7 Churches Tour - Thyatira, Pergamum

Before continuing the travel adventures, let me tell you about Turkish breakfast. Turkish breakfast is wonderful. At the hotels they always have a spread of about 10 different cheeses, 10 different breads, 10 different jams and honeys, and then eggs, potatoes, sausages, cucumbers, and tomatoes. They also have many kinds of coffees, Turkish tea and other teas, hot milk, cold milk, and many kinds of juices. It is definitely a delicious spread that I cannot get enough of. But I didn't take any pictures of it, as I was too busy stuffing my face. 

The ancient city of Thyatira has little left, since the current city, Akhisar, has been built on top of it, just like Philadelphia. The one section that has been excavated was part of the major road connecting Pergamum and Sardis. There were also ruins of a basilica from around 1000 AD. Originally, Thyatira was a military outpost for the Lydian empire whose capital was Sardis. Then, thanks to its location, it became a major trade city. It was very famous for its trades like dyes, specifically purple and indigo, and textiles. Each of these textiles had a trade guild that all of the producers had to be a part of, similar to today's unions. These guilds would have a specific deity that they would pray to, sacrifice to, and have festivals in honor of them. All guild members were expected to be involved in these events.

The road at Thyatira

The Basilica at Thyatira

The Lord praises the church of Thyatira for their faith, service, perseverance, and growth. However, many people were living a double life. They were Christian when they were with Christians, but participated in non-Christian acts when they were with non-Christians, like performing the guild rituals. The prophetess, who is called Jezebel in the letter, was pulling people away from the Word of God. She may have reasoned with them that there are some things that you must do in your line of work that go against what God says, but you have to do them because you have to make a living somehow. However, the Lord has eyes like flames of fire. He can see everything. He tells the people to “keep my work,” meaning display God everywhere you go in everything you do, even in your line of work.

Next we went to Pergamum, or Pergamos, in today’s city of Bergama. Pergamos was the capital of the Pergamum kingdom. It was a very wealthy city, not just in gold, but in knowledge. On the Acropolis of this ancient city was the second largest library in the ancient world, only being surpassed by the library in Alexandria. In fact, the Egyptians got so worried that the Pergamos library would surpass their own that they stopped sending Pergamos papyrus. So Pergamos invented a new writing material called parchment. Pergamum actually means parchment (in German this city is called Pergament). Their parchment was originally made from leather, but this is the origins of our parchment and paper from. Much later, Marc Antony, in his love for Cleopatra, stole many scrolls from Pergamos and carried them back to Egypt with him, where they then burned in the fire in the library at Alexandria. The last King, Attalos III, did not have a worthy heir so in his will he gave his empire to Romans in 133 BC. Pergamos is the place where emperor worship began in the Roman empire. They built temples not only to Augustus, but to Trajan and Hadrian, also their pre-Roman kings like Attalos I, II, III, and Eumenes I, II, III. in addition to all of the Greek gods. 

The Acropolis at Pergamos had two major temples, one to to Zeus and one to Athena. They were excavated by a German team, and thanks to the relationship between the Ottoman sultan and the German king, the archaeologists actually carried both of these temples back to Berlin, where they are now very well preserved and very much intact.

The Theater at Pergamum

The temple to Trajan

Pergamos also had an Ascelepion dedicated to Ascelepius, the god of healing. A famous doctor named Galen worked here, assisting the ill. Ascelepions were places dedicated to healing. They were the ancient hospitals. Their remedies included some medicines, but also psychotherapy – thinking to yourself that you can get better – and prayers to the gods. They would let the patients sleep, then wake them up in the middle of the night to descend into this tunnel and one of the doctors would dress up like Ascelepius and tell the patients to get well soon. This would spur them on to work on getting better by reading books in the library, making prayers to the gods at the temple, or even participating in plays at the theater. Over the entrance to this hospital were the words "death shall not enter here,” a positive message for those entering the hospital. However, they did screen people and if people were deemed terminally ill, they were not allowed to enter the hospital, as the doctors wanted a good record. 

