Alrighty - we have another big one - one of the two stops on the itinerary that really sang to Hubs and me: Ephesus.
I love the book of Ephesians in the Bible - I can't believe that I could give the opportunity to my children to walk on the same streets as those who have come before - and to see the very first types of icthus icons engraved into the marble all these thousands of years later.
I. N. C. R. E. D. I. B. L. E.
We arrive at the "new" port city of Kusadasi. It's slammed into the mountainside, just like much of the eastern Mediterranean. There is a large statue of a man on the hill - we come to later find out is OttoTurk - and he's quite the revered fellow.
We see Turkish flags and dancing Turks upon walking up the pier - but for the most part, it looks like every other port town we've seen. Ships, cargo, people, water...repeat.
We board a bus with an amazing tour guide. She's a civil engineer up in Izmir (Smyrna), and she does this for fun. She's about 60 - knows everything and is quite the congenial lady. Her name is Roza and she refers to us all as her rosebuds as we wander through her tour.
The bus heads up the coast and turns inland. Roza explains that Ephesus used to be the port 2,000 years ago. However, silt from the mountains came down the river and began to settle - causing challenges for incoming ships. The silt created marshland...which brought in mosquitos and malaria...and Ephesus was abandoned.
We overshoot the entrance by about 1/2 mile and turn up towards the top of the city. I sigh with relief...we'll walk downhill, not up.
Hallelujah.
We disembark, rosebuds following like ducklings through a maze of bus after bus of tourists.
We all get headphones - save a little snafu of them not working for KK - we figure things out and start the journey downhill.
Like Pompeii, people 2,000 years ago were wildly intelligent to create cities to last. There is so much marble....and only 10% has been excavated. It's shocking to know that while we see the remnants of a gorgeous home on one side of the street -we see only grassy hills on the other. They've yet to get to that part.
We find the bath house - and the rows of toilets - perched 25 feet up above a channel so that the matter drained far below.
We find homes and shops...and the iconic library. Which has an underground tunnel to the bordello across the street.
We see a sarcophagus - probably the creator of the building to our left - and she recalls the day they found it. She was there 20 years ago when they first saw the lid - opened it - and found the jewels he had been interred with.
IMPRESSIVE!
We see columns - Doric, Grecian and Roman. There are statues and more marble....and rocks...and more marble - and then a stadium that seats thousands. It's so impressive - and I'm so sad that I have no energy to go climb it. KK does - and she and Hubs go explore while Bubs finds a theater production of Gladiators battling and Dancers swaying.
The long pine grove to the WC is found by the momma...under a Turkish flag. They love their flag and their Otto friend.
We exit through the shops - the vendors are pushier than KK and I would like. But Momma has done this schtick before and I offer a smile, a hand wave and a firm "no thank you." Most oblige, some try harder - and we walk to the the row of busses to find #26. One last push to sell me silk bookmarks for a euro. We're stuck trying to get on the bus to hand in our headsets - not entirely sure if this isn't coordinated - and one more vendor says "3 for 2!!" With one final "no" - he grumbles at me and walks away.
We take the bus back into the city - and arrive at our carpet weaving demonstration.
But wasn't it supposed to be leather goods?
And we're told that we'll see the presentation and they will want to sell us rugs. We should "ask for their best price."
Hubs isn't amused. The children aren't either. This is a little suspect.
I insist we can leave whenever, but I'd like to see a $10,000 rug. So they oblige and we're sent to the upper room for a demonstration and so.many.rugs.
At least they offer treats and wine while we listen.
Hubs doesn't like they are hovering behind us in front of the doors. He's growing irritable.
When it's time to get up and touch and feel, I simply march us to our guide, thank her for her time and state that our children are tired and need to go. She's fine - the vendors want to show us jewelry (which I would love - but would never buy) but we leave. The kids are happy to be out and back to the ship...because, wait for it....ice cream and pizza.
But we all got what we wanted...history, architecture...and respite from the heat.
Another huge win.
I probably won't ever be back. Too many other places to go - but wow, this was worth it.
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