After a quick, early breakfast at the hotel we got on the bus for the airport and took a domestic flight of about an hour from Istanbul to Izmir. Our bus then drove 60 miles through surprisingly green, lush farmland from Izmir to Efes (Ephesus).
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| Dignitaries and press enter the Ephesus site. |
Armed soldiers chased us from our bus, because the presidents of Nigeria and of Albania were both visiting that afternoon. But once we stood back for them and their entourages of aids, bodygaurds, and press to pass, we had no other competition other than a few dozen other tour groups. That was not a lot of people for a site so large.
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| The Ephesus site is huge! |
Ephesus itself was amazing! It stretches on and on, and the ruins are in pretty good condition – at least on par with the Forum in Rome. The library and the amphitheater were especially impressive. Far less impressive was my recollection of ancient Greek, which I took in college. I could read very few of the inscriptions, even though I could recognize the letters and sound out the words.
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| Even the Roman "loo" is well-preserved! |
After touring the ruins, we were bused a short distance to a restaurant and carpet shop, where we had a very pleasant meal outdoors, under some tall pine trees. Then we were taken for a “tour” and presentation on how Turkish carpets are made (and sold). No surprise, they are made and sold in exactly the same way they are in Egypt, in Israel, in China, and in bunches of other places!
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| The partially reconstructed library is impressive. |
The bus backtracked to the ruins of the Basilica of St. John. This ancient church was built near the site of the even older Temple of Artemis, which was once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but which is now completely gone except for one remaining pillar (out of an original 120). The church has fared only a little better, but the tomb of St. John remains where the high altar once stood, and the chapter house, baptistry, and cloister are still unmistakable.
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The amphitheater is in great condition,
and being restored for modern use. |
Our Muslim guide gave us a long story about how this John was the same brother of Jesus who wrote his gospel and epistles here, and then (at age 100?) was exiled to Patmos and wrote Revelation. I refrained from pointing out that “John” was a common name in the ancient world, just as it is today, and that one "John" may not have done all those things.
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Baptistry at Church of St. John ruins still holds water
(after a heavy rain) |
We piled onto the bus one last time to drive to Kusadasi, a very modern and commercial resort town, to board our cruise ship, the Arethusa.