"Death Shall Not Enter Here."

The Tunnel for healing

The Ascelepion at Pergamos

The church of Pergamos is praised for their faithfulness as they are in the “where Satan has his throne.....where Satan dwells.”  However, the church of Pergamos had started to compromise on some of their convictions. They were being pressured on all sides to not follow the Gospel, as it was not popular. Some believers were even killed for their faith in Pergamos. But the Lord gave them the sharp two-edged sword, which is the Word of God. This is what they, and we, should stay true to, because, in the end, the Word of God is the only thing that will remain. This world will pass away, with all of its lies and pressures. So remain faithful to His Word, not to the world. Never compromise on the Truth.

We next went to a carpet store where they demonstrated how silk is made from the silk worm cocoons. The cocoons are boiled in regular hot water, then the woman grabed a few of the cocoons and gathered the threads together. Each cocoon is made of one single strand and can be anywhere from 300-750 meters long, depending on the size of the cocoon. She set the threads on a spinning machine to let them unravel, which took at least 5 minutes. It was truly incredible to watch. They even let us have one of the dry cocoons to take home. It is a little sad that all of those silkworms have to be suffocated in order to harvest their cocoons. The Lord’s creation is definitely diverse as silk is strong enough to cut marble, yet the most smooth and breathable material. And it never seems to wear out. Praise the Lord for silk.

Next there were women demonstrating how handmade carpets are made, whether wool or silk. They take the dyed thread and weave a type of double knot onto the carpet weave. They repeat this many, many, MANY times, using different colors to create the different patterns on the carpets. It reminds me a bit of crocheting or knitting as you perform the same action over and over to create a large masterpiece. It also seems to be like cross-stitch or embroidery work, using multiple colors to create patterns. It is also like creating a mosaic, as you cannot really see the big picture until you have put hours into the work. We were told that for the silk carpets, the weavers can only work on it for about an hour at a time, because after that the silk cuts into their hands as it is so fine yet strong, smooth yet sharp. This was extremely fascinating to me. Maybe I'll move to Turkey and make handmade carpets. 

 These last two are just some of the amazing designs made on small carpets, purely for display I think. Both are silk on silk, the most expensive kind. The one on the left is of birds with the Turkish designs surrounding it. The one on the right is of the four seasons, like in Vivaldi's masterpiece violin concerto. They also had one of DaVinci's Last Supper painting. It's just amazing that this much detail can be done on a carpet.

7 Churches Tour - Laodicea, Philadelphia, Sardis

Tuesday morning we went to Laodicea, which is very close to Pamukkale. From Laodicea you can look across the valley and see the limestone hot springs. On this tour we are visiting the churches in backwards order, so Laodicea is actually the last church mentioned Revelation. It also would have been the last letter delivered by the messenger, as the road connecting all of the cities would have begun in Ephesus and winded through all of the cities, finishing in Laodicea.

The excavations at Laodicea are being paid for by local business owners whose goal is to rebuild as much of the city as they can in order to give visitors a very clear picture of what it would have been like. When they need to use new materials, they still use natural marble like the ancient builders would have used, but they use a different shade of marble in order for the viewers to recognize which pieces are original. So far they have uncovered a temple to a deity, the marketplace, a Greek theater with a view of the ravine that includes the hot springs (Greek theaters have a wonderful view for the audience to enjoy as well in addition to the performance), a Roman theater (Roman theaters could care less about what the viewers could see, so its view is boring), the main road, which still has chariot wheel imprints and drainage systems in the roads. On either side of Roman roads, there would  have been a large sidewalk for the people to walk on with shops on bordering the sidewalks. Laodicea did not have a natural river or spring in the city, so the Romans built an aqueduct from the mountain hot spring 5 miles away using terra-cotta pipes. Because the water was hot, it would create a calcium residue on the pipes and this would need to be cleaned out periodically in order for the flow of water to not be clogged.

