Kusadasi Day 2 (Day thirteen of the trip)

June 18, 2011 – Saturday

Even though Ginger and I were sharing a bed, we slept like the dead!  We awaken before the alarm and look out the sliding glass doors to see three cruise ships, two docked and a third approaching!

Look closely!  The third one is behind the palm tree!

We finish packing and head down to breakfast where the rest of the gang soon joins us.  We move out onto the front patio to await Mehmed and Ismael.  They arrive right on time and we take out (self) appointed places in the bus and set off for Ephesus (Efes).  I have a brief scare when I think I’ve left my glasses.  Turns out they are hanging on the seat pocket, where I put them when I started applying sunblock!

As we climb up the mountain road we get a marvelous view of the Aegean coast with it’s little coves and red-roofed houses.

Ephesus has been excavated since 1893 by an Austrian archeological organization.  Only about fifteen percent of the huge city has been unearthed.  Most of the buildings which can be seen are actually reconstructions, although the actual stones have been used when possible.

At its prime the population was somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000.  Although at one time is was a Hellenic city, the ruins we see today are from the Roman period.

All the tourists from the cruise ships are heading here;  but even so there is ample opportunity to see and climb and listen to Mehmed.  He moves from shady spot to shady spot, choosing those to explain what we are seeing, then sending us off to scamper and shoot. 

Okay, so this one is shady.  You have to go where the pipes are stacked!

We begin at the top of the city and walk down, so that gravity will be our friend!  There is no water and no WC, so people have to be prepared before they begin exploring!

We begin at the Odeon which is part of the political agora.  Efes is unusual in that it has two agoras, one for politics/religion and another for commerce. 

View from the top of the Odeon

Near here, also, was a temple to Isis, the Egyptian goddess.  It was erected for the Egyptian traders for whom this was the end of their route.  Her temple was not build from the local marble like everything else.  Instead it was built of red granite from Egypt.

We walk down the marble road, between marble columns and notice one place where there are two Ionic columns with a Corinthian one in between.  Originally the Corinthian one wasn’t there.  When an earthquake brought down the roof that the Ionic columns were supporting, Corinthian columns were interspersed.

We pass Hadrian’s Fountain which has beautiful freizes, statues and decorative carvings reminiscent of the meandering rivers.

As we look down the road we can see the huge library which was built by a rich young man as a tribute to his father.  It is immediately adjacent to the commercial agora and there is a story that a man used to give his wife some money every morning to go shopping while he went to the library.  Apparently there was a tunnel that connected the library with the brothel across the street!

Further down the street is the best-reconstructed theater in Turkey.  It can hold twenty-five thousand people.  We climb as high as is allowed and then go down the street where a short theatrical presentation is taking place!  The governor and his lady proceed to their thrones escorted by Roman centurions, belly dancers and other courtiers.  The dancers display their terpsichorean technique and are followed by two gladiators battling to the “death”.  The entire troupe makes their exit and we do likewise, with a brief stop to read about and examine some half-finished sarcophagi.  They were shipped from here half done so that they could be personalized later.

 

We meet Mehmed at the end of the street of shops, at the shoe-shine stand and he calls for Ismael to bring the bus.  They take us to a restaurant called The Sultan’s which is another large banquet-hall restaurant with several buffet tables.  The food is good and when we are finished we go looking for the guys, so we can move on!

Our next stop is the last home of the Virgin Mary.  The story is that St. Paul was entrusted with her by Jesus when he was dying, so when he came to Selcuk he, of course brought her with him.  The house is high up in the mountains, so that it is easily protected.  There are lots of edible plants growing in the area, including olives, apricots, peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, which would have made it easy to survive there.  We also passed cotton fields along the way.

Her home was not very large.

Blessings fountains

There is a road sign that says it is six kilometres to the house of “Meryemana”;  as we turn the corner another sign says it is 7 kilometres!  Mehmed says that is the first of Mary’s miracles!

The house is now a house of worship and mass is said there every Sunday.  It is a very small home and mass appears to actually be celebrated outside the structure.  There are also several fountains which are natural springs and are said to guarantee good health, wealth and love.  There is also a wall where people have left prayers and wishes on little pieces of paper.

All the visitors are quiet and respectful and Mehmed tells us that he is a Muslim man but that all Muslims hold Virgin Mary in high regard and believe in the Immaculate Conception.  They just don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God.  They believe him to be a prophet, like Muhammad.

At the shop is it interesting to see the evil eye being sold right next to the Catholic icons.

Our next stop is the Melissa Leather Goods facility.  Here we are treated to an actual fashion show of leather goods, with six models and lots of gorgeous jackets.  Some of the items are reversible and one even fits into a matching pouch! 

After the show, the manager takes us downstairs to the showroom with it’s 6,000 items!  The leather is extremely thin and supple and comes from lambs.  He tells us that white petroleum jelly is excellent for removing stains from leather and is good for the skin.

