Hello, everyone! Well, I'm still having trouble posting pictures to this site from my latest hotel, but I have been successful in posting pictures to my facebook account, so feel free to look me up there to see the latest: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1155575823&ref=profile
Today was an amazing day. I know I keep saying that, and it seems impossible that each day could top the one from before, but that's exactly what keeps happening - I keep thinking that there's no way Turkey can show me anything this good, and then... bam! I'm floored by another ancient masterpiece. What was today's wonder? Our visit to Ephesus, which I think is the best site we've been to yet. It's ENORMOUS - and only 30% of it has been excavated. Once again we were humbled by the sophistication of the city's architecture, planning and technology. We are so quick to assume that anything old is also "uncivilized" yet each stop on our tour has proven differently.
The other inspirational stop for the day was a visit to the house where the Virgin Mother Mary was said to have spent her last years before her assumption to Heaven (an August 15th, a very important day for other reasons too! :)* This was also a moving experience; people came to say prayers, light candles and leave notes and wishes for Mary tied to a wall in her garden.
Actually, this entire experience is surreal, since each place we go to is a real place I've only heard of before in biblical passages from church or in Roman and Greek myths. And yet, I'm standing on those very stones, learning the history of the Lyceans and the Ephesians, looking at stone pillars carved in tribute to Hermes, Artemis, Didymus and more.
Well, that's all for now. Until next time!
* August 15th is Ms. Fleming's birthday.
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