We arrived in Kusadasi early this morning & it was simply amazing to watch our ship dock! We're surrounded by mountains & the bluest water--it's just gorgeous.

This was another early tour day, & we set out with about 30 others for Ephesus, which was an ancient city that has been unearthed slowly since about 150 years ago. Our first stop on the tour was the house where the Virgin Mary lived her final days. It's a very simple stone house that has been reconstructed but the original foundation is visible. Very moving to see. We were blessed with another beautiful day...strong breezes right off the sea and a high in the low 80's....with low humidity.

The remnants of Ephesus are only about 25% unearthed now but what you can see is mind-boggling. This city was built over 3,000 years ago, with indoor plumbing, central heating & a sewer system!! But the thing I found most fascinating is that they knew the earth was round! There is evidence of this in a lot of the ruins that have been uncovered, showing the earth as we would recognize it today! The "technology" was lost when the city had an earthquake that destroyed it. Our guide told us that the peoples of that time were very cautious about what they shared, so when they perished, all of their ideas did, too. What they have reconstructed today gives you a small idea of what it must have been like during that time. If you're ever in this area, make it a point to visit this site.

Our tour also included a visit to a place where they make rugs...Rich & I got lucky & were right next to the woman weaving the rug--it certainly makes you appreciate the price of the rugs when you see how much time it takes to do each "stitch". The man telling us about how the rugs are made served us refreshments while he showed all the different rugs and then, of course, the sales pitch started. We weren't interested in purchasing anything, so we headed out & enjoyed a wonderful Turkish meal at a seaside restaurant. The Turkish beer Efes was delicious & we chatted with the brother of the owner of the restaurant about his life in Turkey. He ended up escorting us to a local supermarket so we could buy some Turkish wine & a few other goodies...he translated for us w/the grocer. Everyone we met in Turkey was very friendly. Once back on ship, we all headed to the pool area & watched a movie on this giant screen they have. The area is about 5 stories tall, with deck chairs all around & the movie picture can be viewed even during broad daylight! We haven't yet been able to make it to a showing at night, we're usually too tired! LOL We had a late dinner & then it was time to call it a night. My personal favorite city/tour/day so far...