Today is momentous, really. We awoke in the port of Kuşadası, Turkey. We have both longed to visit Turkey for a very long time, and today we step onto Turkish soil.
In standard fashion, I woke up and looked out the window.
And that ship is the view. It is a very big one. I looked it up. Navigator of the Seas is the fifth largest cruise ship in the world, holding 4,327 people and 311 meters / 1,020 feet long.
Breakfast. Eggs, bacon, fruit.
Turkey. Ever seen Turkey before? The nation that bridges continents and cultures? That rose from the ashes of a great empire at the end of a world war? Yep. That Turkey.
Barbie poses with our ride.
Our ride and the one next door. That is the Navigator of the Seas, mentioned earlier. Our ship on the left, Crystal Serenity, is 250 meters / 820 feet long. In other words, our ship is 80 percent the size of that ship. But, if you want to talk real numbers, Navigator has 1,213 crew for 3,114 passengers. Serenity has 655 crew for 1,070 passengers. And that is what luxury gets you.
This Turkish seaport welcomes us to Turkey.
Instead of being stuck on one of the cruise ship's expeditions, a Turkish guide based in Istanbul whom Barbie has worked with has arranged for us to have a private guide and car. This is the way to tour, seeing only that which interests you.
Our guide, whose name is slipping my mind, put together a plan. The archeological site of Ephesus is most crowded early, and since we can choose our own agenda, first we will visit a museum that will prepare us for what we will see at Ephesus.
This was interesting. Our guide said to us, "Our country is Turkiye, not Turkey. And we know a turkey is a dumb bird so please, call us Turkiye." It turns out, with a little research, that much of the world calls this country Turkiye. In Italian it is spelled Turchia, in Greek it is Tourkia, and in English it is Turkey. What is about English that makes it difficult to pronounce simple words? The suffix iye or ia or iya means "owner, land of or related to," in Greek, Latin and Arabic. Look at the country names around here, Italia, Romania, Bulgaria, and so on, and it makes sense that this place is Turkiye. Really, the suffix ia is the same as land in English, like England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, and even Deutschland. If anything, the English translation of Turkiye would be Turkland, not Turkey.
Out of respect for our hosts, I shall refer to this country as Turkiye for the rest of this trip.
We are standing right THERE.
This is Priapos, the minor Greek fertility god known for his... well, he can rest a stinking basket on it. The thing never relaxes. And now you know why modern drugs warn men of the chance of priapism. If it stays in that state for too long, it gets dangerous.
When it comes down to it, can you beat a Greek column? This most ornate design is of the Corinthian order. The easiest one to spot of the three orders. Perhaps by now you have asked, "What is with the Greek stuff?" Not all of you, but some. The thing to remember about Turkiye is that it sits on the Anatolian peninsula, with a piece of Europe across the Bosphorus, on land that in ancient times was Greek. We sit on the West coast of Anatolia at this very moment, across the Aegean from modern day Greece, but during the Iron Age (1200 BC - 400 AD) Greek city states covered the region.
These Greek city states were eventually overtaken by Rome during the first century BC, and the area remained Roman after the fall of the Roman Empire when it was known as... the Roman Empire, but historians have renamed this the Byzantine Empire to denote the difference between the "Western" Roman Empire with the capital Rome and the "Eastern" Roman Empire with its capital in Byzantium/Constantinople. And, yes, this imaginary empire gave us the name for this trip, Byzantine Tour.
Those two Empires semi-officially separated during the fourth century AD, and the Byzantine Empire was always more Greek and Christian than Rome. The Greek language was more common than Latin, and even though the events that lead to the New Testament took place in Jerusalem, the early followers of Jesus migrated north and Christianity was truly born here. More on that later.
Artemis, with the many many bosoms. Our guide has explained that we will be seeing the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Central Anatolia is home to some of the most ancient human settlements on Earth, going back as far as 5700 BC. But we are not visiting that region of Turkiye. The Turks migrated from the East in the 10th and 11th centuries, from the region North of the Caspian sea where modern day Kazakhstan sits. The language of the area changed, but after much genetic research it has been found that the people of Turkiye have more in common with their European neighbors than they do Kazakhs, and really the Turks moved in and the people of the region adopted their culture, but the people of Turkiye today are the same who have always lived here.
Barbie poses with a colossal statue of Domitian, Roman Emperor from 81 AD to 96 AD.
We decided to make one more stop before hitting today's highlight, Ephesus. Remember how I mentioned that Christianity was truly developed here? Well, one of the sites here is the House of the Virgin Mary. Mary's House. Tradition states that the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, was brought by Saint John to this area north of Judea and lived here until the Assumption, when her body was taken up into Heaven. Not just her soul went to heaven, but her body as well.
Saint John did in fact move to Ephesus, and later we will see the remains of the Basillica of Saint John.
There it is, the House of the Virgin Mary. Tradition states...
Actually, this one does not deserve a tradition states. This is not Mary's house. In the early 1800's a German nun had visions and described the house that the Apostle John built for Mary and its location. After she died, an author named Clemens Brentano who had listened to her visions published a book with details of her visions.
Allow me to share an excerpt: Mary did not live in Ephesus itself, but in the country near it. ... Mary's dwelling was on a hill to the left of the road from Jerusalem, some three and half hours from Ephesus. This hill slopes steeply towards Ephesus; the city, as one approaches it from the south east seems to lie on rising ground.... Narrow paths lead southwards to a hill near the top of which is an uneven plateau, some half hour's journey.
You do not get to see inside of the Virgin Mary's house.
Why am I so confident that the Vigin Mary never lived here? As our guide explained, the design and construction materials of this house, the portions not restored by missionaries, date to the Middle Ages. There is evidence around it of a water supply system and small village. This house did not exist when Mary was alive, and odds are that Mary lived out her days in Jerusalem anyway.
But regardless of doubts about the veracity of this story, the desire to be able to visit a place where the Virgin Mary lives is so strong that Pope Pius XII relented and gave this house status as a Holy Place in 1951, and then Pope Paul VI became the first Pope to visit in 1967 and "unofficially" confirmed its authenticity. In other words, they knew that the Virgin Mary did not live here, but if people feel this is true, there is no reason to discourage them from expressing their faith.
As you can see, faith is good for business. Thousands come here every day.
We have spent some time at the museum and the phony Virgin Mary's house, which means that the main site for us to visit, the ruins of Ephesus, should have cleared out of the early morning tourists and be ready for us.
Welcome to Ephesus. This is one of the most incredible places that you can visit on Earth. Ephesus sat on the Aegean coast at the mouth of the Cayster River, which made it a very important port sitting near where Europe and Asia meet.
During Roman times Ephesus became the largest city of the empire outside of Rome, with estimates that up to a half-million people lived here. Evidence has been found of artifacts dating all the way back to the Mycenean era of 1500 to 1400 BC, but what you see unearthed at Ephesus today is from the Greco-Roman era.
Barbie poses not at a theater but at the Bouleuterion, where the city council met.
Imagine all the politicians of the city meeting here to argue how to manage a city of hundreds of thousands.
This picture captures how a visit to Ephesus feels like a step back in time. Sure, they are ruins, but you can imagine what it looked like in its prime. Unlike Rome and Athens, you do not have to make the modern buildings go invisible in your mind. The Cayster River dumped silt into the bay in front of Ephesus over the centuries, changing it from an important seaport to a landlocked and impoverished city. This worked out well for you and I, because there was no reason to build a new city on top of Ephesus, and today the city can be dug out from the ground for us to marvel at.
The Cayster was called the Maeander in classical times, and as it moved silt to fill in the coast with new land it often changed direction. And this is where our word meander comes from, because when you walk along and change your path casually, you are meandering just like the River Maender once did.
A simply amazing place.
Our guide brought us to an ancient street corner and told a little story how as it was unearthed they were not certain what purpose the building served. Until they unearthed this...
The hospital.
And pharmacy.
Yes, it delights and amazes me that we get to see the ancient signage of this place.
A father and daughter explore Ephesus together.
As they slowly dig this city out from the dirt, they painstakingly place the pieces back together. I would hope that a visit in twenty years would be even more impressive.
It occurs to me that I do not bother nagging you to right-click and open pictures in a new window very often. You should really do that.
I keep saying how they unearth this city. I took this picture to show you the process. There you can see an arch and the top of a column. Someday all that earth will be removed and we will see more of Ephesus.
This main street once went right to the port. Today it heads toward a valley. But by building a seaport near here at Kuşadası that can accommodate a half dozen cruise ships at once, they have turned this site into a genuine destination that will surely generate enough money for it to be restored to even greater brilliance.
Barbie reads a sign with archeological descriptions of this building.
This is the Temple of Hadrian. Hadrian was one seriously important Roman emperor, who reigned from 117 to 138 AD. But our guide pointed out that it was a major transition when the Roman emperors began building temples to themselves instead of the gods, elevating themselves to that statue.
When I wonder what lead to the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, I do not believe that it is crazy to think that having your leaders elevate themselves in this way would lead their people to look elsewhere for spiritual fulfillment. After a century or two of emperors erecting temples to themselves, a large number of people had turned to the new idea of god that had come out Jerusalem a few hundred years earlier. Eventually a majority believed in Christianity and Emperor Constantine converted as a political move.
These columns have been stood up and wood beams placed as they would have been to eventually support a roof. If you look below, those tables are covered with thousands of fragments that are being placed back together to form the mosaics of these homes.
Can you imagine that people literally lived in these rooms over two thousand years ago?
