Blogs from Kusadasi, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East
Ancient Ruins, Calcium Baths, Partying in Kusadasi and Bursa
Published: May 2nd 2012Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Kusadasi
May 1st 2012
After a joint bus and ferry trip we arrived in Kusadasi and were lucky to check into a very nice hotel with one of the best buffets I have ever seen. After shovelling down three plates of food and excessive amounts of dessert (my motto is the more you eat the cheaper the buffet is) we both fell into a coma. We awoke the next morning ready to explore the ancient Roman city of Ephesus one of the best preserved ancient cities in Turkey. The remains very clearly tell the story of the people who lived there. We took our time walking through the entire city looking at the amphitheater, temples and toilets... Later in the afternoon we visited a carpet village to learn how carpets are made by hand, what determines their value and the ... read more
Chapter 4 - DAY17 - Greek island Cruise (Day 2)
Published: September 26th 2011Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Kusadasi
September 23rd 2011
TURKEY - EPHESUS Overnight the ship sailed from Mykonos to the Turkish port of Kusadasi. It was quite exciting for us stopping in Turkey, another very different country. We took the optional excursion to the ancient ruins of Ephesus – we walked down a street that was almost 3000 years old! Streets that were walked by John the Baptist, Marc Antony and Cleopatra, it was all a bit surreal. Again we had the services of a very knowledgeable local guide who gave us an excellent description as were walked from the top of the site to the bottom. Near the end we walked into the amphitheatre which was just amazing. A number of pop stars including Elton John had played there – those concerts must have been an incredible experience for anyone who attended. THE most ... read more
Phil's birthday and the seaside at Kusadasi
Published: August 27th 2011Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Kusadasi
August 27th 2011
Phil's birthday sat within a broad penumbra this year, starting with our roof terrace dinner in Istanbul (maybe starting with the entire Turkish holiday) and continuing on through our time in Kusadasi on the Aegean coast. On the actual night of the 23rd, tired as we were from scrambling over ruins all day, we set out to do something special and had a long, long walk around the hills and coastline of Kusadasi. I managed to relocate a lovely courtyard cafe/hotel I'd spotted the day before, so we sat amidst the flowers and the long view down to the town, and enjoyed a large bottle of Efes beer each, celebrating Phil at 73. We later found out that the Turkish beer is called Efes because it comes from Ephesus and has done so for centuries. Eventually ... read more
July 5th 2011
We left Ankara today heading towards Cappadocia. It is a good thing we were well rested from our stay in Ankara, because these first two days on the road were going to be packed with so many new, unbelievable sights with little time left for sleeping. The first stop we made was at Dead Sea Lake to walk on water. Supposedly, when the water level is just right, it looks like you could be walking on water. The water was too high, but it was still cool to be out there, although it was tough on my feet. Next, we visited the Kaymakli Underground City. This underground city was carved out by the early Christians as a way to hide for months if needed. There are several underground locations around this area of Turkey, and the ... read more
June 6th 2011
I got up and finished packing my stuff up that had magically exploded out of my backpack that night, then went down for the free Turkish breakfast (not quite as good at the Apricot Hotels, but it still covered the basics : tomatoes, olives, cheese, cucumber, yogurt, rose hip jam, tea, etc) then it was on the road again! We stopped at Troy which my Dad said would be a complete waste of time since it’s just a bunch of stones and you have to use your imagination. I actually found it kind of interesting with there being 9 Troy’s since they had to rebuild after disasters. At one point we were all standing and looking at a couple walls that were labeled with which one was from which Troy and there was a PVC ... read more
April 11th 2011
After a good night sleep and a very nice breakfast we set off for a visit to the ancient Roman city of Ephesus. What an incredible place it must have been two thousand years ago. This was the first time we experienced the real tourist crowds. Thankfully it wasn’t the height of summer when it gets very crowded and very hot. This day was pleasantly warm. Like many of these ruins it is still a work in progress uncovering the wonders of the ancient world. The information we are getting from a very passionate tour guide, Tibet, is greatly appreciated. How she remembers all the details of these ancient cities and the names of famous people who lived during the glory days of the Roman Empire we don’t know, but we are full of admiration of ... read more
October 15th 2010
Quick, who is the Goddess of love? Yes, you are right. It was Aphrodite and she had a city built in her honor. Aphrodisias is the ancient city that the first settlers lived in 5000 BC and continued to live in until 1100 AD. Once the city was abandoned, dirt slowly covered the city (and a few earthquakes helped as well) and today it is under excavation in Turkey. I had the privilege to walk around and see this amazing city. What’s most impressive is the Greek sculptures left behind. I saw sculptures of Achilles and the City of Troy prince; the mythological gods and goddess. I stood on stage of the theater and sang a song with a fellow traveler wondering who stood in my spot a thousand years ago? Three thousand? Exciting, yes indeed. ... read more
October 15th 2010
I wondering if that expression, "he gave me the evil eye" stems from the Turkish Evil Eyes. I know they also have the same eye in Greece since it was all the same culture for centuries. I suppose logically it makes sense. I remembered today I forgot to include some pictures of the Evil Eye. The eye is everywhere, above wall and in jewelery. Also, the former leader Anaturk who really did a lot for this country is everywhere. He is on every street corner. When we leave, I will miss not seeing him. Without ado, here they be. ... read more
August 3rd 2010
After 4 days and 3 nights enjoying Mykonos island it was time to say our goodbyes... it was good times and mixed with a few bad ones... but in total it was an amazing experience... I did told my friend Arlene it's just impossible for me to live there for the whole summer because I know I'm going to die early... with their crazy partying and insane drinking... not only my health will start to deplete but also my wallet... so I would say it was a bitter sweet goodbye... although it's one of the places I'd definetely go back to.... Off we go to our cruise ship... it's my first time in a internaional cruise tour and so far I'm liking it. The boat itself are curently hosting 1000+ people... it's not the biggest but ... read more
May 23rd 2010
We've made it to Turkey and docked at Kusadasi on the Agean Sea. We took a tour bus to the ancient city of Ephesus about 30 minutes away. This was even more impressive than Pompeii and we loved that city. Ephesus, was so advanced they had a 3 story library with 25,000 papyrus books, bathrooms (yes in deedy), shopping areas, theatres (no dolby sound however), this was a huge city of 250,000 people. We could have stayed all day but we were thankful for the 2 hours we did get. This is not to be missed if you get to this part of the world. We next saw a carpet making demonstration. Silk on silk, 600 knots per square inch and it takes a woman (yep, they said only women do this in their homes and ... read more