The Greek Theater. On the left side you can see the hot springs (white)

Laodicea

Temple to a deity

The calcium build-up (white) in
the terra-cotta pipe (orange)

Laodicea was a rich city thanks to it being on a trade route. In fact, the city denied Roman assistance to rebuild after an earthquake because they could pay for the rebuilding and still have enough money to pay their taxes. They were also famous for black wool coats and for inventing a type of hearing aid and something similar to glasses. However, in the Lord’s letter to the church in Laodicea, he says that they are lukewarm, poor, naked, and blind in their faith, taking each thing the city was proud of and turning it back on them. They had become distracted by the things around them instead of making Christ the center of the church. Jesus says “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Why was Jesus having to knock? Because He was on the outside of the church. Keep Christ the central focus of church. Don’t let flashy things get in the way. And don’t let your life get clogged up by flack and gunk like the pipes in Laodicea. Clean it out so that God can flow through you.

The next church was Philadelphia in today’s city of Alasehir (pronounced Alashehir). The current city has been built right on top of the ancient ruins of Philadelphia, so the only excavated remains are the city gates and the ruins of a basilica built in 1000 AD. It is neat to think that people have been living in this same patch of land for at least 4000 years, but it would be nice to be able to see those remains as well. The area around Philadelphia has many earthquakes, so instead of constantly rebuilding, many people chose to live outside of the city, cultivating many foods, especially grapes, as the soil is very fertile around the city. A king from a neighboring city was offered a huge sum of money by the Romans if he would help them conquer the city of Philadelphia. He declined and, in addition, stood with his brother, the leader of Philadelphia, risking his own life in order to help his brother, displaying brotherly love.

The Basilica

Basilica with the modern city surrounding it

In the letter to the church of Philadelphia, there is no rebuke, only praise. The Lord does encourage the believers to “open your doors,” meaning minister to those living outside of the city and beyond. Get out of your comfort zone. Even though you have many things on your plate, like having to rebuild after an earthquake, look at those situations as opportunities instead of hardships. The Lord gives each of us opportunities to share the Gospel when we least expect it.

The last city of the day was Sardis. Sardis was the capital of the Lydian empire (it’s where we get the name for the Lydian mode in music – a very soothing sounding melody).  It was a huge city and remained important throughout the ages, having the honor to build a temple to Aphrodite, which you can still see today. You can also see a Jewish Synagogue from 3rd century AD baths built at the same time. And the ancient Roman bath house that has been rebuilt. It is truly fantastic. By visiting these ruins, you get an idea of the grandeur of these cities when they were at their height. The buildings are almost always 2 stories. Imagine if they were all still standing!

Jewish Synagogue

Roman Bath House

Temple to Aphrodite

However, the city fell to King Cyrus of Persia in a remarkable story. The city had a fortification on top of this huge hill, almost mountain, that was protected not only by man-made walls, but also by natural vertical cliffs, which makes it almost impossible to conquer. Cyrus laid siege to the city for 3 years but could not conquer it. One day, one of the soldiers on the wall of Sardis was a bit careless and did not strap on his helmet. It accidentally fell off and fell down the hillside. To retrieve it, he exited the city from a secret entrance, unaware that he was being watched by the Persians. That night, the Persians led a surprise attack through that secret entrance and conquered the city. Sardis became the western capital of the Persian empire, but it never returned to its former glory of the capital of the Lydian empire.

The church in Sardis had an issue with Reputation vs. Reality. The church body was known at one point from something amazing that they did. They thought their faith was strong and confident, just like their city, but the reality was that they were dead and needed to become alive again. Jesus says “Watch out. If you don’t watch out, you’re going to fall.” Even the little sins in life make us fall. Don’t underestimate the significance of the tiniest sins, because those are what lead to huge destruction. In addition to being vigilant against all sin, encourage the spiritual weak among the group, because you are only as strong as your weakest link. Do not shun them away, but bring them close to the group and protect them.

