Apparently, as the story goes the Virgin Mary spent her last days on a hilltop in coastal Turkey. I don't know where Joseph was, but apparently this was a non issue for everyone and to ask might have sounded a bit mocking and flippant. The road up to the house is winding to say the least! It is also narrow and has really steep sides, which freaks you out in a high bus.
The house itself is yet another stone walled cottage, that is now a church or more of a shrine. It has this whole gingerbread house thing going for it, with the way the stones are cut and put together and it was as cold as a Grimm Brothers fairytale! The wind had whipped up and is was sort of drizzly rain, so it didn't really make me think 'rockin' choice to live out you arthritic years, Mary!'
Plastered all over the place out side the house/church/shrine was signs clearly saying no cameras, no cellphones, no talking and just inside the first door to a small foyer was a very intense looking sign that ordered 'SILENCE!' We were pretty silent as we entered the next part (apart from Ian sneezing, that is) and to the right just inside the door was a nun. What was the nun doing in the house of the Virgin Mary? Was she praying? Was she meditating to get closer to God? Was she pondering the meaning of life, with her head bent low over her hands.........no. None of these...she was on her mobile phone!! Texting, or updating her Facebook page, I couldn't tell.
It took all my Control not to whip out my camera and snap a photo! I did however shoot my eyes to whoever caught my glance, so others could see! As the rest of our group came in, the noise increased ever so slightly with a few murmurs, to which the texting nun turn and gave her best dictatorial glares and gave a stern 'shhhhhhh!!!'
A little Catholic irony deep in the hills of Turkey?
The house itself is yet another stone walled cottage, that is now a church or more of a shrine. It has this whole gingerbread house thing going for it, with the way the stones are cut and put together and it was as cold as a Grimm Brothers fairytale! The wind had whipped up and is was sort of drizzly rain, so it didn't really make me think 'rockin' choice to live out you arthritic years, Mary!'
Plastered all over the place out side the house/church/shrine was signs clearly saying no cameras, no cellphones, no talking and just inside the first door to a small foyer was a very intense looking sign that ordered 'SILENCE!' We were pretty silent as we entered the next part (apart from Ian sneezing, that is) and to the right just inside the door was a nun. What was the nun doing in the house of the Virgin Mary? Was she praying? Was she meditating to get closer to God? Was she pondering the meaning of life, with her head bent low over her hands.........no. None of these...she was on her mobile phone!! Texting, or updating her Facebook page, I couldn't tell.
It took all my Control not to whip out my camera and snap a photo! I did however shoot my eyes to whoever caught my glance, so others could see! As the rest of our group came in, the noise increased ever so slightly with a few murmurs, to which the texting nun turn and gave her best dictatorial glares and gave a stern 'shhhhhhh!!!'
A little Catholic irony deep in the hills of Turkey?
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