Day 12 – June 24 – Kusadasi to Patmos
It was an extremely early start to the day. The alarm was set for 4:30am for a 5:20am breakfast for 6am departure to the local ferry port. It would prove to be a long day but a delightful one nevertheless. We were leaving Turkey, reluctantly, although Julie and I will be returning to Istanbul once this current tour with the group concludes in a few days.
We queued for Passport control with all of our luggage (both Julie and I have large back packs, which Julie carried on her back for the first time). It was a small effort, but we finally made it to the edge of the dock with magnificent views out to sea, partly blocked by a magnificent ocean liner that had just berthed. There were jokes galore that this was ‘our boat’, until our boat turned up looking like a match-box in scale compared to a block of flats!
We had a four hour open sea voyage ahead of us on a boat akin in size to a fishing trawler. It was lovely at first but the time dragged a little slowly, without really comfortable seating. Once we cleared the magnificent fortress of Kusadasi and the sizable island of Samos, the open sea was quite rough, tossing our little boat like a cork. Some were sea-sick, many were ‘queasy’ while some were rather oblivious to the rolling seas. I was in the middle group, and found a bench to sleep for a while.
We had our devotional session on the boat, reflecting on Patmos and the ministry of the Apostle John, while being reminded that it wasn’t too far away that Jonah was swallowed by the whale!
Finally the beautiful Patmos merged into view with all its splendor of what we would expect of the Greek isles. We berthed. A bus was waiting to get us to our lovely Hotel with balcony views over Patmos.
It was at Patmos that the Apostle John (disciple of Jesus, author of the Gospel of John and the three epistles near the end of the New Testament) was exiled by the Emperor Domitian on the mid ‘90’s AD. By then John was living in ‘retirement’ in Ephesus but still active in Christian ministry and teaching. Domitian continued the reign of terror on Christians that began with Nero, and as a consequence exiled John to this otherwise beautiful island (a common practice) where he lived in a cave.
According to the Scriptures, it is here that Christ came to him in a vision, asking him to write what we know today as the book of Revelation in the Scriptures. So for Christians, Patmos is part of our Christian heritage and it is a place of pilgrimage for Christian people.
We had a free day which was very welcomed. Julie and I sat at a sidewalk café in a narrow lane for lunch before going in search for a place that hired push-bikes. On Patmos, the popular bike of choice is the motorized scooter, but for this author there was no alternative but a nice mountain bike with the massive mountain looming behind us in the centre of this small island, on top of which is the magnificent Monastery of in honour of the Apostle John (with his cave on the hillside).
Julie and I parted for the first time this trip. She went ‘home’ to sleep. I was on the bike and spent many pleasurable, sweaty hours exploring the island, especially the challenge of the 5km climb to the summit, when even the scooters could only go past at speed not much faster than me! On my way back around the coast I met my colleague and friend David Godkin who had also hired a bike, and we then shared another 10k exploring the coastline to the south of the island, including a coffee with a view of the beautiful harbor.
It was time to shower. Darkness descended slowly as we walked in a group back into the village of Skala (where we are staying) to a have Greek fish dinner at tables set literally on the sand at the edge of the Aegean Sea. It was a delightful end to a magnificent day. Walking home, Julie and I enjoyed the remains of the day with our friends, sipping the best hot chocolate that we have had for a very long time.
Tomorrow, we climb the mountain to the Cave of the Apostle, and spend quality time at the Monastery on top of the Island of Patmos. End of a great day!
Until then…
KRA
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