Ephesus was considered one of the most beautiful cities in the Mediterranean area and a dazzling paradise of nature. The Historical site of Ephesus is now part of Turkey, not Greece.
Old sources record that the city was founded by the Amazones of the goddess Artemis—goddess of hunting and chase-- who was born there according to Homer’s immortal work. Temples to Artemis, Athena and Apollo adorned the ancient city.
Ruins of stadiums, gymnasiums and theaters can still be seen, together with the famous two-story library.
We saw remains of houses and the public baths. Our guide explained, that before going to work the men would stop at the public male restrooms. There they relieved themselves while discussing and conducting business. But the benches with holes were made of marble and quite cold in winter, so an hour earlier, they would send their slaves to reserve and warm their places. The women stayed home!!!
The first city built in 2000 bc was abandoned, buried by the sand carried by rivers.
A new city was built later a few miles away from the site of the first one with a huge cathedral erected by Emperor Justinian, one of the first Roman emperors to convert to the new faith.
What remains of the Christian city were the ruins of the Cathedral and the tomb of St. John the Evangelist who came to Ephesus, lived there and wrote the fourth book of the New Testament.
But St. John didn’t come alone to Ephesus. He brought with him the Virgin Mary after the death of Jesus on the cross. St. Mary lived in Ephesus the last years of her life until her dormition. Both the cathedral and the house of Mary were destroyed and disappeared.
In 1822, a Bavarian woman, Catherine Emmerich, who never left her village received revelations about the exact site of the house of the Virgin Mary. Those revelations were transmitted to the Pope and then to the Turkish government who agreed to perform excavations. The remaining of the house of St. Mary and the cathedral were unearthed at the place mentioned by the pious Bavarian woman. A little chapel was built at the place of the house. We were able to visit it.
Here I am drinking from the spring water that has contributed to so many miraculous cures. It is now canalized into a fountain.
Next to the little house, there was a wall where prople left their petitions.
Ephesus is an amazing place where Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and later early Christian civilizations developed.
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The present capital of Santorini is the town of Thera built on top of the cliff.
Santorini is an ideal place for honeymooners.
From Capri, we took a boat to the famous Grotta Dell Azura.
Suddenly we were in the dark, pitch-black. We heard Italian songs, mingled with exclamations. I looked back toward the opening and was stunned by the incredible blue color. The water and air looked bright blue, a festival of blue light as if a thousand blue lamps illuminated the grotto.
Unfortunately the pictures don’t give credit to the ethereal atmosphere.
Mona and her General Sergei bear from To Love A Hero
Afton And Brooke London
Joanna Waugh
Cindy Pape and Hailey Steele
