Interacting with Ancient History - Blown Away!

Walking in the ancient city of Ephesus has to be the highlight of my trip! It was the port I was most looking forward to and not only did it live up to my expectations, but it has surpassed them by so much. I am truly in awe!

Ephesus was a major port city of 100, 000 people, that was nestled in a valley and which provided the major link for the transportation of goods between Asia and the Mediterranean.

The bus dropped us off at the end of the city that is higher in the valley and we began to walk down the main street. This upper portion of the city was where the upper class were with
the basilica, a small theatre used for meetings of the senate as well as performances. The street itself, is made of large marble blocks, I can't believe that I am walking on the same stones that the Ephesians walked on 2000 years ago!

As we continue down the street there are actually many intact sculptures. One of the most beautiful buildings in the city is the Celsus Library, with its two

storey facade it is magnificent. We then walk Across the hill to the stadium,which is a massive amphitheatre set in the side of Mount Pion, and the spectators would have looked out over the harbour. In addition to the amazing world history of this place, there is also the importance of this place in Christian history and I got to interact with it, not just observe it.

I stood on the stage where Paul stood when preaching to the Ephesians, and I sat in the seats where the people sat to listen to him. Then we walked along the shopping square for the regular folk before we turned back for a look at the entire stadium.

We also went to two other sites,
the first was St. John's Basilica, another beautiful ruin with a gorgeous view out over a valley that would also have included a view of the sea.

It also looks over the only. remaining piece (a column) of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The second was Mary's House. It is thought to be the place where she came with John after Christ's death & resurrection, and where she spent her last days.



I know I said this in my last post but, the more I see and experience of Turkey, the more I want to live here for a few years. I really love this place.

Let's Talk Turkey

I'm standing on my balcony, watching as Sultanahmet appears and gets closer on our approach to Istanbul. The views are amazing of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the wall around this area of the city that was Constantinople. I feel so blessed to be returning to this place for a 2nd time (and within 6 months)! Since I did have a job offer in Istanbul, there is also a feeling of welcome to this city.

Last time I was here, I did not go inside the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia, nor did I visit the Grande Bazaar, as I knew that one of the Princess tours did these and they were what Linda wanted to see. They are both amazing inside! The Blue Mosque is a functioning mosque filled with amazing blue tile designs inside. Haga Sophia has been rebuilt a couple of times but by the entrance are some of the ruins of the original cathedral from the 6th century. After its time as a cathedral in Constantinople, it has been repurposed into a mosque, and then as a museum which is what it remains today.

Thank goodness it is a midweek day today for visiting theGrand Bazaar. When I was here in February, I tried to navigate the much smaller spice bazaar on a Saturday and was totally overwhelmed with how packed it was. The Grand Bazaar is much larger, and one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. It has 60 streets and about 5000 shops! Needless to say we saw only a portion in our short time there.

I must say, I love Istanbul a little more with each visit, and I am So excited to apply for a job here again next year!

Just a Taste of Greece

We just had a lovely 3 days on board the ship. We chose not to go ashore to Rome or Pompeii since Linda has been to both before and I would rather give Rome, as well as Pompeii & the Amalfi coast the time they deserve on a later trip. Staying on board on a port day is wonderful because it feels like we have the whole ship to ourselves and a few other people. There are good poolside loungers available all day, no trouble finding seats for meals, and a chance to talk with some of the staff because they aren't so busy. I love it. Then we had a day at sea, these are nice for the variety of activities that are available but you are aware of how many people are on board.

Our next port was Mykonos but it was a short visit since it is quite a distance to Istanbul, too far for just overnight travel. This is too bad because it is an island that I think I would like to explore further. I will  have to try to get back there again and explore the less touristed towns. This was the first time that I have been tendered from the ship to the port and I'm really glad that we were, because it landed us at a wharf right in town instead of having to pay for a shuttle from the port to town over land.

It was beautiful! All the pictures we see of white walled buildings, blue staircases and blue water are absolutely true. Linda and I just walked the town, first up to the windmills and then back down through all the winding and very narrow streets, knowing we were headed in the right general direction but having no idea where we would come out by the shore. We stopped at a cafe for a drink across from the bay and watched people go by as we checked our email on their wifi (since it is sooo expensive and sooo slow on the ship). We then picked up a few trinkets for ourselves and others before heading back to the ship.

I'm loving the refreshing station that Princess offers when returning to the ship at each port,

where they hand out cold, damp facecloths (today's were actually partially frozen, Ahhhh) and drinks of cold water. So pampered! I could get used to this.

The Tower, Not the Meal - Pisa

My first taste of Italy! Today we are going in from the port to Pisa and Florence in a small group tour arranged with folks we met on the Cruise Critic website. I don't usually book excursions to other towns with anyone but the cruise line since if you do, and you are late returning to the ship for any reason, it may leave without you. I was very thankful that my mom and I were on a Princess excursion in Guatemala, when the bus broke down and we were two hours late, to see the ship waiting there for us. That said, the group booked some excursions with SPB who provide smaller group excursions in the Baltic and now the Mediterranean, and they have a return guarantee that they will get you to your next port if there is a delay, so we will try two excursions with them.

My first impressions are how beautiful the landscape is here with fields of sunflowers along the way.

Pisa was interesting and great to see but it is now a "been there, done that" location for me. We drove through the town a bit and then went to the cathedral. The leaning tower is the bell tower for the cathedral. Apparently it took more than a hundred years to build. It started straight but when they got to the third floor after the 5th year, it started to lean so they stopped building it and it wasn't until 100 years later that someone figured out a plan to shore up the foundation and build the remaining part in a curve to maintain balance. A huge lead counterweight was added in the 1960's and then it was closed for a decade at the end of the last century to be anchored and stabilized.

We then drove to Florence, I really liked this city and, although I don't need to go back there, if it were on an itinerary I would be glad to return. We first went up the hill to a viewpoint with a beautiful panoramic view of the city, and then down to the town centre. Our driver/guide dropped us off near the cathedral and suggested a walking route that would take us to most of the sights and bring us back to where we would be picked up. The 3 sets of doors to the baptistry of the cathedral are sculpted bronze, and those on the east side were called by Michelangelo, The Gates of Paradise. They really are amazing.

After the cathedral we wandered down to the Piazza della Signoria. We had a nice, but expensive (since we were on a touristy plaza), lunch as we looked across at the Palazzo Vecchio ("old palace" or town hall) where the statue of David stood for many years (it has been moved to the Academia museum and a copy stands in its place). There are also many works of art in the plaza in a covered but open area called the Loggia dei Lanzi.

We then headed to the river, and the Ponte Vecchio ("old bridge"). It is the only bridge that survived the second world war in Florence. It's a two-storey bridge above the arches with shops on the street level and the upper level being part of a private covered walkway between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti, which was the home of the ruling family, the Medicis.

We then headed back up to the Piazza della Republica, the actual centre of town and the location of the forum in ancient times, resisting the many shopping opportunities along the way. for some real gelato - YUMMM - while we watched the carousel and waited for our driver.