Day 7 – Saturday, September 16: Kusadasi, Patmos
Following sailing through the night to Kusadasi (on the western coastline of Turkey), today was another bright sunny day, with blue skies and highs in the 80s again. It was a day of connecting to Paul’s ministry once again (at Ephesus), but also John’s ministry as he authored Revelation (from Patmos). The day started early, with a 7:10 departure from the ship following breakfast.
Kusadasi
Here at Kusadasi (it means “bird island” in Turkish) is where we met our bus and local guide (Isa). Located on the western coastline of Turkey, this port city is a vacation and retirement locations for many Brits and Europeans. From here we drove directly to Ephesus.
Ephesus
We arrived in Ephesus at about 8 a.m. This was a massive port city back in the days of Paul. Today the water’s edge is about 4-5 miles away! Paul spent about three years here during his 3rd mission journey.
Starting from the upper part of the city and walking on the ancient 2nd century BC stone pavement (used by Paul later) towards the port, we past by a vast number of archaeological ruins. This included the odeon (small theater), statues, pillars, arches, inscriptions, public latrenes, and the Celsus Library. Sitting together in the agora, we read from Acts 19 about the dramatic event that took place in the grand theater. It held about 22,000 people! Seeing the city and knowing about the Temple of Artemis (Diana) that once stood here helped us understand the challenges Paul faced in sharing the kingdom message. We also read from Revelation 2 about what John would write about the church established here (e.g. losing one’s ‘first love’…).
On the way back to the ship we made a stop at a local rug shop/store (it’s an unavoidable part of the excursion deal). It was very interesting to learn how Turkish rugs are made, whether from cotton, wool, or silk. Shortly after noon we re-boarded the ship and enjoyed lunch and some free time. It was fun being on the deck as the islands past by.
“The beauty of the area continues to impress us beyond words. We visited Ephesus today. To read Acts 19 in the theater was inspiring. Then we sailed to Patmos to see to where John was exiled. What another great day!”
Patmos
As we set sail out of Kusadasi for the southwest, we past by the narrowest opening, with the coastline of Turkey on our left and the island of Samos on our right (Acts 20:15). Paul stopped here on this mountainous island at the end of his 3rd mission journey en route back to Jerusalem.
Later in the afternoon we gathered on the top deck as we approached the island of Patmos. This island is another one of the picturesque Greek islands. While imprisoned on this island, the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation from here. To get to the island, we had to use tender boats.
Upon arriving on the island, we skipped the guided tour to the Grotto of the Apocalypse (a very traditional stop where John supposedly was imprisoned and received his vision) and drove straight to the top of the island. Here, we read from Revelation 4,5 and 19, remembering that Revelation is a victory book written by John who was exiled here, that honors Christ! About a five minute walk higher took us to a Greek Orthodox monastery. It is called St. John’s and it has been active for a little over 900 years! In the museum here we saw some manuscripts of texts that date back to the 6th century AD! The view from here of the harbor below was incredible.
We returned back down to the water’s edge for some free time (and a few went swimming!). At our leisure, we took the tender boats back to the ship. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner, a Greek barbecue on the open deck! Some in the group also enjoyed the Greek show that was offered later. During the night hours while we sleep we sail to the island of Crete.
Day 8 – Sunday, September 17: Heraklion, Crete / Santorini
