Ancient Ephesus

Today was another early

Family shot infront of the ancient library in Ephesus.

wake up day!   We wanted to arrive at Ephesus before it got too hot as I read that there is very little shade.  With a little resistance we all got up and went for breakfast.  The breakfast they serve at our accommodation seems to be a bit of a mix of what they typically serve in Turkey and a little like what we would normally have at home.  This made the girls happy.  We met some fellow English speaking guests during breakfast and got some good tips on what to do in the area and how to save some money (always welcomed advice).  One of the owners of the hostel’s brother provided us with a free shuttle to Ephesus as we ate at his restaurant the night before. 

 We started our visit to Ephesus from the top so we would be closer to Selcuk when we exited the site as our plan was to walk back to our accommodation.  I felt somewhat overwhelmed to be in one of the world’s most amazing archaeological sites and a world heritage site.  Ephesus is an ancient city that was nestled in a very fertile valley and was the Mediterranean’s main commercial center for many years.  The ruins represent centuries of history including the ancient Greek and Roman Empires (first built in the 10^th century BC!).  What they accomplished here was amazing including digging a channel from the ocean so boats could access the city.  I suppose being the world’s largest center of the slave trade at the time probably helped. It was a very well thought out and organized city.  They also had an amazing water and sewer system.  In some houses they even had hot and cold water available to them.  Believe it or not they also had a library and medical school.  I overhead a tour guide at the site say that what we could see at the site (which was a lot) was only one tenth of what is actually there.  Apparently a lot of the city is still buried and it would take years to fully uncover it all.   In its prime Ephesus had about a quarter of a million people living within its walls.

Our strong girl!

The theatre in Ephesus.

After an amazing time of discovery

Amazing the detail in the stone.

at the site we headed through the lower part of Ephesus along a shaded path to the exit.  Upon leaving we entered a crazy parking lot full of tour busses coming and going which made it a little tricky getting to the road without getting hit.  Once we were out of the parking area we walked along the road for awhile before finding another promenade where we could walk the rest of the way into town.  This too was shaded so it made for a very pleasant walk.  Along the way Alyssa discovered a bunch of exercise machines so she and Kevin tried them out.  Alyssa thought they were a lot of fun and could have spent some time playing on them but the rest of us were ready to head back for a nap.

Once at our hostel we all climbed into bed for a little nap.  Actually, we had at least a 2 hour nap and a 4 hour one for Jenna.  After feeling like we caught up on some sleep I went to find a store

Strange statues we found in Ephesus.

to buy some food since we slept

through lunch.  I asked our host where I could find a market and he said to go across the main road and behind the bus station; so off I went.  When he said market I thought he meant a grocery store but it actually turned out to be blocks and blocks of an open air market selling everything from fresh produce to clothes and hardware supplies.  Not wanting to take too long I found some food and headed back to the hostel with the plan to bring everyone back for a look. 

After some relaxing time reading, researching some things for Africa and updating our blog we all made the trek to the market.  As I am a browser I enjoyed just looking at everything as did Alyssa.  Kevin and Jenna hung out while we looked.  Jenna figured that since she doesn’t have a lot of money left it was better not to look and well... Kevin is not that big on shopping.  Alyssa on the other hand still has some money to spend and found a few treasures.   Unfortunately the fan she bought lasted all but 5 minutes before it broke.  After we had a bite to eat Kevin and Jenna headed to the hostel while Alyssa and I browsed some more.

The local market on Saturdays.

The hostel has a very nice roof top area where you can hang out so we spent most of the evening there.   Alyssa and Kevin played chess and Jenna and I played crib while we drank apple tea.  Alyssa took pictures as the sun set and we watched storks fly by.  We met some more guests from the states and had some great conversations.  It was a really nice way to end a good day.

The sun set from our hostel roof top.