DAY THREE and FOUR: Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus)

Day three was a day at sea, and we enjoyed some time at the pool and Ethan enjoyed the kids club.

Our stop in Kusadasi, Turkey on day four was by far our favorite on the trip. We made arrangements with an independant tour company (Meander Travel) for a private tour of Ephesus. The tour guide picked us up right at the port and had an air conditioned van waiting for just us. It was H-O-T, so the air conditioned van was perfect. The tour company took us to Ephesus and the Terrace Houses, the House of the Virgin Mary and lunch at a wonderful little family run restaurant. To make the day even more perfect, we were able to meet up with our old friends Dave and Yesim Poulin, who are stationed at Izmir, Turkey. They were in the middle of a PCS out of Izmir, but they drove down to Ephesus and joined the tour with us.
The following information was taken from the Meander Travel website, as it is a concise description of the sites:

"Ephesus. The city was established as a port on the mouth of the river Cayster and was one of the foremost cities of the world for its being on a strategic trade route in Anatolia. Ephesus was founded by Amazons, and inhabited by the oldest settlers of Anatolia-Lelegians and Carians, as early as 3000 BC."

"Terrace Houses. Ephesus Terrace Houses are located on the slopes of Bulbul Mountain, opposite the Hadrian Temple. Also called as "the houses of rich", these houses were for the important and wealthy people of Ephesus, as only rich people could afford such houses. The oldest of the houses were built in the first century BC, and most of the houses were restored in the second century AD. The houses seemed plain from outside, but inside were constructed with the highest standards of their date. They were decorated with mosaics and frescoes, and they had interior courtyards (peristyle) in the center, with the ceiling open. These houses were mostly two-storied, upper stores have collapsed during time. The excavations of the terrace houses started in 1960. The first frescoes, mosaics and other things found were taken to museums, but after that findings have been left in their original places."

"The House of the Virgin Mary. Located on the top of the "Bulbul" mountain 9 km ahead of Ephesus. It is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. It is believed that she may have come in the area together with St. John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. The house is a typical Roman architectural example, entirely made of stones.
Paul VI was the first pope to visit this place in the 1960's. Later, in the 1980's, during his visit, Pope John-Paul II declared the House of Virgin Mary has a pilgrimage place for Christians. Every year, on August 15th a ceremony is organized to commemorate Mary's Assumption."