Ephesus & Izmir, Turkey

We used to often say when we were traveling in the motorhome and were surprised by places we visited, “I don’t know what we expected, but this isn’t it!” That was exactly the way we felt today driving through Izmir, Turkey on the way to Ephesus. Judging from the clothing worn by the Izmirites, the cars they drive and the businesses along the streets and highways, it could have been any major metropolitan city in the US. Izmir is a modern, bustling and cosmopolitan city of over three million people that is much more Western than Middle Eastern. We were also surprised by how many signs were written in English…especially those tourist oriented like, “restaurant” and “gift shop” and my favorite….”Genuine Fake Watches!!!”
Ephesus was also so much more than we had anticipated. The ruins are in a constant state of continued unveiling and the excavation will go on for years to come. I just didn’t realize, even after doing some research as I taught the Book of Acts and Ephesians, just how large and modern Ephesus was for its day. The beautiful marble stone streets and walkways, the beautiful buildings and temples, the large public baths and market places, and the absolutely lovely homes and first century apartments. I was amazed at the size of the amphitheater knowing that the Apostle Paul and his companions were brought before a mob of angry citizens in this very place two thousand years ago. If this were the only stop on this cruise, it would have been worth it just to walk theses streets and see the beauty of this once golden age city.

The Greek Isle of Santorini

The Greek island of Santorini has quite a history, both real and imagined. Some speculate that this could be the site of the lost colony of Atlantis since what is now Santorini was once a circular island that was totally reshaped when the volcano that made up the island erupted around 1500 BC and the center sank leaving what is now a semi-circular island made up entirely of volcanic ash….and tourists!
The only crop grown is grapes which makes up the secondary industry of the Island, wine. The primary industry which employs 80% of the population is tourism…and there is a reason for this. The quaint little village of Oia looks just like a movie set…in fact I expected to see Anthony Quinn around every corner. The houses and hotels are situated on the hillside overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. All of the houses are white, just like in the movies, and the blue roofs belong to the churches, of which there are many. Many, many shops line the very narrow cobblestone streets with restaurants and bars aplenty. It is a very popular vacation spot for tourists from all over the world.
The capitol city of Fira is much larger than Oia and is quite a bustling community. The basic tourist and shopping area is very crowded with shops, hotels and restaurants all built into the side of very steep cliffs overlooking the port. The only way up or down is by cable car or donkey down 500 very steep steps. Since I don’t like riding a donkey on level ground, we opted for the cable car, for which we waited in very hot sun for almost an hour. Notwithstanding this decent problem, the tour and views were spectacular and was a most pleasant welcome to Greece.

Beautiful Venice

I don’t know how anyone could visit Venice and not totally fall in love with this “one-of-a-kind” city. Nowhere else will you find a thriving major, commercial center with no automobiles, no bicycles…in fact…no on land transportation at all. However, the waterways and canals are teeming with every kind of boat you can image. The usual image is of the singing gondoliers…and there are plenty of gondolas, but I did not see any of the gondoliers actually singing. Their water buses, or Vaporettos, water taxis, all shapes and sized of boats that must transport everything from food, to furnishings, to garbage. I never did quite figure out the “rules of the road” but, luckily, those who spend their days navigating these waters seem to understand their own special etiquette. Oh, near misses don’t count, and all of these boats have a heavy duty reverse gear that can bring a moving boat to a stop in a hurry…and this is often needed.
One of the pure joys of Venice is just wandering the narrow streets and following canals to see where they lead. Around St. Marks Square, which is the Icon of Venice, over to the Rialto Bridge is shopping like you have never seen. Every high end manufacturer has a store alongside the unique and provincial Venetian local fare. Once you cross over the Rialto Bridge you get into a much less commercial and much more “this is where the locals live” area, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The people are so warm and friendly and every block is a photographer or artists dream. Each building is different and the churches, of which there are many, are totally magnificent. We even stumbled across the Opera House, the Music Museum, and a museum that was featuring Leonardo Di Vinci.
All in all…it was two wonderful days in what is becoming one of our favorite cities in all of the world.