I only have posted about half of our Turkey trip so far — since we’re spending extra time at home for our Day of Rage weekend (anniversary of failed revolution that brings a lot of protests and clashes), why not use the time to catch up?
After leaving Cappadocia, we flew to Izmir and then drove an hour south to the town of Selcuk/Ephesus. (The ruins are Ephesus, but the bordering town is called Selcuk). We stayed in a B&B type villa on the hill overlooking the city. Directly across is the castle/fortress that was under renovation so we couldn’t visit, but it makes for an incredible view, both day and night.
We opted to join a tour for this day of exploring to save us the expense and hassle of renting a car (especially considering the price of gas in Turkey). We had a good day, but our tour group was way too big (31 people) and not what we were promised (15 or less). Our first stop was at the House of Mary. Supposedly after Jesus left his mother in the care of John the disciple (“this is your mother, this is your son” when he was on the cross), John brought Mary along with him when he came to this region and they say this is where she died.
Next stop was the Ephesus ruins — I did not pick up a genuine fake watch outside the front gate.
One surprising thing about Ephesus was the 100s of cats that roam the ruins. She found them more interesting than anything else we saw there.
Overlooking the city road
Camille and Caleb running down the ancient streets
Visiting the men’s public toilet. The marble seats lined three sides (50 or more total) and the guide told us there used to be a fountain in the middle and sometimes musicians would play to cover up the “noises.” Also fascinating: the rich men would sent their servants ahead of them to “warm the seat.”
In front of the library
strutting her stuff inside the library
At the amphitheater featured in Acts 19 (Caleb was too busy running up and down all the steps to pose for a photo).
Family photo in front of the amphitheater
Repeated point of the day: “When you read the Bible and hear about Ephesus or read Ephesians or think about Paul and his travels, remember that you’ve been there and picture this spot!”