Kusadasi, Turkey

The green hillsides of Turkey were a breath of fresh air after visiting the continuous desert cities that we have seen for the past few weeks.  The beautiful coastline, hit by turquoise blue waves from the Mediterranean Sea, was a scenic welcome to the country of Turkey, which I could not have guessed to be any more of a unique place.  Even before seeing anything, we were told some interesting facts about Turkey, by our tour guide.  One that of course caught my attention was that one of their main crops is olives.  Stacy and Ali, I think we were meant to live in Turkey, the Thanksgiving olive fingers would be endless here.  And did you know that black and green olives grow on the same tree? In addition to the enthralling facts that I learned, I also saw some amazing ancient ruins.  We visited the Virgin Mary Shrine, Saint John’s Basilica and the most impressive in my opinion, the remains of the city of Ephesus.  The remains of the city of Ephesus are broken and scattered, but to be able to see the small part of what was left was incredible.  The city has been excavated to leave the remains of some of the original streets, marble statues, and buildings that are all engraved with detailed Greek text.  The large theatre that is found in the city is where Paul preached the book of Ephesians to the people here.  Paul found himself preaching to a population of Greeks who believed only in Gods and Goddesses and wanted nothing to do with the idea of a new religion.  His repetitive and unwanted appearances eventually found himself being taken to the local prison and kept there for about a week before being released and sent off.  I have been reading a lot of the stories of the Bible lately, that take place in this region of the world, and to actually be in this city and be able to picture where it was taking place is something I know I will most likely never be able to do again.  To stand in the theatre and know it is where Paul once preached is an experience I will always remember.  I really enjoyed Turkey, and am excited for the one more day we have tomorrow to see one of the bigger cities of Turkey.