Mykonos, Patmos and Ephesus

We visited Mykonos twenty years ago, but it was at night and in October, so there were less people. In July and August cruise ships vie for space at the small harbor, disgorging thousands of passengers each day into the narrow streets. The residents depend on this summer income to sustain them through the year. Because our ship arrived earlier than some, the streets were relatively quiet. Clare and Isabelle were anxious to take their first dip into the Aegean Sea, but we took a look at the town first. The windmills, white-washed buildings and brightly-colored domes were all there as well as hundreds of shops and restaurants. Clare's book noted that it was a good place to see "preening celebrities." My only hope was to find Petros the Pelican, the town mascot. We had come upon him on our first visit, but he was barely visible in the dark street so our photo didn't turn out.






















Jerry made friends with an Albanian who spoke no English. We can only assume he's one of the many immigrants pouring into Greece. We walked behind the church, down a slope and into one of the back streets when Clare said quietly, "Look, there's a pelican." I wasn't so quiet as I ran down the hill, and the girls were afraid I'd scare him away. But, as we discovered, Petros is one of those "preening" celebrities and loved to pose for pictures.














Petros, the Pelican showing off his feathers for us! (By the way, this isn't the same Petros we saw on our first visit but a descendent; although the residents will tell you it's the same one left behind many years ago and nursed back to health by a local fisherman.)














And finally - we made it into the Aegean Sea! How warm was it? One clue: I'm in the water with the girls.







We found a great place for an early dinner of traditional specialities.


















Mykonos is never more beautiful than at sunset.












Just before returning to our ship, we found Petros at the harbor enjoying the attention of tourists, their cameras snapping away.













The next morning we sailed into the harbor of the small island of Patmos where, tradition says, St. John the Evangelist wrote the Book of Revelations in 95 A.D. (He was in his 80's at the time and lived to be in his 90's.) Below is the mosaic over the entrance depicting John dictating to his secretary whose name escapes us. (Can someone "google" that please?) We weren't allowed to take pictures, but we saw the place the scribe wrote, the small niche where John rested his head in prayer and the place he slept. In the ceiliing were three large cracks (called the Trinity) caused by the thunderbolt when John received his revelations from God. (The three cracks can be seen in the mosaic.)







Entering the Monastery of St. John built in 1088. It houses a rich collection of books and artifacts. One was 33 pages of the Gospel of St. Mark inscribed in the 5th century on purple vellum.
























Inner courtyard of the monastery.




















Views of Patmos from above.


















In the afternoon we arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey. Our third visit! Near the ruins of Ephesus on Mount Coressos we visited the House of Mary where Catholics believe St. John, the Beloved Disciple (aka John, the Evangelist or Theologian), took Mary to live after the death and resurrection of her son. We were here in 1992 with Fr. Nisbet and friends, and much has changed. It was quiet then. Now it's a bustling pilgrimage site. We're bringing home water from the spring flowing near the house, and we added our prayers to the wall of papers left by pilgrims.








Ephesus was HOT, probably well over 100 degrees. The marble ruins and streets had absorbed the day's heat, and we couldn't escape it, though we tried. We skipped from one column of shade to another with Jerry's shadow providing the most ready protection. Isabelle's whole body tells the story. Would you say she looks "wilted?" Why does Clare look less so? Jerry would explain it's her Mediterranean complexion. (And in fact, she was mistaken throughout our trip as either Greek or Turkish.)



Nothing can distract, though, from the grandeur of this ancient city, only 10% of which has been uncovered. Probably founded in 11th century B.C. by Ionian Greeks, it was a major port. Hard to believe now since the sea is 4km away, a result of natural silting of the harbor. St. Paul established a Christian community here in the 1st century A.D. The people must have been responsive to his teachings because many of his most beautiful letters were written to them.































Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, we came upon a camel photo op at the end of our tour. Cost: 1 euro. ( In actual fact, camels are not native to Turkey. Perhaps turkeys ...?)

Location:Mykonos, Patmos and Ephesus