Ephesus & Patmos

Most people I've talked to on board came here for at least two weeks, and some as long as eight weeks. How can people afford to do that? I envy people their long tours, but suspect I would burn out long before eight weeks. The food on board ship is terrible. Though the cruise ship is owned by a Greek company, it's clear they cater mostly to English-speaking, mostly American tourists. The menus at the bars and all prices are in US Dollars; the newsletter and entertainment are primarily in English. The cruise director, a tall blonde from Austria, speaks German, English, Greek, Spanish, French and a little Italian. She's had oppotunity to learn the languages, though. She's Austrian, so theres your German. She lived in Gibraltar, so there's your Spanish and English. She's married to a Greek... you get the idea. Most of the waitstaff is from the Philippines. Entertainers are generally Latvian or Romanian.

Today we docked in Kusadesi, Turkey, near the ruins of Ephesus. We took a bus to the ruins. Our guide explained that Ephesus was once a major port city, and the site was about 3,000 years old, but that most of what we'd see dated from its zenith in the First Century. Some say Mary the Mother of Jesus settled here. Our guide took the opporunity to complain about historic artifacts being "stolen" and placed in the Brisish museum. From whan I saw there's plenty left for the Turks if they'll just get serious about excavation.

I knew Ephesus was supposed to be an extensive site, but wow! Marble streets and majestic columns, intact staircases and theaters, collonades, and a library. I could easily have stayed the entire day wandering the streets of this ancient city. It didn't take long for me to realize I would have to ditch the tour group if I was going to see anything detail, so I slipped away from the group and headed off on my own. I saw countless remains of columns and statues with engravings in Greek and Latin that had faded almost to oblivion. At the end of one road was the amphitheater where, so they say, first met Anthony and Cleopatra. Again I crossed paths with the Apostle Paul, for here, we were told, he gave his famous speech that resulted in the cry of protest, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" We followed a road that once led from the coast into Ephesus, but the waters had long since receded. I can only imagine what the Turks will find once they sift through the ground along that route--the trash and castoff of millenia lay in the earth beneath our feet.

After Ephesus they took us back to Kusadesi and to a shop called Lapis Ege, where the shopowners served us apple tea and showed off some expensive Turkish rugs. They wanted as much as $1,000 for a small one, and the cheap ones were $250. I was suspicious of the prices and didn't buy. We had a few minutes before returning to the ship, and I traded 1,000 DR for 1,000,000 TL. I think I got ripped off, but it's cool to be a millionaire in any currency.

Later that afternoon we arrived at Patmos. I'm sure the Tourism Board has selected a nice cave where they claim John the Baptist wrote the Book of Revelations, but I was tired of the hype and chose instead to visit a remote beach. These islands have high hills close to the shoreline and the climb is well worth the effort. Gazing down from the summit you'll see the valley looks like undulating waves of earth and shrubbery flowing down to a sandy edge where it met the cobalt blue waters of the Aegean. There are no sounds of wildlife or birds or vehicles, only the dim roar of the sea below.