A magical Mediterranean vacation COMPLETED - Page 34 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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THAT was a lovely welcome and I am loving the red carpet. Now again, I hope the story that was told to me about the "red carpet" wasn't just a tall tale....but it was here in Turkey so I'm anxious to see if you get the same scoop as well.
You'll have to enlighten me, as they never said a word about the "red carpet" to us during the tour....
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This was a country I never thought I would ever visit, but it was quirky and we still have fun stories about it. OOhhh, I'm excited for the next few updates!
I'm the same - I never thought I'd visit the country and in fairness, it wasn't a country even on my bucket list, so I'm glad we got to go there.
Last update I get to read before we come back from our cruise...and I wish I didn't have to wait so long! We're not doing the internet plan though. Hope Turkey continued to be as great as it started. Looks like you caught another beautiful sunrise for me
Wednesday 9 July – part two: I’m glad we didn’t have to drive here!
We headed out of Kusadasi with our tour guide Fulia (it might be written Julia, but that’s how she pronounced it). No issues with understanding her, she was very clear. She comes from Kusadasi and explained that when she was growing up, this was just a little fishing town and then the holiday companies found it and it grew massively. Now there are around 90,000 people here who live here in the winter months and closer to 1.5 million in the summer. She also told us why. Not only does it have a Mediterranean climate, but it’s not as humid as Greece, something I was very pleased to hear.
We carried on out of Kusadasi and saw some of the local scenery…
I even got a cool shot of the Magic, without even realising it until I looked at it later!
There were even cows (my first sighting this trip! ) but sadly they were on the other side of the bus, so no photos but there was still nice scenery…
One of their local theme parks
Fulia told us more about Turkey and how we were in fact in Asia today. I’d forgotten that Turkey is in both Asia and Europe. It’s a massive country and she pointed out that 19 million people live in Istanbul alone, which is more than the whole population of Greece at 11 million.
She also explained how the country is 98% Muslim, but that because it’s a democracy, you can still get alcohol here and the restaurant are also open during the day, even though it’s Ramadan at the moment.
We were heading first for the House of the Virgin Mary and it’s been recognised that she lived here for about five years, so it’s an official chapel. The first one collapsed in an earthquake in the fourth century and another was then built. It was discovered again in the 19th century (isn’t everything? ) by a German nun who had a vision that it was here.
It’s right at the top of a mountain, and my goodness, I didn’t envy our coach driver getting there, as we went around a number of hairpin bends. At one point, he met another Disney bus coming down from it, and he literally had to grind to a halt to let him go and then had to start off again, no mean feat when you’re halfway up a mountain.
Finally, we were there and I was pleased to see that it wasn’t as tacky as I thought it might’ve been. There were some souvenir shops, but they seemed to be regulated and it was up to you if you wanted to buy anything. There was also a café here and the toilets were the best I’ve visited in port so far this trip.
We headed up as a group to the house, mainly in the shade, which was very nice. You can only take photos from the outside and not inside, as people could be praying, which is fair enough. I was surprised not to see anyone praying when we went in. It’s a tiny little place and there’s not much to see in here, apart from a nice altar and momentoes of the visits of the two Popes who’ve been there, Pope Jean Paul in 1979 I think, and Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.
These days, someone always has to do a selfie…
When we came out, we walked past the taps where you can get Holy water from the spring here…
… and then the wall of prayers. From our first vantage point as we’d walked up to the house, you don’t realise how many there are in here. There are literally thousands and thousands…
The view on the way up to the house…
… and closer up to them… I have no idea what this is, but it creeped me out a bit...
We then made our way back to the bus, getting there first, which worked for us, as we could sit and enjoy the air conditioning and I’m sure we’ll be glad of that later.
I did not know that Turkey is in both Asia and Europe. I'm getting an education this morning
Suprising about the alcohol in the Muslim community, but interesting.
The wall of prayers
That's a creepy little friend you've met there
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Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know, tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true.
