A walk through the ancient past at Ephesus.

The 2015 summer trip continues through Turkey with an early morning flight. As part of the revised itinerary after the collision (see first trip post), those of us left were shuttled to the airport and taken on a special chartered flight from Istanbul to Izmir where we boarded a bus to the seaport town of Kusadasi. After checking in to a beautiful hotel overlooking the Aegean Sea, we had a few hours to relax on the sun deck and swim in the sea before heading out on our daily excursion.

The view of the Aegean Sea from my room.

Ephesus

I was very excited to see this ancient town. It was a crossroads in the ancient world where up to 56,000 people lived during the Roman period. The book of Ephesians, a letter the apostle Paul wrote to the people living in Ephesus, is filled with wisdom including the scripture that inspired my family’s charity, the Masterpiece Fund. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The church in Ephesus is one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelations. The apostle John took Jesus’ mother Mary to live here as well. Only ruins lie there today but they are vast and only partially uncovered.

Original Christian carvings in the marble ruins.

We could see the massive stadium from the road that was inland from the sea. We were told that in ancient times the fields here were most likely under water and that the city was actually closer to the port. There have been people living there for many millennia and the modern town of Selçuk nearby will no doubt leave its history behind for future generations to study.

The ancient theater at Ephesus.

My dad and I went on an excursion and toured the ruins. We started at the top of the hill between two large slopes where there were ancient baths and open areas filled with rubble. We spotted ancient markings in the marble where Christians would leave “notes” for others and to avoid persecution. We were led through pillars that created a sort of entryway to a wide and smooth marble road that led down the hill. We had to be very careful not to slide on the stones that had been worn so smooth by millions of visitors. This was the point where the chariots could go no further into the town.

As we walked along the road hearing about the various monuments to the ancient gods, I spotted little kitties (yes more cats and each one was sweeter than the last). Along the outside of the main pathway there were extensive and gorgeous mosaics covering the ground.

Down at the bottom of the hill was a stunning remnant of the Library of Celsus, with towering columns adorned with beautiful carvings. Continuing on, we walked through arches that opened up into a large public area with walkways lined with columns. Farther along we finally came to the theater we saw from the road. It was quite large and held up to 25,000 spectators—for plays as well as gladiatorial events.

The Library of Celsus

We came out of Ephesus into the tourist area where one entrepreneur was selling fake genuine watches. I bought some Turkish Delights to take home to my colleagues while Dad made a friend with a cute retriever who made a bee line to him—instinctively knowing he would be cuddled and possibly fed.

Negotiations for a Turkish Carpet

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Turkmen carpet store and got a mini tour and demonstration on how the beautiful carpets are made. We saw how the silk gets pulled out and and how the women made the double knots that make these carpets so strong.

After the demonstrations, we were led into a room and given wine while the guys rolled carpet after carpet on the floor. It was fun to watch and many of them were quite stunning. The intricate patterns and wonderful colors made it hard to choose. I would have loved to take home a big one but the price tag was like buying a small car, so I went with a smaller one with deep red colors. With my dad as my wing man we got him down to about half price and I decided since I was getting a refund on the cruise, I could spend some of it on a very unique and locally made product that I will enjoy for as long as my cats allow.

I did in fact ask the salesman how it would stand up to cats. He replied nonchalantly, “Everyone has cats. If they pull on it, the knots will get tighter.” I laughed but agreed that the piece was a work of art and decided to hang it up just in case. Now five weeks later, when I was expecting the carpet to be shipped, two guys from Turkey called and told me they were in town and could deliver it in person. They of course tried to sell me more. I declined but appreciate their work ethic.

Back at the luxurious hotel we had a wonderful meal and a great night sleep before heading over to the port at Kusadasi and our new ship, the Odyssey.