Ephesus, Turkey June 9, 2014

Ephesus, Turkey June 9, 2014
Met our personal guide, Touro, a native of Istanbul, who took us for a 2 1/2 hour tour of the archeological ruins of Ephesus, once the second largest city in the Roman Empire. The ruins are gradually being restored by a University from Austria which has done a magnificent job uncovering  a theater which could hold 25 thousand citizens for viewing religious events, later comic and tragic plays and.musical performances. Other notable structures include the restored library which was second in size only to that in Alexandria. The road leading into the city was lined with magnificent columns and was once travelled by Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. Our next stop was high up a mountain to the House of the Virgin Mary a replica of the homes that existed here when Mary supposedly travelled here with St. John in his quest for disciples and converts. Stopped for large statue of  Mary then to the oldest mosque in Europe. Back to ship for international buffet then off to the roman theater visited earlier for string ensemble but due to light rain the concert was moved to an elaborate indoor concert hall.