March 29, 2023 – Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus)

We had a gorgeous sunset last night as we sailed towards Turkey.  At 6:30 am, I looked out our window and can see land.  Mountains that come right down to the harbor.  I remember Kusadasi from our last visit.  

We docked in Kusadasi, Turkey this morning.  It’s windy and cold, but the sky is blue and we’re excited to be here.  The water is a gorgeous turquoise color and choppy from the wind.  We got off the ship for our tour and were greeted by some Turkish dancers in folk costumes.  We got on our bus and greeted our guide.  Kusadasi was once a sleepy, little, fishing village.  It’s now a traditional Turkish town with vibrant markets.  Turkish are known for their hospitality.  We boarded the bus and headed out through the town and up a windy hill.  Fields of beautiful, pink flowering trees.  Peaches!  My mouth waters thinking of fresh peaches.  It’s spring in Turkey and their fruit trees are blooming.  Groves of olive trees with that pretty, blue-gray color.  Plenty of agriculture in this area with fresh fruits and vegetables.

In less than 30 minutes, we were in Ephesus!  We’re excited to see how much excavation has happened since our last visit.  When we left last time, I had this urge to come back with a shovel and help dig.  Lol.  We booked a slightly different tour this time because of something we saw on TV about the Terraced Houses.  

Situated on the west coast of Turkey, visitors come from all over the world to Kusadasi to lay eyes on Ephesus.  One of the most fascinating archaeological sites accessible to the modern traveler.  An Ancient Greek city, then a major Roman provincial capital.  By the 2nd century the population swelled to over 300,000.  Ephesus was a significant sea port and key trading port with Middle East.  Once a bustling, celebrated metropolis, a walk through the ruins features a series of glorious structures such as the Odeum, Celsus Library and the Roman Imperial Temple of Hadrian.  The fountain of Trajan and the Great Theater that seated over 25,000 and carries biblical significance as the location where Paul preached against the pagans.  Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus.  The book of Ephesians, in the New Testament, was his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesus had some very famous residents, including Cleopatra.  The Apostle John lived here after the Resurrection.  Mary, the mother of Jesus lived just outside Ephesus.  John died and was buried here in 98 AD and may have written the book of John here.  The Basilica of St. John was built by Justinian in the 6th century AD.  The enormous church built in the shape of a cross and constructed of stone and brick.  Today, just a marble slab marks John’s grave, a number of columns and colorful mosaics have survived.  Ephesus was destroyed by a mighty earthquake in the 6th and 7th century.  The harbor disappeared and it was no longer a seaport.  The once bustling, wealthy, city of Ephesus lie in ruins only to be excavated centuries later to see it’s hidden treasures.  Believe we were told, only 10-15% has been uncovered.  

We entered the city through the Magnesia Gate and walked down a marble road to the ruins.  Yes, we definitely recognize more excavation since our last visit.  As you look down hill, your eye goes directly to the Celsus Library.  We walk slowly and listen about what we’re seeing on each side.  There is a mosaic street that I remember and still cats wandering throughout and soaking up the sun here and there.  Makes you wonder, how long have these cat families been living here, right?  We see the Terraced Houses to the left, part way down the hill.  It’s completely covered by a protective enclosure so the elements don’t harm what they’ve uncovered.  We walk into the enclosure and you can’t believe what you’re seeing.  Original houses that are finely decorated with gorgeous mosaics and and colorful frescoes.  Yes, original paintings on the walls.  They had indoor plumbing (both cooling air and sauna’s).  You can see the original pipes in the walls that are hidden in the corners.  They had indoor toilets.  Nice kitchens and bedrooms with unbelievable mosaics.  There was an area with large sections of marble, broken into small pieces.  People would work these as jigsaw puzzles and once together, they would put them on the wall where they use to stand centuries ago.  The standard of living in this city was very high end.  Even the public toilets were nicer than some I’ve seen, including running water and place to wash.

