Ephusus, Turkey + Delos, Greece + origins
Hello my friend!
The second and third excursions of our cruise were Ephusus, Turkey and Delos, Greece.
The tour guide for each of these tours was completely enthralled with their beloved country! It was evident in the details they chose to include and by the way they enthusiastically shared the wonderful stories of these lands.
In this drop, we'll visit both!
Best,
~Kimberly x
01.
Ephesus
Ancient Ephesus is modern-day Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey. It is located on the western coast of the country near the Aegean Sea. It was once a major Greek and then Roman city ~ known for its port, the Temple of Artemis, and its connection to Christianity.
While visiting Ephesus, we toured ancient ruins and were given a geography lesson that pointed out many of the cities of modern-day Turkey having connections to the origins of civilization!
Delos
The island of Delos (Greek: Δήλος, Dhilos, meaning "clear," or "brought to light") is one of the smallest islands in the Aegean Sea, and is in the center of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, off the coast of Greece. Delos was the most famous and sacred of all islands, since, according to the legend, it was the birthplace of Apollo-Helios, god of daylight, and Artemis-Selene, goddess of night light ~ in short, the birthplace of Light, which the Greeks always regarded as precious!
Since 1990 the entire island of Delos has been designated a World Cultural Property and is protected by UNESCO. There are no permanent residents, other than a few who are stationed there to protect the island from raiders.
Being immersed in all of the history of the different civilizations inhabiting and conquering and re-inventing society in these regions, over and over again, I was completely captivated!
02.
origins
Maybe it was the romance of the Mediterranean area, maybe it was the passion of our tour guides for their country, maybe it was simply allowing myself to be completely present in the moment to the stories, the myths and the legends ~ whatever it was, I can tell you that these 2 excursions transported me to another time of this planet's history as I walked the same streets in the archeological sites as those who lived there!
Our Turkish tour guide pointed out all of the cities that are now encompassed by Turkey that are well known for being recorded as the 'first'. For example, Çatalhöyük is considered by some to be the first known city, founded 9,000 years ago!
Our Greek tour guide pointed out that the Greek alphabet has also influenced other alphabets. Greek has profoundly influenced European languages through its vocabulary and the adoption of scientific terms. I asked her why Greek is not the universal language. She replied that Greece is a small country and not a powerful enough. Interesting!?!?
And I thought about it.
If in school we were taught the details about all of these wondrous civilizations of each continent of this planet ...
~ how different would this world be?
If we were taught about their lifestyle and inventions and contributions that have been adopted by modern society ...
~ how much less discrimination would there be?
If we really knew the origins of the concepts and advancements, we believe to be from 'my society' ...
~ would we be shocked to find out people with different skin tones, different religious beliefs, different countries altogether?
And wouldn't it be great if the intent was to look at it all thru the lens of curiosity and openness versus differences and distrust!?!?
The unexpected gift of travel...
When you are lucky enough to have the experience of learning about the culture from those who live there, you come away realizing that country, religion, gender, and skin color are far less important than the realization that...
* there is a common thread running through all of humanity,
* we have all learned from the accomplishments of those who came before us,
* we all share common desires,
* we depend on each other to evolve ... always has been and always will be!
p.s. Is there any way that I can support you? Simply hit reply to let me know or scheduling a chat with me!! :-)
p.p.s. Grab your copy of Do Mornings Differentley so that you can set yourself up differentley, to have a great day! Get it here!