Revisit Great Historical Events from a Cruise Ship

Great! A private tour is the way to go. I know a terrific guide so that is why I was asking. We have used her twice. BTW nearby there is a totally spectacular local Turkish restaurant called Bizim Ev. We have eaten there twice and the lunch buffet offers like literally 20 servings of fresh authentic dishes. You won't be disappointed!

Bizim Ev Hanimeli restaurant looks great – thanks Larry! We were leaning towards Sirince Ocakbasi restaurant for lunch but the tour operator – Curio Travel – said our guide would help us pick a place. We always prefer to experience where the locals go rather than the tourist spots. We’re also visiting Corfu and Mykonos on this cruise so we’re hoping to learn the subtle differences between Turkish and Greek cuisine while in port!

Michael and Amy - what does your tour include?

Hi Jan. After living in Florida for 14 years and Las Vegas before that, August temps don’t worry us. Below is the itinerary for our tour. Subsequently we asked to add a visit to the Terrace Houses and they accommodated us without question.

Ephesus - Artemission Temple + Sirince Village + Traditional Turkish Lunch

Pick up at 10:15. Your private guide will meet you at Kusadasi port with a sign written “ Amy & Michael Madson “ on it. After greeting, we will have 20 mins drive to Ephesus area. We will start visiting one of the main highlights in Turkey, Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionian League (an ancient Greek district on the western coast of Asia Minor) is located near Izmir. As a port city it was a major departure point for trade routes into Asia Minor.

Walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus; it was built in the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. by Gaius Julius Aquila to be a memorial to his father Gaius Julius Celsus Polemanus, the proconsul of Province of Asia. , the Temple of Hadrian and The Grand Theater are two of the most impressive buildings in Ephesus. Grand theatre was built in 3rd century B.C and it was later expanded to 24.000 spectators by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. The theater was the place where St. Paul preached.

After visiting Ephesus, we will visit Artemission Temple where used to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. After Temple, drive up to the pretty old Turkish-Orthodox village Sirince, located on the top of a mountain, where anyone will enjoy the impressive wine yards' and peach trees'. The village has synthesis of Turk-Greek culture, where we visit mosque and Orthodox church. All the narrow streets of the village belong to the women, selling handcrafts of all kinds, olive oil. Another attraction of Sirince is its fruity wine: try its taste in small cafés. Drive back to Kusadasi town center and port.

Great! A private tour is the way to go. I know a terrific guide so that is why I was asking. We have used her twice.

Larry, we would also like to know the name of your tour operator in Kusadasi please. We'll be there in a few weeks. Thanks,

Our guide wasa gal named Oya Oran who worked for "Hello Ephesus" but freelances now. She is soft spoken and a virtual walking encyclopedia inre to the history of this site and probably Turkey in general.

We were there in late Oct. so weather was pretty nice then. I hope its not too warm for you Jan. I suggest to hydrate well and wear a hat or take an umbrella. Ephesus is pretty much wide open, no shade so hope for a nice day, maybe a little cloudy.

If you need Oyas services pls. let me know and I'll email her.

We've booked our Ephesus tour through ephesus.biz which was a tour operator that Rose recommended to me previously. They also had very good reviews, and allowed us to customize our excursion.

The 70th anniversary of D Day brings to mind a cruise we took 19 years ago. We were on the RCI 'Song of Norway' in the Med. It was a cruise put together by the U.S. Navy Memorial in remembrance of VE day in 1945. It was the 50th anniversary. Our ship hooked up with a Navy Destroyer out at sea and we were allowed to go aboard and take a tour. Wonderful trip. Our thoughts and prayers to all those who gave their lives during the invasion at Normandy and indeed all of WW2.

The 70th anniversary of D Day brings to mind a cruise we took 19 years ago. We were on the RCI 'Song of Norway' in the Med. It was a cruise put together by the U.S. Navy Memorial in remembrance of VE day in 1945. It was the 50th anniversary. Our ship hooked up with a Navy Destroyer out at sea and we were allowed to go aboard and take a tour. Wonderful trip. Our thoughts and prayers to all those who gave their lives during the invasion at Normandy and indeed all of WW2.

Thanks for posting this. I am right now watching the History Channel all about the D Day invasion, and got me wondering how many folks booked cruises this week to take part in the observances. My husband are now talking about doing a land tour next summer to visit Normandy as well as some of the other locations of the war.

Our thoughts and prayers to all those who gave their lives during the invasion at Normandy and indeed all of WW2.

We’ve done two Paris to the beaches of Normandy river cruises – incredibly moving – books and movies can’t begin to convey what happened. Everyone should visit this historic area if they can.

Still trying to get my husband on a river cruise to Normandy. In the absence of that, it'll probably be a land trip.