Footsteps - a New Country, a New Continent, an Ancient City

We set sail this morning for Turkey. We landed in Kusadasi, a beautiful port city. From there we boarded a bus and headed to the beautiful ancient city of Ephesus. These are some of the best preserved ruins from the 1st century CE in the world. The buildings, the library, the terrace houses, the fountains, the largest theatre in the ancient world. This is the exact city Paul lived in and wrote to. What a wonderful experience. 

Following the best lunch ever, we went to the Basilica of St. John. This church was built on the site of the tomb of John the beloved. It was designed and constructed by the same architects and builders who built Hagia Sophia and it was second only to it in Asia in size and grandeur. From its grounds you can see the only remaining column from the Temple of Artemis - one of the wonders of the ancient world. 

Our final stop before catching the ferry back to Samos was the Mosque of Isa Bey (the Mosque of Jesus). What a beautiful interfaith experience. 

After showers we headed to the port of Pythagorio for a wonderful dinner and gelato. 

Off to bed to rest for another amazing day tomorrow. 

Welcome to Turkey. 

The Odeon of Ephesus. 

Fountain of Trajan - “I rule all things”. They knew the world was round in the 2nd century CE. 

Public toilets. 

Beautiful mosaics on the floors of the terrace houses where the wealthy lived in ancient Ephesus. 

The third most important library of the ancient world. 

Meagan Findeiss teaching in Ephesus from Acts 19.

The theatre of Ephesus that seats 25,000 people 

The tomb of St. John at St. John’s Basilica. 

Isa Bey Mosque in Selcuk.