Didyma and Bodrum - Day 7

Monday, June 4, 2012
Today was a much more leisurely day as we did not need to get on the bus until 9am.  Belinda and Jeanne went to Mary’s House at 6:30am where there was a prayer service with some monks and nuns.  They picked up some peaches for Leslie at a roadside stand on the way back to the hotel.  Leslie and I ran into each other at breakfast and I accompanied her on a brisk walk along the Aegean.

Mary's House entrance after morning prayer.

Everyone boarded the bus at 9 and we headed for Bodrum.  On the way Mehmet found a post office to buy stamps for post cards.  Belinda, Jeanne, and Margaret had a great experience trying to buy overseas stamps in a local post office.  It was a challenge and the stamps are huge.

This is the Post office and Mehmet is peeling back the inside poster to reveal the cost of postage for overseas.  A phone call by the postal clerk resulted in this information.  Good job Mehmet.

Our first stop was to visit Didyma.  Didyma was built in the 7 BC and has the Temple of Apollo.   There is always a temple of Artemus nearby as they were twins. People would come to the Temple to visit an oracle.  To get there the road was closed but our resourceful driver found another way around the city to get to the site.

Tom 

Paul and a column

A double row of columns surrounded the temple.

The oracle would provide info to the Roman officials.

Carl and the column pieces.

Pieces left to be put together.

Another view.

The entrance to the area where the person would tell the temple priest the issue to be resolved.  The priest would take the question to the oracle.

We then ate at a local restaurant at noon.  The food was a typical Turkish buffet.  

We then headed off for a two hour drive to Bodrum.