Wonders of the Ancient World, and Wonderful Food!

Friday October 4, 2024

Ancient Public Toilets!

Fun facts about the Mediterranean Sea (these are sort of science-y...hopefully still fun):

• Biodiversity - The Mediterranean Sea is home to many iconic species and habitats, including monk seals, loggerhead and green turtles, Red Coral, and Spiny Lobsters.

• It is also home to over 700 species of fish, almost 10% of the world's marine species, and eight different species of whales (fin and sperm), dolphins, and porpoises, and several species of sharks, including the short fin mako, blue shark, thresher shark, black tip shark, hammerhead shark, and even the great white shark. 

• Tides in the Mediterranean Sea are very limited due to its narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean.

  
  

Last night (10/3) we had an amazing dinner on the Viking Sea, at the Chef's Table. The food was excellent and the wine pairings were delicious.

Wine and Food Pairing at the Chef's Table:

1. Amuse Bouche

2..First Course

3. Granita (no wine pairing)

4. Main Course

5. Dessert

And thank you to the marvelous staff at the restaurant who were professional, knowledgeable and fun! Below are the fabulous Chef's Table staff: Left - Septian and Citra. Right - Archie

Today, 10/4.

The itinerary for this trip involved some circling back and revisiting previous locations. When we originally planned our daily agendas we were looking forward to visiting some new places on this revisit to Ephesus. However, Nancy was feeling a little under the weather, so she stayed back on the ship and Karen went to visit Mary's House, and different areas of Ephesus that we did not see last time. And to answer the question posed at the end of yesterday's blog, the most famous woman in Biblical history is the Virgin Mary. And many believed she lived out her last days in a small house near Ephesus. St. John was thought to have brought her there for her protection. While this has never been proven, and the Roman Catholic Church has never pronounced the authenticity of the house, many Popes since 1896 have made a pilgrimage there. Many people who visit the house report a "calming presence" when entering.

Mary's House:

Starting with the sign and going clockwise: 2 different views of Mary's house, the second showing the line of people waiting to enter; a statue of Mary found in 1867; the wishing wall where people can leave wishes for Mary's spirit to bless; and the fountain of holy water that promotes healing.

Additional fun things Karen learned as she revisited Ephesus:

Statue of the goddess Nike. See the swoosh in her gown on the left side? Is this the basis for the Nike swoosh?

Ancient writings on the rock. Who knew Elvis had fans way back then?

....

The end of the ancient roadway to the left used to be the dock for the harbor of the Aegean Sea. Now the Aegean Sea is 6 1/2 miles away. But, there is no climate change....

Tomorrow we head back to the island of Crete, specifically to Souda Bay!