Good morning, Kusadasi!
Today is one of Debbie’s favorite shopping ports. If you’ve never been here before, the must-sees are the ancient ruins of Ephesus, built in the 10th century BC, and the House of the Virgin Mary, a nearby pilgrimage site. Both are incredible, but the House of the Virgin Mary is truly special — it always gives us spiritual goosebumps. Christian and Muslim pilgrims visit the site, believing that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was brought here by Saint John and lived out her remaining years in this humble stone house.We’ve been fortunate to visit both sites on three separate occasions over the years. So now, when we’re in Kusadasi… we shop! Next to Istanbul — which can be a bit of a hectic shopping experience — Kusadasi offers amazing deals on clothing, handbags, shoes, and jewelry. They’re also well-known for their high-quality “cloned” merchandise!
I had to bulk up this morning in anticipation of being Debbie’s shopping-bag-carrying sherpa. So, I did it again — I ordered the delicious banana pancakes for breakfast! I usually only treat myself to them once per cruise, but today felt like a good exception.
We had such a fun day, and the weather couldn’t have been better!
We definitely shopped until we dropped. The merchants were in great spirits and ready to bargain, as their season winds down in just two weeks. We managed to pick up quite a few Christmas gifts—and, of course, a few things for ourselves too! I might have actually out-shopped Debbie today. I came away with pants, dress shirts, and t-shirts… which means I’ll definitely need to clean out my closet once we’re back home.We took a short pit stop for sandwiches and a cold beer,
then did a bit more shopping before I sherpa’d my way back to the ship with all the bags, leaving Debbie to continue browsing near the cruise terminal.The city was buzzing today. When we arrived, a small cruise ship, the Celestyal Discovery, was docked beside us. By the time we returned, it had been replaced by the Norwegian Pearl. The Viking Star and one other oddly named ship were also in port—it made for quite the busy harbor scene!As I write this, I have been back to the ship for an hour and Debbie has yet to return. I think she is trying to surpass my shopping today! I'll update you on her exploits later... Debbie returned thirty minutes after I wrote the above, with a really nice handbag!
We had a really nice dinner in the Sanctuary Collection Restaurant tonight. Stefan picked a great wine to pair with our selections.
For dessert, one of my favorites was on the menu—Black Forest Cake. We told Maribel that we were too full for dessert, but knowing it was my favorite, she asked if I wanted just a small portion. I relented and said yes. A few minutes later, she returned with a full slice of cake—along with a small spoon for Debbie and a tiny spoon for me. She smiled and said, “Use that tiny spoon for your little portion!” 🤣
