Kusadasi, Turkey -- June 30, 2009

We arrived into Kusadasi, Turkey at 2:30 that afternoon.

As we exited the cruise terminal, we were flagged down by a travel agency, offering us a tour to see The House of Virgin Mary and Ephesus. Since we wanted to go there, yet didn't want to pay the inflated price offered on the cruise ship, we checked it out. Turns out this move saved us over $300USD, just for our family alone! (something fellow bargain hunter, Karen and I were very proud of!)

It turned out to be a fantastic tour in a nice, air-conditioned mini-bus, where our English-speaking guide, Andy, stayed with us for the duration of the tour.

Ephesus

Our first stop was to see The House of Virgin Mary, located on Mount Koressos. This is believed to have been the home where Jesus' mother, Mary, spent the last part of her life with Saint John. Due to its religious significance, it has been declared a "Holy Place" by the 3 current Popes and has become a pilgrimage site by people of all religions and race.

It is fascinating how the house was found. A Roman Catholic nun (and stigmatic), had visions of Mary's life and where she spent her final days. Her accounts on where to find the house were recorded by a famous poet, whose published accounts led an expedition to ultimately find the house!

Exterior of House of Mary

We walked through the restored house (now a working chapel and shrine to the Virgin Mary) and then proceeded to the original fountains where John and Mary drank from. We filled our bottles with the "holy water" and thus drank from the same fountains as Saint John and the Virgin Mary! Pretty cool...

Original Fountains where John & Mary drank...

Karen, DS & PS waiting to drink "holy water"...

There was also a section where visitors could leave written prayers or wishes attached to the wall. Of course we did the same...

The wishing or prayer wall...

Our next stop was 10 minutes away to the ruins of Ephesus. Once an important commercial and religious center, this ancient Greek city is famed for the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. It is also cited in the Book of Revelation as one of the 7 churches in Asia. Unfortunately the Temple of Artemis was destroyed in 401 AD. Some believe the Gospel of John may have been written here. Also, it is a place where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra rode in procession. No doubt, amazing history has taken place here!

Ephesus - Curetes Street

Ephesus - Temple of Hadrian

Ephesus - Library of Celcus

Ephesus - The Great Theatre

After a fascinating afternoon, we made it back to our ship at 7:00pm -- just in time for dinner.

Ephesus - DS & PS sitting in the Odeion (Small Theatre)

We concluded our evening by watching "Helleniki Filoxenia" (Greek Night Show) in the ship's showroom, with some new Australian friends we met during our tour today.



It was a long, but wonderful day. However, we were still not done yet! Onwards to Rhodes!