Rhodes, Greece June 4, 2010

Rhodes (pronounced rod – long E – us) is on the Mediterranean Sea. We spent Gene’s birthday sightseeing, eating, and shopping.

Our port is in Old Town Rhodes. It is within a fort.



This is a view from a restaurant above some shops where we sat and sipped wine and beer.



Here are a couple of old churches



A walkway that gets you from one area to another.



Wine, Beer & Lunch. Happy Birthday Gene! What a way to spend your birthday than in a foreign country.



As a gift to Gene, Bonnie graciously said she would spend the day shopping with him. I caught a picture of them shopping before Bonnie could change her mind!



Kusadasi, Turkey June 3, 2010

Our next stop was Kusadasi, Turkey. The port is located on the Aegean Sea. Kusadasi is known for its fast paced, hedonistic nightlife. However, we missed all that because we decided to take an all day excursion to Ephesus and had to be back on the ship by 5 pm.

Our first stop was The House of Mary. According to the Bible, the crucified Jesus asked St John the Evangelist to look after his mother, Mary. John brought Mary with him to Ephesus in AD 37, and she spent the last years of her life here in a modest stone house. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the house.



Outside the house there is a pathway along the river and a large wall they call the Prayer Wall. You write a message on a piece of paper and stuff it in the wall.




Then we headed to the ruins of Ephesus. It is considered one of the greatest ruined cities in the western world. The Greek built it in 1000 BC. The city we see today was founded in the 4^th century BC.




It’s amazing what great shape a lot of the pieces are still in.



The toilets are lined up in a row. Gene thought he would try it out to see how it felt to sit among others to do your duty. Evidently they weren’t a modest group.



My favorite was the Library of Celsus! Built in AD 114-117 and was damaged by the earthquake in 1000. The statues occupying the niches out front are Sophia (wisdom), Arete (virtue), Ennoia (intellect) and Episteme (knowledge).