We left our beautiful seaside view and drove up to a village in the hills. The bus dropped us off at café (with a water closet). From here we began a steep climb on narrow cobblestone streets to the edge of the village and the site of the acropolis (high city) for ancient Assos. At the highest place on this hill, overlooking the Aegean Sea, we walked through the ruins of the temple to Athena.
Looking down towards the water, we saw a cove where the harbor of the ancient city of Assos was, the place were Paul docked. We could also see the ruins of the city—the place where Paul spoke to the people, telling them about his personal encounter with Jesus the Christ.
Leaving the hills, we drove along the coast and through olive tree country. It is the end of the harvest season, so we saw no one beating the trees or catching the olives with a sheet. We, did, however, visit an olive oil factory and olive oil museum. I bought several souvenirs there.
Next we drove to Pergamum for lunch and then to the ruins of the ancient city. We saw the city walls, the cistern, the arsenal, and the library complex (which housed over 120,000 parchment scrolls). It was at Pergamum that parchment was invented. We also saw a most impressive theater. Built into the side of the hill (as were most all Greek theaters), its width and depth was mind-boggling to me.
After leaving the acropolis, we drove toward Pergamum where the ruins of the ancient healing center of Asclepion is. Here we saw the patients slept and reported their dreams (an integral part of diagnosing and treating illnesses here), the hospital where they were administered medicines, the courtyard where they heard lectures on how to stay healthy once they left, an altar, and sarcophagi (evidence that not everyone who came here was cured).
After leaving the Asclepion we stopped at a gas station/market to fortify ourselves for the 3 your bus ride to Kusadasi. I chose Turkish chocolate candy and chocolate candies—go figure. One of the sitting areas in our hotel in Kusadasi has a fireplace and a view of the marina. How relaxing!
Click here to see more pictures of this part of our trip.
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