Day 12 - Pergamum and Canakkale

We had breakfast and were on the bus by 7:45am. We are really starting to feel the early mornings and late nights.

Our first stop was to be Mass at the Church of St Polycarp. The Church of St Polycarp is in Smyrna and was one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. We weren't able to get into the street the Church was on as the armed soldiers in the street wouldn't let us through. So we had to go down another street and walk a little to get to the Church.

We arrived at the Church but you would not pick it as a Church. It looked more like a block of home units. It had a high fence, a security camera at the gate, an intercom buzzer and a small sign next to the door that indicated the name of the Church. There was another little sign that had some Mass times on it but if you were walking past at a reasonable pace, it would be easy to miss.

We then walked around to another Church. We arrived at the second Church and again, it looked nothing like a Church but more like a place of residence. We didn't know the name of the Church. After Mass, Cardinal Pell found out the name. It was the Church of Santa Maria Di Giorgio. All this Church had on the front of the building was a street number and a very humble cross on the top that was difficult to see from the road because it was small and so high up.

Cardinal Pell said that there were only 45 priests in Turkey and I heard someone else say that there were 1200 Catholics in Smyrna.

We then went to another road-side diner for lunch and then got on the bus for the long drive to the Hotel in Cannakale. The Hotel we were staying in was in the Dardenelles. We thought we were able to see in the distance Anzac Cove but no one was really very sure. The sunset over the water was absolutely spectacular.

We had dinner while the sun was setting. It was beautiful! After dinner some of us tried to get on to the free wifi with no success. We went to bed instead!

Day 10 - Patmos to Turkey

Well! This has been quite a ride. After breakfast we walked down to the port to get our boat to Kusadasi, Turkey. As we got our bags on this SMALL boat, Sultan I, there was excitement about the next leg of the journey.

We found seats to sit in and then headed off to other shores. Then the games began. One by one about a dozen of us started to feel sick. The swell was significant enough that the back of the boat started to look like triage! There were a number of plastic bags being filled over the four hour boat trip. Needless to say we were all feeling a better later in the day.

We finally arrived in Kusadasi and went through Customs. We could have brought anything into Turkey. No one checked anything! We went to our Hotel and checked in. We weren't initially going to do this but the Harvest rep traveling with us was also sick on the boat and he suggested that we might need freshening up. He was right!

We then went and had some lunch. We pulled up into what I thought was a road-side diner. We got off the bus, found a seat, ordered a drink, started drinking the drink, were then asked to finish our drinks, and then left. The guide thought there were too many children in the restaurant for our comfort so we left! None of us really thought this was a problem as we are used to kids. In Turkey it was a National Holiday - Children's Day. So, we got back on the bus and went to another road-side diner down the road.

We then went to Miletus which was mentioned in Paul's Letters. There was an ancient theatre there for drama performances as well as Roman Baths and Change Rooms. The Romans had their influence all over the place in this part of the world.

We then got on the bus to head back to the Hotel. We prayed the Evening Prayer on the bus. When we got back to the Hotel we had Mass. This was an interesting experience. There was a lot of noise coming up from the Dining Room as well as the Call to Prayer being amplified through speakers in the streets outside that we could hear in the background.

After Mass we had dinner and then went back to our rooms for bed!

Day 11 - Ephesus Pilgrimage

What an amazing day! Ephesus was everything I expected and more. We had a beautiful day. There were a lot of people as they were still celebrating Children's Day. In fact, this celebration goes for two or three days.

Ephesus is the most famous of the Seven Churches of Revelation. St Paul spent more than two years here during his third missionary journey. It was to the Ephesians that St Paul wrote his greatest and most challenging letter and also succeeded in converting many away from worshipping the god Artemis.

We began our walk through the ruins at the top gate so that we were walking down hill. This was a really good move as the sun was blistering. Ephesus was quite a town. The Ephesians seemed to have had all they needed, including a Library and toilets. The name of the Library is 'The Library of Celsus'. The ruins of Ephesus are still fairly built up and you can get a real and vivid sense of what life must have been like in these times. The amphitheatre is enormous and seats 25 000 people.

We walked through the ancient marble streets from the 10th Century BC and we saw this most 'complete' Roman city providing us with a great insight into Imperial Rome. We also saw the Temple of Hadrian.

After we went through the town of Ephesus we walked around to the ruins of the Christian Basilica. This was called The Church of Mary (The Council Church). This was where the Council of Ephesus took place in 431AD. Here, we found a shady spot and the Cardinal gave us a talk about the Council of Ephesus. This was very interesting and I could hardly believe that I was sitting in the place where big decisions were made about what we believe in as Catholics. At this Council, decisions were made about what are now determined as heretical statements regarding Mary. It was here, that Our Lady was proclaimed "Mother of God" or 'Theotokas' which means 'bearer of God'. I have taught this over the years and was now walking the land on which all of this took place!

After this, we had lunch and then went to the Museum of Ephesus. This was interesting. Here, we saw some smaller findings from tombs, etc. We also saw some statues that had been retrieved from archaeological digs and saw some replicas that have been made depicting what life would have been like in these ancient times.

From the Museum we then went to the House of the Virgin Mary. This was a serene and beautiful place to be. We walked through what is believed to be the House of the Virgin Mary and then went and had Mass in the Sisters' Chapel. The Chapel was filled with natural light and was modern. It has been a while since we have seen a Chapel like this one.

After Mass we had some free time. I went back to the House of Mary, which had a shrine dedicated to Our Lady, and just sat for a while and prayed. I found it difficult to leave but knew that there were a couple of other things I wanted to do.

