Ephesus, Turkey

Click here for more of Jeff's awesome photos of Ephesus.
We arrived in Selcuk by night bus from Istanbul. (The drive bore no resemblance to the night bus in Harry Potter.) The bus had airplane style service and at midnight, unexpectedly drove onto a ferry to cross the Dardanelles. Oddly, men were not allowed to remove their shoes on the bus, though women and children could.

A bit weary from only napping on the bus, we arrived in the ancient ruins of Ephesus, built by the Greeks, it grew to 200,000 people at its zenith. We walked the marble roads and climbed across all kinds of old rocks, marble carvings, ancient latrines and amphitheaters. The girls became Greek goddesses atop unoccupied pedestals. (Most of the high quality statuary and mosaics can be viewed in the British Museum or the Louvre.) Occasionally we would follow an English speaking tour to hear a fact or two, then continue our self-guided tour. The library is really cool with its two story facade still in tact. The library windows frame trees, hills, blue sky and clouds, like a portrait hall in mother nature's home.

While sitting on a fallen column from the first century, eating a macaroon, Skylar lost yet another tooth. She has added a Turkish tooth fairy to her pantheon of U.S, Hawaiian, Japanese and Kenyan fairies. She writes letters, asking questions about their country and collecting cash and self-portraits from them.

As we left the ancient city, among the newer cars, a fabulous 1964 Chevy Impala taxicab was waiting to take us back to town. Riding in this blast-from-the-past was a highlight for Jeff whose mom owned one back in the day. We explored the center of Selcuk, dining at Erjun Restaurant at the base of the Roman Aquaduct. The Selcuk storks now reign atop the columns, raising their young in Big Bird-sized nests.

Traveler's Note: Arrive early to Ephesus and go directly to the library. By 10:00 the tour groups arrive in a steady stream and photography without large groups of people becomes impossible.
Second Note: It was so difficult to get ferry timetables and reservations, it seemed that we were the first tourists to attempt a trip from Turkey to Greece. Internet sites are unreliable; travel agencies are the best bet and they will need to make several phone calls. Even then, the 8:30 ferry from Selcuk to Samos left at 9:30 and the 15:30 ferry from Samos left at 16:30. When traveling, don't ever be in a hurry.