mainly at night) for ballets, operas, and other concerts...


We returned to the port area and made a stop at the bazaar in Kusadasi for some apple tea and pastries...


some welcome air conditioning, and a carpet demonstration...

{L said she was "trying to look intrigued" here}

Thanks to Grandma, I am not at all in need of any oriental rugs...


Afterwards, we took in a little more of the bazaar, before heading back to the ship...

{Hey... At least they're upfront about it...  Ha!}

Looking forward to seeing a little more of Turkey, tomorrow...

More {EUROPE} 2022 Fun
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