Ephesus then Bodrum

I was in a rush this morning. While other tour groups may have had a 6:30am call time, the "Kristi's Tours" group had until 7:30am - which was a tight window to get to the starting line at 8:00am. Today's race was to beat the other tourists to the Library of Celcus in the ancient city of Ephesus - smack dab between the upper and lower entrances.

Ephesus is thought to be Turkey's most important archeological site. Dating back to 7000 BC, it was a major gateway and a port city between East and West (Asia and Europe) and has a very long history of varied occupants. By 133 BC it was under Roman rule and by 27 BC it reached its peak as the magnificent capital city of the Roman province of Asia Minor.

At its prime in 100 AD, Ephesus was one of the grandest cities of the ancient world with an estimated 200,000 residents – second only to Rome.  During the Byzantine period, it became a Christian city.  Saint Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthians here. ("Love is patient and kind" is the verse we chose for our wedding.) Showing the importance of Ephesus in the Christian world at this period, it was the site of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431, when Mary was officially declared THEOTOKOS, Mother of God.

The most famous ruins identified with Ephesus is the "The Library of Celsus". It is one of the best-preserved structures of its kind.

With its enormous 40-foot tall columns and completed in 135 AD, the Library of Celsus is breathtaking

Jogging down to the library, Chris' watch asked if he wanted to start his workout.  (We won the race and had the library all to ourselves.)

The Theater was positioned to make use of the breeze coming off of the ocean, which would carry sound up towards the three tiers of audience. Standing on the stage, I performed for the crowd (of five) to demonstrate the theater's acoustics. (The two strangers didn't even clap - how rude.)

Built to seat 10% of its population, the great theater held 25,000 people

A major port city, Ephesus had a rapid decline in the 7th-8th century when the sea receded (now almost 4 miles away), causing the deep port to silt up.  Its importance was long gone , and it was abandoned.

Looking down to the end of Harbor Street, I imagined where the port once was, until it silted over

Although Ephesus warrants a guided tour, I was relieved to not be in one of the many clusters moving slowly through the site.  A bit outdated, Rick Steves' tour provided a decent overview for us.

After seeing both the library and theater void of any tourists, we went back to the top to start again - this time guided by our Rick Steves audio tour of Ephesus

Outstretched and meandering slowly down Curetes Street, completely oblivious to other humans, the hordes of tour groups take 45 minutes to get to the library

A visit to Ephesus gives understanding to how the citizens of the eastern Roman Empire lived their daily lives. They bathed at public baths and pooped together in public bathrooms while sharing the latest gossip.

When it was chilly out, the prosperous Ephesians would send enslaved people down to the public latrine to warm their seats.  (We mutually agreed that Jeremy would happily volunteer for that job.)

The Terraced Houses of Ephesus were known as the houses of the rich. Many still maintain colorful frescoes and mosaics. Touted as a "do not miss", the terraces have a separate admission. Right before the trip, the official website said the houses were $8 but now, like everywhere else in Turkey, the price has increased and is now €15.

Located in front of the Terrace Houses is an intact mosaic sidewalk, originally covered by a columned portico

Logistics: The majority of the tours start at the upper entrance to Ephesus to walk downhill through the city. While the tour groups are able to get picked up at the bottom, if you drive yourself and have any level of fitness, the only difficulty you have getting back to your parked car at the top is dodging the crowds.

Next we had a choice between staying a night on the west coast of Turkey in either the beach town of Bodrum or Izmir - both with airports to take us to our final destination. I kept wavering, but ended up choosing Bodrum.  It turned out to be a wise decision - Greg instantly liked Bodrum, reminding him of Greece.  Within an hour of our arrival, he asked twice if we could stay here (in our apartment overlooking the water) the rest of the week.

Bodrum's pedestrian Cumhuriyet Street starts from the square in front of Bodrum Castle and winds east along the coast. Filled with bars, shops, and restaurants, this mile-long street is where you'll find Bodrum's bustling night life.

Kale Cadessi (street), another pedestrian street leading to Bodrum Castle, is lined with souvenir stores

The beach town of Bodrum was unseasonably warm during our stay - but overcast and very windy.

After eating a late lunch at the fish market, we planted ourselves for the rest of the afternoon at a bar on the beach

Popular Arka Pizza - already tired of kebab on the first day, we have been waiting the whole trip knowing we'd have an Italian/pizza dinner here

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