On Friday morning week took a ferry from the island of Samos, where we were staying, to the island of Patmos in the Agean sea.
The ride there was beautiful, and we even saw some dolphins just off the coast of Samos!
The main draw of Patmos is that John the Evangelist was supposed to have written the scriptural text of Revelation on Patmos in 95 AD.
With that beingsaid, Patmos has two monasteries and a cave exhibit dedicated to St. John. The cave exhibit did not allow photos, but the outside was quite beautiful.
This is supposed to be the cave where John wrote the book of Revelation.
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| The Cave of St. John |
After the cave we visited a monastery that was also dedicated to St. John. It was extremely interested to see all of the art and history that was contained within those walls. They even had one of the world's oldest manuscripts-a reading from the new testament.
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| On the top of Patmos. |
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| The view from the top. |
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| Our tour guide, Constantine. |
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| Bells |
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| The arch |
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| Ancient Frescos |
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| More Frescos |
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| Even More Frescos |
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| Beautiful |
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| The courtyard |
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| The Harbor of Patmos |
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| Crystal Clear Water |
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| We actually jumped in this! |
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| The Sun Setting on Samos when we Returned |
On Saturday we took a Ferry to the coast of Turkey to visit Ephesus. Ephesus was an ancient Roman city. According to the book of Acts the Apostle Paul spent many years in Ephesus, and even wrote a book to the Ephesian church.
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| The gap between Turkey and Ephesus |
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| Disney found us in Turkey! |
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| First view of Ephesus |
Ephesus was an ancient Roman city. According to the book of Acts the Apostle Paul spent many years in Ephesus, and even wrote a book to the Ephesian church.
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| A portion of the city |
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| One of the mountains surrounding Ephesus |
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Rebuilt columns
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| The original marble flooring is still present |
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| Ionic column |
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| Ruins framed by the mountain |
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| Well intact engraving |
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| Nike welcomes travelers into the city |
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| The demolished portions of a wall |
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| The Great Arena |
Ephesus was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. After we left we got a traditional turkish lunch and went back to port for shopping. The shop keepers at the bazaar were very push and forward, almost begging us to come in and give them our business. This makes sense because of their dependence on tourism for profit.
Our evening was finished off with a quite dinner in the neighborhoods of Samos.
Sunday was a rest and travel day. However we did take the time to look at some museums on the island. Some of the ancient artwork is depicted below.
We took a plane to get back to Athens and had some time to rest on Sunday night. Instead, we got together and played soccer and ultimate Frisbee on a nearby field. It was a great way to finish off the day.
Monday was orientation to The American College of Greece. Before that, however, we went to the Lakai Agora or the vegetable market that takes place in our neighborhood. The selection of fruits and vegetables was great. At orientation heard the president speak about the struggles of being an American college in a foreign country, and enjoyed a traditional souvlaki (meat skewer) lunch. After relaxing at the campus pool (which was wonderful) we made our way back to our apartments to prepare dinner for our weekly potluck. The dinner was great and it was nice to see everyone contribute.
Today is Tuesday and this evening I will be posting a blog about my first day of classes!
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