Spring Break Trip - Kos

After a 3 hour ferry, I arrived in Kos where I had to then walk to the opposite side of the bay to reach my hotel. The owner was up waiting for me as she knew I would be arriving that night. Come to find out that she lived in America for at least 10 years and has always wanted to return. She even had an American passport. She guided me to a local fish restaurant where she knew the owner and he prepared for me one of the most amazing fish I have ever had. There is nothing like being in a coastal city and eating freshly caught fish that is grilled to perfection and melts in your mouth. I also had traditional Greek salad, which has olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and a slab of cheese. There was actually no lettuce in my Greek salad.

I had one day to try and experience all of Kos. First, I had to put my feet in the water. Then, I wanted to find the Asclepieion of Kos. Kos is famous for having been the home of Hippocrates who wrote the Hippocratic Oath that is still taken by doctors today. The god of medicine and health, Ascelepious, is I believe the god of the island, thus the acropolis is built in his honor. On the way to the Asclepieion, I came across the remains of the ancient Agora with other temples right near the coast. From here, the ancient people would have walked the roughly 3 miles to the Asclepieionon to present their offerings to the gods. I decided to do the same. It was a long walk uphill, going back and forth between humidity and rain. 

Along the way I saw other lonely temples all around Kos. They are now surrounded by modern Kos but the remains of the temples are still there as a reminder of the old days. I also found the Roman theater. It is very well preserved or restored and I think I read that they still use it for performances today. 

After finding a bakery and getting some snacks and continuing up the path I finally reached the Asclepieion! It is a very peaceful place as it overlooks the town far below it and the sea surrounding it. You can see other islands in the distance as well. I have a feeling that some of the land masses that I could see were part of Turkey. Of course, in addition to the landscape is the ruins of the Asclepieion. Seeing so many ruins of huge acropolises makes me want to see them in all of their glory when they were fully built. We only see the remnants of history. It is a bit sad, but still incredibly beautiful.

I passed an international museum for Hippocrates, but it was closed, probably due to it being low season. I did not have time to go to the fortress near the port as it closed early. I guess that’s a reason to go back. I returned to my hotel, grabbed my bag, said goodbye to my wonderful hotel owner, and went to catch my ferry back to Turkey. On the ferry I met a teacher who was taking the year off to travel the world. He had already done all of Asia and now is heading into Europe. His parents met him for 3 weeks to do Greece and Turkey. They were from Chicago. Everyone that I meet abroad is from the Midwest. I guess when we travel, we REALLY travel. It was so nice to have a slice of home again! And returning to Turkey actually felt quite comfortable. I at least know a little bit of Turkish, where I know no Greek. I had a relaxing evening with more wonderful food in Bodrum before getting up early the next morning to return to Ankara.

As you can see, I had many adventures during my week of travels.  I am so thrilled to say that I successfully traveled for a week by myself. It is definitely a growing experience but a rewarding experience. My backpack started out weighing a little under 10 pounds. That is really the trick: pack light! By the end, I had bought at least 5 pounds worth of souvenirs.  But it all still fit in a carry on size backpack. I hope that you can get an idea of how much I enjoyed seeing these amazing, historical places. Thanks for traveling with me in spirit!Check out more pictures at my shutterfly account: https://experienceturkey2015.shutterfly.com/

Spring Break Trip - Rhodes

Let me tell you a little bit about the ferry, as it is very nice. It feels like a mini cruise ship. One of the middle floors is all cafes and places to eat and lounge, while up one floor is an outdoor covered area with an area to stand outside and enjoy the breeze in your hair. The chairs are very comfortable but the food is very overpriced, which is not like an all-inclusive cruise food. The lower levels are for the many cars, semi-trucks, motorcycles, and other transportation vehicles that need to transfer islands. It is truly amazing how much could fit in the ferry. After a few hours I woke up with the sun rising through the windows. A few more hours and we arrived in Rhodes. To get to the ferry port, we had to pass Mandraki harbor, where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

When they announce that we are arriving in a port, the hoard of people getting off at that port all push and shove to get to the lower level where we will exit, and they cram together like they are in an apocalyptic movie. As the bridge lowers, people crowd together more and more, eager to exit the ferry. It’s quite crazy! So after the adventure of getting off the boat, I had the adventure of trying to find my hotel.

