Sirince or House of Mary - short port stop

[kate1970]

Hello:

 

I've been reading many thread but can't find the specific info I'm looking for. We have a port stop in Kusadasi from 7am-2pm so it's much less time than most posts I've read about. The following are a must-see for us:

 

- Ancient Ephesus

- Terrace Houses

- local traditional Turkish lunch

 

We also want to see either Sirince or House of Mary but we don't just want to do drive by's of everything. So, for those who have been to Ephesus, will there be time on this short port stop to do all of this. If not, which would you choose - Sirince or House of Mary?

 

Thank you.

[rmmbc]

I, too, will be in Kusadasi in a couple of weeks & we are only in port 7:00-2:00. I have a private tour set up & we are leaving at 7:30 and will be done at 12:00 or 12:30. We are going to Mary's house for 1 hour & then Ephesus & the Terrace Houses. I opted to do lunch on our own as I didn't want to go to any rug making demonstration/lunch stops. Our tour guide, Levent, said he will give us suggestions on where to go for a traditional Turkish lunch if we would like to do that before re boarding the Star. I will let you know how it goes.

[kate1970]

Thank you rmmbc. Looking forward to hearing how your tour goes.

[Slopoke15]

Hello:

 

I've been reading many thread but can't find the specific info I'm looking for. We have a port stop in Kusadasi from 7am-2pm so it's much less time than most posts I've read about. The following are a must-see for us:

 

- Ancient Ephesus

- Terrace Houses

- local traditional Turkish lunch

 

We also want to see either Sirince or House of Mary but we don't just want to do drive by's of everything. So, for those who have been to Ephesus, will there be time on this short port stop to do all of this. If not, which would you choose - Sirince or House of Mary?

 

Thank you.

 

I went on a 10 day tour of ancient sites in Turkey in early 2014. One of our stops was Ephesus. The excavated ruins are quite large and very interesting. The Terrace Houses are located within the Ephesus site, and an extra entrance fee was required to see them when we were there. If you hope to spend time looking at the various structures and the Terrace Houses, the time will pass quickly. I believe it is about a 20 or 30 minute drive to Ephesus from the port (each way). With such a short port stop, you may want to allow lots of time for Ephesus and the Terrace Houses, and then make a call on the House of Mary at the end (time permitting) since it is about 6 or 7 miles from Ephesus I think.

[cruisemom42]

To be truthful, I did not find either Mary's House or Sirince very compelling nor worth recommending. Sirince is quite touristy and mainly about shopping now -- of which there is plenty to be had in Kusadasi near the port. And Mary's House, well as someone with a historic/archaeological bent, let's just say it is a peaceful place and leave it at that.

 

I agree with the previous poster that if it is a short day at Kusadasi, I recommend spending your time at the outstanding site of Ephesus.

[John Bull]

Sorry, but I have to agree with the others.

 

Mary's house (which has a pretty dodgy provenance) is only about 15 minutes beyond Ephesus and consists of just one room (or is it two?). Difficult to justify a stop of more than ten minutes.

Most folk who go there incorporate it as an extension to a taxi or tour visit to Ephesus.

So logistically it fits ........... but logically it doesn't.

 

Sirince is up to 30 minutes further on from Ephesus (not the same direction as Mary's house) and not worth the journey unless you spend 30 to 60 minutes there. So it would eat way too deeply into your short day.

It's not a particularly interesting place to visit, most who go there are those who've been to Ephesus on a previous cruise to Kusadasi or Izmir and want an alternative to Ephesus

 

JB :)

[maryann ns]

dodgy provenance

is a great way to put it. I agree with the others. Spend your time in Ephesus and then any leftover time back in Kusadasi.

[hawkshoe]

Another vote for just doing Ephesus and the terrace houses. Skip the House of the Virgin Mary (unless you are very religious) and go enjoy a nice Turkish lunch.

[cruise kitty]

I'm one of the few here who enjoyed Sirince Village, (we were there in the off season, no crowds, the drive there was beautiful) but even I'm recommending that with such a short day in port, you skip it, & stick with Ephesus & the Terrace houses...

