Kusadasi, Turkey; An amazing Day!

Today we woke up in Kusadasi, Turkey, which means that I will put my feet on the continent of Asia; this is a first for me. Our plan was to have lunch and hit the road; hopefully, in a taxi.

As luck would have it, as soon as we walked out of the port, a man approached us as we were headed to a taxi stand. He asked if we were looking for a taxi, and when we said yes, he said come with me; my brother loves Americans!

We asked how much and he said $100. We asked for how long and he told us however long it takes to see Ephesus, Mary’s House, and the Temple of Artemis; plus Turkish “culture”. I asked if he spoke English and had air-conditioning and he emphatically said YES! So we hopped on in.

Our cab driver’s name was Selcuk and he was a kick. He told us that he had nine brothers and sisters, but from two moms; both of whom are married to his father and live in the same house. I asked him how many wives he had and he said ONE! One is enough, plus, “new culture” is only allowed one wife.

He told us that he would take us first to Mary’s House; The Virgin Mary’s House. The house was discovered in the 19th century by following descriptions in the reported visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, a Roman Catholic nun and visionary. It is believed that Mary, mother of Jesus, was brought to Ephesus, by the Apostle John, for her safety and that she lived her final years here, in Turkey.

It is rather hard to wrap my head around the possibility that I actually stood in a room where the Mother of Jesus spent her last years. 

On our way up the mountain, we came to a complete stop due to the traffic; cars, busses, and taxis all taking people to see Mary’s House. He suggested that we turn around, go see the ruins, learn some Turkish culture, and come back. We agreed that we would rather do that than wait in that line for several hours.

So back down the mountain, we went. Our first stop of “culture” was a jewelry store! Lol The culture part was learning about Zultanite; a stone that is only found in the Ibir Mountains, in Turkey. This stone is very beautiful, and rare. What makes it unique is that it changes color depending on the light. 

Very cool, but not something I need. The salesman was becoming quite pushy, which pisses me off, so I played my cancer card! I told him, “Look, I am going to be honest with you. I have cancer and I am in the process of getting rid of things, not acquiring them. And I choose to spend my money on travel, and not things.” Well, that shut him up really fast! He told me he would pray for me and walked me out to the taxi!

Our taxi driver told us that for every stop, he brought us to he would receive one point, and if he got 95 points by a certain date, he save 30% of something; either taxes to the government, or to the cab company I am not sure. He had gotten two in the morning, and the most he could get was five per ride. We told him we would help him get five points as long as we didn’t have to buy! Lol

He told us we did not, so off we went to the pottery store. There we watched a master potter throw an absolutely perfect pot with a lid. The lid fit perfectly which was quite impressive! Women were decorating various pieces of pottery and a shop full of completed pieces.

In one of the rooms he closed the curtains and turned off the lights and everything glowed. They were stunning in the dark. We did end up purchasing a spoon rest, as I broke ours right before we left on the trip so that earned point DID end in a sale for the proprietor.

After the pottery factory, we went to the leather factory. There I was required to try something on for him to earn his point. Ugh, more pushy salespeople. Yes, the clothing was STUNNING and I loved the coats and jackets, but I did not need, nor would I wear any of them. 

Too fancy for me! Many were made from lamb and goat and were soft and luxurious, but once again; not something I would wear often, and not something I needed. I tried on three jackets and managed to say no and leave without buying one, but I will admit, I was tempted! Lol

Since we had spent so much time in the three “Turkish cultures” it was time to head back to Mary’s House, as in THE Virgin Mary’s house. There was still a bit of a wait, but nothing like before, our cab driver scooted around another long line of cars and went straight to the ticket booth, and bought our tickets. 

Seven euros each to walk through Mary’s. It was a small stone house, with a statue of Mary inside; we were ushered through quickly, and no photos were allowed. I did pause for a moment to soak up the possibility that I was standing right where the Mother of Jesus stood so very long ago.

After we left the house, we walked past the prayer wall where people tied prayers, written on cloth and ribbon, and a water fountain that has been said to answer prayers. I am holding out that maybe my CML will be cured; you never know.

After leaving Mary’s House we drove down the mountain and stopped to take photos of Ephesus. The entrance fee to walk around the ruins was ridiculous, more than twenty-five euros a piece, so we were content with standing on the side of the road, looking through the chain link fence, and taking our photos from there. Thank you, Selcuk for the tip!

Next, he drove us to another site with ruins, The Temple of Artemis. We found that more interesting than Ephesus and there was no entrance fee; go figure! After a few moments of tromping around the ruins, we were ready to go.

We told Selcuk that we were still up for getting two more points for him, and he smiled so big! Our next point stop was a Turkish rug factory. Now let me tell you, I truly enjoyed this stop! Being a crafty person myself, I loved sitting and watching the women making rugs. 

We learned so much about the materials used and even were shown how they spun silk from cocoons. The more intricate the rug, or wall hanging, the more knots per sq centimeter. Also, the more knots, the thinner the fiber.

One of the most fascinating things that I learned about the rugs was that when you looked at a rug from one direction it looked light, and when you looked at it from the other side, it was dark. There were many, many, many gorgeous rugs, but since I tend to buy my rugs at Costco, they were a bit out of my price range!

Next and final stop, Turkish Delights, candies, and Olive oils. We tried so many yummy things and did purchase some olive oil for your face (liquid botox) so look out, I WILL be looking like a teenager very soon, and two of their other treats. One, a chocolate cover chestnut roll, and the other some sort of walnut thing.

At this point we had learned much about the Turkish culture, met many brothers and cousins, and earned our cabbie his five points, so it was “Home, James!”

All in all, we paid $120, including the tip for 6.5 hours of a personal tour. It was a wonderful day and one we will not forget.

We arrived back on the ship HUNGRY! We went straight to dinner and enjoyed a cajun shrimp dish, walleye, and the most delicious gnocchi in pesto EVER! 

Dinner did us in, we went straight back to our room and collapsed!

Another great day, I am so grateful and feel so blessed.

Good Night, y’all!

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