The city of Rhodes has two parts: the Old Town is enclosed by the old city wall and the moat, which is now dried up and used as a green space, while the New Town is all of the development outside of the city walls. Old town has a medieval feel, with the Palace of the Grand Master (the castle), the
Street of the Knights (where all the knights from all over the world used to have their own buildings/hotels), the Hospital of the Knights (which now is the archaeological museum in Rhodes), and the cobblestone skinny streets. New Town has all the modern shops, including a 1 Euro store, where everything is 1 Euro. The ferry port is quite far from Old Town Rhodes, where my hotel was. I wandered through all of Old Town, looking for my hotel. Instead of my hotel, I found a church that used to have a road cut through it before they realized that it was a church, and the Jewish square that has a monument dedicated to the Jews who were taken from Rhodes to Nazi concentration camps and died during World War II. But after about an hour of wandering, I finally found my hotel! It was surrounded by road construction, which made it even more of a challenge to get to. I went to try the door, but it was locked. I worried a little bit as I had already paid for the hotel and no one was there to let me in. I went a got lunch – fresh squeezed orange juice and gyro (my new favorite food!) – and went back to my hotel in the hopes of someone being there. And there was! He had gone to lunch but was expecting me. I got settled in my room and then went to the archaeological museum in the old Hospital of the Knights, which was only about a block away from my hotel.

The hospital, which kind of feels like a fortress, is still completely intact. It is just one huge square with a large courtyard in the center. One of the workers told me what each of the rooms was used for when it was a hospital. One was used as a dining hall while the smaller rooms were for the patients. Now, as it has the archaeological museum in it, each room has different sculptures, pottery, and artifacts from all over the island of Rhodes. The island of Rhodes has been inhabited through the ages, as can be seen by the artifacts found on the island. In the garden next to the hospital they have mosaics from not only Rhodes, but from the island of Kos as well, which is the last island that I will visit on this trip. They displayed the mosaics vertically on the wall so that the visitors could see the designs easier.

I got finished at the museum at 3pm, and due to it being low tourist season, everything closes early. In fact, many of the museums were not open whatsoever as they are renovating or fixing the building during the low season. So I went to Mandraki harbor and saw the place where the Colossus would have been. Now the harbor entrance has two Italian statues of deer welcoming boats into the harbor. They are just as famous as the Colossus as they have been there for many years now, in my opinion. Also near the harbor is the fortress of St. Nicholas and a few ancient windmills that now there are only 3 left. Afterwards I tried to find a restaurant in Old Town, but everything was closed due to low season except the restaurant I went to for lunch. The owner was a bit surprised to see me again, but happy for the business. We chatted a bit (as many people on the Rhodes speak English thanks to it being a major tourist location) and she was so excited for me to be touring Rhodes. She said “see you tomorrow!”  She was like my mini mom for Rhodes.

The next morning I got up early and took a bus to Lindos, on the south side of the island. It was one of the 3 major ancient city states on the island of Rhodes. Its acropolis is stunning as it rises above the town on this large hill overlooking the town. The town is very quaint with the white houses so popular in Greece. It felt very Greek. It is also believed that St. Paul stopped in the harbor of Lindos while traveling through the Mediterranean. After climbing up to the top of the acropolis, which took about 15-20 minutes, I was rewarded with views of the ocean all around me and the town below me. The sky was so blue and the remains of the acropolis are the marble white color, which provided gorgeous pictures yet again. It was fascinating to read about the restoration of the acropolis. Apparently a group of Italian archaeologists started the task of piecing the buildings together. However, they matched things up incorrectly, putting a piece of a building from one area with a piece from another. And even worse, they used concrete to attach the pieces together. When the next group of archaeologists came and realized that the Italians were incorrect, they could not separate the pieces without destroying them and so, as a result, many of the original pieces could not be used anymore. I had never heard of a group of archaeologists doing something so terribly wrong before. I’m glad that they have it right now.

