Ephesus (May 7th)
Today we docked in our first Turkish city – Kusadasi – which is about a 30-minute drive to Ephesus. This city has a long history, but its main claim to fame was that the Apostle Paul spread the word of Christianity here from 53-56 AD. Apparently, he was a bit too successful because residents loyal to the Roman gods rioted and threatened his life, so he left for Macedonia. Ephesus was finally abandoned when the harbor silted up.
As for the port city of Kusadasi, it’s mainly a tourist trap. My Navy buddies will understand when I say that the “hey-joes” were out in force. Tomorrow, it’s on to Troy, where I’ll be picking a fight with Hector.
Rhodes (May 6th)
Another day, another gorgeous Mediterranean port. Our ship docked right next to the old port city, but the colossus wasn’t there to greet us. Margaret and I set out on an all-day tour of the island – first stop, Lindos.
This small, picturesque village with bright white houses has only about 700 residents. Like Athens, it also has an acropolis (that just means high city) with a palace and a temple to Athena. Apparently, this was also the place where the women and children sought refuge while the men folk were busy beating back invaders. The views up there were spectacular!
After an authentic Greek lunch at a local place, we then toured the old city of Rhodes and the Medieval castle of the Grand Master of the Knights of Saint John. With massive walls and multiple moats, these guys had defense-in-depth down to a science. The palace was reconstructed by Mussolini’s fascist government in the late 1930s, including mosaic tile floors that were recovered from other areas.
