Back in Greece (Sort of)

Ok while technically I am in Greece there is a lot of water between me and Athens. I didn't get to visit everywhere I had planned to in Turkey because little did I know there is a huge (Christmas travel size) holiday in Islam that started today. The buses and trains have been busting at the seems and people are crawling all over one another for any available seat to get out and celebrate. Amazingly enough you will never guess what the holiday is for. Talking to a Muslim in a train station as I waited three hours for the next available bus I found out that there is a four day celebration of when (now get this) Allah stopped the hand of Abraham from sacrificing his son Ishmeal on the alter at Mt. Moriah. you read that correctly. In Islam it is believed that it was Ishmeal and not Issac that Abraham took to the alter at the command of God to sacrifice. It was Ishmeal that God stop Abraham from killing as that was his beloved son and not Issac. This was a but surprising to me when I heard it, but there are a lot of other stories that are a little twisited in the telling between Old Testament and the Koran. The gentlemen that was nice enough to share this with me was a very nice guy. He helped translate for me as I was trying to get a ticket on any bus heading out of Istanbul toward Ephesus, which ended up being a midnoght one to Izmir. But like I said everyone is out trying to catch any seat available for this holiday. I had wanted to hit a few more sites out east in Turkey but thought it best to get out of the country while I still could. I do have a flight to catch in Athens on the 26 and it has been taking about two days to get anywhere arounf here so I figured leave now or not at all. So I got to Izmir early about 10 am and caught an afternoon bus to Selcuk and walked the couple miles out to Ephesus and around the ancient city. I caught another late night bus for Bodrum and spent the night there. Bodrum has a old Crusader fortress built in the HArbour that I got a chance to visit in the morning before I caught the ferry out to Kos (where I am presantly). It was used by the Hospitaler Knights during their campaigns against the Muslims after the crusaders had been completely removed from the Holy Land. The Templars and Hospitaler Knights held several Greek Islands and they took Bodrum during a raid on the mainlands and fortified the city. The Sister castle on Kos was also a nice place to visit and have a short walk through history. Well as for me all things are well and I must say I am excited because of the travel situation I will be imprisoned on the Island of Patmos for four days what a tragedy. I hope you can read the sarcas in that. I get to spend four whole days walking over the Island where John wrote Revelation and sit in the cave where he worte it with the plans on reading it through. Thank you all for your prayers and interest. I hope to see you all when I return back to the states the end of Dec. God Bless each and everyone one of you.

oops almost forgo the links to the pictures

Istanbul 1
Istanbul 2
Ephesus 1
Ephesus 2
Castles of Bodrum and Kos