Izmir, Turkey was one of our favorite stops during the cruise. Lyana booked an excursion for our whole crowd again, and we were pleased to find our tour guide loved children (phew!). Our first stop was an hour's drive from the port: the House of the Virgin Mary. I hate to admit it, but I never really thought about Mary having a house, and even so I hadn't considered where that house might be, not the least being in Turkey. Anyway, on the drive there the tour guide explained how the House of the Virgin Mary is the supposed home of Jesus' mother Mary, brought here by St. John the apostle after Jesus died on the cross, and she resided here until her Assumption. The site itself is small, having only a few buildings, the focal point being this little dual chamber church where to one side (on the right) it is said that Mary herself slept. Like most ancient buildings we visited on our trip, this one was reconstructed, partly from original blocks but mostly from new materials.
The shrine itself is fairly unremarkable, and unless you are partial to the belief that Mary lived out her days here, then it might not be the most interesting site to visit. For many (both Christians and Muslims) it is considered a holy pilgrimage.
Just outside, and down the hill from the little church, there is a "wishing wall" where thousands of handwritten notes are hung. Alex wanted to put a wish on the wall, so we found some paper and he went to work.
Then tied it to the wall.
After a very short visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, we headed down the road to
EPHESUS
In short, this was an ancient Greek city built in the 10th century BC. It's also mentioned in the Bible!
If you want a longer, more detailed description click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus
If you just want to see a bunch of interesting photos and fun Watson family poses, continue scrolling.
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Terra cotta pipes: 2,400 years old!!
Unlike a museum, where everything is behind glass, we could get up close with these ancient blocks of stone. Actually, I think this was the block our tour guide said had been acquired by a museum somewhere and was soon to be shipped off (so touch it while you can).
It's crazy because as I look at these pictures now, I can't remember any details about the statues and such. I do remember, however, that I was amazed at the reconstruction efforts of the archaeologists who basically took a pile of rocks and pieced them together to form . . . something.
Three children sitting by the doorway to the ancient medical clinic.
Overlooking the promenade leading down toward the sea port. All that flat land you see in the distance beyond the ruins, that used to be the sea. Now filled with silt.
Which way do we go?
Just pose for the camera already! Like pulling teeth to get all three kids looking at the camera at the same time.
How did they know where to put all the pieces? Look closely and you can tell the difference between the ancient parts (the red/stained pieces) and the new reconstructed parts (white, smooth cement pieces). This was intentional 1) so everyone could tell the difference and 2) cement is cheaper to build with than marble.
Remember, though the city of Ephesus has existed in some part since the 10th century BC, through the years there have been lots of inhabitants putting their mark on this metropolis. Take the Romans, for example. They were the ones who made those terra cotta pipes (think indoor plumbing) and where you see brick work like in the picture below, likely Roman influence as well. So really only a couple thousand years old.
It just astounds me to see structures like these. Having been destroyed during an ancient earthquake the pieces have been raised once again for our generation to awe at them.
Awwwwwwwwe.
Ewwwwwwwwwww.
Here is the Watson family in front of the Library of Celsus (what's left of it at least).
Inside the library there were no books left, but we did find a shelf full of curious children.
Leaving the main area (that's our fabulous tour guide, Gonja, with the umbrella).
And into the STADIUM!! Mark's disappointed because there wasn't a show of gladiators or lions today.
Just a show of love.
I can only attempt to picture the scene where this stadium was filled with thousands of onlookers. Popcorn anyone?
A better view of this massive stadium
Tempting. But alas, no time to shop today.
But we did have time to stop at Rossini's leather factory. First we were treated to a private fashion show of their latest apparel.
Then we all were privileged to browse through the showroom. Can you say sticker shock!!?
Actually, these coats were amazing. They were lambskin (sorry Bo Peep) and sooooooo soft and comfortable. We found the perfect coat for Lyana. It looked great on her and she loved it! But we couldn't talk the price down lower than $740 so in the end we had to walk away. :(
And then we went back to the bus to take us back to the port so we could get ready for another amazing dinner at 6PM with our favorite waiter named Edi.
And that was Izmir, Turkey.
Except I forgot to mention lunch at a real Turkish restaurant was included in the tour. And it was very delicious (sorry no details -- just imagine).
Rob
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