Terrific Turkey!

After a wonderful, but short time in Greece, we were ready to move onto our next port – Kusadasi, Turkey.

We jumped off the boat bright and early and made our way to the bus station. It wasn’t long before we had a number of locals telling us the bus station was closed and the only way to get around is via cab! Well, we weren’t falling for it and we were on our way until we finally had a driver who was willing to drive us for a price we thought was reasonable – we love to haggle! We joined another couple from India and the 7 of us made our way to the ancient ruins of Ephesus.

Once at the ancient site, we were able to get an amazing local guide, John who spoke excellent English and walked us through the site for just over two hours.

We learned so much as we wandered….the site is an incredible example of an ancient city that was built, destroyed by earthquakes and battles and rebuilt time and time again between 700 BC and 1000AD. It’s a combination of Greco-Roman architecture and an amazing place to see.

The Ancient City of Ephesus!

Mosaic floors from thousands of years ago.

Fountains and temples with intricate designs.

Some of our highlights include:

The Scholastickia Baths and the public latrines – the wealthy merchants would send their slaves to warm up the seats for them and to chat with the sea merchants who brought news from foreign markets.

There is evidence of ancient games played in Ephesus including backgammon and jacks. When we returned to the ship that night, we taught the girls how to play the backgammon. They can now see why it is so popular in Greece and Turkey.

The game of Jacks!

Backgammon ancient style!

At the end of the Marble Road is The Grand Theatre which was built in 41-54 AD during the rule of Claudius. There is a stage 18 metres tall and there are 24,500 seats divided into 3 different sections. At the bottom of the stage, there is a semi-circle section called the orchestra which is why we still call it the orchestra pit today! There was a wall built around the orchestra pit to protect the audience as it was where the gladiators used to fight animals. There are still concerts and performances presented there today.

The Grand Theatre!

A different view.

The Grand Stadium where plays and concerts were performed.

The Trajan fountain was built in 2 AD and had columns two stories high and decorated with statues 12 meters high

Harbour Street

Winged Goddess Nike who brought victory everywhere she went

Winged Goddess Nike – Victory!

We like to hang out with Nike!

The brothel- the sign carved into the marble ground is a picture of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty along with the direction to travel to reach the house of ill repute.

My favourite place is the The Celsus Library which was completed in 125 AD. There were over 12 000 books before they were burned in the war with the Goths in 265 AD. The building was restored in 1978 and looks amazing. In front of the building are 4 niches with female statues who represent virtue, wisdom, and knowledge. We made sure to get photos of the girls with the statues. It is thought that there was a statue of Athena, (goddess of wisdom) in one of the central niches by the entrance.

Family visit to the Library!

The Girls with Knowledge

The roof of the library.

The Library Celsus

The Mithridates Gates are right across from the library and were the entrance way to the ancient agora.

Ancient Agora

Family market day!

The Marble Road had an amazing sewage system built underneath the marble slabs during the Hellenistic period. What was also neat was that you could see tracks where the chariots had travelled so many years ago.

After a fabulous visit at the site, we jumped into our taxi and went to another interesting place – the House of the Virgin Mary.

There is a really interesting story which we all found very intriguing. Before Jesus died on the cross, he asked St. John to take care of his mother Mary. Over the course of history, the remains of Saint John were found in Ephesus, along with a basilica dedicated to him. Since it is believed he would not have left Mary’s side, it is thought that she lived close by.

The House of the Virgin Mary

Touring with Cousin Katherine!

There is also the German nun, Anna Katherina Emmerich (1774-1824) who was said to have a connection with the Virgin Mary. She wrote a book called the Life of the Virgin Mary which recounted where Mother Mary lived. In 1891, Priests used the book as a guide to find the exact location of her house and the grave – everything was exactly as she had written even though she had never been there.  Now, people of all faiths line up for hours to light a candle at her altar and say their prayers.

The water that flows from the area is thought to have healing properties and numerous faithful visit the home and wash in the fountains to cure them of pains and illness. There is also a place for people to write letters to Mother Mary.

The healing waters.

Letters and prayers to the Virgin Mary

This serene place reminded me a lot of Lourdes, France where there is a pilgrimage to visit the place where the Virgin Mary showed herself to Saint Bernadette.

After visiting the house, we returned to the harbor and wandered through the quaint streets of Kusadasi. We enjoyed some of the local delicacies – zelnik and baklava – just like baba used to make. It was nice to try some familiar, yet different foods. We also had the chance to learn how silk carpets are made.

Ephesus, Turkey was a great place to visit and we all enjoyed our time there. We are looking forward to our next stop….Istanbul (not Constantinople)!