The bulk of the day was spent learning about Efes (Ephesus in English), which was the third largest city of the Roman empire during its peak. It had a population of 350 thousand people and boasted the second largest theatre, capable of seating 25 thousand people. We learned about the city's plumbing and heating and checked out lots of small details in its design, construction, and decoration. We noted the mosaic tiles, the relief carving of Nike, the eaves, the early Christian symbols, the games carved in marble, handcrafted tiles, the emperor's name and the city's name clearly carved in a marble beam, the first example of slaves' names being recorded, and the close-set toilets. The highlight of Efes is definitely the beautiful exterior façade of its library. |
We began the day with a visit to what may (or may not) have been Mary's house later in life. In any event, it is now a Christian pilgrimage site. Just outside the small house is a 'wishing wall' where people write down their wishes. We also made a quick stop at what was once the Artemis Temple (120 pillars), and is now the single Artemis Column. The pagan site is backed by both a Muslim mosque and a Christian church. We took a bus for about two hours to travel from Kusadesi to the seaside resort city of Bodrum. May 1st is supposed to officially open the summer peak tourist season, but our pre-booked hotel's renovations were not complete. This turned out to be great news, as we were then upgraded to a much nicer all-inclusive resort. We were literally housed by "ISIS" while in Turkey, as that's the name of the resort! We greatly appreciated the upgrade, and the drinks and meals that came with it.
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