KUSADASI

[Yeah, I hear ya?  It’s in Turkey.  We’ll get to it.  But here we are coming into port, with Bill and Anne at the rail.  Also at the rail is a person of interest we mentioned earlier – the blonde to their left who appears to be a Scandinavian photographer and always seemed on the aft deck in the mornings with us.]

[So, welcome to Turkey.  Kusadasi is our port entry to Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary, both near the town of Selcuk (sell-chuck).  Let the antiquity begin!]

[From whence we came.]

[Everywhere you go, there’s a statue on the city’s highest hill.  I don’t believe this guy was Stan Musial (because he’s Polish).]

[We are onboard our land ferry, heading out of Kusadasi to Meryemana, a sacred place to both Christians and Moslems.  Kinda looks like you’re driving in Key Biscayne, n’est-ce pas?]

[The sign is self-explanatory.  Kinda felt like we were entering a national park in the Western U.S, all woodsy and stuff.  🙂 ]

[Our guide, Yetkin, is in the red [Editor’s note:  The supervisor subsequently advised it’s “pink.”] and white striped shirt.  It made him easy to spot.  Which was great, because at any one time there are 42 gazillion tour buses here.  We faced our slowest lines of the entire trip here as it was like an 8-lane walking interstate funneling down into a single lane as we approached our final destination.]

[We made it to a sign!]

[Yetkin let’s us know where should meet him after we visit the site.]

[A hole in the ground that obviously had something to do with the storage of water.]

[The line inches along.  I didn’t notice any beer vendors.]

[Information . . . we had plenty of time to read.]

[There was food product hanging from this tree?]

[More information.  Again, plenty of time to read as the line millimetered along.]

[I  believe No. 9 was a Princess Cruise Excursion leader, or possibly Roger Maris?  At least it was shady, and at elevation, so the temperature was not intolerable while standing in line(s).]

[We’re getting closer!]

[The line extends back to infinity . . .]

[We made it!]

[The Joaquins, from the Chicago area, became our new BFF’s during the trip.  With Bill and Anne, the six of us had almost a private tour, by some luck of the draw, in Istanbul.]

[And in we go.  I was chastised for not seeing the sign about no photos inside.  I think I do now on the right side door frame?]

[Bill and Anne come out the other side, none the worse for wear.]

[A highlight that reminded me of days of yore in Okinawa and Japan.  This is our view from the public urinals there – likely the best urinal view of my life.  Bill and I lingered there despite the crowds.  😉  . . .]

[Anyway, I didn’t realize until I turned to exit that our deeds were on full display for the public.  In some places in the world, public restrooms are . . . very public!]

[I guess I didn’t take any further photos at Meryemana?  We had to meet up with Yetkin in the restaurant/touristy shops area of the park to make our exodus.  Now we’re on the road to Ephesus, seen in the distance middle-left side of the photo.]

[A final farewell to Meryemana.]

[Entering Ephesus, through the turnstiles that date back millennia . . .]

[As we all remember from our schooling, Ephesus was one of the 12 cities of the Ionian League (wink, wink, nod, nod).  In the first century B.C., it had a population of 250,000, which makes it slightly larger and older than Osakis.  Delta/KLM flew there several times a day in those days.  BTW, the Ionian League was the immediate predecessor of the National League, the American League, and the League of Women Voters.]

[So now we’re talkin’ some really old stuff.]

[We begin our tour at the top of the town.  We will wend our way down through spectacular ruins and views, and be delighted that in the blistering noonday Turkish sun, we did not have to walk back up!  🙂 ]

[Umbrellas and broad-brimmed hats were really good ideas!]

[At this point, the supervisor was really beginning to fall in love with Turkey – and we haven’t been to Istanbul yet!]

[What time does the main event start?  And do we get a senior discount?]

[Photo courtesy of the Ruizes, from New Jersey.  Sorry Nanner, but I really needed the hat!]

[That’s Mr. Ruiz on the right.  We kidded they were always last to show up in the mornings for the tours – on time, but without a minute to spare!  😉 ]

[The setting.]

