All my life I’ve wanted to visit Greece and indulge my passion for ancient history and archaeology.
When hubby suggested marking our 40th anniversary (in 2013) with a vacation, it came to mind immediately.
Thus, we embarked on the trip of a lifetime! Come along for the ride, will you?
This is a continuing series. See other chapters HERE.
Part IX: Ephesus and Patmos
Sept. 17, 2013
[Day 2 of 4, Aegean Cruise]
Of all the archaeological sites we visited during our tour of Greece, Ephesus, on the west coast of Turkey, left one of the biggest impressions. Not only was it magnificent to behold, but our tour guide was extraordinary.
Ephesus was built in the 10th century BC by Greek colonists but flourished under Roman rule, which began in 129 BC. It was an established port and the trade centre of the ancient world.
One of the most famous buildings is the Library of Celsus, completed in ~117 BC by Tiberius Julius Aquila, as a tribute to his late father, Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, governor of the province.
Another spectacular excavation is the Terrace House complex; apartments for the wealthiest citizens. The houses were abandoned in the 7th century AD when a series of devastating Arab raids and the continued silting of the harbour caused the Ephesians to move elsewhere.
After being abandoned, these houses fell into decay or were buried under soil from landslides. The soil preserved the houses well, and their contents have offered archeologists a close look into the lives of the Ephesian upper class in the Roman and Byzantine periods.
The excavations of the terrace houses started in 1960 and continue today.
[Click on individual images to enlarge them.]
After the tour, before getting back on the bus, we bought some fresh figs from a street vendor. Eating them now always reminds me of that fascinating place!
Next up was a tour of a rug factory in Kusadasi and a lesson in rug making, starting with how the worms produce silk. That was interesting too! Some people even purchased handmade carpets to ship home.
Too expensive for us, but we did enjoy the complimentary Ouzo (a Greek, anise-based liqueur).
[Click images to enlarge]
Back on the cruise ship, we headed for the island of Patmos.
Patmos is most renowned for being where St. John’s vision and writing of the Bible’s Book of Revelations took place. For this reason, it is an important and ancient pilgrimage site for Christians.
Visitors can see the Cave of the Apocalypse where the book was written as well as monasteries dedicated to the saint, which were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, along with the capital and historical city of Chora.
[click images to enlarge]
Except where noted, all images ©Debbie D. and The Doglady’s Den
By Valeria Casali [CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
(mine didn’t turn out well).
Next stop:
The Island of Rhodes – Greek Odyssey X
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And More!
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Have you ever taken a cruise?
If yes, where to?
If not, would you like to? Where?
Looking forward to your comments!
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
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14 thoughts on “EPHESUS AND PATMOS: GREEK ODYSSEY PART IX”
Getting up close and personal with that kind of history must give you chills. When i think about how old America is and that sounds old, a couple hundred years, it’s NOTHING in comparison to the incredible history there in Greece. I think it’s fascinating for the archeologists to discover through evacuations the lifestyles of the upper crust of early society. Reminds me of Herculaneum, the ancient Roman town destroyed by the volcanic lava. I wonder if when they excavate from the soil landslides, did they find the kind of things they found when unearthing Herculaneum? Some of the residences were just frozen in time, with the tables set for dinner, etc. That to me has always been so fascinating. Europe is soooo rich with history. I definitely need to get over there one of these days…
Hope you’re having a good week,
Michele at Angels Bark
Hi Michele; Wandering around ancient ruins is one of my favourite activities. 🙂 Herculaneum was preserved by volcanic ash, just like Pompeii, which is only 17 km away. We visited Pompeii in 1990 and I was completely blown away by that! Many ruins in Greece were buried because of earthquakes and they have found items from everyday life. The last article in this series will be Santorini, including the ruins of Akrotiri (surmised to be the real Atlantis). That was very well preserved. If you love history, then you’d love Europe! Hope you can get there one day. Thanks for checking out this travelogue. 🙂
Very neat photos, DEBBIE — especially, for me, Patmos. I haven’t seen the island but I’ve read the Book (20+ times). 🙂
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews…
Hi Stephen; I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. Maybe you’ll get the chance to go on a Pilgrimage to Patmos, one day. Thanks for coming by! 🙂
I wanted to do a cruise like this one several years ago, but my friend couldn’t make up her mind and then it was sold out. And then life happens. Maybe someday.
I’m sure you’d enjoy an Aegean Sea cruise, Denise. Fantastic historical sites!
Lovely pictures. Ephesus looks like a very intresting place. Greece and Turkey are on my places to see list. Thanks for sharing.
It’s an incredible site, Suzy! I hope you’ll get the chance to visit Greece and Turkey one day. Thanks for stopping in. 🙂
Visiting Ephesus gave me goosebumps. You could really feel that it had been a town/city where real people lived.
I felt the same way, Suzanne. Ephesus left an even bigger impression than some of the other historical sites. Amazing! Thanks for coming by.
What a great historical trip this must have been for you. Love the images shared.
Hi Myke! It was definitely one of the biggest highlights. 🙂 Thanks for coming by.
My husband and I love cruising, and have taken a number of Viking river and ocean cruises. We visited Greece but now that I see your gorgeous photos, I want to go back and see more of it! So much history and beauty.
I think it would take several months or even years to see everything Greece has to offer. Such an amazing country! ♥ We love cruising as well and will visit some different areas this fall (Chania, Corfu, etc.). I’m glad you enjoyed the travelogue, Lois. 🙂 Thanks for visiting!