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EPHESUS( KUSADASI)
This morning marks your entrance to Türkiye. As you sail in, you’ ll glide past a 16th-century castle built on the orders of Ottoman corsair Hayreddin Barbarossa. Just before you set off for the day, listen for the sunrise call to prayer from Kusadasi’ s mosques.
Most visitors come to this resort town to get to Ephesus, an awe-inspiring Greek and Roman city. You’ ll begin your exploration at the top end of the UNESCO World Heritage site, peering into the remains of baths, banks, shops and temples. Don’ t miss the Terrace Houses— these impressive villas once housed Ephesus’ s great and good. Decadent mosaics depicting life’ s luxuries hint at their charmed existence.
The walk culminates at the grand Library of Celsus( built in 110 C. E.)— which was the third-largest library in the ancient world— while the adjacent theater provided Ephesus’ residents with entertainment. En route back to Kusadası, stop into the Archaeological Museum, which features intricate statues of the hunting goddess Artemis. Hungry after all that learning? Some shore excursions feature lunch at a family home, where you’ ll be treated to Turkish hospitality at its most generous.
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MYKONOS
This legendary island is so much more than DJs and dance clubs. Tenders take you directly into Mykonos’ s old fishing harbor. Start by walking across the town’ s crescent-shaped beach to Little Venice, a neighborhood known for its rainbow of balconies jutting over the Aegean, Cycladicchic boutiques filled with crocheted clothing and, naturally, glamorous cocktail bars.
Uphill stands a trio of whitewashed windmills, which provided Mykonians with flour. Take a food tour with a local guide to try some crowd-pleasers: Mykonian cheese and onion pies, juicy souvlaki and fries enveloped in pita bread, all washed down with aromatic ouzo.
For a history fix, visit Delos— the mythical birthplace of Apollo and, according to ancient poet Callimachus,‘ the most sacred of all islands’. Highlights of this low-lying isle include a sixthcentury B. C. E. holy spring, a terrace filled with lion statues( one is missing— look for it on top of the Venice Arsenal after your cruise), and the mosaic-filled House of Dionysus. Upon your return to Mykonos, take part in a mosaic-making class, where you can design your own Dionysusinspired decoration.
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Clockwise from above: Boni’ s Windmill in Chora, Mykonos; Little Venice in Mykonos; a church near Ano Mera, Mykonos; street decorations in Kusadası, Türkiye; the Library of Celsus in Ephesus |
images: awl images; getty |
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