Day 22 – May 7 Saturday
Alarm set for 5.30am, dressed & on the open top deck by ourselves watching the ship come into berth at Kusadasi, Turkey, just as the sun was starting to rise over the mountains behind the town. Looking back from where we had come from, a further three cruise ships where heading our way. Near the dock is the small Bird Island (the meaning of Kusadasi in Turkish) with the remains of a 13th century Byzantine castle. Into breakfast as the doors opened at 5.55am & then ready for disembarkation briefing at 7am. We docked right in town & boarded our bus for the 25 minute trip to the ancient Roman city of Ephusus.
The excavation at Ephusus only began about a century ago & some of the restoration is stunning, in particular the library building facade, an enormously tall structure. (They had a tunnel from the library to the brothel across the road as the old saying goes “I will be at the library honey”). The archaeological digs have only uncovered around 20% of the area of Ephusus. We started our tour at the top section of the ruins & walked slowly down, with our local guide Fulia providing a great explanation of buildings & pathways at the site. The community latrine was interesting, a place where 43 men could sit cheek to cheek & discuss business. In winter the slaves were sent ahead to warm the marble seats. Another place that was exceptional was the theatre with a capacity of 24,000 people, simply amazing for something so old. Then there is the formal entrance to the city where Marc Antony & Cleopatra arrived in the city. At its peak around 250,000 people lived in this city made from marble. The city was a seaport, but over the centuries the river has silted up the harbour & now the site is over 4km from the ocean. As we left in the bus we could see the extent of the site, with ruins evident everywhere, it is a huge area.
The bus dropped us off in the Soke (bazaar) at Kusadasi & we spent a bit more of the kid’s inheritance before boarding the ship at 11.30am. The tiny port was overwhelmed by four massive cruise ships together in harbour, they certainly dominated everything. We then set sail for the island of Patmos under cloudless skies & light winds, with cocktails in the lounge.
We watched the Turkish coast slide away from the top deck & were also entertained by some of the ship’s crew carving fruit & making imaginative sculptures. The wind gradually built & by the time we reached Patmos it was reasonably strong. Disembarkation at Patmos was by tender & it was a slow & patient process as all the passengers lined up & took turns to go ashore. Patmos is another tiny island community with whitewashed houses & blue doors & windows, with the main part of town at the harbour, right on the beach.
The tour bus took us up the hill to the grotto of St John the Apostle, the site where the Book of Revelations was written & is one of the holiest sites in the Christian world. It was awe inspiring to be in the same cave that St John lived in & wrote the book, where he slept & where he lived his life in exile 2,000 odd years ago. The church of St Ann is built around the grotto & protects the cave from the elements. We were one of the first tour buses there for the day, so the site was not too crowded, but still very busy. Our guide Anne gave us extremely good explanations of the site & why it was so important, plus an excellent history of the area. She really is very knowledgeable. Next we headed up to the medieval settlement on top of the hill, under the protective walls of the monastery, built to provide defence from the many pirates that roamed the Aegean Sea. These houses are now in the hands of the rich & famous & command a fabulous view back over the harbour of Patmos & the surrounding islands, including the island of Kythera. It really is a magical place. Back to the harbour where we were served some Greek biscuits & drinks, a short wander around the shops, it was very cold by now, before back to the ship in the tender & time for dinner as it was 8pm. Another full & fantastic day.
Trekkin 