Egypt and Mediterranean Cruise - 3rd Port - Kusadasi, Turkey

Oct. 29 – Kusadasi, Turkey  - A beautiful day today, clear skies and warm temps.  We arrived in port today around noon.  Jay and I were on deck at the back of the boat and taking a few pictures as we were coming in to dock when the man next to us was doing the same thing, but then he dropped his camera.  Where was his strap, of course not around his wrist.  Luckily he was able to catch it through the rail.  If he didn’t it would have been in the water and all his pictures gone.  Jay and I both look at each other and said if that was us we would have lost all our pictures that we have taken so far.  That night we made sure all of our pictures were backed up on our computer.   We had another private tour with a lot to see and little time to see everything. 

Our first stop was Ephsesus, which was once the trade center of the ancient world and a religious center of the early Christianity.   There we saw some amazing ancient ruins like Library of Celsus, and The Great Theater, which is still used today and seats 25,000 spectators.  We also visited the Terrace Houses where you could see how the wealthy people of that time lived.  There were beautiful mosaics on the floor and frescos on the walls.  They used clay pipes beneath the floors and behind the walls that carried hot air though the houses.  Restoration of these houses began in 1960 and two of the six houses have been finished. 

We visited the House of the Virgin Mary which is believed to have been the final resting place of the Virgin Mary.  There is a wall on the way up to the house that is called the “Wishing wall” where you can leave a wish.  

The temple of Artemis is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.  All that is left of the temple is  just one column and some of the foundations. 

Ruins of The Basilica of St. John was a great church in Ephesus constructed by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of St. John, who is identified as the apostle, evangelist (author of the Fourth Gospel) and prophet (author of Revelation).

We stopped at another carpet store and they demonstrated how the silk threads are made from the cocoons.  Very interesting and unbelievable how they make the carpets.  They also took us to a leather store where they were more than happy to sell you a leather jacket .

We visited a smaller grand bazaar than the one in Istanbul where they advertise genuine fake watches, so you definitely know what you are getting.  

Egypt and Mediterranean Cruise - 2nd Port - Istanbul, Turkey

Oct. 28 – Istanbul, Turkey –  Feeling better and the voice seems to be almost back.  Good thing since today we have a lot to see in such a short time.  I arranged for a private tour in Istanbul.  Istanbul was once called Constantinople.  Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia.  Our first stop was to the Topkapi Palace.  The construction of the palace started in 1460.  Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures inside of all the jewelry and valuable artworks and especially the Topkapi diamond. 

Hagia Sofia aka St. Sophia, which was once a catholic church, and then later it was turned into a mosque and now a museum.    Islamic faith does not permit graphic images in a place of worship.  Since this was once a catholic church and it had beautiful mosaics inside, the mosaics were not destroyed when it was turned into a mosque, and they were plastered over.  Once the building was turned into a museum in 1936 the mosaics were uncovered and restored. 

Blue Mosque is one of the city’s most recognized landmarks.  This 17^th century mosque is known for its domes and the six minarets.  Inside there are more than 20,000 blue Iznik tiles in 33 shades. 

The Grand Bazaar is the largest covered market in the world with 65 winding streets and 4,000 shops and it has its own school, mosque, post office, banks and police station.  Everyone wanted you to buy from their store, since what they sold was the best.   Never pay full price, always bargain.  They would come down about half of what their original price was.

The Hippadrome is the square where they once held chariot races.  The monuments on the site are a snake column and an obelisk from the Temple of Karnak. 

Our guide took us to one of the carpet stores.  There were rolled carpets everywhere and in this store there had to be 20 different rooms for carpet demonstrations.  It was amazing seeing all the different designs and the time that it takes to make one of these carpets.  During the demonstration they would turn the carpet around and the colors would change.  They would either be darker or lighter depending on which way they started.   I guess that is where the “Magic Carpet” comes from.    They were also a little bit out of my price range.  I would have loved to have bought one though. 

On our way back to the ship we bought some Baklava and Jay, of course, bought a Turkish beer.   We had a long day and at least we could sleep late the next day since we are not due in port until 12:00.

Sunset as we were leaving Istanbul