June 3, 2013 Leave Kusadasi and fly back to Istanbul

Today we are going to the Izmir/Smyrna airport for a flight back to Istanbul. We are booked on Pegasus air which is like a Southwest airline of Turkey. We had a short uneventful flight to Istanbul where we met our coach.
The plan is to go to the Grand Bazaar for a 2 hour shopping trip and then to the hotel. Some of our group seemed wary to be left in the Grand Bazaar so they asked where the cafe was and wanted to hang out inside at the cafe.
Since we had been in several times before we walked around and then found the cafe and stopped for coffee and baklava. Some of our group found the cafe and got refreshments.

Some scenes of the old city.

After the time was up we headed up to the bus to go back to the hotel.
We arrived early enough to be able to go out and walk around before dinner. We walked near Taksim Square again being careful not to get near the area where the police and rioters were hanging out.

Since we were not going back to the US but heading to Greece the next day we said our good byes to all the group and the Priests.

It was a great tour and experience but bus tours are very tiring since we were changing hotels almost daily and we had one long bus ride and two days with flights.

I would recommend seeing Cappadocia and Kusadasi. If there was a day of rest included with the visit to Pamukkale and a flight to the next destination, then I would say do it. The bus ride from Pamukkale was brutal.

Every time I see photos from this trip, I am transported back to those days and remember the great guide we had, the kind bus driver in Cappadocia, attending Liturgy in the Cave of the Apocalypse, and singing Christos Anesti in every Church we visited.

June 2 Visit to the Grotto of the Apocalypse in Patmos and Evangelismos Monastery & Convent

Today we are going to the Grotto of the Apocalypse to attend Divine Liturgy and then visit the Evangelismos Monastery and Convent.

Those who were not going for communion had breakfast before we got on the bus to go to Church.
The little Church was packed with Orthodox from all over. We were able to get places inside to celebrate the Liturgy. It was uplifting to sing Christos Anesti in this historic church and then be able to take Holy Communion.



http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/patmos-cave-of-apocalypse

Afterwards some of the group visited the gift shop before we got on the bus to go to the Monastery.
The grounds and Church were immaculate and pleasing to the eye. After we got done with our visit to the Church, the nuns who were outside waiting treated us to a glass of cold water and a loukoumia.

http://www.patmos-island.com/en/monasteries/info/evangelismos#.VUBS_63BzGc



Folks visited the gift shop and took photos and then we boarded the bus to go to the hotel, have lunch and pack for the trip back to Kusadasi.

From the hotel we could see that the sea was a bit rough and we were concerned we may not be able to sail back to Kusadasi. We went to the boat and the captain/pilot said they could make the trip but is may be a little rough.
Well that was an understatement. There were waves on the entire 4 hour trip and the worst was the last 30 mins.  Most of the group took Dramamine and were sleeping all over the seats in the cabin. A few of us, including me, were awake and experiencing the rough ride.

Finally we docked and our guide who had stayed in Kusadasi was there waiting for us with the bus to take us to the hotel.  After a rest we met at the restaurant for a delicious dinner.

June 1, 2013 Our private boat to Patmos for an overnight visit

Today we got up early for our private boat ride to Patmos- we leave Turkey to go to Greece!!
We passed through customs at the port and boarded a small boat piloted by a captain and his assistant.
On the way to the port our guide informed us the trip will take 4 hours and fortunately the sea was very calm.
The boat was small but clean with one bathroom. No food but I think they had water.
In Turkey we were advised to drink only bottled water.

The ride was smooth and uneventful. Once we arrived around 11:00am and loaded onto a bus which drove us to a nearby bakery where we were allowed to get off and buy some food for lunch to go. We had to get to the Monastery of St. John the Theologian by noon as it closes at noon.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/patmos-monastery-of-st-john.


Once we reached the monastery we got off and ate our food quickly and then went into the monastery for a tour. We stayed past noon since we got there so late and the guards kept telling our guide to hurry up.

After the tour we were given some free time for the gift shops or coffee shops before we would get on the bus.

We came across the Balcony cafe where we stopped for a  coffee and  cookies. The coffee shop owner was Demitri/Jimmy who sat down with us and visited with us. He had been in the US and traveled extensively throughout the country. I forgot when he came back to Patmos but think he was in the US for years.
He was a character! Telling jokes and stories in English and Greek. He really made our day.

We got back on the bus to go to the Grotto of the Apocalypse to pray and sing Christos Anesti!


After this we got on the bus  and taken to our hotel to check in.
The hotel was small but centrally located with clean rooms and friendly hosts.

We met at 6pm to head to our restaurant for dinner. This was a disaster since whoever scheduled the restaurant picked  a Meze place- small plates- and there was not enough small plates for everyone.
We got up and walked to the gyro place and had gyros and fries. It was  filling traditional meal.

Headed back to the hotel to get ready for tomorrow- another early day.

May 31, 2013 Ephesus/Kusadasi

Today we selected our food from the buffet in the dining room and sat outside in the patio with a view of the port.
The plan today was for a group tour of the ancient site of Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the ruins of the Church of St. John with a stop for lunch.
Since we have seen these attractions on our previous visits here and we were exhausted from the long bus rides in the previous two days we told our group leader we will not be going. Instead we took a cab to the port and walked around the shops, stopped at Starbucks to get a coffee and use the wifi and had lunch. Later we took a cab back to the hotel.
It was a well deserved break!!
Tomorrow and the next day will be rigorous. In four days the tour will be over and we leave for Greece.