Day 08 - Cruise on the Aegean, Ephesus

Today began with a brilliant boat ride on the Aegean Sea. Wow, what a gift. Then we set sail, pun intended, to one of the largest cities in the ancient world, and arguably the most influential city outside of Jerusalem... EPHESUS! Here we learned about the
rather massive story of the patron goddess, Artemis, which only pales in comparison to the size of her temple located just outside the city walls. Then we leaned into the tyrannical history of the Roman emperor, Domitian. He ruled from 81-96CE, so during the writing of the book of Revelation. The two collide in heart-rattling ways. Most of the known world declared that Caesar is lord, but a small band of people known as followers of the Way (of Jesus), proclaimed that Jesus is Lord. And that summarizes the rather wild book we call Revelation. After a full exploration of the stunning remains of this city, we drove to a restaurant which quickly became a favorite for many. The owner and head cook has written a cookbook, and our satisfied bellies can confirm that it deserves to be passed along.

We then explored the many artifacts that have been found at Ephesus, in the incredible
Ephesus Archaeological Museum. We closed our organized time together with a shopping
experience. We were able to sample and buy a seemingly endless supply of Turkish delight,
dates, figs, teas, and many other Turkish delicacies. What an amazing treat!

It was another full day of expanding our heads, hearts, and bellies. Turkey, you really do have our hearts, and we now bend to our final day of study together.