Ephesus

Ephesus

After a quick hotel breakfast we made the short 20 minute drive to Ephesus. Ephesus is an ancient roman city that was once an economic center. This visit was a point of excitement for me because it’s a name that is quite prominent in the Bible and to be able to possibly walk where those stories were written was a surreal prospect.

Upon entering the gate we found ourselves in the most prestigious area of the city. This would be the place for a bathhouse, a small theatre area where the leaders of the city would deliberate, and several temples as well. The streets are still very well maintained and you can really appreciate the work and precision that went into building these roman cities.

From the governmental area we passed into the affluent part of the town where more wealthy people would have lived. There is a lot of mosaic work that is well preserved. Its also in this part of town where the ruins are quite concentrated and you can also start to appreciate just how vast this city was and how much of it has been uncovered.

We also started to get a glimpse of the “library”. There are so many ruins and there is still active excavations going on. It’s amazing how a city like this could be burried and only rediscovered years later by accident. The ruins are immense.

Library of Celsius

We spent a little extra time at the library of Celsius which must have been an impressive structure in its prime. It is very detailed and still beautiful to look at even though it’s front wall is the main one that remains. I imagine next to the theatre, this is likely one of the iconic structures that most people would recognize when it comes to Ephesus

Theatre

From there we visited the theatre which ( I know I’ve said this twice now) is bigger than the ones before. In fact, its supposed to be able to seat 25000 people and could be the largest one at the time.

What was also very cool about this one was there was a large group of teens taking turns reenacting parts of the Bible on the main theatre stage. I can only imagine they must be some sort of bible camp or church group, but it was so cool to sit in the stands of this massive theatre and see Bible stories relevant to the location played out in front of you!

All in all I really enjoyed our visit to Ephesus. It’s neat just to explore a ruined Roman city. Especially one that is so large and there is so much that has been excavated and restored. But to add the biblical significance to this city was an experience. To imagine that I could have walked where the Apostle Paul walked is a humbling thought. It was a great visit and one I’ll remember for a long time.

Temple of Artemis

Less impressive though, was our next stop, the Temple of Artemis. It was considered one of the ancient world wonders. However, due to its age, all that remains is a single pillar. I can certainly appreciate the significance of the site, however making a stop just to see a single pillar was anticlimactic

Best Sandwich in Turkey

Lunch was next and Ibo had promised to take us to the “beat sandwich shop in turkey”. Doing a bit of research, I believe it was called Pamuk Bufe. When we arrived you could tell it was popular by the crowds of the people lined up outside. We were able to snag a table and Ibo took our order for us. When we got our hands on the sandwiches it reminded me of a diner type “super sub” but Turkish style with their meats, sauces and veggies. It was really good and actually a welcome change from the normal Turkish fare we’ve been having. I’m not sure about the best in turkey claim to fame, but it was the best one I had so far.

Selcuk

After lunch was free time for the group. There was the option to visit a fortress on a hill above Selcuk, visit a Turkish rug maker or do your own thing. Gimpy and I decided to do the latter. We spent a bit of time walking through the small but charming old town of Selchuk. Gimpy was also on a mission to find custom made leather shoes. There was a store that she had scoped out the night before and we returned to it today to check it out. While the shoes were nice they didn’t fit her price range and she decided to wait for Istanbul to try again.

We then visited a super market to buy various snacks, drinks and ice cream. It was cool to visit and see the different things they have for sale that we don’t have at home.

Leather Outlet

Gimpy and I spent the afternoon napping in our room before meeting up with the group to go out to a leather outlet. We thought it would simply be a store we could check out goods. But it ended up being a bit more than that. Instead, we were brought into a room where there was a runway and after some introductions, were treated to a fashion show. To add to it a few of us were pulled up onto the runway and made to model a few of the leather goods. It felt super awkward and totally not what I was expecting! From there all of us entered the show room where we could look and try on the different items. Most of it was out of my price range but a few in our group purchased items.

Old House Restaurant

Dinner was the next item on the agenda and Ibo took us to Old House Restaurant. It was a nice family owned restaurant. I ordered chicken soup to start  and a chicken / mushroom dish which was scrumptious! I’ve found there aren’t many soups that aren’t lentil in Turkey. But the fish and chicken soups I’ve had have really hit the spot. Maybe its because I’ve been missing this from home, but I’ve been impressed with the soup game in Turkey.

We all then walked back to our hotel for an early departure from Selchuk.