Ephesus & Patmos

Please don't be confused...the following photos are NOT recent. They are from our Spring Break Trip to Greece. Yes, I realize that we're now in July and this trip was in April. But, better late than never, right?

You'll recall that we started out in Athens on Easter Sunday and then began our island cruise the following day with a stop in Mykonos. Tuesday did not bring good things...at least not for me. It was scheduled to be a full day -- a morning stop in Turkey to visit the ancient site of Ephesus, followed by lunch on the boat while we sailed to the island of Patmos for an afternoon tour. What was unscheduled was sickness for ME. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and could not get back to sleep. As the hours ticked by, I started obsessing over my lack of sleep and began to feel sicker by the minute. Suffice it to say, I did not feel well enough for the morning's excursion so Lucie and I stayed on board while Ella and Brett explored the ancient ruins. I was totally bummed, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Thank goodness for Greek cartoons and the Eeboo "Once Upon A Time" Matching Game that Lucie hadn't played with yet.

Although I didn't get to see Ephesus in person, I do have some wonderful pics to share that Brett took for us. If you didn't know, Ephesus is an ancient Greek city (and later Roman city) that is now a part of Turkey. You might recognize the name from the Bible as Ephesus was an important center for Early Christianity. Ever heard of Ephesians? Paul wrote that famous letter to the believers in Ephesus. Judging from the photos of the ruins, Ephesus must have been an amazingly beautiful city in its day.

(Note: You can see Ella's very important necklace from Mykonos in the above picture!)

The ruins of the theater are rather spectacular. It had a capacity of 25,000 seats. It was not only used for concerts and plays, but also for religious, political and philosophical discussions.

Not only did the Ephesians have a magnificent library and theater...but they also had toilets!

After the tour of the ancient ruins, Ella and Brett had some time in the marketplace as well as a tour of a rug making factory.

Brett enjoyed some tea and very nearly purchased a rug. Unfortunately, someone (aka, Janel) forgot to call our credit card company and tell them that we'd be in Turkey so our card was declined. Note to travelers, if you plan to travel overseas and use your credit card, tell your credit card company otherwise you just might be out of luck. After shopping, it was back to the boat.

Despite sleeping most of the morning, I was still not feeling well enough for the afternoon excursion. So, while the girls settled down for a nap with me, Brett headed out solo to visit the Monastery of St. John on the island of Patmos.

Patmos is a small island that also makes an appearance in the Bible. In the Book of Revelation, it is recorded that the apostle John was on Patmos when he received a vision that was recorded in the book of Revelation. The scene of John narrating his Revelation to a scribe is depicted in this mosaic which hangs above the doorway into the monastery.

Alas, these are the last pictures that Brett was able to take because photography is forbidden inside.

When Brett returned to the ship later that afternoon, the girls and I were still sleeping. We were quite amused to find Lucie napping like this...

I would like to say that the girls and I rallied for an evening of fun on board. Unfortunately, that just didn't happen. The girls were still incredibly tired, and it was a nightmare to wake them for dinner. After experiencing a rather grumpy dinner in the dining room, we headed back to bed with hopes that the morning would bring well-rested girls and a healthier mommy for our trip to the island of Rhodes.