I wandered through the town, put my feet in the water, wishing I could swim, but it was too cold, and headed back to Rhodes. After eating some more gyros, I traveled to the acropolis of Rhodes, which is located in the New Town of Rhodes, and watched the sun set over the beautiful island. Unfortunately it was cloudy, but I still got many neat pictures with the lonely pillars left from the main temple. The stadium and theater are still very well intact at the acropolis, so much so that the locals use the stadium as a running track. In modern times, these places are still used for the exact same purpose as they were built many years ago. The old lives with the new.

The next morning I woke up early to visit the Palace of the Grand Masters. This palace was actually almost completely destroyed in a fire, but to appease Mussolini’s fantasies, it was rebuilt. It’s nice to have something completed after seeing so many ruins, even if it’s not the original. The Palace is now a museum with the lower level having the ancient artifacts and the upper rooms displaying things from Greek and Roman times. The upper floor was the only section open during the off season. It was neat to wander through the rooms with huge fireplaces, large chandeliers, and all of the mosaics from Rhodes and Kos. It really felt like you are in a castle.

I then walked the perimeter of Old Town Rhodes by means of the dried up moat. The depth of this moat would have been at least 20-30 feet if filled to the top. I tried to imagine what this fortified city must have been like in its glory. The moat only goes about halfway around the city. The sides that face the sea are just protected by high walls. In the summertime, you can walk on the walls all the way around the city. For me, I actually preferred walking in the moat with all the grass and trees and looking up at the majesty of the walls. After my walk around the city, I found the modern art museum, which contained paintings from 20^th century Greek artists. There were many pictures of the scenery of Greece, including the Acropolis in Athens, in addition to the more modern abstract art. I then walked through New Town Rhodes and felt the hustle and bustle of a vibrant community. I returned to my favorite restaurant to have one more gyro and said goodbye to my mini mother before catching my ferry to Kos.

 

Spring Break Trip - Patmos

Sunday I took the ferry boat to Kos and then transferred to another ferry to Patmos. Due to Turkey time, the boat from Bodrum left about 15 minutes late. Because of this, I almost missed my connection! My worst nightmare almost came true! But I made it and enjoyed the views of the islands that the ferry went to before arriving in Patmos. It is really neat to travel on the Mediterranean on a boat, as that is the way that all travelers throughout history would have traveled. You can always see land as there are so many islands in the Mediterranean. I imagined that we would be in open, choppy waters, but it was generally calm waves.

                    

I arrived in Patmos about 1pm and found my hotel right away as it was about 30 steps from the dock. The hotel owner hardly spoke English, maybe 10-20 words, but the restaurant attached to the hotel had a worker who spoke English so we were able to communicate through him. The owner was very sweet. I got all checked in and then he offered to make me lunch before I ventured out to explore the island. So after a wonderful meal with a coke, I headed out to find the two major sites to see on Patmos: the Cave of the Apocalypse, which is where they believe that John received his vision of Heaven, and then wrote the Book of Revelation, and the Monastery of St. John, which is where monks have been living for centuries because of Patmos' importance to Christian history. The ferry terminal is in the town of Skala while the Monastery is in the town of Chora, which is about a 4km walk up to the top of a hill. Well, when I began my walk, instead of taking the direct route up the hill to the town of Chora, I took the round-about way south, where the road winds its way through the countryside and along the coast of Patmos. I think this route was at least 8km. It was very beautiful and peaceful to think that the islands I am seeing in the distance around Patmos are the same ones that the apostle John saw 2000 years ago. And the countryside is breathtaking. But I was getting very worried that I would never make it to Chora. I met a woman along the road who was walking her dogs and spoke perfect English and she told me that I had taken the long way, and that there was a direct road to Chora from Skala that was not so long. This was a relief as I was not too excited to walk the 8km back to Skala. I did eventually find Chora and the Monastery, but it was closed by the time I reached it, so I wandered through the streets of Chora for a while. The houses are all the classic Greek white with very narrow streets, twisting and turning every which way. But it’s not too big of a town, so I was never completely lost. It is fun to explore new places. It’s like your on a scavenger hunt for authentic Greek culture. Walking down the direct road back to Skala, I passed the entrance for the Cave of the Apocalypse, but it was closed as well as it was getting dark by this time. So I knew where my two destinations for the next day’s adventures would be. I found a nice restaurant to eat at where I ordered Moussaka, authentic Greek food made of eggplant, meat, and noodles, sort of like lasagna, and returned to my room for an early night.

