Mykonos, Ephesus and Kusadasai Turkey

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On November 8 we were in Mykonos Greece to witness the truth about those white and blue buildings on the rocky slopes. Yes, it's a beautiful contrast especially with a bright blue sky.

According to Greek mythology, Mykonos was named after the half god half man Myconos who was the grandson of Apollo. The rocks around the island were thought to be the petrified bodies of giants that were destroyed by Poseidon and Hercules. Many different peoples ruled these islands including the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Cretians, and Ionians. The Spartans conquered the island in 393 BC and then the Romans absorbed Mykonos into their empire, eventually the Turks landed in the 1500's and made fishing a strong part of day to day life. During the push for independence during the 1820's Mykonos again became part of Greece.

Mykonos has an area of 33 square miles and a population of 5000. During the tourist season some 900,000 visitors invade the island certainly more than any conquering armies from its past.

Ephesus is one of the most facinating archeological sites on the eastern mediterranean. The findings at this ancient city are the remains of one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. The ruins from the Roman and early Christian era are so extensive and well preserved that it is easy to imagine the daily interactions of the 250,000 people who used to live here. This area grew to be the second largest city in the Roman empire and the site of the Christian shrine thought to be the one-time home of the Virgin Mary. Ephesus flourished as the center for worship to the fertility goddess Cybele. The Arcadian Way was the main street and the ampitheatre held over 25,000 people. The Temple of Hadrian, the Celsus Library, the Marble Way, and the Fountain of Trajan are under constant restoration but are in amazingly good condition.

Since the 8th millenium BC Turkey was home to the oldest human settlements on earth. During the 3rd millenium BC (old Bronze Age) an early Hittite nation settled in the central plains. Following the migration of "Sea People" from Greece the Hadrian Empire collapsed. Alexander the Great marched his army into Asia Minor two centuries later and defeated the Persians. After Greek rule came the Roman empire and it became a political core of the Roman province of Asia Minor.

People like Mark Antony, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, The Virgin Mary, St. John and St. Paul all walked these streets AND SO DID WE!

This was a very sophisticated city with clay pipes for heating homes and aquaducts for water supply. The library housed 12,000 scrolls which were documented on the marble walls of the library. Unfortunately we all know that the contents of those scrolls were lost when the library was destroyed by the Visigoths. Imagine how much knowledge existed back then that we had to recreate later! Science, history and physics - all lost.

Eventually the harbour silted up and is today three miles inland. Earthquakes destroyed so much but today they continue to excavate and what they are finding under those lumps or hills is enlightning - a human treasure. We can only imagine what life was like.

We shopped in Kusadasi and learned about the art of weaving. A tradition that has been part of the Turkish culture for millenia. We're very happy to now own a couple of these treasures - works of art. The government subsidises the weaving cottage industry as a way to preserve this traditional way of life. Only women do this work.

Today was a very special day for so many reasons - seeing such ancient sites, participating in traditional Turkish customs and last but not least, celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary. Seems like only yesterday we met at the University of Regina - but actually that was in 1979! (We went to University when we were 10).