We landed in Izmir and met our guide, Matt. Took abut 1 1/2 hours to get Selcuk. The main reason to make a stop here is to see the ancient ruins of Ephesus.

This is a very fertile area and they grow and export figs, apricots and grapes. Many peach, cherry, pomegranate and olive orchards. It is also a very important wine growing region. On our drive, we also passed a couple of tobacco factories; Turkey grows its own tobacco.

The town of Selcuk has a population of 36,000. Matt tells us that many educated people are moving to smaller centres like Selcuk to get away from the large cities like Istanbul, as things move at a slower pace and housing/food is less expensive. This is the reverse of the population migration from farms to big cities! Matt reinforces the concept that it is the well educated that are moving to places like Selcuk. He said the unfortunate part was that the prices of housing is rising quickly in these centres.

Our first stop in the afternoon is to go to the ancient city of Ephesus. He tells us that visiting in late afternoon would be better due to the breeze. The temperature tomorrow is to be quite a bit warmer. These ruins are only some five minutes from Selcuk; so easy to get to. We enter the ancient city of Ephesus from the top gate and takes us about 2 hours to walk down to the lower gate. Matt has a quirky sense of humour and laughs at tourists that enter from the lower gate as they have to walk up!

Ephesus dates back to 10BC. Over the centuries there were four separate cities of Ephesus in and around the same location. The one we are visiting was the third such city. It was built by the Greeks, then came under Roman rule; so it is referred to as a Greco/Roman city. The archeologists say that this is based on the construction of the buildings. The Greeks used grey stone, the Roman’s used white marble and later in the Roman Byzantine times they used a red marble which is found in this area.

The excavation of this site stated in the 1930’s with the help of the Austrian government. To date only 20% to 25% of the current site has been excavated. Matt tells us that the city of Ephesus was a very rich port city. The Aegean sea was right at their doorstep so trade took place. Over the years silt and earthquakes caused the sea to recede and now the city is some 20kms from the sea.

We first see the small theatre which could hold 1,200 people and the large theatre held some 24,000.

The civilization of this City eventually died off, due to the ocean receding (trade ceased) the earthquakes, mosquitoes in the marshes and malaria.

There is a church where six Priestesses lived and their duty was to keep the flame alive It was felt that if the flame went out, their people would lose their power.

Matt told us that archeologists were able to calculate the population based on how many people could sit in the largest stadium, then multiply that figure by ten. Not sure why, but that seems to be the way they did it.

Water for the city came from the aqueduct and was used for drinking water as well as for heating the Roman baths which ran twenty four hours a day. The unfortunate part of the baths was that they burnt wood to keep the waters warm and therefore a lot of deforestation took place.

Some of the rediscovered ruins, mainly the terraced houses are now covered by a large structure to preserve them from further damage. Some beautiful frescoes can be seen.

Make our way to the Library which was reconstructed from 1970 to 1977. The library would have housed the scrolls, but none of these were found during excavations. A Hadrian church is nearby.

Matt tells us that in ancient times there were three cities that were lit at night by linseed oil lamps. These were Rome, Antioch and Ephesus. Some statues remain amongst the ruins, including one of Artemis, the sister of Appolo. Artemis was very important to Ephesus, as a goddess. The statue we saw was quite large and they would transport the statue across the hill to the church whenever there was a special rite.

Very hot today, but Matt says it will be even hotter tomorrow. It was his call to visit Ephesus and we are glad he made the decision to go this afternoon. As we are leaving Ephesus and walking towards our van, Matt tells us that he will meet us further down the lane. He says to watch out for the “sticky salesman”. We must go through a bazaar with all kinds of “tourist crap” for sale and the salespeople get mad at him if he is guiding a tour; as they feel that he is deterring tourist from buying their merchandise. He is not wrong; they are all calling out to us to buy something.

Matt tells us that there are three important sites in and around Selcuk. One is the ruins of Ephesus and its museum, the Basilica of St. John and the House of Mary. Tomorrow we will visit the museum as well as the Basilica. The House of Mary is located quite high in the mountains. We have opted out of going; as Matt tells us just a little house with nothing to see.

The visit to the House of Mary becomes quite a joke between all of us. Every time we are driving somewhere, Matt points to the the Mountain and says….”look, there is the House of Mary”. He tells us that we have to give him a good rating……even though we didn’t see “the House of Mary”.

After visiting Ephesus, we are driven to Sirince, a small town up in the mountains to get to our hotel Nisanyan Houses Hotel. Our van can only go up to a certain point on the road and we are met at an intersection by a small van from the hotel. Holy Moly! I think the young driver thought he was the race car driver, Mario Andretti. We find out later that this young man was also acting as a waiter in the restaurant, so that is why he was driving so fast; he had to get back to work.

