Merhaba! Happy May!! We are down to 2 months now, and it's hard to believe. So after a weeklong jaunt around Turkey we are in Istanbul again, and it feels great to be back! Last Thursday we took an overnight bus south to Selcuk. (Man these are getting more and more painful every time! Although the buses here are really, really nice brand new Mercedes, complete with an attendant that passes out drinks and snacks, and TVs behind each seat-all programs in Turkish, though-it is still really hard to spend 12+ hours on a bus.) Selcuk is the closest town to the ancient town of Efes, or Ephesus, and we stayed a couple kms out of town at a little place called Atilla's Getaway. It was perfect! A little backpacker resort nestled in a quiet valley with tons of trees and a great outdoor lounge area. We both had a cold so we were pretty lazy and spent a lot of afternoons laying around on the cushions outside- the Turks really know how to relax! It is run by a very friendly Australian/Turk and we met so many interesting travelers there. Most of them were around our age, and half were Kiwis living in Europe and visiting Turkey for the April 25th Anzac day at Gallipoli, although many went early to avoid the Australians! (However the Australians are everywhere, there is no avoiding the Australians!) We had a communal dinner each evening and a big bonfire, and our first beer in weeks- locally brewed Efes. The Turks don't seem to really drink any alcohol, being good Muslims, and we had kind of forgotten about it entirely, perfectly content sipping apple tea, fresh orange and pomegranate juice, and nescafe.
Ok, so on to Ephesus...a place with such an extensive, fascinating, and looong history I am unable to recount much of it here. The region is believed to have been occupied since 6000 BC, and was already a site of pilgrimage by 800 BC because of the Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. It was an important Greek city, capital of the eastern side of the Roman empire, visited by Alexander the Great, the apostle Paul, John, and the Virgin Mary, whom is believed to have lived her final days at a house nearby. It's one of the best preserved ancient Roman cities, and we really enjoyed visiting it. Although only about 15% is excavated, it gives you a feeling of what it might have been like. Atilla's Getaway is only a few kms from Ephesus, so we decided to walk. It's a fairly hilly region so we got directions and were on our way, but somehow we took a wrong turn and walked 8 kms uphill in the wrong direction (opposite, actually) and ended up at The House of Mary, a site over 1 million people pilgrimage to each year!! (She is important to both Muslims and Christians.) You can imagine our surprise, or the guards surprise when we sheepishly asked, "Is this Ephesus?!" So now we've made a true Marian pilgrimage. It was really interesting, though, and we were glad to have gone. Inside the small stone house is a statue of the Virgin and a crucifix where people kneel down and pray. Others light candles outside and the Muslims tie pieces of cloth to frames as a similar gesture. It was a very peaceful place, whether it was her final resting place or not, and there were lovely views of the valley. We then made our way to Ephesus and although it was filled with tourists, it was fascinating. We especially liked the Library of Celsus. We then moved on to a region in central Turkey called Cappadocia, famed for it's unique landscape and fairy chimneys, but I'll write more on that later ;)
Photos: Library of Celsus
