Imagine the wonder I felt in "crossing the border" from Greece to Turkey - not the ordinary way, of course, but by taking a high-speed ferry to the Greek island of Samos, where you then catch another ferry for the short trip to Turkey. Going through the most relaxed immigration procedure immaginable, I asked the Greek authority where I should go to get my Turkish visa, which the embassy web site had told me I didn't need to obtain in advance. He responded dryly, "in Turkey." Fair enough. I'll miss Greece.
An hour later, I was in Turkish waters watching the coast of Kusadasi grow from the top deck of the ferry, the the sun on my face and the beginning of my Middle East adventure ahead of me. Upon arrival, I paid my US$15 for my visa, filled out a short form, and was on my way.
My hotel driver, Savash, pointed out the sights along the way to the town of Selçuk: the location of the house where the Virgin Mary lived her last days, the ancient town of Ephesus, and the sights in the lovely town where the Hotel Bella was found. Initially, I was a bit worried about being on my own after 5 weeks of travel with Tom, but sitting in the rooftop cafe of my hotel, watching the storks and admiring the sunset over the St. John Basilica, I felt like I was doing quite well.
The next day, I took a taxi up to Mary's house, expecting to see real beauty in peace. As often happens, the site was over-touristed and despite the obvious cultural and religious importance, left me feeling like I was sharing in the abuse. Standing in the long line with a hundred jostling Russians to enter the small church built on the site left me feeling empty, like we were all missing the point.
I did find the plaque below very interesting, however. A small taste of Turkey's attempts to reconcile the Islamic-leaning with its strong Christian history. More on this in my next post.
Fortunately, I was relieved when I entered to the valley below, where the Ephesus stands in glory, some of it still to be discovered as excavation continues. Students of the Bible should know this town from a number of stories, including one where St. Paul preached in the theatre and was expelled from the city for causing a disturbance with his teachings of Christ that threatened the income of silversmiths who made icons of the Greek god of Artemis.
Visiting the actual ancient Roman theatre, you can stand at the top and imagine him below galvanizing the common people, while robed scholars stroll through the marble streets. Similar to the Forum in Rome, Ephesus really fulfilled the promise that the Forum never quited delivered for me.
A true Roman city, in tact and ready to spring to life.
The highlight of the visit for me was the Library of Celsus, whose facade seems almost magically in place, a stunning architectural gem that I believe is unique from any other ancient ruins.
So much of the marble and statues remain that you finally begin to experience the wonder people must have felt when entering the town...I'll bet they thought it looked futuristic.
Apart from the crowds and severe summer heat, the visit was an absolute discovery for me. The combination of friendly Turkish culture and cuisine, Christian history, and Roman significance makes Selçuk and Ephesus a visit really unlike any other.
I finally weaved my way through the crowds to the end of town and decided a break was the best thing for me to beat the heat. So I lounged on the roof deck with the staff of my hotel and watched Turkish TV while admiring the storks nest directly across the street.
The rest of my afternoon was spent touring the ruins of the St. John Basilica (seen partially in the background of the pics above and below) and strolling down to the remains of the Temple of Artemis. All that is left of the temple is one standing column and a few broken ones on the ground, but I had to go because this was once one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, my third to experience in a month (after visiting the Pyramids and getting close to the Statue of Zeus at Olympia in Athens). A pretty good score I think!
Finally, I'll close this picture-filled post (that actually only covers one day!) with two more great signs, both from Ephesus...
2 comments:
The signs are inspired.
I know! I try to collect more of these but forget to take the photos sometimes. Often it's been menus actually. Saw "croaker" on a menue in Hong Kong tonight. I'm guessing that meant frog??
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