27 April

Kusadasi, Turkey

We arrived at Kusadasi to find that the bicycle tour/race that disrupted traffic for us in Bodrum had travelled to Kusadasi and extensive traffic diversions were in place around the town.  It was only a problem on the way back to the ship and our bus driver was able to get us close enough to the ship that it didn’t really matter.

We took a tour from the port to Ephesus, an ancient well preserved classical city of the Eastern Mediterranean.  It was once the trade centre of the ancient world as a Greek City, then a religious centre of early Christianity as a Roman City.  Ephesus had a population of 250,000 in the First Century BC.

Today Ephesus is a well preserved archeological site and a major tourist attraction.  As large as it is, only about 15% has been excavated so far.

An interesting sight… ancient public toilets

Toilets. Slaves used to sit on the toilet prior to it being used so it was warm for the next person

A sign on the ground pointing to a brothel.  Apparently intending customers must match or exceed the foot imprint although I am not confident of the veracity of that claim.  The brothel was across from the library and there was a tunnel between the two that allowed for discreet access.

This is a sign indicating the direction to a brothel

Terrace Houses, once inhabited by wealthy Ephesians from the First Century BC to the Seventh Century AD, are being excavated and reassembled; several are open for viewing.  The area is covered to assist in preservation and protection while excavations continue.

The Theatre, with seating for 25,000 people 

The Temple of Hadrian

The Library of Celsus.  Jim and Sue with Audio guides around our necks. The Library was one of the largest in the Roman Empire and was built to house 12,000 scrolls.  It was completed in 120AD

There are a lot of cats at Ephesus

The Agora market place

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