Ephesus and Cesme Turkey and returning from Athens

Friday, October 25, 2013 – Kusadasi Turkey “Once a quiet fishing village, the town is today the gateway to Ephesus once a thriving Greco Roman city. St. Paul preached Christianity there and was arrested for cutting into the business of silversmiths, who made their living selling images of the goddess Artemis to pilgrims who came to visit her ancient temple.” How wonderfully boring to write that again we were blessed with beautiful weather; a blue sky day in Turkey. We both hosted ship tours to Ephesus. No matter how many times you explore the ruins, there is always something to learn and a new area to be explored. The guide today, Ayca (pronounced ee-cha) was very good and extremely informative as she had spent three years working and studying in the Terrace Houses at Ephesus. We walked the ruins on the side path instead of the main street and the views were more encompassing so you had a better feel of the city and odeons. The Terrace Houses are incredible. There are seven actual homes, like a condo layout on three floors. They have unearthed mosaic flooring and dividing walls and the colors are vivid and the patterns can be clearly recognized. I am still amazed at the craftsmanship from so many centuries ago. I rested in the afternoon and worked a little. We had an early dinner as the entire ship was being treated tonight to a Seabourn “exclusive” with a private concert in Ephesus by the Aegean Chamber Orchestra!! Seabourn had rented the Harbor Street area in front of the amphitheatre (as the town had once bordered the sea) and hired the orchestra just for the US (meaning all 200+ of us!)! We were bused at dusk in small buses (their buses are never quite full as you would not want to be crowded!) to the ruins. The pathway was lit with small lanterns and the view of the lit amphitheatre is a sight to remember. We had small snack plates on each table (seating four) with pistachios, almonds, peanuts, olives, hummus and vegetables with an open bar. The orchestra played classics known worldwide as we marveled at the amphitheatre all lit up. They even had blankets to pass around for the cool Fall evening. Upon returning to the ship, we enjoyed a nice spread (with the Chef) with a live band on the open deck as we sailed away from Kusadasi. Seabourn does not do a buffet like a big ship; the breakfast and lunch options have fresh salad and bread items and then they always have made-to-order options. EVERYTHING comes out hot, from the plate itself to the entrée. The room service items are served on a tablecloth at your lounge table, with full cutlery set up when the food is delivered. They bring the dessert about 45 minutes after delivering the first courses; you could have each course delivered individually if you wanted. Saturday, October 26, 2013 – Cesme, Turkey This quaint little town has a beautiful fortress and small church and many quaint shops. There is a lovely small marina with beautiful flowers and gardens so it makes a nice walk from the ship to the old town. We met a nice man who owns a carpet store – he worked with the Turkish Embassy and US forces which are stationed in eastern Turkey and has lived in the USA. His carpet specialties are from a weaver who has re-created works of art in carpets! “The Kiss” by Klimt and other classics have been woven into beautiful pieces of art that are easily hung on walls. We wandered around and then a young man approached us speaking English. Turns out he is studying tourism at the University and wanted to practice. They are not allowed to choose which university they attend and he is from Istanbul and this town is far too small for this young man. He is anxious to get back to the “city” and his family. He spoke with an American accent, as opposed to the British accent, and told us his English teacher was from Ohio! He had one month of intense English and he did great. He is also learning German, Greek, Italian and Spanish. He lives in a hotel and they supply his meals as the University does not have a dormitory. Back to the ship and I slept out on the open deck. I have been fighting a cold, and I have officially lost. It seems that once one person has one onboard, it just makes it way around the ship… We packed and the crew had prepared a nice reception in the lobby of “epicurean delights” and classical guitar music. There was a very nice crew presentation and then a lovely dinner in the Restaurant, more packing, I watched the movie “Mamma Mia” and did final packing before putting the suitcase outside the door for delivery dockside the next morning! We were presented with beautiful personal photographs from our night at the Ephesus concert! Sunday, October 27, 2013 – Athens, Greece Sad day…disembark!! We enjoyed our last room service breakfast, met many new friends for a final farewell, made sure some in our group had their taxi transfers and we were off in ours to the Holiday Inn near the airport. Another gorgeous day with no clouds but we decided to rest and re-pack. Dinner at the hotel and preparing to return tomorrow to the USA! Has been a wonderful two weeks; I highly recommend this cruise line, this ship, this itinerary and the length of the cruise. It took awhile to acknowledge the differences between a small luxury cruise line vs. a small ship and I have come to truly appreciate the differences between the two: service, camaraderie, locations visited, acknowledgement of your personal preferences, quality, and the word “no” does not exist. Try one of the “Yachts of Seabourn” and experience the difference yourself.