[Very odd to have different column styles (the designs at the top) side-by-side?]

[Different “colors” within a column indicate restoration.  I would guess almost all places of antiquity are undergoing various degrees of restoration.  It’s very expensive and time consuming, so tourists will be seeing this type of activity for many decades to come.]

[The downhill begins . . .]

[Isn’t this fun?]

[One just can’t take enough photos of this history (though, lord knows, I try).]

[People actually carved this stuff, though probably not until the TV re-run season began.]

[Boulevard shops, back in the day.]

[Here’s a hammer and chisel – now go make something really neat and historic.]

[A restored arch.]

[A mini Stonehenge?]

[Yetkin and the supervisor.  Oh, you knew that.]

[Me and a frieze!  Hey, how did this escape the British Museum?]

[People are coming back up?]

[Mrs. Ruiz, totally dressed for an event.  Not wanting to be nosey, we didn’t ask if they were on their honeymoon.  😉 ]

[The downhill slalom continues.]

[Now we’re really starting to see the view!  At least if you trip going down the stairs, you have plenty of people to break your fall.]

[Totally Headless Nick?]

[The Ruizes, Yetkin, the Joaquins as we head down to the Library of Celsus.]

[Up close and personal.]

[An obvious photo op – go get it, Bill!]

[A 2,000+-year old bathroom floor?]

[Early pizza ovens?]

[Public baths – cleanliness is next to godliness.]

[A lovely bath frieze?]

[We’re at the bottom, with the Library of Celsus and its square.]

[Yetkin says, “Wander around for a half hour and then meet me over there.”]

[Looking at whence we came.]

[Don’t get lost in another tour group!]

[The library façade.]

[Quite a place.]

[Thar’s gold in them thar tours!]

[Inside the library, there’s a side door to a place of the world’s oldest profession.  And in this place, there is what is considered the world’s oldest advertisement, for the world’s oldest profession.]

[Inside the library (and below).]

[Heading out of town.]

[A parting shot of the library.]

[The Ephesus Theatre has 25,000 seats.  But I understand tickets are only available through Ticketmaster.]

[There once was a port at the end of this road.  The water has moved.]

[Henny Youngman played here.]

[You can see the water in the distance . . . and the supervisor in the nearby.]

[The Ephesus bazaar.  Bought nada.]

[Back to our VW minibus.]

[Back to Selcuk and a visit to a pottery store.]

[The Selcuk pottery shop is where the supervisor made our one and only vacation purchase (shot against the backdrop of a log home on Lake Darling.]

[While the womenfolk shopped, the menfolk sat outside . . .]

[And partook of Turkish coffee, which consists of 4 pounds of coffee to one drop of water for a demitasse . . .]

[Which induces immediate coma.]

[I have reason to believe the Selcuk fortress.]

[All that’s left of the Temple of Artemis . . .]

[One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.]

[On the way back to the ship, the largest water park in Turkey.  I think we were more interested then in the water park that is our ship!]

[Lots of sailboats.]

[According to Yetkin, Turks prefer BK to Mickey D’s.]

[Heading to the Kusadasi waterfront.]

[Beaches!]

[Our boat is still there!]

[Welcome to Miami Beach?  😉 ]

[Tourists doing what tourists do.]

[We hung out on the “dark tier,” 2nd from the top.]

[Hi, Mom!  We’re home!]

[Sayonara, Kusadasi.]

[Anne and the supervisor in the hot tub.]

[The Alegria String Quartet, from Ukraine.  Proved to be among our faves!  🙂 ]

[And the Orphea Band again.]

[Apologies, meant to do this more often.  “Weakie” wants to see the food.  Can’t remember what this was, but it was wonderful!  🙂 ]

[And this was the supervisor’s.]

[Back to the atrium before to the room and bed.]

[Ooops, wrong continent and decade, but I figure I’m in many scrapbooks all over Japan!  🙂 ]

Up next:  Istanbul.