The next morning I woke up as the sun was rising, as my room sort of faced east. My room had a balcony with a view of the pier, so I sat outside for about an hour, watching the sun rise and the town slowly wake up. The best part was watching the fishermen prepare their boats for the day. It is so relaxing to be in a small town and see the people perform their daily activities. I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to watch fishermen prepare to go out to sea. And I got to do it on Patmos! John was a fisherman, and then he became a fisher of men. God was certainly making connections for me on this trip. At that moment I felt like I had been transported back in time to when Jesus was here on earth, calling his disciples.

I found breakfast at a local cafe and then went to the Cave of the Apocalypse. To reach the cave you must descend about 50 stairs. And then, right before you is the entrance to the cave. They have created an extension of the cave which includes a chapel like area with an altar. Around the chapel and cave are many paintings depicting scenes from the Book of Revelation. There were some people restoring the gold trim on the paintings in the chapel area, but otherwise I was the only tourist for most of the time. They allowed me to take pictures, which I am very grateful for, because their store was not open for me to buy postcards. They have a place where they believe John laid his head while he was having the vision. I sat down on a bench in the cave near that spot and read the entire book of Revelation. Even if this cave was not the place that John was at when he had his Revelation, to read the book of Revelation on Patmos was inspiring. We know that this book of the Bible was written here and that God revealed a glimpse of Heaven here, on this island. I just had to let that sink in for a while. It was truly amazing. For a time the restorers left for a lunch break, and so I was the only one in the cave. The benefits of traveling solo! I got to immerse myself in God’s Word in the peace and quiet and let The Word speak for itself. This was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip!

I continued up the hill to the Monastery and arrived just after lunch time. I could not find the main entrance, but found someone on the premise and was told that it was closed for the day. I was a little frustrated that they were only open in the morning as that information was not provided anywhere. So I found a place to sit and enjoy the sunshine, trying to decide what to do next. I ate a snack and decided to try to find the actual entrance to the monastery. I had walked by it at least 3 times! Only I can walk past the entrance to a huge monastery multiple times. As I was coming onto the main square, an older gentleman walked onto the square as well. I then climbed up the ramp to the entrance of the monastery to at least get a picture of the gate and this man followed me up the ramp. I turned to him and did a “bummer” expression as the doors were locked to the monastery. We exchanged a little conversation, as much as we could when I cannot speak Greek and he could not speak English. He then pulls out a key and points towards the door and gestures as if saying, “I have a key and can get you into the monastery if you would like.” I was so overjoyed and extremely awed at how the Lord 

works. At just the right time I found the entrance to the monastery so that this man, who I’m guessing lives in the monastery, was coming back from buying groceries. After coming all this way, a wonderfully kind monk will let me in to experience part of the monastery. The monastery is a UNESCO world heritage building, so there is a museum, but of course it was closed.

 I was able to take pictures of the amazing frescos on the walls and ceilings outside of the chapel and listen to the monks chant and sing, which I’m guessing they don’t do during tourist hours. I felt overwhelmingly blessed to have this small picture into the life of a monk. It was truly amazing. The old man just watched me wander around in awe for a while, then reminded me to close the door behind me as I leave the monastery. And then he left. Sometimes I think he was just an angel in disguise for me to be able to see this monastery. I am forever grateful to this kind man who let me in to see the monastery after touring hours.

