Kusadasi, Turkey

On the second day of our cruise, we left the country of Greece (and even the continent of Europe) and headed to Kusadasi, Turkey.

Yay, Turkey!!

Me and Kusadasi

Very Modern Looking Turkey

More Traditional Looking Turkey

Beautiful Buildings and Flowers

The first place we visited was The House of the Virgin Mary. Many believe that the Virgin Mary was taken to Turkey by Saint John and that she lived out the rest of her life there. In the late 1800s, the foundation of the house was found, along with a baptismal pond. Later, a house was built on the original foundation.

The House of the Virgin Mary

It was beautiful and surrounded by gorgeous foliage.

The Baptismal Pond

After the House of the Virgin Mary, we went to Ephesus. Ephesus was an important city in Ancient Greece, Roman Times, and Early Christianity. It was the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. It was the 2nd wonder we had visited so far (we ended up visiting a total of 3 of the 7). Ephesus was also the place where the Apostle Paul wrote the 7th book of the New Testament, 1 Corinthians, and also the 10th book of the New Testament, Ephesians.

The Temple of Hadrian

Nymphaeum Traiani built between 102 - 114 AD

Hercules Gate

The Public Toilets!!

They literally sat cheek to cheek.

Check out this amazing mosaic from the 4th Century AD.

The mosaic hallway was super long.

The Library of Celsus
The Library was built in 135 AD and contained 12,000 scrolls.

I love libraries!!

On the way back to the port, we stopped by the bazaar to do a little shopping and to see the Turkish rug weavers.

The Turkish Bazaar

Turkish Rug Weaver