Using Kusadasi, Turkey, as a base, the group visited Aphrodisias, whose patron goddess was Aphrodite. It is a sacred site that dates to 5800 B.C. and is home to the most intact ancient stadium ever excavated in Turkey. The travelers went on to Pummakale to admire the white "cotton castle" cliffs, which were formed from eons of limestone-laden thermal springs depositing stalactites, potholes and mineral cataracts. The travelers swam in the same thermal waters that ancient peoples soaked in hoping for medicinal cures for every ailment imaginable. The next day was a stop at one of the most famous sites in Turkey, Ephesus, which is an important site in the history of Christianity. It was the Apostle John's final home, and Paul both preached there and wrote letters to the Christian community there that are included in the New Testament. The Ptolemys had visited Ephesus 10 years ago and noted that a lot of excavation and reconstruction has taken place since then. Giant shelters now protect the remains of six large, ornately decorated terrace houses.
Tonga RPCVs Roger and Andrea Ptolemy and Guatemala RPCV Rod and Lana Swearingen met up with three other couples, in Istanbul to begin a two-and-a-half-week journey in Turkey and the Greek isles
Once a seed for travel and discovery is planted, it germinates into a lifetime of journeys.
Caption: From left, Lana and Rod Swearingen and Roger and Andrea Ptolemy are on the pier in front of the 80-foot Turkish "gulet" (or yacht) they sailed on for two weeks through the Greek islands in May.
That certainly has been the case for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, also known as RPCVs, Roger and Andrea Ptolemy and Rod and Lana Swearingen.
The Ptolemys met while serving in the South Pacific island kingdom of Tonga, and Rod Swearingen spent his two years of service in Guatemala.
In May, the Durangoans met up with three other couples, four of them also RPCVs, in Istanbul to begin a two-and-a-half-week journey in Turkey and the Greek isles.
Using Kusadasi, Turkey, as a base, the group visited Aphrodisias, whose patron goddess was Aphrodite. It is a sacred site that dates to 5800 B.C. and is home to the most intact ancient stadium ever excavated in Turkey.
The travelers went on to Pummakale to admire the white "cotton castle" cliffs, which were formed from eons of limestone-laden thermal springs depositing stalactites, potholes and mineral cataracts. The travelers swam in the same thermal waters that ancient peoples soaked in hoping for medicinal cures for every ailment imaginable.
The next day was a stop at one of the most famous sites in Turkey, Ephesus, which is an important site in the history of Christianity. It was the Apostle John's final home, and Paul both preached there and wrote letters to the Christian community there that are included in the New Testament.
The Ptolemys had visited Ephesus 10 years ago and noted that a lot of excavation and reconstruction has taken place since then. Giant shelters now protect the remains of six large, ornately decorated terrace houses.
Ephesus was the home of the Library of Celsus, the third largest in ancient times, which once housed approximately 12,000 scrolls dating back to 1 BC. Unfortunately, most were destroyed in a fire started by arsonists.
After Ephesus, the group boarded an 80-foot Turkish "gulet," or yacht, for two weeks, cruising through the Greek islands between Turkey and mainland Greece. The vessel came complete with captain, talented cook and cabin boy.
It sounds like the way to travel, intimate and easy. The menu was classic Mediterranean, an abundance of fruits, vegetables and salads made with olive oil or yogurt, grilled chicken and fish and superb grilled lamb chops.
Island villages were brightly whitewashed with blue trim, bougainvillea bloomed and there were lots of Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries, goats and olive trees and crystal-clear waters. In other words, all of those movies and books don't lie.
The end of the trip took the Swearingens and Ptolemys to Athens. In addition to visiting some of the most famous ruins in the world on the Acropolis, they took a day trip to Delphi, home to the mystic oracle. A day admiring the ancient sculptures and artifacts displayed at the Greek National Archaeological Museum, among the finest in the world, marked the end of this journey.
There is no cure for the travel bug. As I am permanently infected myself, a story like this makes my passport look pretty tempting.
