Turkey Day 6 (3/15)

It was very nice to *not* have to pack up and put the bags back on the bus this morning. We have three nights in Kusadasi at the same hotel, with day trips out for different things. And today (unlike yesterday with Troy) the weather was spectacular. I must have gotten some sun, becuase our bartender Beckham asked about me being red.

House of the Virgin Mary was okay. A very peaceful setup. As with spots in Israel, the actual house/church/burial ground/whatever was very small. Monica lit a candle for Kristin and got a little choked up.

More spectacular was Ephesus. We spent about two hours walking around the place, and I completely drained the camera battery. It was worth it. Here are a few photos:

The toilets were quite comfortable in the old days:

This is my favorite, I think:

The structured kind of tour/trip is okay. Not what I'd want to do every time, but not a problem this time around. I do have to try to be patient, though - a few of the people on the trip are annoying. There's veggie-man the vegetarian. Never says a word, takes butt-loads of pictures, and I saw him just jump over the boundary fence at Ephesus to get a better picture. Typically American. And then there's the guy who chose to use the Lord's Prayer as his test for acoustics in the ampitheater at Ephesus. Poor choice of both timing and taste. I won't even get into to the guy who asked if Monica's high school was integrated.