Silversea Cruises Comes Ashore To Bring Music To Ancient Aegean Ruins

Forbes

a day ago

For cruise ship lines, providing an outstanding passenger experience on-board is job one. Because of this focus, shore excursions are typically handed off to trusted vendors, who pick up the passengers near the dock and transport them to the bus tour, bike ride, restaurant tasting, museum or other activity.
But sometimes, cruise companies put together their own special events for guests. We experienced this on in an ancient amphitheater on the west coast of Anatolia, modern-day Turkey. Silversea put on a concert and special event for its passengers at the ancient city of Ephesus that blended the best in ancient and modern culture.
At the end of April, my wife and I took a Silversea Aegean cruise from Athens to some storied outposts of Greek civilization, including Rhodes, Crete, Mykonos and Ephesus on the Turkish coast. I had been somewhat concerned about visiting Turkey with the turmoil in the Middle East but felt secure on our one-day visit.
Ephesus is on the west coast of the Turkish mainland, about 11 miles from the present-day resort and port town of Kusadasi, the 'place of birds.' Ephesus is considered one of the most significant archeological sites in the world.
Once a thriving port city, Ephesus is thought to have been originally settled around 1200 BCE, towards the end of the Bronze age. From its Greek founding to its Roman take-over, its thousands of meters of stone blocks, column and tiles tell a compelling story of families and empires rising and falling.
A walk along its long stone road takes you past the Library of Celsus, a well-preserved library with a reconstructed façade (no books, of course), and the Roman Temple of Hadrian from the 2nd century, put back together from fragments.
Ephesus is primarily known as a Ionian Greek city, but it was later conquered and rebuilt by the Romans. For many years a major city in Asia Minor, Ephesus was an important city for early Christianity, as the apostle Paul's 'Epistle to the Ephesians'
I found the Terrace Houses, a complex of six Roman residences, fascinating. The wealthy homes were unrestored, but the unearthed mosaics and frescos were beautiful. Excavations showed that Ephesus boasted two agoras, one as a marketplace, the other for state business.
Ephesus also includes the remains of the Temple of Artemis (or Diana) a huntress and goddess of fertility. The temple was built by Croesus, famed for his wealth, about 550 BCE. This Greek and later Roman temple was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World for its enormous size and magnificent artwork. It was destroyed by invading Goths in 262 and never rebuilt.
The area also includes the Basilica of St. John, believed to be the burial site of St. John the Apostle, and the Virgin Mary's House, thought to be the last residence of Mary.
The ancient city also had a Great Theater on the slope of Mt. Pion. The theater was 100 feet high and held up to 25,000 people. Much of the theatre survives. If you look at it, then close your eyes, you can imagine actors on the stage, a gladiator battle, or even the Apostle Paul, preaching to the Ephesians condemning pagan worship.
We spent four hours on an expertly-guided tour of the area during the day, dodging the occasional stray cats and dogs. The Ephesus Museum just outside the excavated city held many of the artistic and sculptural treasures salvaged from the ruins, kept safe from local tombaroli inside.
As part of our tour we walked by the Odeon of Ancient Ephesus, also known as the Small Theater, without paying too much attention. What we did not realize that the Odeon would be the site of a classical concert, staged by Silversea under the stars and amongst the ruins.
After the tour, we had a couple of hours on the ship. We were running late for our show, but as in exclusive restaurants, the managers would adjust the dining schedule to accommodate guests. We arrived late for dinner at 6:40PM as we had to run out for the Silversea concert at Ephesus at 7PM. Nonetheless, the crew managed to feed us a mahi-mahi and a healthy stuffed cabbage along with a beautiful Caprese salad.
Well-fed, we disembarked to the buses with our fellow 21st century voyagers. We returned to the ancient city as the light started to fail.
In the ruins of Ephesus, well-dressed 21st century passengers departed from their advanced cruise ship, equipped with the most modern technology for navigation and passenger comfort. They were guided by Silversea employees to a spot for a photograph that would later be presented to them as a beautiful print.
A few steps away Silversea crew had set up a red-carpet reception with wine and snacks. After we drank and walked among the ruins, we were ushered into the Odeon. The intimate crowd of about 100 fit snugly on the lower level of an amphitheater built for 1500. The Odeon was built in the 2nd Century for musical events and meetings of the aristocratic council.
We sat on the stone benches in the gathering darkness, like audiences had for 19 centuries. In front of the steeply raked seats, a group of smartly-dressed musicians from Turkey played the music of another century, the greatest hits of Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi and other classical composers.
Flickering candles revealed the shapes of columns and stone walls as they provided light for the intimate concert in the ancient city.
'At Silversea, we're focused on creating memorable experiences that let our guests explore the world in new and exciting ways,' says Bert Hernandez, president of Silversea. 'Whether it's exploring historic sites or enjoying exclusive events through our unique land programs, our broad land experience offerings bring guests closer to the heart of every destination.'
The concert was romantic and special. In the chill of the evening, we held hands and headed back to the ship, lost in our thoughts.