From Mykonos, we set sail to the port of Kusadasi, where because of the distance to the attractions, it left us no choice but to take a tour. Our first stop was to the Virgin Mother Mary’s House, where it is believed that the virgin Mary lived after Jesus’ death. It now serves as a Catholic shrine, and a nun with a beautiful voice sings ‘Ave Maria’ as the many visitors to the house rotate through. The guide told us emphatically that we weren’t allowed to take photos while inside the house — or something bad would happen to us on the premises. Naturally, we complied — why risk that, especially at the House of Lords, of sort.
After walking through the house, we drank some ‘holy water’, which is purported to have some healing properties. We then passed through an area known as the ‘prayer wall’, where you can hand some paper and make a wish. The grounds outside the house were beautifully maintained and very serene. Shhh, it’s a very solemn place.
Our tour then took us to the ancient city of Ephesus, where we saw the Library of Celsus, the theater and the Gate of Augustus. It was an amazing excursion. Every step that we took was a step in history — we even sat on toilets that were used back in the ancient days. It was here that we learned about the origin of the Hippocratic Oath and how the snake became the symbol for medicine. Today, the stone tablet with the snake is in tact in its original form at Ephesus. Legend has it that Hippocrates got very sick and didn’t think that he would make it. To die a faster death, he wanted a snake to bite him to put him out of his misery. Instead of dying, he was cured. I’m still uncertain whether certain kinds of snake blood is used to cure certain ailments, but hey, it sounded good when we were touring the site.
After a half day of touring Ephesus, we were suckered into a high pressure sales pitch for Turkish carpets. It was a show, of sort, with the salesmen rolling out carpet after carpet, almost in a circus-like environment. Bam! This is double knotted, made of wool. Bam! This is double knotted made of silk. Bam this! Bam that! Nothing else compares….this is the best! What can I do to interest you in this? What colors do you like? What patterns? What material? On and on….They were offering free drinks, free desserts, etc. Meanwhile, they wanted tens of thousands of dollars for these carpets…..and they wouldn’t let us leave!! We were suckers, listening intently to the entire sales pitch. We should have followed some of the smarter visitors…and left with them early on…..
Needless to say, we hurried back to the ship so that we wouldn’t get suckered by anyone else along the way….
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