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.

May 30, 2013 Pamukkale to Hierapolis and Kusadasi

Today we are scheduled to see the ruins where St. Phillip was martyred as well as the ancient pool.

After schleppling our bags down the stairs (no elevator) to the lobby we headed to the restaurant for a buffet breakfast. This meal was not very good and the dining room huge- one's food got cold going form the food line to the table and the coffee was terrible.

We boarded our coach for a short ride to Hierapolis and stopped at the bottom of the thermal pools for a photo stop. We could see the people  walking in the shallow pools on the top of the hill from the lake side.

After this stop we drove to the top to the Hierapolis ruins to visit the spot where St. Phillip was  martyred.  The site was very scenic but spread out. Thank goodness there was a small shuttle bus that took us from the entrance to the top where the Martyrium of St. Phillip. After walking around and seeing the ruins of the city we boarded the shuttle bus to go to the Ancient Pool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierapolis#Martyrium

After the tour of the ruins we were taken to  the thermal pools where we could take off our shoes/sandals and wade in the mineral waters. Shoes or sandals were not permitted and there were guards who watched and when they saw someone with footwear in the water starting blowing loud whistles. This was  a very nice place to visit.

There were snack bars and souvenir stands outside the entrance to the ruins. We were allowed time to use the bathrooms and grab a coffee or soda or snack.

We were then driven down to the Ancient Pool.
http://www.traveladdicts.net/2013/02/the-hot-springs-and-antique-pool-of.html

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Aegean/Pamukkale/sights/sacred_pool.html

The Ancient Pool was a resort with warm water pools and several cafes for refreshment. Those that wanted to go in the waters were allowed time to do so. The rest of us just hung out and relaxed. We were warned to try and grab a snack as lunch would be late today since we have a 2 1/2 drive to the restaurant near Kusadasi.
The food featured in the cafes was not very appealing.

After our never ending drive our tour guide had the bus stop at a local restaurant outside of Selcuk called  Bizim Ev Hanimeli. The grounds outside the restaurant were beautiful- all sorts of flowering plants.  We were seated and ordered our drinks and then went inside to get our meal. This was a visual feast- pots and platters of food and we took what we wanted to eat.!!'
The food was fantastic, service was good and the owners came around and talked to us. They even had a cookbook that they sold and we bought one and the owner autographed it for us.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293976-d3397485-Reviews-Bizim_Ev_Hanimeli_Restaurant-Selcuk_Izmir_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html

After lunch we got back on the coach for the half hour ride to Ephesus and our hotel, the Grand Onder Hotel which was on a hill overlooking the port. It was a very nice location and down the street was a mini mart where we could buy water.



Our room was one looking at the interior courtyard but the restaurant dining room had a beautiful view as well as the lobby.