Our final day of touring proved nicely balanced between sightseeing in the morning and leisure time in the afternoon followed by a congenial Farewell Dinner this evening. Tomorrow morning we all go our separate ways: some homeward bound to the United States; others, headed off to Greece or Spain.
To begin the day, we were bused to see the Cathedral of Saint John, the burial place and pilgrimage site honoring the apostle who composed the Gospel According to John here in Turkey during the first century of the Christian Era. We found the ruins of the cathedral impressive indeed. The structure was the second largest ever constructed in the area, bested only by the Temple of Artemis (destroyed long ago and never rebuilt). Most interesting story of the day: at the time of John's (natural) death, Christ appeared in a dazzling cloud into which the disciple disappeared; when Justinian and his mother Theodora later opened John's burial vault, they found no bones whatsoever -- and John is the only one of the twelve disciples over whose bones there are not multiple historical claims of ownership.
As we walked around the hilltop cathedral ruins, we watched a stork circle overhead. Elvan told us that seeing a stork meant the viewer was sure to travel a lot in the future. We all agreed to the accuracy of the prediction! More interestingly, we discovered the stork's nest atop the Isa Bey mosque minaret just down he hill. That turned out, as well, to be our next travel destination.
We found the venerable mosque the epitome of simplicity and quiet, housed in a beautiful stone structure -- at the front steps of which the retired imam had set up a very well stocked little store. We proved ideal patrons!
Our final stop of the morning was the village of Sirance ("Cutie") , the name of which had been changed in the 1920s from the Turkish equivalent of "Ugly", the name earlier preferred by the freed Greek slaves who had founded the town centuries ago, hoping to put off unwanted visitors with their original choice. The village now houses lots of charming little artisan shops and wine tasting rooms and boutique hotels drawing busloads of annual visitors. "Cute" is was -- and a real shopper 's paradise.
The rest of the day, Lee and Heidi relaxed in our Charisma Deluxe Hotel room with its splendid views of the Aegean and the Port of Kusadasi. We ventured out across the street for a delicious light lunch at Antepli and later in the afternoon for a swim in the hotel pool. Dressing for dinner was about our most strenuous activity!
And so we bid adieu to the splendors of Tantalizing Turkey (although you can expect to find some final evaluative thoughts here shortly). It has been a GREAT travel experience. And so it goes ...
Tomorrow we're up and on the road to the airport by 5:00 AM, so now's the time to hit the sack prior to the long, long travel day that lies ahead of us. Farewell.
To begin the day, we were bused to see the Cathedral of Saint John, the burial place and pilgrimage site honoring the apostle who composed the Gospel According to John here in Turkey during the first century of the Christian Era. We found the ruins of the cathedral impressive indeed. The structure was the second largest ever constructed in the area, bested only by the Temple of Artemis (destroyed long ago and never rebuilt). Most interesting story of the day: at the time of John's (natural) death, Christ appeared in a dazzling cloud into which the disciple disappeared; when Justinian and his mother Theodora later opened John's burial vault, they found no bones whatsoever -- and John is the only one of the twelve disciples over whose bones there are not multiple historical claims of ownership.
We found the venerable mosque the epitome of simplicity and quiet, housed in a beautiful stone structure -- at the front steps of which the retired imam had set up a very well stocked little store. We proved ideal patrons!
And so we bid adieu to the splendors of Tantalizing Turkey (although you can expect to find some final evaluative thoughts here shortly). It has been a GREAT travel experience. And so it goes ...
Tomorrow we're up and on the road to the airport by 5:00 AM, so now's the time to hit the sack prior to the long, long travel day that lies ahead of us. Farewell.
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