Rhodes, Greece

On the second day of our cruise, we had a free day on the island of Rhodes. The island's architecture was phenomenal. The entire island is surrounded with a wall and there is a castle in the middle of the island. Princess of Rhodes has a good ring to it.. Now I just have to get in touch with the right people.. hahaha The shopping inside the city's wall was amazing. There were little shops everywhere. Let's just say I purchased a lot of presents on this island. It was a very interesting and relaxing day.

City Gate

City Gate

Port

Tomorrow is the last day of our cruise on Crete and Santorini!!

Patmos, Greece

We began our cruise from the dock of Kusadasi, Turkey. We embarked on board that morning and departed for the island of Patmos, Greece around lunch. Patmos is the island where the apostle John was exiled and also where he wrote the book of Revelation. After familiarizing ourselves with the ship, we all took a much needed nap! We arrived at the island of Patmos around 4:00 pm. We were told that from the sky the island looks like a sea horse. After looking it up on Google maps, I would have to agree. The island's port water depth is so shallow that cruise ships cannot pull directly up to the port. So, everyone that wanted to get off the ship had to disembark by tender boats. Basically, we set anchor as near to the port as possible. Then, little boats belonging to the locals came to the ship to pick us up and take us to the island. Once on the island, we all jumped on a bus and headed to the cave where most people believe John wrote the book of Revelation. The deciding factor that this was the cave is that it is the only cave on the entire island. The cave has been turned into a Catholic Church. Some people believe that inside the cave, the small hole in the wall indicates the place where John put his pillow to sleep. Also, some believe that a flat place on the wall, perfect for holding a book, was where he wrote the book of Revelation. Also, in the ceiling, there are three large cracks. Experts say that these cracks were formed when John got the revelation from God to write the book. They say that the cracks symbolize the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I am not sure if any of these assumptions are true, but they were still very interesting to think about. Only problem, no pictures were allowed inside the cave because it was a church. Sorry guys!

Outside the Cave 

About to walk into the cave

After going to the cave, we went to the monastery of St. John at the top of the mountain on the island. This monastery was very similar to the one we visited in Meteora, Greece. We were only allowed in two parts of the monastery, the church and the museum. No pictures were allowed in the church but I sneaked a picture just so you guys could see! The museum was rather boring due to the fact that everything in it was from the monastery and I do not care much about their history. Although, there was one thing in the museum that particularly sparked my interest. They had a copy of the gospel of Mark in Greek from the 6th century. It was spectacular. Pictures were not allowed but I just had to sneak one for all of you to see. All in all, the monastery might have been boring but there were a few good parts that made it worthwhile. 

Inside the church

Outside before entering the church

Copy of Mark from 6th century, in Greek

Tomorrow we wake up at the island of Rhodes, Greece! 

Ephesus

We began our journey to the seventh church of Asia as mentioned in Revelation at the basilica of St. John the apostle. Majority of this church is still standing and is absolutely beautiful. There were flowers everywhere! In the Catholic religion each flower means something different. Roses mean are planted to honor prophets, tulips are planted to honor gods, carnations are planted to symbolize life after death, and lilies mean paradise.

Tradition also states that John was buried at this church. This church was constructed by Justinian in the 6th century. Justinian also constructed the other six churches of Asia and many other churches across the Middle Eastern area. There was a Muslim masque constructed beside the church in 1397 AD. Does that sound familiar? Remember the church at Philadelphia? Exactly.

Baptistery

John's Tomb

Muslim Masque

Next, we went to the Church of the Virgin Mary. It is a Catholic church dedicated to Mary. The Catholic religion believes that Mary transfigured and is higher than Jesus. This church was basically a shrine to Mary in the place that they believe her house was at one time. 

We then went to lunch at an authentic Turkish restaurant. We sat on the floor and enjoyed spinach and cheese pancakes and ravioli with fresh sour cream. I use the term enjoyed very lightly. 

We finished up our day at the ancient city of Ephesus. We were told that only twenty percent of the city had been excavated and that twenty percent was huge! I cannot even imagine how big Ephesus was at its highest point in history. This city was a very rich and luxurious city. They had the second largest library in the ancient world. Archaeologists have reconstructed the library and it is breathtaking. I imagine it was magnificent back in the day. 

Theater

Temple to Hadrian

Statue to the goddess of victory, Nike. Anyone else see the Nike swoosh?

Library of Celsus -  Second largest library in the ancient world

Inside the library 

Sweet kitties on the steps of the library

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Ancient Agora

Pictures of the Artemis statue discovered in this city, statues are mentioned in Acts 19.

Statue of ancient doctor Alexandra

After touring the ancient city, we went to the outskirts to see the Church of Mary, built to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Baptistery 

This day finished up our tours of the seven churches of Asia and Turkey!