I headed back down the hill, watched the sun set over Patmos, and headed to the pier to wait for my overnight ferry to Rhodes. The ferry is actually really nice. It feels like a mini cruise ship. One floor is all cafes and places to eat and lounge, while up one floor is an outdoor covered area and an area to stand outside and enjoy the breeze on your face. Of course, the lower levels are for the many cars, semi-trucks, motorcycles, and other transportation vehicles. It is truly amazing how much could fit in the ferry. I found a few chairs and fell asleep, ready to wake up in Rhodes.

Spring Break Trip - Bodrum

I had a break from school from March 14-21 for a spring break. After much deliberation on where to go, I settled on having a personal adventure to travel by myself to the Greek islands of Patmos (where St. John was exiled and wrote the Book of Revelation), Rhodes (where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world), and Kos (where Hippocrates was born and raised). To get to these islands I needed to fly to Bodrum, Turkey and take a ferry from there, which is fine as Bodrum was one of the places in Turkey that I wanted to go. It is where the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus used to be, which is one of the 7 Wonders of the ancient world. I guess this trip is centered around ancient places, including two of the 7 Wonders of the ancient world with a portion of the Bible mixed in.

The Marina of Bodrum

I left on Saturday morning and had all of Saturday to tour Bodrum. It is right on the water with a huge harbor hosting many different boats, yachts, ferries, fishing boats, tour boats, etc. There is a huge variety of restaurants right on the marina as well. I was able to find the Mausoleum very easily as the city has put up signs to direct tourists to the major attractions. I was in awe upon arriving to the Mausoleum. It has always been my dream to visit the places where the 7 wonders of the ancient world once stood. This was my first Wonder to see, and so I was a bit overwhelmed with excitement. The entire outline of the building is still well intact and you are allowed to climb down and wander among the ruins of the Mausoleum. This allows you to get a better view of the burial chamber where king Mausolus' ashes would have been kept. They also had an adjoining museum that held the remaining pieces of the Mausoleum, including some of the relief work with carvings showing hunts and famous battles.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

Some of the existing sculptures that would have been all around the mausoleum.

The burial chamber of Mausolus.

I then ventured to find the large theater that overlooks the town of Bodrum. In pictures, these theaters always look large, but to see them in person really gives you an idea of just how many people once sat in these seats watching plays. It also provides a wonderful view of the marina and St. Peter's castle. While standing in the middle, reciting my confirmation verse (Romans 8:38-39), I could hear my voice echo and carry itself over the empty rows. The "S" sound especially traveled around for a while before echoing back to me. I was amazed at how the architects could accomplish these great acoustics when now, even with our great technology, we still build music halls that have horrible acoustics. Maybe we should all just perform our concerts in these ancient theaters.

Next I found the remaining gate into the ancient town of Halicarnassus built by Mausolus. While I was taking pictures, locals would walk through the gate to and from their various activities. It always amazes me to see the local people interact with these ancient sites and see that they still use the ruins for the exact same purpose that they were designed to be used. To live in such a historical place would be amazing!

Lastly, I went to the Castle of St. Peter located right on the harbor. It was built over the course of many years by knights from different countries and finally was conquered by the Ottomans. It was damaged during WWI, but was restored and is now used as a museum for sunken ships found throughout the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. It contains the oldest known shipwreck dating from the Bronze Period, which had a coin with Nefertiti's inscription on it from Egypt along with pottery and jewelry. I believe that it is one of the only coins that remain with Nefertiti's name on it, because after her and her husband, Akhenaten, ruled, people tried to completely erase them from Egyptian history as they introduced the idea of one god instead of many gods. So it's amazing that we found a coin in the Mediterranean with her name on it. The museum is quite incredible and the castle is stunning. It has a dungeon that you could venture into as well as just exploring all the nooks throughout the castle. Just wandering about the castle feels like you are a knight defending the city from attacks.

The oldest known shipwreck

Nefertiti's coin

Found dinner on the Marina and headed to bed early, as I would need to catch my ferry in the morning to Patmos. 

A view of Bodrum with the Castle of St. Peter