From Ruins To Revelations-Kusadasi, Ephesus, And Patmos

All of the days on the Greece and Turkey pilgrimage were packed. Some of them were jam-packed!

When we woke up the ship was docked in Kusadasi, Turkey (which I learned was properly spelled Türkiye, the official name and the spelling adopted by the United Nations and the U.S. Department of State).

Kusadasi

After finding the tour bus the group headed toward our first stop- Mt. Koressos, a small village with a stone chapel where, according to tradition, St. John brought Mary after Jesus's crucifixion and where she lived the rest of her life.

House of the Virgin Mary, Wikipedia

After passing through the restored stone house (believed to be built on the original site) our group moved to a large room and joined with another tour group from the ship for a Mass. Afterwards, on the way to the bathrooms we passed a fountain with holy water and a wishing wall, which was full of tied on strips of paper with personal intentions.

We stopped for a bathroom break, then got back on the bus for the short drive to the Ephesis archeological site. The city was first built in the 10th Century B.C. and came under Roman control in 129 B.C. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Center and is still an active archeological site; less than 20 percent has been excavated.

That alone would have been enough to make a visit worthwhile, but the site also has several Christian connections. Saint Paul used the area as the headquarters for his missionary journeys and preached in the Great Theater. The city is one of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Later, when he was in prison St. Paul wrote the Letter to the Ephesians to the church he had established in Ephesus.

Library of Celsus

On the way out of the archeological site there was a row of souvenir shops and places to buy snacks. The tour guide had told us that it was acceptable to bargain there, so I negotiated a very inexpensive price for a bag of "Turkish saffron" (more than likely Safflower instead of the real thing). I promised our friends that when we got together to reminisce about the trip I would use my find in some type of food.

The last stop on this excursion was at a rug-making shop, where we got to see a weaver in action and someone making silk fibers from cocoons.

Back at the ship, it was time for lunch and a short nap. The ship set sail for several hours, then docked at Skala Harbor in Patmos. Time for another excursion!

View of the Patmos port from the tour bus

Patmos also has many Christian connections. It holds the Cave of the Apocalypse of John the Evangelist (aka John the Theologian) where he lived and wrote the Book of Revelation after he was exiled by the Romans, and the Monastery of St. John, which is a Greek Orthodox monastery founded in 1088

There were multiple cruise boats visiting the area, and lines to get into every place. When we reached the Cave the tour guide pointed out rock that St. John used as a desk, and the three-pronged crack in the ceiling where Saint John is said to have received visions for the Book of Revelation. According to tradition, the voice of God came through these cracks, which symbolize the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

The next stop was St. John’s monastery. The interior had beautiful frescoes. Unfortunately, there were too many people for me to get pictures.

No way could I have gotten this photo!

By the time our group finished the tour and made it back to the boat I was starving! It was time for another quick buffet dinner and then to bed.