Hot as Hades Tour Port 3: Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus) - Part 1: the House of the Virgin Mary

Port 3 was another early morning. Again, this was partly because the tours wanted to be some of the first to arrive at the excursion locations as early in the day as possible because of both heat (hot as Hades-hehehehe) and people.

Welcome to Turkey

Just a quick side note...Royal Caribbean is very organized with their excursions. Basically you can purchase your excursions ahead of time, from the point you book the cruise up until 4 days before sailing, and also on the ship, either at the guest services desk or on your television screen in your room. The night before your excursion your tickets are placed in your room, when the stateroom attendant turns down your room for bedtime. The tickets tell you: which excursion you are on, any important information to know before you go (such as how much you might be walking or to wear certain clothing for entrance into some sights) and what time to meet in the designated location. Once you get into the room where all the excursions meet you show the organizer your tickets and she gives you a sticker (which is why in all of our pictures we are wearing colored stickers with numbers on them) and tells you where to sit. The cruise has arranged all of this and the buses are waiting outside. Most times there are multiple buses for the same excursion that might take a little different route or go in the opposite order so that not everybody shows up to the same location at the same time. Once a number group is filled, the excursion organizer tells that group they are free to head down to get on their bus. It is very organized and runs very smoothly. For me, it is worth the money just to not have to figure out anything on my own, but like I said previously, many ports are easy to do on your own or with a guide book, such as Rick Steves. He tells you what sort of transportation to take from the port to get you where you want to be. There were also people whom booked private tours from the different port cities...so what ever floats your boat. :-)

The excursion we booked in Kusadasi, Turkey was to see the House of the Virgin Mary and ancient Ephesus. After getting on our bus, our guide, whom was great, began giving out all sorts of interesting information on Turkey. The port city of Kusadasi is Turkey's second busiest cruise destination (after Istanbul). I have to admit that I don't think I really ever considered Turkey a tourist destination and certainly had no idea how beautiful it was. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap any photos from the bus as we were driving away from the port to prove it. Turkey's location, though a European city, is part of what is called Asia Minor. If you look on a map, Turkey is really in a volatile location, located just north of Syria and Lebanon. Turkey has yet to be allowed into the European Union, but continues to make positive changes with hopes that they soon will be allowed in. On 1 November 1922, the newly founded parliament formally abolished the Sultanate, thus ending 623 years of Ottoman rule. I found this very interesting that Turkey had been controlled by a Sultan for so long. The first President of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal, made many radical reforms that contributed to what Turkey is today. The people, still to this day, talk about how great he was and how he changed Turkey for the better. They have given him a name that means "Father of the Turks" and have a huge statue commemorating him.

Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary. This sight is believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary.  At the beginning of the path there is a sign stating, "Historic Notes about the Shrine".

Here is what the sign says:

This place is considered to be the last home of the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Jesus Christ.

The facts as found in the Scriptures:

• St. John in his Gospel tells us that Jesus, before dying on the Cross, entrusted to him the care of His Mother when He said: "here is your mother" and from that hour St. John took Her to his own.
• The "Acts of the Apostles" relate how, after the death of Christ, His followers were persecuted in Jerusalem.  St. Stephen was stoned in 37 AD and St. James was beheaded in 42 AD further relating how they divided the world between them for preaching the Gospel: St. John was given Asia Minor. Now Mary had been given to his care and with the persecutions he probably brought Her with him.

The facts are confirmed historically:

There are two evidences:

• The presence of the tomb of St. John in Ephesus
• The presence of the first Basilica of the world dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Also, the Ecumenical Council of 431 AD was held in Ephesus in this Basilica for the definition of the dogma of the Divine Motherhood of Mary. The Council Fathers write about Nestorius: "...after his arrival to Ephesus, where John the Theologian and the Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God..."

Finally we find another oral confirmation preserved faithfully by the Orthodox villagers of Kirkince. These people were the descendants of the Christians of Ephesus. They had passed from generation to generation the belief of the Assumption of Mary in this place they called PANAGHIA KAPULU. They have kept this tradition alive through the annual pilgrimage on the 15th of August.

Discovery of this place:

In the last century there appeared a book: The Life of the Blessed Virgin, published in Germany. The material of this book comes from the revelations of a German nun, Catherina Emmerich. She was invalid and had never left Germany. In her visions she described with amazing accuracy the hills of Ephesus and the House where she saw the Blessed Virgin spending her last years.

Accordingly, two scientific expeditions were organized in 1891 and they found this place in perfect and identical correspondent with the indications of Catherina Emmerich.

The Chapel:

The Chapel was rebuilt upon the original foundations of the house of the Blessed Virgin and have been determined to date back to the 1st and 5th centuries. Part of the building is of the 7th century and the last restoration took place in 1951.

I won't bore those of you whom could care less about the Virgin Mary, but if you are interested just google the House of the Virgin Mary and there are many great reads on the subject and you can see some photos of the inside, as it was not allowed for the tourists to take photos inside the house.

As Rick Steves states in his travel guide, Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports, "The experience of visiting the house is powerful to some, underwhelming to others." I had no expectations on this location, just thought it would be really cool to see such a spot...though I left almost in tears by just how powerful it was for me. The rest of my gang...could have cared less as they were way ahead of me as they kept moving forward while I had a bit of a moment.

Once you arrive at the House of the Virgin Mary you just sort of shuffle along in the line up the path to the House and then you shuffle through trying to take in the humbleness of the space and shuffle right out the backside door. Nobody really stops...it was like you were on a people mover...just moving along without a hitch. Once outside you could light a candle if you wanted, but most headed down to collect the coveted holy water. The tour company provides all the excursion goers with a little clay pot for them to use to collect the holy water.

Though the intentions were good, I think only one of our pots actually held water and made it home with water still inside, but oh well.

After you collect the holy water you move past a wall filled with prayer requests...this is when I started to get emotional. I had a few prayers to add to the wall and it became very overwhelming for me. I just sat in awe of all the prayers that were on that wall. What were they? Had they been answered? What a Holy place to leave our most important/urgent/small in comparison to some thoughts and prayers. Though one of my prayers was large, the other just simple, yet placed amongst all the others that only God knows...

After the prayer wall...it was done...just like that.

I thought it was almost cute and symbolic in a way that many of the prayer requests were written on tissue or kleenex, as was my very own prayers. What else do we normally have in our purses when travelling and what do we use to dry the tears of those very thoughts that we pray for?

I think I will leave you this for today. I will continue tomorrow with Part 2 of Port 3: Kusadasi, Turkey with the ancient city of Ephesus. After writing this and reflecting I just don't think the Virgin Mary should share the spotlight with anything.

Instead I'll leave you with the words of Jesus:

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

John 19:26-27