We were scheduled to arrive at 07:00, but we actually arrived into Port at Kusadasi about 15 minutes behind schedule. We didn’t have to meet our guide until 08:00 so we met the kids up at the buffet at 07:00 and watched the passengers start to disembark. At 07:55 we were out in the parking lot and met our guide promptly. Her name was Gulcan (giljen), which means Rose Heart, so she said we could call her Rose.. We also had a driver, but I cannot remember his name. He didn’t do any talking. We loaded into the Mercedes van and off we went.
As we started on our adventure, Rose asked us what we wanted to see, and made some suggestions. We decided to start at the house of Virgin Mary. As we drove up mount BulBul (which means Nightingale), Rose told us the story behind the. Sacred location. It is believed this is where St John brought Virgin Mary. He built her a house. He died in Turkey at 98 years old. It has not been confirmed that Virgin Mary lived here, but many believe this is the location.
Rose also told us about the Amazon women who lived in communities with only women. The name “AMA-zon” means “one breast”. women in these communities fought battles to protect themselves. In order to be effective, they cut off one breast so they could ride horses and use bow and arrows to fight.
When we arrived, we paid 1000 Lira for tickets. The prices more than doubled yesterday! It was very crowded, but Rose stayed with us until we arrived at the door and told us stories of the history and how the site was found. She was also great at answering our questions. After waiting 30 minutes in line, we spent about 30 seconds walking through the house. Then we were able to fill our water bottles with the holy water.
Before leaving the site, we found free wifi so the kids could quickly check their emails. They have been disconnected from the Internet for 4 days now! We then left for Ephesus and we were able to get out ahead of the tour buses.
We arrived at Ephesus around 09:30 and there was no line to get tickets. Rose helped us purchase our tickets from the booth. As we entered, there were a lot of sleeping dogs and a cat just inside the gates. It was a strange site.
Rose informed us that this was actually the 2nd Ephesus. The first city was built on marshland and often flooded, so they moved to this location further up the mountains. It is believed that 250,000 people inhabited the city, and 50,000 were wealthy and lived in the upper city during the Roman times. Over 800 years they inhabited the city until it was destroyed by earthquakes. They tried to rebuild, but when Malaria swept through the city, the inhabitants abandoned the area. The water levels had also dropped and it was no longer a booming port city.
We toured the area as Rose provided commentary on each part. From the baths at the top, to the stadiums, houses, shops, public bathrooms, library, stadium, and the open market, all the way down to the old port. Today, the water level has dropped several km and is nowhere near the city. This was one of my favourite sites. We explored the area until just after 11:00. It was hot but there was some shade along the way.
Next, Rose suggested that we check out an authentic Turkish leather shop. They provided apple tea and put on a fashion show. It was the first time I experienced a real fashion show with the stage, lights, and music. They even pulled Ari to the back and included him in the show! After, they took us into the shop and tried to sell us their products. The one Ayva tried on was a lightweight reversible leather jacket. They are very thin and do not wrinkle. They come with a 1 year guarantee. They also came with a starting price tag of $1,500 USD. They offered 60% off which was still $700CAD. The jackets were beautiful, but a bit too expensive for us, and not very practical for our next 20 days of travel. We left with only our photos and memories. It was a neat experience though and I am glad Rose took us here.
Our last stop was a local carpet weaving shop. They welcomed us and taught us how the wool and silk carpets were weaved. We also learned how they get the silk from a cocoon. Each caterpillar is dried in the cocoon and then softened in waterr and spun. They must do this so the silk does not break. They get a minimum of 1km of silk from a single cocoon!!!
The rugs were amazing! They appeared a different shade depending on where you stood. If you look at the rug from the direction of the weave, the colours were vibrant. When looking from the opposite direction, they were washed out. We would have loved to purchase one, but we didn’t have tens of thousands of dollars to spend. It can take up to 8 months to hand weave a large carpet. Even the tiny ones were $500! As much as I love these, I think we are going to stick with the $100 IKEA rugs. It was quite an experience though and we enjoyed the apple tea.
After a great day of learning the history and culture of Turkey, we returned to the ship and said goodbye to Rose and our driver. It was still early but we were exhausted! Once onboard, we got drinks, ate lunch, and had a siesta.
We left the port at 16:00 and met the kids at the bowling alley for a few games. Later we went to the main dining room for dinner and then caught a show. I am quite impressed with the level of entertainment onboard. Lastnight, we saw a ventriloquist who had us laughing the entire time. Tonight it was Cirque de Soleil vibe with the variety of talents that were used to tell a story. I tried taking photos but it just doesn’t capture the wow factor that that you get from a live show.
Tomorrow we arrive in Istanbul.
Nautical Info
MSC Splendida navigated through the night in an Easterly direction, bound for the Turkish Port of Kusadasi. The pilot expected us to embark at 06:00, with the Vessel alongside in the Berth at 07:00. We are about 10 minutes late. Kusadasi is a large resort town on the Turkey Aegean coast, and the centre of the seaside district of the same name within the Aydin Province. We departed at 15:00. The distance between Kusadasi and Instanbul is 350 nautical miles.