Turkey - Kusadasi / Ephesus

 

Turkey - Kusadasi / Ephesus

October 2, 2024

Steps: 10,936

Kusadasi was our first and only port in Turkey. This was also our first time in Asia! Ephesus is an ancient port city that is now no longer close to the water, but we took a tour into the city of Ephesus and got more than we bargained for!

I was shocked with how nice Kusadasi looked! I would be more than comfortable spending the day in this port city if I ever come back, but we couldn't miss the opportunity to see Ephesus.

Pictured above is "Pigeon Island". This was right outside of our ship in the port. 

Above is a picture of a game they used to play and below is clay pipes that they used for water,

The first theatre had a mix of Greek and Roman influence due to both civilizations being here. The arches were typically Roman. The lower part of the theatre was made by the Greeks.  

Above is what our tour guide believed to be the reincarnated cat of the statue due to that cat always being there. Below is an ancient mosaic.

Both the picture above and below helped designate certain symbols. Above, is the original health symbol (Caduceus) as seen across the world. Below is the statue of Nike. The swoosh to the left of her is where they got the design for the brand as well! (This all came from our guide who was Turkish. I was starting to believe they claimed originality more than the Greeks!)

Above is a fountain that used to be on the main street. The rocks here were very slick!

Not much privacy in the toilets above! Turns out, only men were able to use these back in the day and it was a lot more communal than now.

The library was unfortunately under renovation, but still neat to see! The renovations had just started a few days before for the first time in 50 years, lucky us.

Above is the larger theatre and also where the Apostle Paul gave some of his speeches. This was also frequented by other famous figures such as Saint John, Marc Antony, Alexandre The Great, and Cleopatra. They say only 20% of Ephesus is currently uncovered, it would be interesting to see it as they progress in this!

After visiting Ephesus, we got lunch at a carpet weaving place. We ate alongside free-roaming chickens as they served family style portions of local yogurt, chicken, hamburgers, salad, and beer. Kaylee decided to force cannibalism amongst the chickens when she dropped her food on accident.

We did not walk home with any rugs purchased, but the process was neat to learn about! Above is where they separated the silk to prep for weaving. 

Our next stop was at the House of the Virgin Mary, what is believed by some to be where she came before she died. It was a beautiful setting and we did make a wish and stuck it on the wish-fence below.

Our next stop was to a leather showroom, where we got treated with "apple tea" while watching a full on fashion show. There were only four of us in our tour group and none of us were interested in buying expensive leather goods. It was quite the experience though! 

Our final stop before heading to port was The Temple of Artemis. 

Before going back on the ship, we decided to walk around Kusadasi for a while. Outside of rugs and leather, Turkey is also known for jewelry and negotiating prices. We decided to not engage in any of that, but was fun to watch / see what people got.