I did not know that Turkey is in both Asia and Europe. I'm getting an education this morning
Suprising about the alcohol in the Muslim community, but interesting.
The wall of prayers
That's a creepy little friend you've met there
Hmmm.... not the type of friend I really want! I still want to try and find out what he is.
A nice little tour on your welcome to the Turkey! The wall of prayers looks pretty amazing and some real nice scenery in the area. Glad it wasn't as hot as Greece was!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
The house of the Virgin Mary would be a meaningful spot to me. I'd love to get a little vial of the holy water there - especially if my grandmother was still living, I'd have wanted to bring it to her. And the prayer wall was quite a sight! Looks like they are pieces of cloth, not paper?
Was it quiet there? I remember it being so calm and very quiet......it was nice to see so much respect from so many different cultures. Again, a place I never thought I would have visited, but so thankful we did.
OK, the "red carpet" story........and I will say that this was told to us from a guide in Ephesus .........so if I am pegged as the idiot tourist who took the bait.........hook, line and sinker........so be it. I enjoyed the story.
Once we left to go to the town of Ephesus and went through the ruins, we came upon the theatre and there was a long road leading up to it........our guide told us that when Cleopatra would be coming in they would call on the most beautiful women in the city to line the road and stand with glasses of red wine, as Cleo would pass them they were to pour the wine onto the road in front of her.....therefore making a "red carpet" and honoring her appearance into the theatre for the evening. IDK......truth or not?? It was a nice story told to us by our real guide. I'd like to think it's true and think that is really where the term "red carpet" came from
Was it quiet there? I remember it being so calm and very quiet......it was nice to see so much respect from so many different cultures. Again, a place I never thought I would have visited, but so thankful we did.
OK, the "red carpet" story........and I will say that this was told to us from a guide in Ephesus .........so if I am pegged as the idiot tourist who took the bait.........hook, line and sinker........so be it. I enjoyed the story.
Once we left to go to the town of Ephesus and went through the ruins, we came upon the theatre and there was a long road leading up to it........our guide told us that when Cleopatra would be coming in they would call on the most beautiful women in the city to line the road and stand with glasses of red wine, as Cleo would pass them they were to pour the wine onto the road in front of her.....therefore making a "red carpet" and honoring her appearance into the theatre for the evening. IDK......truth or not?? It was a nice story told to us by our real guide. I'd like to think it's true and think that is really where the term "red carpet" came from
)
I've heard that story as well, but I think the oldest written reference is from the play Agamemnon by Aeschylus (5th century BC). Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, lays out a red carpet as a pathway to "welcome" her husband's return. He walks down the carpet to be murdered by her! Lovely story! That reference, though, presupposes a tradition of using a red carpet for royalty or deities to walk upon, so it probably has a much earlier origin.
I've heard that story as well, but I think the oldest written reference is from the play Agamemnon by Aeschylus (5th century BC). Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, lays out a red carpet as a pathway to "welcome" her husband's return. He walks down the carpet to be murdered by her! Lovely story! That reference, though, presupposes a tradition of using a red carpet for royalty or deities to walk upon, so it probably has a much earlier origin.
OH MY!!! That I would love to read up on as it sounds CRAZY
But I am glad that you have heard the Cleo story as well and I'm not just the village idiot.
Quirky cities are theeeee coolest to visit with great stories.
The house of the Virgin Mary would be a meaningful spot to me. I'd love to get a little vial of the holy water there - especially if my grandmother was still living, I'd have wanted to bring it to her. And the prayer wall was quite a sight! Looks like they are pieces of cloth, not paper?
I honestly didn't look that closely. If it makes sense, I thought it would be a bit weird and possibly a bit disrespectful to get that close to them, as I assumed what people had written on them was probably private.
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She also told us why. Not only does it have a Mediterranean climate, but it’s not as humid as Greece, something I was very pleased to hear. 
) but sadly they were on the other side of the bus, so no photos 
I still want to try and find out what he is. 
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