The Big Decision....

Well...most of us wimped out...

and took the Gondola...

But look at the views!!!

Of course...there were a couple of a die hards with us...

...who hiked their way up...

...and up, and up, and up!!!

But we all got there in time to explore a bit...

...on our way to get our ATV's!!!

Head 'em up...Move 'em out!!!

The Island that Blew it's Top Off!!!

Geologically, Santorini can be explained by saying it was once a volcanic cone that blew it's top off...

no...really...according to Wikepedia...that's how Santorini became what it is today!

The port for Santorini is actually located in a large lagoon, surrounded by high cliffs...

In order to get to the island, the ship docks out in the center of the lagoon and the passengers are taken to shore on ship tenders...

A bit crowded...a bit stuffy...glad it was a calm sea!!!

Passing by another tender, and an interesting ship in the harbor...

Landing at the dock...

Now...we have a decision to make...walk up the stairs to the top of the cliff or ride the gondola????

From Turkey, back to Greece...

Rhodes, Greece

We found a charming little beach....

Which I think the guys thought was even more charming when we realized it truly was in the style of the European beach...

We found a spot under the grapevines...

With a couple of darling little pups...

...hungry for attention!

These rocks were a destination point for the swimmers of the group...

Maddie and Sean...ready to take the plunge!!!

Such a charming little spot to sit under the grapevines, sip a cold drink, and watch the people go by...

Looking out over the beach to the rock....

Heading out...searching for the next great beach!!!

Yay!!! Photo connections reconnected!!!

It's a temporary fix, but I can finally post again!!!   Sometimes, for whatever reason, the original photo file gets disconnected to the files in Lightroom...and for some reason, this time, I couldn't find the original files...I ended up importing the originals again from my memory card....and voila!!!  

Unfortunately this also means I've got duplicates upon duplicates upon duplicates in Lightroom!!!  

At any rate...continuing on in Ephesus, Turkey...

After the ruins, we went into a small museum of antiquity, not far from the ruins...

No...those aren't fruit hanging at her breast...

After all, she's a goddess of fertility!!!

A delightful patio off the patio at the restaurant of one of their five star hotels where we had the best lunch!!!  Very authentic food...delightful lunch...fabulous vistas...I'd love to go back to stay whenever in Turkey again...

Our ship from the hotel gardens...

Wouldn't you just love to sit here in the afternoon, sipping a cup of tea...or better yet, a glass of crisp, pinot grigio or chardonnay???

Gorgeous views!!!

Then on to the tail end of our excursion...the turkish rug shop...

The demonstration began with this young lady showing the intricacies of weaving a turkish rug...

Ohhhhh, Ahhhh....just feel the silk on silk texture of this exquisite rug...

(glad I'd had a pedicure!)

The gentleman who spoke to us about the rugs explained the designs, the weave, the materials...all the while his helpers came out and flipped the rugs to place on the floor, one on top of the other until the stack was almost a foot deep...all sizes...large living room size to small entry hall size.

We saw many gorgeous rugs...

We were on this excursion with dear friends, who we know well...and...well, to make a long story short...we all were the last to leave...they bought two rugs and we bought one...

Little did we know, the reason they bid on two rugs was because he thought I really liked the smaller one (which I did) and so he was going to get the price down by buying two, and then he thought we'd buy the small one from him...the only problem was we didn't know the drill!!!

So while he was paying for his two, we were bidding on the one we bought!!!

It was a good (and expensive!) laugh and will be a great story anytime we look back on this trip...

(They love their rugs and are very happy with their purchase, as are we!!!)

A side street off the main market area near the ship's dock...

Leave it to the Chief and I to find an Irish pub in Turkey!!!

(we didn't go in though, as it was time to board...)

Thanks for joining us again!!!  

I'm planning on posting again in about a week...if Lightroom and my computer continue to cooperate!!!

Next Stop...Ephesus, Turkey!!!

We actually started in Kusadasi, Turkey, on the Aegean coast.  Our tour destination was Ephesus, an ancient Greek city, turned Roman, turned Turkish...When Roman, it was one the next largest city to Rome.  In the first Century BC, it had a population of approximately 250,000 and was the second largest city in the world.

It is surmised that the Book of John in the Bible was written here and is known to be the site of a large

gladiator graveyard.  

When we got off the buses and entered the site, our first shopping opportunity was probably my favorite!!!

This is what I call honesty in advertising!!!

What is particularly amazing about this archeological find, is that it was completely buried at the base of a mountain until British engineer J.T.Wood began archeological excavations in the late 1800's.  

The Curetes Street is one of the main streets in ancient Ephesus...we're walking on a street that was teeming with commerce and traffic around the first Century BC...yep, 2000 year old street...how many of our currently constructed highways will last that long??? 

The Hadrian Temple...

Check out the patterns in the walkway...

I think he likes his job!!!

Archaeological work in the Terrace Houses...

Very similar to our concept of condos...LARGE houses complete with indoor toilets, sewage lines, rudimentary heating and air conditioning systems, indoor pools...

AMAZING!!!

Much of the patterns in floors and walls have been restored...a fascinating process, but can't remember it well enough to describe...needless to say, it is absolutely incredible that they have been able to uncover these ruins in such incredible detail and good condition.  

This is the Library...once able to house 12,000 scrolls and was the third largest library?

Also, if you look at the structure of the facade, you would believe that the library was two stories...in actuality, the interior was three stories!

Another interesting side story...the library was connected by underground tunnels to the brothel across the street...that way gentlemen could tell their wives that they were going to the library...go, then cross the street for a bit more active exploration...without lying!!!

The Gate of Mazeus and Mythridates...off to the side of the library.

The stadium...built in the Hellenistic Age...initially used for ceremonies and sports activities.

When it was under Roman control, the activities expanded to include gladiator and wild animal fights, as well as for the persecution of Christians.

And of course, they had to have the standard cheesy reenactment show!!!

*Some interesting facts about Ephesus:

*Slaves used to sit on the toilets for their owners to warm the seats...

*Just outside of Ephesus is where the Virgin Mary lived for her last years...

*Ephesus was the site of one of the seven churches of the Book of Revelation...

*The stadium in Ephesus could seat 24,000...

*Romans knew the true shape of the world as far back as the 1st Century AD...

*Ephesus was originally a seaport, but is now six miles from the sea...

* www.ephesusu.us/ephesus/did_you_know_ephesus.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus