After our cruise cancelled the stop in Egypt due to the unrest there, I was happy they added Turkey to our stops so we could still make it to a new continent! I have heard good things about Turkey from friends who are from Istanbul or who have visited. Izmir, the city, wasn't so great, but we did have a "small world" moment there. As we were waiting to use the bathroom at Starbucks (yep, they are everywhere!), a man who heard me talking to the kids asked if we were from America. I said yes and he told me he used to live there (this is a Turkish man of 60 years old or so). He goes on to say he went to a university there for his Master's degree in Michigan. Do I know East Lansing, MI, he asks? Seriously? I meet a Turkish man who went to MSU!! I hadn't said anything about MI or MSU so that is quite a coincidence!
The point of stopping at Izmir, though is to see Ephesus. This is an ancient city of Jesus's time. It is amazingly preserved and rebuilt, but only 15% of the restoration is complete! I can't imagine how huge it will be in 20 years. Ephesus is the city where in the Bible the Letters to the Ephesians were written. Mary is believed to have lived her last days near Ephesus and we went to the house that many Christian scholars believe is the last place she lived.
We were able to walk through the house, which has been reconstructed. The bottom layer of stones are original though, as is the spring which has been blessed by many Popes. This is a major pilgrimage site for Catholics, so of course we lit candles and drank some of the water.
Our guide told us that prayers said here are almost always answered, as long as one is specific. So we lit candles and said prayers. Guess what both of my kids prayed for? A puppy!
Before leaving Mary's house, we stopped to have a Turkish coffee. You practically have to chew it!
Then, we headed to Ephesus. After Pompeii a few weeks ago, I am a firm believer in history! This place was just as huge as Pompeii, but more fancy. Marble streets, more modern sewer systems, huge theatre, etc. Here are some pics:
Carving of the Goddess Nike
On the Main Street of Ephesus. You can really get a feel of how big and grand this city once was!
Aidan sitting on a toilet! It had water running through the bottom so that waste was washed a way and the seats were even heated by another spring somehow!
At the library. This library once rivaled the one in Alexandria, Egypt.
This is thought to be the world's first advertisement. It is for the town brothel! The footstep points the way, and the little dots are in the shape of a heart. in the top right corner was like a business card with the madam's name and prices on it. Truly the oldest profession! Right this way, sailors!
This is the theatre where the Letters to the Ephesians were supposed to be read to convert the Ephesians to Christianity. Unfortunately, Paul was banned from speaking here.
On our way back to port, we stopped to see some Turkish rug makers' demonstration. It was pretty cool to see, and each rug takes over a year to complete! I would have loved to buy one, but the ones below are over $10,000!
I had always thought of Turkey as being kind of third world or middle Eastern, but it isn't at all! No one is very religious here, our guide said. They are Muslim by nationality so to speak, but very few practice it as a religion. It is very secular. We didn't see women in scarves or burkas, and the economy is doing better than the US right now. I would like to someday see more of Turkey, especially Istanbul or the southern coast beaches.
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