We’re a tough crowd when it comes to selling leather.  Andy asks for an Indiana Jones-type jacket and when they don’t have it, he says that’s all he would have wanted.   Ginger and I have no need for a several hundred dollar leather jacket or coat!  The salesman that has latched on to me, though, is quite persuasive with his arm around me and the back massage and snuggle!  If I buy a coat he’ll rub my back all night long!  He walks me back up front holding my hand while I continue to say, “No”!

Back to ancient times – we visit the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  Unfortunately, out of the 127 original columns, only one remains.  A family of storks is nesting atop it;  storks are the official bird of Selcuk.  Mehmed tells us that Artemis’ temples were always located near marshy areas like this one and that this Artemis statue is different from all the others in that she is covered with multiple breasts.  This is a nod to the pagan goddess who was previously important in this area.

There is an intimidating bunch of ducks guarding the path to the column!  They have several “teenaged” ducklings which might account for their territorial behavior!

Next stop is another capret-making coop, similar to the one from which Nick and Ginger bought their carpet.  The gentleman does his spiel, showing us the difference between single and double-knotted rugs.  Double-knotted rugs actually become more valuable as time passes because walking in the rug tightens the knots.  We go inside for the traditional apple tea (or other beverages) and he shows us the difference between tribal rugs which are wool on wool and have geometrical patterns and silk on silk which is, of course, the most expensive with as many as a thousand knots per square centimetres!  For those who love the look of silk, but not the price, mercerized cotton makes a wonderful substitute with the same shimmer and gleam.

 

Nick and Ginger have zero interest in another carpet.  I have fallen in love with a gorgeous blue one that is hanging on the wall behind the counter.  When he tells me that it is silk I just laugh and say, “oh, well!”  I would like a tiny little example of the art and he takes me into another room where he has about a dozen cotton on cotton ones and I don’t quite know how it happens;  but I’ve picked one and it is being wrapped and put in my handy-dandy carrying bag!  It is quite beautiful and I am excited about having it.

Oh my goodness, one more mercantile stop!  This one is Art Ceramics, The Art of Life!  Again, the master potter displays his amazing expertise and we are duly impressed, and we see the artists drawing and coloring the white clay and then a few examples of the finished product.  We learn that if there is a bubble trapped in the clay when it is fired you can find it by rapping the bowl.  A perfect bowl will ring like a bell;  an imperfect one thuds.  That is one that you can bargain for!

And it’s on to the showroom.  Or make that showrooms, of which there are five or six!  There are traditional Hitite patterns as well as the more colorful ones and many with designs showing the sultans at work and play with their families, friends and servants.  One room keeps calling me back;  but I really would like one of the Turkish blessing plaques like the one by the shops front gate. 

I select a plaque and am drawn once more to “my” room.  The owner, who used to be a jeweler and has been duly appreciative of my ring, follows me in and says that since I’m buying another piece and since our group has been so nice and “sympathetic” he will give me a special price.  I still can’t afford the tile or plate I’ve been eying;  but there is a wall full of smaller ones and the price is right.  I just have to choose one.  He has told us what all the different flowers stand for already, but the plate I am drawn too, and which he was reaching for also, has many different flowers as well as evil eyes/grapes.  I ask him to write down what the flowers all mean and he does while I go out to the bus for my wallet.  (I’ve done so well until today – our last one!)

Back on the bus and now we must go to the airport in Izmir to catch our flight back to Istanbul.  Security is very easy, no shoes, no liquids, but this time, since I didn’t take out my computer, I have to remove it after my backpack is scanned.  I can’t win!  Last time I got yelled at for removing it!  Anyway, we have plenty of time and board easily.  In that short flight they feed us a turkey sandwich, Turkish salad and apple cake, with water and a beverage.  We barely have time to get it down before the plane is back on the ground!

We reclaim our luggage and head outdoors where we spot a familiar face!  Our driver from the beginning of the trip is here to collect us and take us back to the Erboy Hotel for our last night in Turkey.  Boo!

At the hotel I ask for our bag that we left there and the desk clerk just has me go into the left-baggage room and select the one I want!  I take it up to our room and we begin figuring out what to do about getting everything home!  First, though, we head across the street for one last errand – Turkish delight to bring home!  Ginger also wants some of the tulip-shaped tea glasses and saucers and when she is resistant to the shop owner’s pleadings he puts his arm around ME and says I should help her make a good decision!

Back at the hotel, all the guys have gone upstairs for another meal!  I really can’t look at any more food, although I do have a small roll with that yummy cheese and a glass of orange liqueur.

Back upstairs and we rejoin the battle of the suitcases!  Ginger has passed off some of her heaviest, bulkiest items and I’ve expanded my bag to accommodate my ill-gotten gains!  That done I wrestle with the internet which has been spotty up here, so I take a shower, set the alarm for earlier than otherwise necessary, and crash!