Blogs from Ephesus, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East - page 6

Arriving in Selçuk we waited patiently at the bus stop for our 'ride'. When an old, beaten up car zoomed at breakneck speed through the car park and came to a halting, handbreak stop I pulled Phoebe closer to me and looked the other way. Out came Tom (although I'm sure that's his English name) who said he was here to take us back to our accommodation. Despite the crazy driving (which did tone down once we were in the car), our host Tom was a really nice guy. As we drove through Selçuk he pointed out all the main features of the city, including an aqueduct built during Roman times that runs through the town and serves as a nesting spot for storks who build their huge nests on top of the pillars. I immediately ... read more

Ephesus was a major trading centre in the pre-Christian era, and on an important trade route. As a port city it offered, in addition to business pursuits, brothels, theaters, temples and one of the world's largest libraries. Plus a huge shopping street (the Arcadian Way) apparently offering goods from throughout the Mediterranean. In pre-Hellenic times it was the cult centre of Cybele, the Anatolian goddess of fertility. Seafaring Ionians arriving in the 10th century BC re-purposed her as Artemis, goddess of the hunt. By the 2nd century BC, Ephesus had become the capital of the Roman province of Asia and Artemis had been renamed Diana. Ephesus eventually became Christian, but of course not without a struggle. My guidebook notes: The Gospel of Luke recounts how the city's silversmiths drove St. Paul out of Ephesus for fear ... read more

We were in the post of Kusadasi where we left for Ephesus by tour bus. Ephesus was originally established as a port, however the water's edge has long disappeared. It also was once a major trade center for the ancient world thus we did not know exactly what we would see at the site. The trip from Kusadasi to Ephesus was approximately 30km or 18 miles. Ephesus is strictly an historical site so don't travel there thinking there will be "bright lights and late night entertainment". The town has a lot of areas that are simply amazing in terms of the town's layout and the facilitys the citizens enjoyed. The toilets which you will see across from the library were arranged side by side with slaves sitting on the cold stone seats and heating them before ... read more

Onward from Istanbul… Dan and I are currently bumping around in the back of an overland truck- ripping through the Turkish countryside and chugging up and over a few mountain passes… believe or not some of the mountains are even snow capped. Turkey thus far has been a great experience. After leaving Istanbul, we visited the battlefields of Gallipoli and learnt a lot about the valiant ANZAC (Australian & New Zealand) troops that fought against the tenacious Turks. Many lives were lost on that small peninsula and it was a moving experience to learn the history and about the courageous fight put up by both sides- a grim reminder that no one side actually wins in war. Since then we have visited the ancient ruins of Troy and let our imaginations take us back to a ... read more

At our hotel we met and became friends with another American and her two boys. She moved to Istanbul a year ago and is teaching at a Turkish prep school. She is a fountain of information and her command of the language is amazing. Together we went to explore Efes and had a great day. Efes is remarkable. Not just the ruins (which are spectacular) but also the information that is readily laid out along the way. Other ruins we've scrambled around with guide book in hand. Here we had our guide book but also the clearly marked descriptive signs. The place is huge. First you have to stroll through a sea of tourist stands and the beckoning merchants. There are restaurants, even a gelato stand! And Nancy and Celia, I did resist! It is an ... read more