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Published: September 4th 2014
The library at Ephesus
Gate to the agora (marketplace) on right. In between waves!On the bus to Fethiye September 3, 2014
There is no doubt that Ephesus is absolutely stunning. The Turks with support from an Institute in Vienna and US money have been able to reconstruct some spectacular 2000 year old buildings.
We could get there via a pleasant 30 minute back country walk from our hostel. With the help an audio guide and guidebook we spent a happy four and half hours touring the ruins. It was an interesting comparison to Teos, a much smaller city with much less excavation and reconstruction. At one point we saw ourselves about to be engulf by a tidal wave of cruise ship groups (nearby Kusadesi is the fourth most popular stop for cruise ships in the Mediterranean). We did just what you do in the sea: we ducked down in the shade of a tree and 'held our breathe' until the hordes had washed over us. Then came up for air. They probably needed to be in Istanbul for lunch.
Unfortunately the Selcuk museum, where they are still adding to the collection, was closed for renovation. It would have been nice to see more about the
process of archeological investigation and restoration particularly through the ages. The site has been excavated almost continuously outside wars for over a hundred years. 85% still remains unexcavated. The most interesting photos were those of how the sites looked before reconstruction (basically buried piles of rubble).
Atilla's Getaway (www.atillasgetaway.com) was a great base. It offered simple twin rooms around a two tier swimming pool and surrounding lounge areas. Breakfast and home cooked dinners were part of the deal and it was a nice oasis to return to. You could see why they were an LP 'top choice'. It was run by three brothers and Carlos in particular provided great customer service.
On our other day in the area we discovered that the nearby town of Tire had its major weekly market. Imagine a small market town with all the many central streets closed to traffic, except for the odd scooter, and packed down every street with stalls on either side. It would have been nice to pick up a weeks supplies and this simply wasn't practical. We did restock on olive oil and honey and stuff for lunch today. Fresh blackberry juice was very
refreshing.
Many of the food stall owners were women from local villagers in head scarfs and pattern baggy pantaloon trousers often with a cardigan despite the 30+C heat. It was noticeable that the men, on the other hand, were congregating in the tea houses for a chat.
The town also specialises in a particular type of weaving and most fascinating of all felt making. In one shop you saw the process. The scarfs we saw being make had a silk or cotton base around which coloured wool wisp borders and patterns were added. Apparently Australian Moreno is preferred because it it is anti-allergenic. One shop owner claimed people got allergies to New Zealand wool. I am not so sure about that. The laid out piece was skilfully drizzled with olive oil and water soap and rolled into a special carpet. This was put in a machine that turned and thumped the carpet roll to press the pieces for an hour. Each piece was then trimmed before the process was repeated for another hour. We bought a piece and the owner told us, as we sipped his tea, how his dad and grandfather had not
had machines and the rolling and thumping process had been done by four men using their feet and knees for an hour at a time. You can see more of what they produce at the shops website at www.tireconkece.com. It was just our sort of place and and we spent the best part of 4 hours wandering round exploring every nock and cranny.
Tire on market day was a really contrast to Ephesus: just as many people if not more and not a cruise ship guide in sight.
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