 

If you really want to go to one or the other, Mary's house will be less of a detour & constraint on your short time... my DD & SIL went, & while the is some great doubt that it's actually the former home of the Virgin Mother, they enjoyed it for what it was. :)

 

My best piece of advice is that if you are taking a private tour, have them pick you up by 7:30 at the latest... that's what we did & we had Ephesus to our selves for a good 45 minutes before the bus loads came. enjoy :)

[Hlitner]

Personally we would skip to the so-called traditional Turkish Lunch. Trust me that the Turks do not have "traditional lunches" as part of a tour group :). Kusadasi if full of all kinds of cafes/restaurants that cater to just about any taste. As to Sirence, once upon a time it was a charming Turkish village that opened its arms to tour groups. Like most places overrun with tours, the village quickly changed to accommodate the tourists and you can fill in the rest of the story. The last time DW and I were in Kusadasi (overnight) we rented a car and drove nearly an hour to a distant Turkisk town (called Tire) to visit their weekly market and enjoy a non-tourist place (we never saw another non-Turk) in the entire city. Tire was so different from places like Kusadasi and Sirence that is almost seemed like a different country. As to the Virgin Mary House, if you have a very good educated guide..perhaps they will tell you the history and known truth about the place. Did the Virgin Mary actually live at that location (the house is actually quite new and built on old foundations)? Maybe yes and maybe no. And as to the Catholic Church jumping on the bandwagon, they also have no real clue. But it is their best interests to embrace the place and keep a foothold in a country that is 99.9% Muslim. On one of our 4 visits to the region we hired an expert guide (for just the 2 of us) who had appropriate University degrees in both ancient history and archaeology. We think he probably got it right by saying that the "Virgin Mary" certainly lived in that region, and that particular site did make sense as an area that she would have likely resided. But as to whether that is the actual location, there is no proof. So you can take it on faith, or you can be a skeptic :).

 

Hank

[cruising in mn]

Hello:

 

I've been reading many thread but can't find the specific info I'm looking for. We have a port stop in Kusadasi from 7am-2pm so it's much less time than most posts I've read about. The following are a must-see for us:

 

- Ancient Ephesus

- Terrace Houses

- local traditional Turkish lunch

 

We also want to see either Sirince or House of Mary but we don't just want to do drive by's of everything. So, for those who have been to Ephesus, will there be time on this short port stop to do all of this. If not, which would you choose - Sirince or House of Mary?

 

Thank you.

Personally, I loved Ephesus AND the house of the Virgin Mary. We are not super religious, but it was a lovely, peaceful inspiring visit for us. We attended a small Catholic Mass there, and if I were to ever go back, I'd do it again. Walking through the home was very touching, and brought both my husband and I a bit of peace in our hearts. There was a cute place to light a candle just outside and say a prayer, there was a super cool wall to write a prayer on a piece of cloth or paper and tie it to this fence, where there were thousands of other prayers there. Also a great place to get some fresh blessed water from a natural spring that runs under the area.

It felt like it did when we've been to other places like Pearl Harbor for example. Of course its your call, but I truly believe its worth the visit :-)

[angeleyes27]

I have been to both Sirince and Blessed Mother house. If I could only do one, I would pick Blessed Mother House. Sirince was nice but mainly a shopping area with a bazaar. There are plenty of shopping areas and restaurants at the port. Blessed Mother house is a short stop about a half hour. It is in a pleasant area, just a small chapel and prayer wall. You can also take a small bottle of blessed water with you

[iancal]

We did a private tour. My in laws wanted to add House of Mary so we went.

 

Our perspective was that it was a tourist trap from start to finish. Good idea though by some promoter. We would have preferred to go back to the ship a little earlier.

[Wiltonian]

I didn’t find the House of Mary particularly interesting. Didn’t visit Sirince.

 

Agreed! Basically it relies for its fame on a legend which no Biblical scholar or early Church historian would believe to have any serious claim to authenticity. I really would use the time saved by not going there to stay longer in Ephesus. I write the above as a practising Christian - I'm not anti-religion.

 

Stuart

[Hlitner]

One problem with Kusadasi is that, over the past 2 decades, it has become a huge tourist attraction (think Disney). While the ruins at Ephesus remain one of the true wonders of the world (well managed) we cannot say the same for many of the other local attractions (think water parks, paved bazaars, tourist oriented village (Sirence), etc). Yes, it is a fun and wonderful destination, but it has lost some of its real Turkish charm. On recent visits we have found ourselves going far from Kusadasi (such as when we drove a rental car to the town of Tire) to get away from the Carnival atmosphere which comes when a city (Kusadasi) gets over 1000 cruise ships per year.

 

For those who have already been to Kusadasi and done the usual tourist stuff, we suggest moving away from the city on a subsequent trip. If ruins are of interest, consider a private tour (or rental car) that takes you to Didyma, Priene, and Miletus (3 different areas of ruins some distance from Kusadasi).

 

As to the Virgin Mary House (and we have already posted some thoughts on this place), the last time we were there it was a total zoo with long lines of school groups, cruise passengers, etc. All this for what JB properly called a site with questionable "provenance."

 

Hank