House of the Virgin Mary, Mt. Koressos, Turkey

The full day optional tour started out bright and sunny, with temperatures in the high 80s. After breakfast, we boarded our bus for Ephesus, stopping first to see the house where the Virgin Mary was said to have lived. The Vatican had never weighed in publicly on the authencity of the house, but many people made this a pilgrimage based on their beliefs. Upon arrival, we joined the throng of tourists walking up to the shrine.

The house itself is quite small, there was an alter with the statue of Mary in the center. We were not allowed to take photos inside the house.

On the way out, we stopped to fill our water bottles with water from a fountain that was said to have micraculous power of healing and fertility. I did not need the fertility power, but healing is always good, especially for aching joints from traveling! The water tasted fresh, although I was skeptical of its healing powers.

Further down, another wall had pieces of tissue paper which visitors tied to as symbols of their wishes or intentions.