Day 21 - Izmir

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We headed out to Sardis today to see some Roman ruins. It was a nice drive out there as the Turks are no where near as crazy as the Egyptians on the road. We stopped first to see the temple of Artemis which was huge and after a picnic lunch supplied by Mummy we then headed over the road to the main complex which was really impressive. The ruins were quite different to the Egyptian monuments that we have been used to looking at. Everything smacks of a culture that did not have to dedicate all of it resources to food and war. We saw examples of toilets with running water, a swiming pool and piped hot and cold water, all quite amazing when you think that London did not have a proper sewer system until into the 1800's.

It is pretty hot here in Turkey and the sun feels harsher - probably because there is not so much pollution for it to cut through - and after a couple of hours going through Sardis we were ready for home. On the way back we had a look at Dad's road and bridge that he has built and saw heaps of grapes drying on the side of the road as raisins are a major export crop here.

The pace of our travels has slowed down somewhat with tiredness starting to hit us both much more than it did in Egypt. So far Turkey seems to be a fantastic place and we can't wait to see some more of it.

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