Back outside, I could not help but use the sun again to make a picture pretty.
The Library of Celsus, which has become the symbol of Ephesus. This amazingly restored facade is a marvel to stand before.
Accidental photo of our guide. His hairstyle is right on.
The Library of Celsus, with the Gate of Augustus to the right. You know, I could imagine sitting down here for a long time and taking this in. Where else in the world can you sit in the ruins of a Greco-Roman city that is this well preserved and restored? It was amazing to be in Athens earlier this trip, but the Acropolis is nowhere near as complete or overwhelming as Ephesus.
Yes. If you want to see Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, do not go to Athens or Rome. Go to Ephesus.
Birds.
Turkish birds. This is one of those Can you believe I took this with an iPhone? moments.
This is the theater of Ephesus. With a capacity of 44,000 people, this is believed to be the largest theater of the ancient world. (Remember, the Colosseum is an amphitheater.)
They actually held concerts here in recent times, until Sting performed here and brought such a loud sound system that it caused some damage, ending the practice. He likely siad, "Glad that I ruined these Ephesus concerts just like I ruined The Police." Yeah, I bet he said something like that.
This road literally went to the sea. Two thousand years ago you would have seen coastline. It was at the end of this road that goods were brought to market in this bustling metropolis of the ancient world.
If we were not sick, but getting healthier, I think we would have spent even more time at Ephesus. But Barbie is not quite well and I feel better but not a hundred percent, and we opted to head back to the car and visit a few more sites.
This citadel is Ottoman.
The entrance to the Basilica of St. John, built by Emperor Justinian in 565 AD on what is believed to be St. John's tomb.
It is believed, and I believe it enough to not add tradition states, that the Saint John fled Jerusalem to Ephesus, where he lived out his life and wrote his gospels.
Another look at the Ottoman citadel, overlooking the Basilica of St. John.
A model of the Basilica on the left, today's ruins on the right.
It is something else to think that the man who wrote the Book of Revelation is buried here. In his time fewer than a handful of people believed what he had to say. Today, arguably 2.5 billion people believe.
Next stop, the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
One column remains of the Temple of Artemis. But they also bring people here because it uniquely captures five eras in one place.
In case your monitor is small: the İsa Bey Mosque was built by the Seljuk Turks before the Ottoman era, the Grand Fortress on the hill was built by the Ottomans, the Basilica of St. John was built by the Romans, the Temple of Artemis was built by the Greeks, and the homes you see were built by the Turks in the 20th century.
Kuşadası, Turkiye. Sunlight and clouds can make anyone look like a good photographer. For this I used Pro HDR to capture the light better.
Our guide and I figured that we are likely distant cousins. If you consider that at least one branch of my family goes back to Odessa, Ukraine, and that Odessa is just across the Black Sea from Turkiye, and it is not too much of a stretch that some DNA could be in common.
Yes, like every other country that sits on the Mediterranean, I can pass for a local. From Italia to Morocco to Turkiye, I fit in.
As we walked through this modern port on our way back to the ship, we snapped a picture of us with this Turkish Starbucks.
Back on the ship, Bacon & Bleu Cheese Turkey Burger with Onion Rings for him and Hot Dog with French Fries for her.
After a very long day looking at very incredible things, the sinus-infection stricken Barbie was completely wiped out and yet again I went to the dining room by myself while she slept. This is good, she needs the rest.
Crew members (and a few guests) were swing dancing to a brass band playing The Beatles Ticket To Ride. Pretty great stuff.
My starter, Crispy Fried Softshell Crab on Marinated Three Bean Salad and Garlic Aioli.
My second, Cream of Sweet Corn Soup with Leek Straw.
And for my main course, sitting off the coast of Turkiye?
Whole-Roasted Tom Turkey with Orange-Sage Stuffing, Bourbon Gravy, Cranberry Relish, Creamy Peas and Silver Onions, and Sweet Potato Praline.
I ate a turkey dinner on the coast of Turkiye.
For dessert, Chocolate Ooze Cake with Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
And that, my friends, was a good day.
Until tomorrow...
In standard fashion, I woke up and looked out the window.
Our guide, whose name is slipping my mind, put together a plan. The archeological site of Ephesus is most crowded early, and since we can choose our own agenda, first we will visit a museum that will prepare us for what we will see at Ephesus.
Out of respect for our hosts, I shall refer to this country as Turkiye for the rest of this trip.
These Greek city states were eventually overtaken by Rome during the first century BC, and the area remained Roman after the fall of the Roman Empire when it was known as... the Roman Empire, but historians have renamed this the Byzantine Empire to denote the difference between the "Western" Roman Empire with the capital Rome and the "Eastern" Roman Empire with its capital in Byzantium/Constantinople. And, yes, this imaginary empire gave us the name for this trip, Byzantine Tour.
