Day 10:
Kusadasi, Turkey
Ephesus
Turkey was a major highlight for us! I was especially excited to visit Ephesus, as we had learned about it and many other surrounding places in my New Testament seminary class last year. This was like a field trip for me. The sites were amazing. It was hard to wrap your brain around the fact that the Apostle Paul walked the very dirt trails that I walked on. We sat in the theater that he addressed all the people. We walked the streets where ACTS 17 took place. We were probably the youngest on the "biblical tour" by about 15 years, and the only ones who didn't take advantage of the special mass they put together for our group at the House of the Virgin Mary. Instead, we browsed the gift shops. Turkey was an incredible place and I would love to go back and spend more time.
Ephesus
The Basilica of John..here lies the tomb of John the Apostle
Our tour guide..he was Muslim, but knew more about the Bible then most Christians. I can still hear him hollering into his microphone, which went right to our ear pieces, "#14 follow me...#14 this way...#14 hurry please..#14 follow the orange umbrella"
Another section of Ephesus
The great theater in which Paul preached in.
How I would have loved to be sitting on these uncomfortable rocks listening to the Apostle Paul preach!
Library of Celsus
Biblical "public" restrooms..they must have felt very close to one another after a bathroom experience.
The throngs of people who flock to Ephesus
If you look in the newer bibles, this is almost exactly the picture that shows Ephesus.
A little show with Cleopatra and Mark Anthony
This was the prison of the Apostle Paul..I had to zoom my lens to it's full potential.
We visited the House of the Virgin Mary. It is believed that this is where she lived the last 11 years of her life. It is a very sacred spot to many.
Sacred, holy water from the House of Mary..I was just thirsty, so I filled my water bottle. I'll take any blessings I can get.
A prayer wall..I love finds like this.
One can't go to Turkey without a demonstration of carpet weaving. Now, if it could just stop with the demonstration, that would have been great! No, we had to be swindled and pressured heavily to buy a Turkish rug. We escaped! We did not come home with the 3x5 rug they tried to sell us for $2,500.
A cool statue on the boardwalk in Kusadasi..The Hand of Peace
Kusadasi literally means: bird island.
Ataturk Statue
Basking in the Aegean Sea.
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