After our first night aboard Sea Cloud for this voyage, we prepared for a leisurely morning of sailing toward the port of Didyma. Though the winds were light, we made some progress, during which we were briefly joined by a dolphin off the port bow. Guests were eager to test some new photography techniques explained by photo instructor Max Seigal during a morning training session, and views of the ship’s crew high in the rigging did not disappoint.
Later in the afternoon, we boarded tenders heading to the port of Didim—ancient Didyma—and arrived at the famous temple in the afternoon. This stunning Ionic temple, built in honor of the god Apollo during the Hellenistic period, was one of the largest temples in the ancient world, although it was never fully completed. The oracle here, one of the most important oracles after that at Delphi, was in regular use until the 4th century A.D. As we contemplated the inner courtyard of the ancient temple, within which the foundations of a later Byzantine church are preserved, the call to prayer broadcast by a neighboring mosque reminded us that Asia Minor has long been an intriguing blend of peoples and cultures.
