EPHESUS

We got up this morning to a Turkish breakfast of an omelet, tomatoes, cheeses, olives, and bread. Then, we headed out to Mother Mary’s House. It was very neat to see the house, the holy water, and the wishing wall. Next stop Ephesus. These ruins were incredible. Ephesus was abondoned in the 15th Century when the seaport silted over for good. Later the city was buried in dirt and mud until excavation began in the 1860s. Many of the rocks had writing on them and it was amazing what survived the dirt and mud. Some of the mosaic and designs were still on the ground and walls of the homes of the rich people. We could only see about 25% of the city because the rest is still buried. The pictures that we took really don’t do this place justice, you had to be there to really understand it. It is very hard to imagine people actually living in this town it is so old. Some of the buildings you can see what it was supposed to be and what it looked like, but other things you just couldn’t. The city was very large, much bigger than we had all expected. We weren’t even able to see all they have uncovered because bones were recently found in part of the city, so they had it closed. Following the tour of Ephesus we went to a nice restaurant with traditional turkish food for lunch. It was very good. Next up, what used to be one of the seven wonders of the world, The Temple of Artemis. There used to be over 200 pillars in it, and now only one stands. There no longer is much there, but you had another view of the castle we can see from our hotel. This is also the only place in the world you can see three different religion’s symbols in one spot. You could see the remains of The Temple of Artemis, Pagan, The Church of St. John, Christian, and a mosque, Muslim. Next, our guide took us to a shop where they weave carpets. It was incredible how they did it and what they all looked like. They made cotton, wool, and silk ones. They did everything from raw materials. It was very impressive and the carpets were each unique and gorgeous. That is where our tour concluded. All very sleepy, we went back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon. For dinner we walked to town and went to a little restaurant. Jo and I played it a little safe and got food that we had heard of. They served a special bread made for Ramazan that was delicious! To conclude the night we went for a late night swim in the villa pool.

Wishing wall Mother Mary House

Mother Mary's House

Mother Mary's House

Ephesus Small Theater

Ephesus Theater

The Temple of Artemis

Ephesus Library

Ephesus Rich People's Homes

Ephesus Rich People's Homes

Ephesus Pots

Gate of Hercules

Local boy

Handmade Turkish carpet

Turkish Carpets - Regional

Which way??

Sunset behind Village Church