Sunday April 29, 2013
Sunny!
Selcuk and Ephesus, Turkey
Got up at 3am or so due to jetlag and basically tried to get back to bed, until the chanting for the mosques started at 5am, so got out my work PC and started to some work, albeit with a very slow Internet connection. Went to the terrace around 7am for a change of scenery and had the most delicious breakfast with Mary who also was up early. The scrambled eggs came cooked in this copper bowl with a taste of rich olive oil. Sandra joined us shortly, and we all agreed, we are going to have to buy some of these copper bowls to take home.
Our day started at 9am where our private tour guide was going to take us to an allday tour which included the House of Mary, Ephesus, lunch at a Nomadic restaurant,Grotto of Seven Sleepers, Temple of Artemis and St John's Basilica.
Our driver was Ali and our very knowledgeable tour guide was Metmen (sp?). We started the day with a tour of the House of Mary. I still can't believe we went to the house where Mary lived. It's my understanding that the house was discovered in the 19th century after some folks followed a vision by a German nun Catherine Emmirich. Legend has it that St. John brought her to this location to protect her from harm after the crucification of Jesus. It was located high in the mountains and isolated, but a beautiful location with wild lilacs and roses surrounding the property. We even drank water from the 3 wishing wells for health, prosperty and happiness.
The next stop was the main attraction which is Ephesus. Ephesus is the best preserved Greco-Roman city in Europe and believe me, its impressive! According to legend, Ephesus was found by Androclus who followed the advice of an Oracle who said that the place were he needs to settle is where "fish, fire and the boar" exist. And after a long journey, over the now Aegean Sea, they caught a fish that was so energetic that it jumped out of the pan topped over the coals and created a forest fire. A boar pops out of the forest frightened so given all the signs from the Oracle are met, Androchus decides to settle in what is now called Ephesus for his people and create a kingdom. The history of the location is fascinating but will take too long to describe in this blog. However, if you ever go to Ephesus, you will understand how grand a life it must have been. Only about 15% of Ephesus has been excavated. But that 15% is awe-inspiring. I'm so glad I've been able to experience Ephesus as I learned so much about the history of mankind and the civilizations that even today, influence the western world.
The next stop was lunch at the Seven Sleepers Cave. It was billed as a "nomadic" lunch which was so good. We were introduced to gozleme - a local savory pancake. Delish!
After a delish lunch, the next stop was one of the seven wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis. What was quite shocking was that the location was basically around the corner of the main street of Selcuk with no guards, etc. And the only thing that was there was really one column with a stork's nest on top. It was so surreal, that it is so hard to believe that the column left is part of one of the seven wonders of the world and yet not protected, etc and just stands there like an abandoned artifact.
Our last stop was St John's Basilica. It is believed that St. John traveled from Jerusalem and settled at this location in Selcuk. Not sure if the whole story is true but one thing is true for sure, it's located in a beautiful location. I would love to have a small house located at the same location.
After thoroughly enjoying the day, we had some time so decided to have the driver take us to Sirence, a former quaint Greek Village. As it was Sunday, the town was bustling. Everyone was very nice in the village but what suprised us most was the burgeoning wine business. Leave it to us, we find some wine tasting places. We ended up buying 2 wines from different wineries for the night.
We then got back to the hotel, and decided to venture into "town" for a snack which we did.
It was a packed day, but so much fun and we all agreed we learned much.
Baptismal Bath at Mary's House
The Virgin Mary
The Outdoor Altar
Inside Mary's House
View from the mountain where Mary's House is located
Ephesus: the copper water pipes
Spectacular!
The Assembly Hall
The three ladies
Doctor's Office Sign
Life in Ephesus was inscribed in marble
Nike
Bus loads of tourist but we've been told its only the beginning
Toilets
The Library. There is a menorah etched in one of the stones
Inside the "apartments" where residents lived
Painstaking work to put the pieces together.
Beautiful mosaics and al frescoes
The collosium
Lady making our stuffed "pancakes" for lunch
We ate 3 kinds of stuffed pancakes: cheese, veggies, meat. Delish!
The remnants of the Temple of Artemis. A stork is living on top of the lone column.
St. John's Place, 5 minute walk from our hotel.
Sunday market at Silence: used to be a greek village.
Wine!
A local man . very dapper!
Flirting with the wine shop guy
Ladies selling their textiles and knits
Olive Oil
And the beach where the water from the Adriatic Sea was warm.
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