On the fourth day of our cruise, we arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey.
In Turkey, we decided to join a half-day bus tour offered by Royal Caribbean.
The ruins of Ephesus
A must-see in Turkey is the ancient ruins of Ephesus. It is one of the largest ancient cities in the world and is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In Ephesus, you can see many valuable ruins from the Hellenistic period, Roman Empire era, and early Christian period, including the Celsus Library, one of the three great libraries of the ancient world, and the House of the Virgin Mary.
The symbol of the Ephesus ruins, the Celsus (Celsius) Library
The Celsus Library is located across from the city hall of Ephesus and was situated in the main center of the ancient city. The library was two stories tall and housed valuable ancient books. It was beautifully decorated, with columns and sculptures on its exterior, and it featured false columns to support the building. In front of the library, there was a sculpted tomb, which became the burial site of Celsus himself.
At first glance, the building appeared to be a solid structure rather than a library. On the front, there are four statues of women, each representing a different concept: Sophia (wisdom), Episteme (knowledge), Nous (intelligence), and Arete (excellence).
The Small Theater Odeon
The Odeon is a semi-circular theater made of stone and marble. It is a relatively small theater with a seating capacity of about 1,500 to 2,000 people. In addition to music and poetry performances, it was also used for lectures and meetings by philosophers and teachers.
By the way, do you know what this is? It is said to be a public toilet.
The House of the Virgin Mary
This is the chapel where it is said that the Virgin Mary spent her later years. After the death of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary left Jerusalem and moved to Ephesus. It is believed that she spent several years there and spent her final years at this location.
This is the entrance. It is a very sacred place, so photography with cell phones is not allowed.
There was a fountain called the Holy Water Fountain a little down from our house. Many people were drinking the holy water, but I just washed my hands and cleansed myself.
Be careful of aggressive sales tactics in Turkey!
It was scorching hot that day, so we were really exhausted. The sightseeing went smoothly, and we finally arrived at our last destination, a Turkish carpet store. They showed us how Turkish carpets are woven on the loom, which was fascinating. The carpets were beautiful, but not the prices… As I was hesitating, we became the last customers, and the salespeople were quite persistent in their attempts to convince us to buy. In the end, I decided not to purchase one, and I’m glad I didn’t.
There’s a shopping area near the port, but everywhere was filled with fake luxury brand bags. The aggressive sales tactics were also a bit annoying, as they were constantly trying to pressure us into buying as we walked by.
Amidst all that, I discovered a Turkish pottery store. So cute!
After much hesitation, I bought this small vase. My sister-in-law and mother also bought various things, so we made sure to haggle. In places like this, don’t be shy—negotiate the price!
A delicious dinner is waiting for us again today!
For tonight’s main dining dinner, I chose roast beef. As you can see, it was perfectly cooked. It was delicious. We also got to enjoy a beautiful sunset, making it a thoroughly satisfying day.
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