Tour Duration :
6,5 - 7 hours
Min.# of guests :
2 guests
Max.# of guests :
300 guests
Meals :
Yes
Refreshments :
No
Walking Level :
Medium
Dress Code :
Comfortable
walking shoes with rubber
sole and a hat with
sunshade are
reccommended. |
|
Early in the morning, the guests will depart from the pier for a full day excursion that will give them a chance to visit all of the major sites around Kusadasi.
The excursion will start with a visit to House of Virgin Mary.
This house is found on the Aladag Mountain 7 km from Ephesus. The stigmatized German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich who had never been to Ephesus had a vision of the house of Virgin Mary and described it in detail to the German writer Clemens Bretano who later published a book about it. Catherine Emmerich died in 1884. In 1891 Paul, superior of the Lazarists from Izmir read about her vision and found a little building, which corresponded with Emmerich’s descriptions. Archaeological evidence showed that the little house was from the 6C AD but that the foundation were from the 1C AD. At the third Ecumenical Council of 431 in Ephesus, it was claimed that Mary came to Ephesus with St. John between 37 – 48 AD lived here and died here. After discovery of the house, the Archbishop of Izmir declared it a place of pilgrimage in 1892, On July 26th, 1967 Pope VI Paul visited this place and prayed here.
The next stop of the tour will be the Ephesus Antique Site. It can be said that Ephesus is one of the most beautiful ancient cities in the world. Ephesus formed a focal point in the ancient world because of its protected harbor and as a starting point for the royal road via Sardis to Susa. It was also a cult center attracting thousands of pilgrims for traditional worship of the female, first Cybele, then Artemis and finally the Virgin Mary in the Christian Period. Ephesus was also home for the early philosopher Heraclitus. Following the visit of Ephesus Antique Site, the guests will move on to a local handicrafts center, which is designed as a typical Turkish Village to enjoy a special open buffet barbeque lunch that is set up in the garden. In case of bad weather, lunch will be served t the restaurant of a good hotel. After lunch, the guests will visit the Basilica of St. John. St. John, who traveled to Ephesus with the Virgin Mary came to the head of the Church of Ephesus with the title of “The Apostle of Asia” and wrote his Gospel there.
The last stop of today’s program will be Ephesus Archaeological Museum, which houses the impressive collection of the statues and other finds recovered during the excavations at Ephesus. At the end of the tour of Ephesus Antique site and other highlights of the region, the guests will return to Kusadasi to either have free time in town or return to the ship.
** Please note that the order of the sites might be changed to avoid overcrowding at the sites. |
