Tuesday, October 8th

This morning we docked in the port of Kusadasi, Turkey and met "Rose" for our tour of Ancient Ephesus through the ages. We must have gotten one of the best drivers, as we arrived at the gates of the archeological site before they were open for the day. That meant that our tour through the marble paved streets of Ephesus was bathed in brilliant morning sunlight. Every time we turned a corner, there was something more wonderful to see: active archeological sites, restoration of ancient buildings, ruins of Roman baths & latrines, intact mosaics in front of the homes of the wealthy, the Library of Celsus, sites associated with St. John's time in Ephesus and the street down which Cleopatra and Marc Antony once walked. What was quite remarkable is that the site is currently about 5 miles from the sea, but in ancient times Ephesus was a port town. 

Before we returned to the port, we learned about the tradition of handwoven Turkish rugs, saw silk spun from dozens of cocoons into one strong thread and enjoyed Turkish hospitality. The rugs shown to us were amazing for two reasons: they are handwoven by one or more women in the traditional Turkish double knot and secondly because the patterns and designs were incredibly intricate. A few in our group will be anxiously watching for their unique souvenir to arrive home (direct shipping helps out those who might be approaching their 50 lb weight limit on the checked suitcase!).

While we were eating lunch and relaxing, our ship sailed through the Strait of Samos, where one can see Turkey to the left and Greece to the right. We also passed by many more idyllic islands dotted with whitewashed homes and a harbor full of bobbing boats. 

We arrived in near the island of Patmos a bit ahead of schedule and transferred to the harbor by tender. Those who were on CETA's Egypt tour remarked at how different this experience has been, especially when it comes to getting on and off the ship. Patmos is most famous as the place where St. John received the Revelation from God during the time he was exiled there from Ephesus. The first stop on our tour visited three reconstructed traditional windmills. From there, we could see our next stop, Chora, the town that surrounds the (Orthodox) St. John's Monastery. We explored the labyrinth that is Chora's streets before making our way down the hill to the Grotto of the Apocalypse, the traditional location where it is believed that St. John received his revelation, which was then transcribed into the Book of Revelation.