Thursday morning we arrived in Turkey! We loved this bustling port. We headed to the Virgin Mary's house and the ancient city of Ephesus in the morning. There would be time for shopping later in the day.
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| Good morning sunshine! |
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| The ride to the Virgin Mary's house. Don't they look thrilled?! Ha!! |
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| Olive trees around Mary's house. |
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| Getting closer! We had to wait in quite a line to see it. |
Here it is! The house was completely rebuilt on the site of the original structure.
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| Here comes the security guard to tell us to hurry it up. |
Once inside, the home is set up with an altar. It was a very solemn and moving experience until some moron's woman's cell phone went off, and then she couldn't shut it off. Geesh! No pictures inside (of course.)
After leaving her home, you could light a candle and then collect holy water. I was surprised by the people literally dousing themselves in the water. And, some were soaking their babies under the faucet as well. Interesting....
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| Messages and prayers left for the Virgin Mary |
You can't visit Turkey without drinking Turkish coffee....well, I can.
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| Nice pinky ;) |
After Mary's house, we were off to the city of Ephesus to see the ruins.
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| The beautiful drive |
The ancient city was spectacular.
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| The Senate |
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| For my friend Brandi, this is the symbol for the pharmacy. |
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| Nike....so she is showing off her Nike shoes. |
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| Finally, a family pic (taken by a very nice American!) |
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| Awesome mosaic tiles along the sides of the streets. |
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| Bottom left corner...Do you think he's hot? 100 degrees! That's HOT for folks who live in Belgium. |
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| I loved the marble streets, but they were slippery! |
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| The amazing Library of Celsus |
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| Really amazing! |
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| Even more amazing! |
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| Beating the heat |
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| Shopping everywhere! |
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| Yummy food too! |
After our tour and lunch, we were taken to an artisan who makes rugs. You know, Turkey is known for their rugs. We were able to watch this woman work on this handmade rug.
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| Impressive! |
Then, the owner gives his speech about the rugs, and they lay out like 25 amazing rugs for you to ooh and ahh over. He is sure to bring out the 50,000 euro rug, so when they trap you in a room by yourself to talk you into the 5,000 euro rug it doesn't sound so bad. Chris Vastine...not a happy camper. Needless to say, we left rug less.
The rest of the day was spent shopping and enjoying the city.
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| Of course, we stopped at Starbucks. |
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| The various Turkish spellings of Allison. |
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| I love this pic! Gives you a little perspective on how massive these ships can be. |
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| Back on deck. Time for more sun. It was glorious! |
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| Hope to see you again one day, Turkey! |
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| A beautiful evening at sea. |
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And, I leave you with my boys....wearing their frozen towel hats in Ephesus. What a fabulous idea and one of Thomas's favorite parts of the tour.
Until next time,
Wendy |
Yes Ephesus is a magical place with much Biblical history. I remember sitting in the amphitheater and thinking Paul preached to thousands of people right here where I was sitting. We also were thankful for the "frozen hats" on a very hot day. It is one thing to read about history, but to be able to see and walk through the places you read about is amazing. You can close your eyes and almost feel like you are there 500, 1000, 2000 years or more ago. It certainly makes me want to return over and over again. Mike & Peggy
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