Ben and Mary

Arrived in Ephesus Turkey. First settlement before 400 bc. Mentioned in the Bible. Burial site of St. John the Baptist. Shrine to Mary. The Ephesus site has terrace houses where the Phenehians(?) lived in what I would describe as ancient townhouses, built on the side of a hill, they were stacked on top of one and other. Mosiac floors, the childrens rooms for example would have the design of a lion, the adult bedroom naked angels. All were remodeled to suit the tastes of the new residents, down the street was the Library of Celsus that contained an important tomb. A brothel was located between the terrace homes and the library. On to athens for 24 hours then heading home.... read more

Well internet access is slow to not available. So I'll take this opportunity to say that the weather has been perfect every day. Yes I did see David, and saw the most beautiful painting by Michelangelo. Our day in Rome was very long, and traveling in a bus with no air conditioning with those not well equiped to walk was only slightly frustrating, since there is nothing that could ruin this most exciting time. In Rome we saw the Panthion, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel with the fresco by Michelangelo. Walked down the steps that lead to and from the Pope's residence to greet visitors and into St. Peter's Square. Every night we recap the day's events with friends and new friends. We have had a few gatherings with others belonging to the U ... read more

A memoriable day in France. We were brave to travel on our own, first by cab to the bus station and then by bus for 30 minutes to Aix En Provence the home of Paul Cezanne and some more beautiful Churches. Marseille was seems very poor, a large student population, Aix En Provence called X by the locals had a beautiful main boulevard in the older section that had many great places to eat. At the Tourist Center in XS we found out that to save money, they had closed all the public bathrooms for the entire city, and since many of the buildings are 400 years old, that we should plan our day carefully. Well noted!!! Not sure the tourists or americans are great favorites. The cab ride home was exciting, with great difficulty we ... read more

Welcome aboard to Ben and Mary's Cruise. We landed safely in Barcelona after spending some time in Philapedephia in some rocking chairs. Jet lag was evident but after landing at 8am after a 7 hours flight from Philly, we heading out to check out the old Cathedral, the Sangria Familia New Cathedral and the old gothic area with narrow streets.... read more