The Ephesus Ruins, Turkish Rugs, A Tour of Mykonos, and Greek Wine on Lemnos

4/8-4/10/2025

We awaken to find our ship docked in Kusadasi, Turkey, a large resort and port town on the Aegean coast. Founded around 3000 BC, the area has been the center of art and culture since some of the earliest recorded history and has been settled by many civilizations over time.

Some Ephesus Ruins

Tourism is the main driver for Kusadasi’s economy; the city is a port of call for several cruise ships and receives a large influx of land tourists in the summer.

More Ruins

We breakfast with David and Linda and get ready to head out and explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of nearby Ephesus.

Originally founded by Ionian Greeks in the 10th century BC and later flourishing under Roman rule, Ephesus was an important religious and cultural center for several civilizations and religions. Located on the seaboard when it was founded, its importance as a port and commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by a river emptying into the harbor.

Library of Celsus

Today, this silting process has moved the site approximately 3 miles inland from the coast. In its day the city was famous for the nearby Temple of Artemis, which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The city and the Temple of Artemis were destroyed by the Goths in 263.

We exit our bus and begin to explore the ruins. Our guide tells us that it wasn’t until 1863 that excavation of the site was begun by British archaeologists. He notes that most of the ruins were constructed when Ephesus was part of the Roman Republic and that it is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Great Theater

We see magnificent gates, public baths, a complex aqueduct system, and marble-paved streets as we are guided through the ruins. We marvel at the Library of Celsus, built in 125 AD and whose façade has been carefully reconstructed. Thought to have held up to 12,000 scrolls, it gives one an idea of the city’s original splendor. Another important ruin our guide shows us is the Great Theater. With an estimated 25,000 seating capacity, this open-air theater is believed to be the largest in the ancient world.

It's All Greek to Me!

Initially used for drama, the Romans brought gladiatorial combats to its stage. We see the Temple of Hadrian, built before his visit in 138 AD. Opposite Hadrian’s temple, we view the Terrace Houses, or “the Houses of the Rich.” These six luxury Roman residences feature well-preserved floor mosaics and wall frescoes.

We finished our morning at Ephesus by boarding buses that will take us to a restaurant for lunch, followed by a presentation about handmade Turkish carpets. We enjoy (at least Capt. Larry does!) the traditional Turkish dishes that are presented to us, and especially the delicious baklava for dessert. We are then given a tour of a rug weaving room where two weavers sit at their looms and demonstrate the rug-making process. We are then guided into a large room with many rugs spread out on the floor.

The Windmills of Mykonos

The rugs depict the many different types and styles of weavings that are produced. And believe it or not, we are told that we can purchase any of the rugs that we see in the shop! Jane and Capt. Larry hook up with a dealer who starts to run through his inventory. We do not get very far into the stack when Jane spots the rug that she thinks will be perfect in our new bedroom. Most of the carpets are woven in wool, with some of the more expensive carpets using silk. The rug Jane has her heart set on is woven in wool and finished off in silk. It is beautiful.

Monastery of Ano Mera

We haggle with the dealer, and after getting him to knock off about 20% of the price, we conclude the transaction. Shipping and home delivery are guaranteed, and we returned to the big rug room and enjoyed some apple tea.

We return to our hotel and rest up for our special evening event. Our group returns to Ephesus for an evening dinner under the stars in front of the Library of Celsus while being serenaded with live music by the Aegean Chamber Orchestra. The entire production is very formal and classy, making it an evening that we are sure to remember. Back on board, our ship sets a course for our next port of call while we sleep deeply from a very exhausting day.

Our ship is docked at the Greek island of Mykonos, a very popular tourist destination.

Inside the Panagia Paraportiani

Like other areas in the Aegean, Mykonos has a long history of falling under the rule of many different civilizations. The island and its main town, Chora, have a population of nearly 11,000 spread out over an area of approximately 33 mi.². The island’s economy is closely linked to the sea but takes a backseat to tourism during the summer months.

Today we have our choice of two tours. One is to the Delos archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (naturally!), which once was the holiest of all Greek sanctuaries and one of the largest active dig sites in Greece.

Monastery's Gilded Altar

Option two is a guided island tour of Mykonos. Since the other archaeological site tours have “ruined” us (heh, heh!), we opt for the bus tour of the island. Our tour begins in a residential section that features captains’ homes all in their whitewashed charm. If there’s anything that could be said to describe Mykonos, it would be “uniform” and “colorless.” We see an abundance of churches because, for many years, islanders were required to build a church on their property before they built a house.

Elaborate Throne

We stop at one of the island’s many beaches and are given some time to explore our surroundings. The beach is deserted, as the summer crowd has not yet arrived.

We stop at the village of Ano Mera, the island’s most populated village next to Chora. At the center of the village is the Monastery of Panagia Paraportiani. Its name literally means "Our Lady of the Side Gate" in Greek, as its entrance was found in the side gate of the entrance to the adjacent Kastro neighborhood. Although construction began in 1425, the church was not completed until the 17th century. This architecturally quirky structure actually consists of five separate churches that are joined: four churches at ground level forming a base for a fifth church that has been built above them. Our guide relates facts about the church, the area, and the Greek Orthodox religion as we view the church and its grounds. Our tour ends with our return to our ship and lunch on board. The afternoon is free time, which can be spent further exploring the labyrinth alleyways of Chora or on board at leisure.

Winery Vats

We opt for the leisure. We enjoy dinner as our ship sails for its last Greek port of call—the island of Lemnos.

We are up and having breakfast with David and Linda, as our ship is anchoring in the harbor of Myrina, the administrative seat and principal municipality of the Greek island of Lemnos. Sitting in the northern Aegean, Lemnos has a population of just over 16,000 spread out over 185 mi.². It is Greece’s eighth largest island. Recently, the ruins of the oldest human settlement in the Aegean Islands found so far have been unearthed in archaeological excavations on Lemnos.

Wine Bottling Machine

With its economy primarily based in agriculture, Lemnos is widely known for its cheese, yogurt, and wine production.

Like yesterday, we have our choice of shore excursions to explore the island: a sightseeing drive that visits a national archaeological site in a British Commonwealth cemetery honoring the soldiers who fought in the nearby Gallipoli campaign in World War I; a walking tour of Myrina that samples its culinary specialties; and the winery visit and local cheese tasting. We decide that the winery tour would be something a little different, and we board a bus that takes us across the island to the winery.

Bottled Wine

We are greeted by the winery owner, who will guide us through the winemaking process. After the grapes have been harvested, they are sorted and placed in a machine that destems and crushes the grapes to release the juice. She tells us that for red wines the skins remain with the juice for color extraction, but the skins are separated from the juice for white wines. Next, we are shown large vats where fermentation of the juice occurs, a process that usually takes 1-2 weeks. The wine is then clarified using filtration, settling, and racking methods.

Wine Tasting Room

Aging of the wine can take place in stainless steel vats, oak barrels (which can impart additional flavors), or the wine bottles themselves. When the wine is ready for bottling, it may be stabilized or blended with other wines before a final filtration and bottling.

We conclude our winery tour by gathering in a large wine tasting room. We are given samples of various wines produced by the winery along with a description of the wine’s production. Each tasting is followed by one of the local cheeses, produced from sheep’s and goat’s milk that the island is famous for. We board our bus and head back to Myrina, where we do a little more sightseeing before boarding a tender back to the ship. We have an afternoon of free time, part of which is spent packing our luggage for tomorrow’s disembarkation, followed by dinner as our ship says goodbye to Grecian waters and sails for our final port—Istanbul, Turkey.