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Up super early 6:00 alarm in in the Muse Lounge for disembarkation at 7:00. Today is a big day...Ephesus and Cave of the Acropolis . This day is the whole reason we are on this cruise. Grant wanted to see where John wrote Revelation. Our guides accent is so cute. Wish I could mimic. "Countra" instead of country. First stop the Virgin Mary's House. This is suppose to be the place that Mary lived out her life after Jesus died. It was a small Chapel mostly Byzantine now. You could get water from her spring as holy water . They also had a wish of Wall. I found paper for us but no pen. I kept looking for someone to borrow from but no luck. Even souvenir stand did not have pens. Disappointing . Ephesus was a huge place that only had 20% excavated. When in full population was 250,000. Didn't think the everyday life and sanctuary was very well defined . Hadrian's library was spectacular. A photographer was following us around . We bought 2 good pictures of us at the end. Part of the money went to the archeology and rest to the company. Taped them up on our cruise cabin. Crowds were big. It guide did good job. We had the whisper ear buds. They work really good although awkward around your neck. Next carpet weaving demonstration. Fascinating watching the girls weave. Then they demonstrated silk worms. Soaked in Esther then put in a stick brush and all these strands came up. Carpet showing was incredible. They also served wine and Raki. Raki taste like ouzo. I loved one carpet as soon as it was displayed . When I asked about it, we were whisked off to a private room. I did not know what we had done.....they started showing us different carpets. None as beautiful as the first. Then they said the price....I about fainted but we were in deep. Negotiated a lower price and bought the rug. I am going to write on the back that it is Grants at my death. He loves it too. Now for the really stressful part. We are very late for the ship. Our bus left us at the carpet place . We were having trouble with Visa and stuck had to call for the transaction to go through. We left at 12:35 and our ship sails at 1:00. A private van from the tour operator rushes us to the port. We get off and he says " you need to hurry". A quick good bye to guide who had rescued Ricks glasses and charger from the bus. We take off running. Grant is easily jogging but Rick and I are dying! We are next to last people to board only cause we ran past an elderly man and son who had been on our bus. I wanted to burst out crying as we boarded....tooo stressful to be so late. We regrouped and calmed down in our cabin( boat had pulled away by the time we got there) off to lunch and afternoon of leisure as we sail to Patmos. Grant sat out on the deck Most of the afternoon as Rick and I rested in the cabin as I read and blogged. Patmos is BEAUTIFUL!! It has two bays with lots of boats and not many houses. Seems small and authentic. Guide is upset over the fires in Athens. Must be bad and we have little news. He is long pony tailed guy say he is a theologian and writer. Up the hill to St Johns Monestary. A lot likeMeteorea with beautiful Byzantine church and musuem. Has the original parchment with Constanstnobles signature saying that the Monk can open this Monestary. Also saw a Mosaic icon The was very fine work of the pieces . The guide had a picture on his phone blown up to show us the fine work as we looked. The panorama from this high spot is just incrediable . Next to Cave of the apocalypse. Guide informed us that they are holding vespers for a religious holiday in the chapel. We will need to be extra quiet. He stood underneath the rock that John heard voices and told us were to look for the spot that the assistant scribed and John also knelt to pray ( there was a rock he held on to.) We filed through in single line. Saw what we needed. It was so weird for all the tourist to be walking through the chapel while locals holding vespers. Felt very intrusive. Looked like the chapel had been built out and around the cave . There was a window for us to see Johns view . We bought the book on Patmos that our guide wrote. We will see how good . No hesitation when bus took us back to ship. Not the last ones on. Late dinner, but put on a dress. Feeling very under dressed on this cruise. People are in cute dresses and flip flops for the excursions and I'm in T-shirt and khaki shorts. I expected this to be like a low end Carnival cruise . The ship may be that but people are of higher standards. Too tired for entertainment again tonight. Straight to bed.
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