Our hotel is perched on the side of the hill overlooking the town of Sirince. It is made up of several stone buildings. The furnishings in our apartment are very eclectic. We have to walk down a very steep road about five minutes to the main dining room. This hotel is very busy as is the holiday for locals, after Ramadan. A great meal with wonderful views down the valley. Wild hollyhocks growing everywhere here, even along side the road; beautiful.

The next morning we are once again driven down the road to the meeting point. Faye and I tell Matt that we need a cappuccino. He stops in the town of Selcuk, some twenty minutes down the road from where we are staying. The coffee shop is just across the Ephesus museum, so visit there next. The museum houses many of the artifacts from the ancient city of Ephesus and is well worth seeing.

We then visit the Basilica of St. John which is on the hill overlooking Ephesus. It was built from 527AD to 565AD. It is said that John the Evangilist came to this region of Turkey to spread the word of Jesus. From the remains of the church one can see that it was built in the shape of a cross. Apparently some years ago Pope Paul Vl visited here and held a mass.

Across the fields we see the Temple of Artemis. We visited it, but really is uninspiring. Only 1 column still exists and storks have their nest built on the one remaining column. Have seen lots of storks in this area and they are all nesting.

Matt told us that a lot of the collapsed columns and other building materials that were in the ruins were used for construction in other parts of the city of Selcuk and surrounding areas.

We stop at one of Matt’s favourite restaurants for our lunchtime meal. Can’t believe how much the Turks eat…..Matt says “of course we do”. The two lunches we have had with him have been in a buffet style which is quite popular here. You do not help yourself as you would in a North American buffet. You tell the waiter what you want and they bring it family style.

Today our lunch was made up of meat skewers, beef/lamb meatballs, stuffed zucchini flowers, zucchini fritters, black and green olives, broccoli and tomato salad, cooked vegetable mixture of eggplant, mushrooms and tomatoes, green bean salad, chick pea salad, fried potato slices, fava bean salad and seaweed with yogurt. The locals generally put cumin and hot dried peppers over top of their meat and other dishes. Matt polishes off everything that we didn’t have. All very flavourful.

Matt tells us that he has a sister living in Oakville, Ontario and that he has visited a few times. He says he loves shopping at Costco and Target. He uses the phrase “I just love this” when he likes something. He has always used it after lunch or stopping for coffee. Cannot believe how much this guy can eat! He tells us that all Turks eat like him. Must admit that this is probably true. What we have been served for breakfast at various hotels has been overwhelming.

For my “cat friends”. There are hundreds of stray cats everywhere. The Turks love cats and put out water and food for the strays.

Our next stop is “Firca Pottery” so we can observe the traditional pottery making and see some of the pieces. In Selcuk, they use local clay from the river and then grind quartz and glass into the clay to make it stronger. Also, because of the quartz they use, once the various pieces are fired, the colours do not fade.

They use all natural colours and each piece goes through many stages.

1) Once an item has been shaped it goes into a dry room

2) First firing is at 1,600 degrees for 1 hours

3) The design is painted on

4) Then colour and glazing

5) Final firing where the glazing melts on the item.

The most interesting item we saw is a wine jug that is shaped into a circle. Unfortunately I did not take a picture of these; have seen them everywhere. The lady who was leading us around said that one puts your arm into the centre of the piece (Hittite wine jug) and that helps pour the wine……needless to say, the servants did this chore.

Robin commented on the traditional designs of some of the pottery. We were told that anyone using the ancient designs on pottery they are selling need to have special permission to use them. All of us came away with some purchases; couldn’t resist, they are all so beautiful. Thank heavens they ship home free of charge, otherwise I would have to start carrying larger suitcases.

I must comment on Turkish tea and coffee. I always thought that most Turks drank very strong coffee. In reality, most Turks drink strong black tea, and if too strong, they simply add hot water. The tea pots come in two sections, as do modern day kettles, here in Turkey. The bottom part or electric kettle keep the water hot. The pot on top is where the tea is brewed. Below is a picture of an ancient and a modern tea pot.

The next morning we are picked up by our driver and Matt. They are taking us to Bodrum, about a 2 1/2 hour drive. The Soke valley, on the way to Bodrum has the largest production of cotton. Bodrum is where we will be catching our “goulet”. We make a lunch stop and again trying new food. We shared “Manti” a dumpling with meat inside which is covered with garlic and tomato sauce. The other dish is “Sarma” which is stuffed grape leaved covered in yogurt and tomato sauce. Matt is so funny; every time he eats he says…”I just love this”. We have enjoyed his company and his wealth of knowledge of Turkey and its’ people.

On to our next chapter…..Bodrum.