I love Turkey! ! ! Is it because there were so many cats running around ? I’ve never seen so many cute cats ! ! ! No it wasn’t the cats – people are really friendly and it is a lovely country. No wonder my friend Geunter Schemeit and his son Mark were so fond of the place.
On the 8th, I was on a tour to Ephesus for 4 hours. Our first stop was at the house where the Blessed Virgin lived the last years of her life.
It is a simple stone house with 2 rooms. The first room is a shrine to Mary. I imagine it was the living room. The 2nd was probably her bedroom. It felt strange to be treading on the same ground as Jesus’ mother. The grounds surrounding the home are very well kept and beautiful. As usual in religious tourist locations, people are encouraged to purchase and light candles.
The walk from the house led to a place where one could drink the local spring water and make a wish – which the guide told us could possibly come true. She told us that she wished to have a baby and that came true.
The method of making the wish is as follows: One drinks of the spring water ( from a tap) and then one writes one’s wish on a piece of cloth which one hangs on a fence specially provided for this. An then one waits and hopes. I didn’t have a piece of cloth, but wished for continued good health. I figured if the Blessed Virgin wanted to grant me that, she would do so without the obligatory piece of cloth hanging from the fence.
After this, we proceeded to visit Ephesus, one of the best preserved ancient cities of the world. In the 1st century B.C. it was the second largest city in the world and its busy port was a crossroad for traders. It was the home of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The importance of the city as a commercial centre declined as the harbour slowly silted up causing it to lose its access to the Aegean Sea. In its day it was a very modern. The homes had hot and cold running water and central heating as well as indoor plumbing. Strangers were welcome; education was encouraged; and through the cult of Artemis, the city also became a bastion of women’s rights. Under Roman rule, the treasures of the city were plundered. When Augustus became emperor in 27 B.C. he made Ephesus the capital of proconsular Asia, and the city entered an era of prosperity until it was destroyed by the Goths in 263 A.D., which marked the decline of the city’s splendour.
Ephesus was a centre for the fledgling Christian movement. Its Basilica of St. John honours the tomb of St. John the Apostle who was charged by Jesus from the cross to look after the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was he who brought her here and made a home for her after the resurrection.
We spent 2 days in Turkey. On the second day, I just walked into the city of Kusadasi with my friend Shirley and we browsed through the shops and did a bit of shopping. People were very kind, friendly and helpful.
We met Mary and Jim along the way and they told us that if they had known Kusadasi before retiring in Mexico, they might have retired here instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment