Turkey (30)

The bus collected us close to Selcuk (with cedille) museum and we drove up a mountain to Meryem Ana, the Virgin Mary's House (as legend has it), where there were soooo many pilgrims coming up there by the bus loads that there was no chance, whatsoever, for our bus to get to the near parking area. We had to stay in the far one and squeaze ourselves past the queuing buses further up the hill to the little house.

On the way there, big signs in all languages explain to the visitor in how far there is "PROOF" that this little house really was the last house the Virgin Mary lived in (and died in). Some signs were older, some newer, to offer information to the visitors from the nearer and also meanwhile the far! As in Far East, for example.

And while we still pushed ourselves in a big line towards the house, many were on their way back again already. Past the fountain, whose water is said to be "holy" (looked very much like normal tap water to me), and past the prayer wall to which you can fix your prayers written onto scraps of paper.

The queue was so that no one from our group (save one) wanted to really go inside the house. We were happy enough with taking the obligatory photo(s), and that was that. But whoever is interested in what I missed out on, here's a nice 5-minute video of it on YouTube by xlmajor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIG_oCn9n8o

OF COURSE, you could buy all sorts of more or less ... ahem ... tasteful souvenirs right on the site, too.