Those two Empires semi-officially separated during the fourth century AD, and the Byzantine Empire was always more Greek and Christian than Rome. The Greek language was more common than Latin, and even though the events that lead to the New Testament took place in Jerusalem, the early followers of Jesus migrated north and Christianity was truly born here. More on that later.
Central Anatolia is home to some of the most ancient human settlements on Earth, going back as far as 5700 BC. But we are not visiting that region of Turkiye. The Turks migrated from the East in the 10th and 11th centuries, from the region North of the Caspian sea where modern day Kazakhstan sits. The language of the area changed, but after much genetic research it has been found that the people of Turkiye have more in common with their European neighbors than they do Kazakhs, and really the Turks moved in and the people of the region adopted their culture, but the people of Turkiye today are the same who have always lived here.
We decided to make one more stop before hitting today's highlight, Ephesus. Remember how I mentioned that Christianity was truly developed here? Well, one of the sites here is the House of the Virgin Mary. Mary's House. Tradition states that the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, was brought by Saint John to this area north of Judea and lived here until the Assumption, when her body was taken up into Heaven. Not just her soul went to heaven, but her body as well.
Saint John did in fact move to Ephesus, and later we will see the remains of the Basillica of Saint John.
Actually, this one does not deserve a tradition states. This is not Mary's house. In the early 1800's a German nun had visions and described the house that the Apostle John built for Mary and its location. After she died, an author named Clemens Brentano who had listened to her visions published a book with details of her visions.
Allow me to share an excerpt: Mary did not live in Ephesus itself, but in the country near it. ... Mary's dwelling was on a hill to the left of the road from Jerusalem, some three and half hours from Ephesus. This hill slopes steeply towards Ephesus; the city, as one approaches it from the south east seems to lie on rising ground.... Narrow paths lead southwards to a hill near the top of which is an uneven plateau, some half hour's journey.
A French priest named Julien Gouyet discovered the brick house you saw above and declared it to be the house described by the nun who lived 1,800 years after Mary. He was not taken seriously, but then two more missionaries re-discovered this house in 1891 and started restoring it, and this fairly recent tradition took hold and, today, hundreds of people visit every day and have a meaningful religious experience.
But regardless of doubts about the veracity of this story, the desire to be able to visit a place where the Virgin Mary lives is so strong that Pope Pius XII relented and gave this house status as a Holy Place in 1951, and then Pope Paul VI became the first Pope to visit in 1967 and "unofficially" confirmed its authenticity. In other words, they knew that the Virgin Mary did not live here, but if people feel this is true, there is no reason to discourage them from expressing their faith.
During Roman times Ephesus became the largest city of the empire outside of Rome, with estimates that up to a half-million people lived here. Evidence has been found of artifacts dating all the way back to the Mycenean era of 1500 to 1400 BC, but what you see unearthed at Ephesus today is from the Greco-Roman era.
The Cayster was called the Maeander in classical times, and as it moved silt to fill in the coast with new land it often changed direction. And this is where our word meander comes from, because when you walk along and change your path casually, you are meandering just like the River Maender once did.
Our guide brought us to an ancient street corner and told a little story how as it was unearthed they were not certain what purpose the building served. Until they unearthed this...
Yes, it delights and amazes me that we get to see the ancient signage of this place.
When I wonder what lead to the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, I do not believe that it is crazy to think that having your leaders elevate themselves in this way would lead their people to look elsewhere for spiritual fulfillment. After a century or two of emperors erecting temples to themselves, a large number of people had turned to the new idea of god that had come out Jerusalem a few hundred years earlier. Eventually a majority believed in Christianity and Emperor Constantine converted as a political move.
Time for the terrace houses. This is a picture of a picture at the entrance to the terrace houses of Ephesus. Where do the rich people live in Los Angeles? The hills, above the riff raff. It was the same a few thousand years ago. Up this slope they have covered the archeological dig so that they can protect the artifacts underneath and restore these homes.
Yes. If you want to see Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, do not go to Athens or Rome. Go to Ephesus.
If we were not sick, but getting healthier, I think we would have spent even more time at Ephesus. But Barbie is not quite well and I feel better but not a hundred percent, and we opted to head back to the car and visit a few more sites.
It is believed, and I believe it enough to not add tradition states, that the Saint John fled Jerusalem to Ephesus, where he lived out his life and wrote his gospels.
Next stop, the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Yes, like every other country that sits on the Mediterranean, I can pass for a local. From Italia to Morocco to Turkiye, I fit in.
After a very long day looking at very incredible things, the sinus-infection stricken Barbie was completely wiped out and yet again I went to the dining room by myself while she slept. This is good, she needs the rest.
And for my main course, sitting off the coast of Turkiye?
I ate a turkey dinner on the coast of Turkiye.
And that, my friends, was a good day.
Until tomorrow...
money does not stink - thus, priapos does not carry a stinking bag
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