We were met by Sonat just outside the Izmir cruise terminal. She is another of United Travel Services guides. While we drove an hour to Ephesus, Sonat told us of the history, how the city was moved a few times as the harbor would fill with silt. Alexander the great was instrumental in helping create the last move. It was a huge trading port and a very wealthy city.
St Paul stayed here for 3 years and John the apostle lived here most of his life and was the only apostle to die a natural death at the age of 96. All the others were martyred. The belief is that John was in charge of keeping Mary safe and protected her in the high mountain location, outside the city walls. After her death, it’s believed he began to write down his gospel. Writing earlier, prior to Mary’s death, would have put her in danger.
We had lunch at a lovely family run restaurant, where all the cooking is done by the owner’s mother and wife. Traditional Turkish food and although it was a buffet, it was fantastic.
The Colvins received the bad news that their luggage was still in Athens and that Lufthansa is full of lying SOBs. The ship has been great about providing same day laundry for them, providing personal items and support. It seems that there is an over/under bet on when they ever see their luggage. Tim was planning on doing a clothing drive, but realized that any donations from the 80-year-olds would not fit Paul, perhaps Helen, but they declined Tim’s idea.
The other crushing news was that Syracuse lost to Clemson. After hours of working my I.T. magic, we couldn’t watch it live. Maybe that was for the best.
2025-02-14