I then went down to a place where you can write your intention on a tissue and tie it to a wire against a wall along with hundreds of other intentions. There has been an intention that I have been praying for each day so far and I tied this to the other intentions on the wall. I don't usually do this kind of thing but there was something very comforting about adding my intention to the hundreds of others that were there for Our Lady to intercede for us. This was also by the spring which is thought to be the spring from which Mary drew her water. It is from this place that Mary died and was assumed into Heaven.

We hopped back on the bus and then went to our last place for the day. We visited the restored remains of the 6th Century Basilica of St John at Celcuk where a small church was originally built over the tomb of St John the Evangelist. There was a baptistery here and the Cardinal invited us to follow him as he walked through the place where people where baptised. This was a tiled cross that went below the ground. We all did this as a way of reminding ourselves of our own baptisms.

After this, we got back on the bus and made our way back to the Hotel. On the way back we said Evening Prayer. We arrived back, had a bit of a rest, had dinner and then back to our rooms to turn in for the night.

Day 9 - Patmos Exploration

After breakfast we headed out for the Cave of Revelation. This is where St John wrote the Book of Revelation. This island is known as the Jerusalem of the Aegean due to the atmosphere of the island during Christian celebrations.

On arrival, we started with Mass very close to where the cave is that St John lived in. After Mass, Cardinal Pell gave us a talk about the Book of Revelation and the seven Churches.

We then went into the cave. We were fortunate enough to catch the end of the Orthodox Mass that was taking place at the time. The chanting was quite mesmerising. It was rich in harmony and was antiphonal in structure. The priest sang one part and the response was shared by two or three different men at different times.

The original cave was used as part of the Chapel they built at the front of it. Unfortunately, we couldn't take photos inside and it is not easy to explain. We saw the hole where it is believed John laid his head and a hole in the wall of the cave where it is believed he put his hand to raise himself up from the floor of the cave where he lay. We saw the flat part of the rock where it is believed that the Book of Revelation rested while it was being written. We also saw the fissure in the ceiling of the cave that split the rock three ways, believed to be a symbol of the Trinity.

We then visited the Nunnery of the Annunciation of the Mother of John the Beloved. After that we visited two other monasteries in the Old City. One of these was the Monastery of John the Beloved. This was a huge fortress-like building dating from the 11th Century.

We walked through the very narrow streets of Chora. The narrow streets were designed to ward off pirates over the centuries. I'm not sure how this worked but this is what they say!

We went to the Museum in Chora. This was quite interesting. It contained very old vestments and sacramental vessels as well as original icons. What I found most intriguing were the ancient manuscripts. They were breath taking with their beautiful calligraphy and use of colour all on ancient material such as papyrus and even animal hide.

On our way back to the Hotel, we had a bus tour of the island. The colour of the sea is the most beautiful blue.

We got back to the hotel, put our bags in our room and then went for lunch. We did not get our lunch until 3:50pm! I think the place we went to was struggling to manage the numbers we made!

We went back, had a rest and the went to dinner! And then ... You guessed ... Bed!

Day 8 - Kos to Patmos

We had breakfast and then set out for Mass at the Parish of Agnus Dei. This Church was built by the Knights of Malta and is now run by the Franciscans. Friar Luke is an English priest who looks after a few of the Parishes on the islands. He said he had to travel six hours so that he would be there for our arrival. He also said that their diocese does not have a Bishop. He sounded like Ringo Starr (or as some young mums might think, Thomas the Tank Engine) so I guess he might be originally from Liverpool.

We had a change of schedule as our boat was supposed to be leaving during the afternoon but had been moved to an 8.00pm departure. So after Mass we went back to the Hotel. Some went out exploring while others, including me, stayed back to check emails, etc.

We were back on the bus at midday and made our way to the ruins of Asclepieion which Hippocrates began. This was very interesting as the guide not only explained where the building stood and the different parts of the 'hospital' in relation to the Temple and main Altar, but he also explained Hippocrates' philosophy. I was able to draw parallels with what still exists today in the way doctors work with their patients. Many of the Greeks here pride themselves on their ancestors having invented everything but in this case the influence of Hippocrates on modern practices in medicine seemed obvious.

After this exploration, we then went back to the town square and had some lunch. We were in a small cafe and the waitress was Australian. She was from Sydney. After some more conversation she told us she was from Padstow. I told her I was from Maroubra and she said that her husband was from Storey St, Maroubra. Amazing how close we lived as we were growing up!

After lunch we then went had a look at the Tree of Hippocrates. This seemed to be a tree that had not been the same tree as the one that Hippocrates taught and advised from. It was way too young. The guide said that it was more likely to be a grandson or great grandson of the original tree!

We then walked through the Old Town. The boys went off somewhere while the girls did the only thing to do ... shop!

There were some cute little shops. We had a look in each of them to kill some time. They were all much the same. We walked down to the water and bought a drink and then sat there for a while enjoying the picturesque view. We noticed this lovely timber boat near us and at the back of the boat at the bottom there were three painted icons! This reminded me of the dashboards on the buses in Malta that are turned into a shrine dedicated to a Saint or even the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

We were having dinner at 5:30pm as we had to get down to the wharf by 7:30pm. We had dinner at Zorba's at the top square of the old town. This was a nice place to eat and we had a bit of fun as well.

We got down to the wharf and waited for the boat. It was a bit of a scramble to get on. There were trucks and cars getting off the boat, people with bags getting on and off the boat, a few dogs scrounging around and of course the military there protecting the boarders. This was all happening as the sun started to go down and I wasn't really sure what was going on. I just did what everyone else was doing.

We were on the boat for three hours. It wasn't a bad trip. It was just a shame that it was dark because it would have been nice to see the islands we passed.

We finally arrived in Patmos. The truck arrived to pick up our bags and then we walked to our hotel. At about 1:00am it was good to finally get into bed!