Blogs from Ephesus, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East
Walking in the steps of Paul and John the Evangelist
Published: May 13th 2012Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Ephesus
May 13th 2012
Today was our first excursion and it was everything we hoped it would be. The ship docked in Kusadasi, Turkey, early this morning and we left immediately for three historical sites located about 45 minutes away. Driving through the countryside, both Bowen and I were pleasantly surprised (not sure what we expected) by the beautiful landscape. The hillsides were covered in green and the valleys were filled with crops and orchards. We saw artichokes growing for the first time. In the uncultivated areas, there were fields of wild bright red poppies, looking like someone had painted them in big bold patches. Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary, designated by the Catholic Church as the place Mary spent the last days of her life. On the cross, Jesus told Mary that the Disciple ... read more
November 18th 2011
My friend Alana is everything you could want in a travel partner, and in a human being. She is calm, cultured, and has an extraordinary ability to see everyone’s inner Buddha – and she couldn’t have come to Turkey at a better time. Weeks of traveling through new culture and old history had left me tired and overwhelmed. In Kaş, I hadn’t even been able to leave my host’s porch.I sat there for two days, looking out on the world, but taking no part in it. Within an hour’s drive were some of Turkey’s most famous sites: the tombs of the Lycian way, the sunken city of Kekova, and the 12-kilometer stretch of sandy heaven, Patara Beach. I didn’t feel excited about any of them. I only felt excited about Alana. After what seemed like endless ... read more
November 4th 2011
Finally, I can say I've been to Ephesus. And it was worth it all. I've seen ruins in Italy, Crete and other places but they still amaze me. Even though only 20% of the city has been unearthed, that 20% shows the advancements of the Romans and Greeks over 2000 years ago. Ephesus is one of 5 most important cities in the ancient world. With a population of over 250,000 at it's height, it contained one of 7 wonders of the ancient world and had the 3rd largest library behind Alexandria and Pergamum (which we see tomorrow). Like Troy (which we will also see tomorrow), Ephesus was built several times. Unlike Troy, it was built in different locations. The first was founded by one of Achilles' generals after the Trojan war. Legend has it he had ... read more
September 25th 2011
Today we flew to Izmir for a day trip to the cities of Ephesus, Selcuk, Sirince, and Kusadasi Selcuk was more of a stepping stone town to get to Ephesus; however, there were a number of old ruins in the city - including the representative remaisn of one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the burial site of St. John. Ephesus was the real treasure of the trip. This city was said to have been founded in the 10th century B.C. This archeological site can be compared to visiting Pompeii, it was once buried by layers of silt and sand, now uncovered and rediscovered it offers a glimpse into the lifestyle of ancient Roman civilizations. The entire walk of the city takes about 2 hours..a little more if you walk off the main path ... read more
September 1st 2011
Went to see the magnificent ruins of Ephesus near the Aegean coast. I spent three hours exploring the great Greek/Roman city. Just when I thought I was done seeing everything, there was another large section to explore. The August heat was pretty intense but luckily there were many concession stands right outside to get a drink or ice cream.... read more
From Artemis to the Virgin Mary, and Carpets made from Silk
Published: August 26th 2011Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Ephesus
August 22nd 2011
The Temple of “Artemis Ephesia” (the Ephesian Artemis), goddess of fertility, was known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. (Can you name the others?) Built in the 6th century BC, it was said by Plinius to have had 127 columns. It is thought to have been destroyed and reconstructed 7 times, a tribute to an enduring dedication to Artemis (and female fertility?) amongst the Anatolians. But now when you visit it, there’s just one remade column standing in a swamp, with a large white nesting bird in residence at the top of the pillar. Oh well, perhaps that is a living sign of fertility. After Ephesus had exhibited centuries of dedication to the Goddess Artemis, it is said that Saint John brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus and she lived out her remaining ... read more
August 19th 2011
After breakfast we drove to the ancient city of Ephesus which is one of the ancient wonders of the world. On the way we stopped at the house of the Virgin Mary. Outside there was a wishing wall where there were thousands of wishes written on scraps of paper and tied to the wall. Once we got to Ephesus we walked around for about an hour and a half looking at the ruins. We saw the Celcus Library, which was once the 3rd biggest library in the world. We had buffet lunch afterwards, then went to a leather jacket outlet store where they put on a fashion show for us which was totally hilarious but really entertaining. The store didn't really have outlet prices though, most of the jackets were nearly 1000 euro! In the afternoon ... read more
August 18th 2011
Ephesus was our main goal if we left Istanbul at all, because Phil was keen to see remnants of antiquity, and Annabel Murray had told us Ephesus shouldn't be missed. So our travel agent built Ephesus in to his grand plan for us. Leaving Cappadocia, we flew to Ismir, and the inherent merits of our tour arrangements became more apparent when we learned that we were being taxied, by ourselves, from the Izmir airport to the seaside town of Kusadasi, nearly an hour to the south along the coast, and delivered right to the lobby of our next hotel. What a luxury! And what a change from that first crowded hour in Istanbul going from the airport to the Sultanahmet in a train so crammed that Phil and Wai had to stand the whole way, bracing ... read more
August 17th 2011
Today we started out by visiting a carpet weaving centre. This I have to say was actually quite amazıng. The women that make these carpets are incredible, they can do up to 2000 knots a day to create these pieces of art. Aaron and I went in there thinkıng there is no way we would want one. But after seeing how much work goes into them and how gorgeous they end up.... we were seriously considering a purchase. But with the smallest available carpet costing NZD500 and the most expensive carpet costing NZD150000. We had to leave before we made a serious finacial faux pax! The next stop on this day was Ephessus. Ephessus is an ancient roman cıty that has been heavily excavated and restored. It truly was quite spectacular. They think it will take ... read more
July 15th 2011
Day 11: Upon disembarking from the bus in Selcuk we were escorted to our hotel. It was too early to check in so we left the bags behind the reception and sat and waited for our 0930 tour; that's right, no rest for the wicked. While we waited we met a brother and sister from Australia who were going on the same tour as us. After the bus ride, where no one spoke a word of English, it was nice to be able to meet new people without the problem of a language barrier. We introduced ourselves to Matt and Amanda and got to know each other for an hour and a half. The tour bus eventually showed up and we were on our way to Ephesus. The first thing you notice as you enter Ephesus ... read more
