November 2: 🚢 Kusadasi, Turkey
Shore Excursion: The Glories of Ephesus
That alarm buzzes with persistence as the start to our day. Was pitch black outside this morning at 6 am and when we slid the balcony door open to check out the port we were greeted with a little blast of cold air - it was only 11 degrees outside. Brrh, slid that one back after noting that we had neighbours in the the terminal.
We have a system going - get the clothes out for the next day's start the night before - plan on 30 minutes in the room to wake up, shake up and get going, another 40 minutes for brekkie and that leaves us 10 minutes for a mad dash back to the suite for teeth and last minute toilet stop so we can arrive at the "muster" point in the Constellation Theatre on time for excursion departure.
Exploring a city in ruins
Another fabulous shore excursion today at a destination that was only 40 minutes from the port. Great organisation to get us onshore and into the right coach. That might seem a simple task but believe me it was transit centre here today. We had seen a cruise ship from our balcony but the reality was that there were four in total in the harbour today - and there must have been 40 identical white coaches lined up in the carpark. Could have filmed the antics of the coaches for a synchronised driving show - there was so much backing up, edging forward, turning and swapping of position. But, there were plenty of staff along the way nudging you along in the pre dawn light to get you on board your designated bus with your tour guide.
@Isha (not sure on the spelling) was our guide today - apparently from the same company as yesterday (and we did see @Mel leading one of the other groups) and @Isha was equally as informative and personable. Started the commentary with the explanation of what we were seeing in the town and then the countryside. Then branched out to use the map suspended at the front of the coach to give a geography lesson on the collision of the tectonic plates, the resultant mountain and rive formation and the influence on climate and of course settlement. Took us through the history of occupation and prepared us with preliminary overviews of the sites and sights on the agenda today.
Dipping into the spring
First stop was a 1300 foot climb (in the coach :)) to Mount Bulbul to visit the House of the Virgin Mary. It was cool and crisp (I think I need to take a jumper for early morning starts), the sky was clear and the sun was doing its best to provide some warmth, The site was pristine beautiful - and only three buses were there when we made our visit.
It is a modest shrine, with an outdoor service area and a very small chapel. It is reported to be an early gathering place for Christians during the time of the Romans and was the sanctuary where St John took Mary to be safe, and it was here that the Mary lived out the remaining days of her life in peace. The story of its discovery was intriguing - a German nun in the 19th century muttered the details of its location in her delirium when she was ill. The details of the place, and people and events were so precise that intellectuals became interested in her story and on investigation many years later, the ruins of The Virgin Mary's house were uncovered.
The site also included a "wishing wall" complete with hundreds of paper wishes and running water in a spring that has been reported as having healing properties. People come to the shrine, drink the water and even fill their drinking bottles to take home. And yes, we did try the water!
Walking through the city
Back on the coach and down the hill for the short transfer to Ephesus. I don't actually know where to start with this one - it was just so grand!
We walked for two hours with @Isha unravelling the stories behind its construction and destruction and were introduced to Greek and Roman gods and emperors, to the challenges for the early Christians and even to the rise and fall of silting river and the demise of the old port - all as we were picking our way over marble pathways that were, in their day, traversed by the ancient residents and even their chariots. One of those places where 2 hours doesn't even come close - my head is still reeling from the sheer size of the site and the enormity of the challenge to make sense of this tumble of rock and ruin - a giant jigsaw puzzle where the edges don't exist and so many pieces are missing.
Not even going to try and capture @Isha's fascinating and compelling commentary - but know that the Temple of Artemis and her multi-breasted statue, the Library of Celsus, the 25 000 seat theatre, the public toilets and the Temple of Hadrian will be in that tumble of sites we "recognise" when we see them pop up in future documentaries - you know that "I've been there" moment that you have. thoug
There was an absolute crush of people though - very noisy and lots of distractions including a roving pack of barking, sometimes squabbling dogs, the voices of so many guides and the constant chatter of their groups - and there was even a theatrical re-enactment of offerings to a Roman Emperor complete with music, dancing and gladiatorial fighting to add to the "noise." Think this is one of those times where we could have had the headset gear on so that we could tune in to @Isha and drown out the extraneous stuff.
It did come to an end much too quickly and we did need to allow a few minutes to troll through the endless line of almost identical white buses to find number 10 and then it was off to the Museum to see a collection of the artefacts that have been removed from the site.
