Today is my 60th birthday. I will step into Asia for the first time in my life. Kusadasi, Turkey will be the farthest east I’ve ever been. I’m pretty excited. We arrived in Kusadasi and were greeted by traditional Turkish dancers on the pier. Our day is an excursion to the ruins at Ephesus and a trip to the house of the Virgin Mary. After lunch we will also visit the Grand Bazaar and get a rug making demonstration.

You know you’re in Turkey because there are Turkish flags and banners with pictures of Atuturk, the first president of modern Turkey, everywhere. Turkey is very modern and the area we were in didn’t appear much different than a coastal city in California. Our bus took us outside the bustling port city of Kasudasi to a much quieter area just north of town. This was where we disembarked to view the ruins of ancient Ephesus. Ephesus was a port city 2000 years ago and was made famous in modern history as the home of the temple of Diana, one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world, and also for being the home of the Ephesians, to whom the apostle Paul wrote his famous letter which appears in the New Testament of the Bible. The excavation only reveals about a third of the city, but what is able to be seen is remarkable. Every free standing structure has been rebuilt by archaeologists as many earthquakes leveled the city over time. The city was abandoned long ago when the port filled with silt making it impossible for ships to reach the city.

Our guide led us down the main street pointing out monuments to emperors and shops and houses. At the turning point of the street is probably the most remarkable structure, the Library of Celsus. This building housed the third largest collection of documents in the ancient world while it existed. I’ve seen pictures of it for years never dreaming that someday I would actually visit. After the library we walked past the courtyard where Paul was arrested for essentially attempting to ruin the business of the shopkeepers who sold trinkets of the goddess Diana. Further still was the great amphitheater with a seating capacity of 25,000. Archaeologists generally multiply the number of that capacity times 10 to arrive at the population of the city.

Before leaving we were treated to a royal visit from Caesar and Cleopatra who were entertained by a couple of gladiators. All very fun!

Our next stop was the house of the Virgin Mary. Legend has it that after the crucifixion, the apostle John brought Mary here to this house outside of Ephesus. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside. I thought it was a Christian tourist trap, however it is very meaningful to many people and has it’s own prayer wall where people leave their requests in the wall on crumpled pieces of paper. Janet was able to add another nativity to her collection as well.

Our lunch was in a resort hotel and was a magnificent Turkish buffet. We had kabobs and moussaka and baclava as well as dates, figs, and other Mediterranean delicacies. It was probably the best meal of the entire cruise!

Back in Kusadusi, we visited a rug making shop where we learned how silk is spun from the cocoon of a silk worm. We were taken to the next room and served local beverages while witnessing the rug demonstration. Then we spent the next 30 minutes trying to exit the room from our personal shopping assistants assigned to us at both the rug room and the jewelry store downstairs. Things didn’t get any better out in the bazaar where we were accosted at every turn from sellers to buy their wares. Though fun, it was also a little scary when they stand right in your face trying to get your attention. We made our way back to the ship through a maze of shops at the port. I’ve never seen so many places where you could spend money!!

It was a great day filled with memories I’ll never forget. As the sunset on this marvelous adventure, I’d say it was probably the most exciting birthday I’ve ever had!