Today was another extremely busy day. We docked around 8:00 a.m in Kusadasi, Turkey, the main gateway to the ancient city of Ephesus. It was interesting watching the captain pull us right up to the dock, across the quay from a Windstar ship. It seems that a lot of these ports require that tugs be available if needed, so in addition to the pilot we had a tug waiting alongside in case we needed aid. Fortunately, all he did was wait while we docked!
We had booked a private tour through EKOL, a company that I had found through Cruise Critic. Kusadasi, which translates to pigeon island, is situated on the west coast of Turkey. It is a popular tourist area with a number of beaches and inexpensive hotels in the area. For cruisers it serves an important function being the gateway to Ephesus, and other ancient sites.
We met our guide, Inan, who picked the two of us up with a driver and a 16 passenger bus! We started our adventure, with a short ride to the House of the Virgin Mary. This is located in the mountains about 20km from Kusadasi, through the town of Selcuk. St. John, who was tasked with caring for the Virgin Mary, brought her to this area to avoid persecutions. This site is purported to be the home of the Virgin Mary in the later portion of her life. At least three popes have come and worshiped here.
The house itself is very small, consisting of two rooms including a chapel. There are places to light candles, and room to stop and pray if desired. To the right of the chapel is a second chapel which is believed to have been Mary’s bedroom. There is also a wall with arches containing a number of fountains in the area. The fountains are purported to dispense holy water. The water comes from a well adjacent to the house itself. I don’t know if it is holy but I made it a point to enjoy some. FT reported that she was quiet moved by the visit. I made it a point to acquire an icon from the site.
When we finished we left and went to the ancient city of Ephesus. It was originally on the shores of a bay, which in the past 2000 years has been filled with silt. We were let off at the upper end and walked down toward what would have been the port.
Ephesus has been extensively excavated and contains some wonderful examples of architecture from around the time of Christ. We spent about an hour and a half walking through the town. The number of monuments and excavations is staggering and I cannot begin to do them justice. On the upper slopes of the town was the commercial agora (the wholesale market), and an amphitheater with a roof for the wealth. It can hold about 1500 people.
Continuing down the hill we passed a number of houses, shops, fountains and monuments. We then reached the Terrace Houses. These are homes of the wealth that have been excavated and are not to be missed. They are covered by a roof that keeps the elements off the excavations. The mosaics and frescos are astonishing.
When we exited the terrace house we went to the Library of Celsus. At one time this was the third largest library in the western world. We then walked down the Marble Street. The street is paved with marble and it is humbling to think that St. John, St. Luke, and St. Paul among others walked on these same stones.
We then reached the Grand Amphitheatre, which was built to accommodate 25,000 people. It is still in good repair, and being renovated. This structure is in front of Harbor Street that runs 550 feet to the old harbor and was also paved in marble. This concluded our visit to Ephesus proper, but we were not finished.
After boarding our bus we made the journey back of the mountain to Selcuk, and the went to the Basilica of St. John. The church is constructed in the burial place of Saint John the Divine. On the original a Basilica was constructed during the reign of Justinian I (527-565AD). The structure was destroyed by a series of earthquakes, though portions have been excavated. The monograms Justinian and his wife Theodora are on some column capitals. The entrance is through The Gate of Persecution, which takes its name from a relief displaying Achilles dragging the dead body of Hector .St. John is buried in this location which sits above Selcuk, and the Mosque of Isa Bey. This was a short stop of only 20 minutes.
We then went back to town where we enjoyed lunch with our guide. We let him pick the restaurant as we wanted authentic Turkish food. He selected Selcuk Koftecisi, which served a wonderful Turkish style meal. We had wonderful fresh salad, and meatballs. During lunch we watched a procession of young people carrying beer, waving flags, and blowing musical instruments march down the street. Our guide said they were celebrating a wedding to occur in the next couple of days. What was interesting was a boy of ten or twelve was carrying two beers, one in each hand.
Then it was off to a carpet co-op. FT was a bit hesitant about the stop but ended up enjoying it. We met the owner who showed us rugs and how they are made. We learned about the different types of rugs, and how patterns are passed down within a family. It was amazing to learn that some carpets take 18 months to weave and can cost $65,000, in Turkey. In the end we shared a beverage with the owner who gave us a lovely bottle of local wine.
It was then back to the ship. When we got back, I went and explored town while FT rested. I ended up buying some baklava, Turkish Delight, Halvah, and some Katafi. Most of which was consumed on the ship.
We were joined at dinner by our new friend Francisco from Spain. He was very quick with his camera taking lots of food pictures for a project he is working on at home. He must have been a bad influence because we ended up with six desserts on the table. The Australian ladies at the table next to us didn't stop laughing for at least 10 minutes.
The menu included:
Starters
Carpaccio of Beef Tenderloin
Roma Tomatoes with Mozzarella di Buffala
Pasta Portifino
Soups
Minestrone
Lobster Bisque
Salads
Marinated Artichoke Salad
Oven Baked Tomatoes with Aceto Dressing
Chef’s Main Dishes
Grilled Garlic Shrimps
Braised Osso Bucco of Veal Shank
Whole Roast Strip Loin Beef
Desserts
Tiramisu with Mascarpone Sorbet
Limoncello Baba
Zabaglione with Mixed Berry Compote
After dinner we headed back to the cabin as both FT and myself had to work. This having to work was getting old but thank goodness for the Internet that allows us to get away. After dinner it was karaoke in the main salon. We did not attend (missing the night time activity is becoming a bad habit, but the days are so busy that I have to get some sleep. Our gift from Sea Dream tonight was a box of those lovely Sea Dream mints.
We sailed around 9:00 p.m. which was still during dinner, but we had a long way to go and we needed to leave. Coming out of the harbor was a bit rocky. This lasted through all of dessert, but after we got into the open ocean, the seas were smooth as silk again. We enjoyed another smooth sail to our next port of call Mytilini, Lesvos Island, a distance of 134 nautical miles.
More pictures are available on my flickr page by clicking HERE
The author of this blog is not compensated by Sea Dream Yacht Club in any manner.
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