And because we can never get enough food, rejoined the bus and were transported to a hotel - joined lots of other guests for a wonderful buffet selection of hot and cold choices with sweeping views over the brilliant blue of the very calm Aegean.
Rolling out the carpet
The tour today ended with a visit to a "recommended" Turkish rug supplier for a demonstration, a drink and an opportunity to "buy." We are not big fans of this concept but feel were four of the 10 out of our bus group of 21 who attended. It was interesting - the process was fascinating to watch and the rugs they showed (aobut 40 of them) were beautiful. The silk ones - with the way they changed colours - wow, that was quite spectacular. Not on our shopping list though - thinking we are in the decluttering rather than accumulation phase.
Shopping newbies
Just want to say here that we do have a couple of things on our shopping list and had thought that we would enjoy the hunt to find a leather handbag for me and then a belt and shoes for @Mac. But seriously, the whole shopping experience feels so "exhausting." Not that we have been here long - but it does seem that there is no such thing as a quiet browse. As soon as your eyes seem to divert from straight ahead - there are one, two or three vendors or shop assistants to ply their wares. Funny that we say at home that we can't find anyone in the shops these days to help you (except at Bunnings of course) and here we are wanting to avoid help. Something in between would be nice. @Loraine and I probably slowed our pace by 20% looking at a leather jacket and we were immediately perceived as potential customers trapped in our own politeness. We haven't yet acquired the art of being assertive in our disinterest - we do continue to nod, smile and just say "No thank you." Definitely appreciate that eveyone is just trying to eek out a living in tough times.
Did part with some Turkish Lira today (although euro and USD were accepted everywhere) because we found a Turkish Delight shop - the product was not what we expected - but after sampling a couple of varieties - we couldn't resist. And, with four of us testing and being potential customers, we only had three people helping us.
Down time
Spent the afternoon just "being" and "reflecting." Was so much to take in and the deck, in the sun, watching the world go by seemed like the perfect solution. Took our cocktails (Tiramisu and Rose Crush) in the room this afternoon and watched some of the other ships make their exit from the harbour. @LoRi opted for cocktails on the Observation Deck and raved about the pianist - we think they will be groupies in the days to come and set up a fan club - apparently it really hit the spot.
Had a couple of little excitement highlights - received the coat hangers and the "box" - all our laundry has been taken care of - no need to bring out the Sunlight soap on this trip.
And at 6 o'clock the PA announcement invited everyone on board to the "Block Party." What a great idea. Everyone opens their cabin doors with empty wine glass in hand - and then you glance up and down the hallway and go and introduce yourself to your neighbours! @Mary Joy and @Eddie were on hand with drinks and canapes and crew members came and joined the small groups to introduce themselves and share their stories. Loved it - and met some new people and shared some stories.
Carnivorous dining
Had our table in Prime7 tonight - and yes, new tableware to admire and an equally stunning setup of the dining room and a warm and generous welcome by the staffing team. Gosh we had a good night - all the usuals: bread, wines, great menu selections, puzzle puzzling, chats with fellow diners, a revisit of the day's events and wall to wall meat for the carnivores. 6 ozs for @Loraine, 10 for @Richard and predictably 16 for @Mac (he wants to avoid a medical iron infusion - treating this as his alternate) - and you guessed it - none for me .... just more seafood (a platter with a side of scallops - still on trend.) Oh, and the deserts - declaring them the best - and I have asked if can come back for breakfast and lunch (not an option apparently at this stage.) Ahhhh, a caramel popcorn sundae and a 14 layer chocolate cake.
Needless to say - we "ate and drank our way" through the show time and gave it a miss tonight!
Time Zone Change
Need to give ourselves back an hour tonight - we are transiting from Turkey to Greece to need to set the clocks back an hour. Means we get a little bit more snooze time AND the sun will be up when the alarm rings tomorrow morning.
Think we have discovered today why the itinerary has been name "Dine Destinations" - it has to be because of Ephesus! Truly a "divine destination." For all those who have been to Ephesus - trust you are reliving your excitement and awe and for those who haven't, but who may haivve the opportunity, JUST DO IT (and just saying, we did see the relief carving of Nike today in the tumbled ruins - and so the "I've been there" references begin ... sorry.)
Weather: a chilly start at 11 early followed by a high of 24
Steps: 13 291
#RegentSevenSeasExplorer #RegentSevenSeas #RegentCruise
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