We left the Terraced Houses and started down the street towards The Celsus Library.  We stopped along the way to look at columns, statues, carvings, facade of temples, remains of fountains, secret Christian markings, the sign of medical, the Olympic Wreaths, etc.  They carved divots in marble slabs in the street, poured oil and lit it at night to illuminate their way.  Rows and rows of columns that would have been covered by awnings as their marketplace.  Now we’re at the bottom of the street standing in front of the Library.  We walked up the stairs and turned around to look up the ancient street with the people walking down towards us and the Terraced Houses to the right.  Let your imagination go.  Rebuild everything in front of you.  Pickup all the chunks of marble that are toppled.  You can hear the fountains flowing, the market places busy with people, animals moving about and people dressed in the period adorned with their fine jewels.  The smell of different food and spices and the nice sea breeze because this use to be a seaport.  We turned left and walked through an arch on our way towards the theater.  We see columns lining the street.  To the left, many columns toppled over that use to lead down to the waterfront.  We see the Olympic Wreaths carved in stone by the road, suggesting winners of an important competition.  To the right, there it is, the theater where Paul preached to the Ephesians.  They seriously were not happy with him because he was preaching against the pagan gods that they were worshipping.  

Terraced Houses

We walked up a hill, looking back at the theater and more remains of temples.  We left the visitor’s area of Ephesus.  Just outside and up the hill, maybe a few miles, is the area where St John’s Basilica was built.  We are not going there this time.  We rode the bus back through the countryside to Kusadasi.  The town has expanded since we visited last.  We understand it’s popular with European’s for summer homes but there has been a large migration from other countries.  He mentioned people from Russia and Ukraine and there is no conflict between them.  We all know what is happening in the world right now between these countries.  We also understand because you live in a country, does not mean you agree with the decisions that the government has made.  Our hearts go out to them and also the people in Turkey affected by the recent earthquakes.  We were told it’s a thousand miles from here.  Turkey has always been affected by earthquakes, sadly.

We’re back in Kusadasi and going to watch the famous carpet weaving.  Turkey is well-known for their gorgeous carpets.  I recall last time seeing one I liked for $30,000.  We go into one of the shops and watch a woman weave a carpet, tying each knot by hand.  Depending on the material used (silk or wood), the knots per square inch, the intricate design used, of course, will determine the time to make it and the cost to buy it.  The designs are ancient.  They roll out one carpet after another as you admire their skill and handiwork.  Of course, as you watch, they serve you apple tea, wine or their national drink, Raki (similar to ouzo; made from grapes and aniseed).  Hoping most people drink raki or wine so they make more sales, is my guess.  I had a lovely apple wine in their nice little Turkish tea cup.  Bob, on the other hand, had raki.  Yes, he was the only one in our tour.  The salesman probably focused on Bob for a sale.  It was funny because he immediately approached Bob to make a sale and Bob pointed to me and said ‘Chief Financial Officer’.  Lol.  I raised my apple wine and said yes, I am interested in a wall hanging size, not a full size carpet and the sale was made.  Will be delivered to our home in 8-10 weeks.  I signed a contract and the back of the carpet to guarantee we receive the one we chose to buy.

We left the carpet store to go into the streets for some quick shopping before all aboard.  We’re looking for a simple t-shirt from Ephesus.  Lots of leather goods and signs for ‘genuine fake watches’.  Lol.  The people are anxious to see tourists again.  We find in many ports, we are the first back since Covid.  Turkish people are very hospitable.  When you go into a shop, they are happy to see you.  They want to know where you are from, where you are going and invite you to have Turkish tea and cookies.  As I mentioned, it’s cold today and Bob needed a scarf to keep his neck warm.  We found a store with a variety and a nice color.  Two nice men at the store invited us to have tea, so we did.  I introduced them to Groot.  They did not know him, but I said Guardians Of The Galaxy and they immediately googled the movie and saw him.  They said they would watch the movie now that they’ve met him.  Making friends everywhere we go!  We spent 20 minutes visiting and sharing tea.  On to another street.  We were really looking for souvenirs from Turkey.  Seems each store in this bazaar had Tommy Hillfiger and Prada.  The best souvenirs are the photos, the friends made and the memories.

Back to the ship. Love hearing all the stories of other passenger’s of how they spent their day and what they saw.  Many went for the famous Turkish Baths, known as a Hamam (middle eastern version of a steam room).  Bet it felt good today.  Ready for sailaway.  Watched as the big Kusadasi sign on the mountain grew smaller.  The water is just beautiful here.  

By the way, the most important meal of the day is breakfast.  A typical Turkish breakfast consists of slices of beyaz peynir (white cheese), honey, fresh tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, boiled eggs, clotted white buffalo cream (kaymak), and fresh Turkish bread accompanied by hot black tea.  Nice!

Jule Jule – goodbye in Turkish.