Kusadasi, Turkey

Until I booked my cruise in 2005, to sail in 2006, I'd never even heard of Kusadasi, Turkey before. But I quickly came to learn that Kusadasi is the gateway to the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, whose ruins today are among the best preserved of any ancient Greek city.

Like Pompeii, Ephesus used to be a port city with the harbor running right up to the gates of the city. However, the water has receded and the harbor now lies many miles west of the city. When Ephesus ceased to be a harbor city, it spelled the demise of the power of the city.

What started as a Greek city eventually became part of the vast Roman Empire. In fact, Ephesus was the gateway to Asia for the Roman Empire. Ephesus is famous for being a city in which both Mark Anthony and Cleopatra are purported to have visited.

One of Ephesus' start attractions is the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Other attractions are the Temple of Hadrian, the Amphitheater and the gorgeous Library of Celsus. At one point in time, the Library of the Celsus held more scrolls and literature than any other library in the world. Today, its facade has been beautifully reconstructed to its original grandeur using all original pieces.

The amazing part about Ephesus is that when you visit the site today you get a sense for just how vast the ancient city was. However, what we can see when we visit is only 15% of what is believed to be the entire city. The remaining 85% has yet to be touched and still remains buried.

Seeing thousands of years of history in front of your very own eyes is awe-inspiring, to say the least. It gives you a greater appreciation for the study of history and archaeology, and an appreciation that much of what we have in our lives today, and the rules, laws and lifestyle we lead were in many ways influenced by these ancient cities.

This year, on my cruise, we will once again be calling on Kusadasi. I'm still a bit undecided as to whether or not I will go out and visit Ephesus again. I will admit that when I first realized that our cruise was going to Turkey 3 years ago, I was hesitant about what I would find. However, when I left, I was struck by the wonder of the ruins. I was more than pleasantly surprised by this stop on our cruise and I look forward to what my visit this year will bring.