tour Ephesus

We had an early morning flight to Izmir. We had a bus for the next few days. First we drove to the place where the House of Virgin Mary was found. This was supposed to the last place where the Virgin Mary lived Supposedly Christ entrusted his mother to St John before his death, and St John and St Paul divided where they would go preaching, St John was preaching in Asia Minor. The tomb of St John was located nearby in Ephesus, which was also the site of the first Basilica dedicated to Virgin Mary. In those days, they were only dedicated to people who had lived or died in that location. During the 19th century, an invalid German nun had a vision in which she saw the hills of Ephesus and the house where Mary had spent her last years. A search was conducted, and they found this hill matching her description! The foundation of the house remained and was rebuilt to become this shrine! Anyway, it's a famous place and a tourist destination now.

We then had lunch, and went to our hotel in Kusadasi, a frequent port visited by cruise liners. Late in the afternoon we went back on the bus for Ephesus. We wanted to be
there for sunset.

Epesus is one of the great ruins of a Greek city. Flourished since 1000 BC as a port. It is no longer next to the water, but a small airport now exist close to the ruins. The silting of the harbor was one of the reasons for its decline. It had played an important role in the spreading of Christianity. Two great Councils of the early church were held here in the 5th century. The ruins occupied a large area and has only been 30% excavated. One of the most famous landmark at Ephesus was the Library of Celsus. It was an impressive building, restored to show its glory. The theater was grand too and it was the last stop we made. The Temple of Hadrian was built to honor a visit by Hadrian in 123 AD and its relief marbles were very beautiful. We wandered in the ruins for almost 3 hours, taking lots of photos and enjoying the site.

Dinner was at the poolside of the hotel, a buffet in the nice cool evening air.