June 23, 2016
Ancient Ephesus in Turkey
Next stop on our European adventure is Turkey! Now, I have to admit, this was probably the place that we were least excited for. I mean, compared to places like Rome and Barcelona, I wasn’t sure how Kusadasi, Turkey was going to compare. Our stop here actually almost got cancelled altogether due to some safety issues with the port. But the main attraction here in Turkey, Ancient Ephesus, was actually pretty spectacular!
Like Athens, Ephesus was another ancient city full of amazing history. It was one of the most important cities of the Roman empire and has some significant biblical history as well! These are the streets that St. John and the Virgin Mary used to roam and where St. Paul would preach! Most of the ancient places we visited on this trip would just be a building or two that was still standing or had been restored. This place was a little different, because it was an entire city that had been excavated! We walked the same streets that the people of these ancient civilizations walked and got to see all the various building that made up this city. The library, theaters, markets and even toilets! And what’s even crazier is that what has been excavated already is only a fraction of what is left to be excavated!
So we did the standard tour through Ephesus, with the dorky audio tour and all! How cute is our little Turkish tour guide with the flower umbrella?? If only I could understand a word she said… haha! Here’s a few pics from our stroll through Ephesus!
This is the Library of Celsus. The 3rd largest library of the ancient world! 
The market place!
The Great Theater. This could set 25,000 people! And this is where St. Paul would preach when he lived in Ephesus! The acoustics are actually good enough in this theater that actors today don’t need microphones when performing in it!
After our tour, we were dropped off at the port town for some free time before getting back on the boat. We experienced a LOT of pushy salesmen throughout our trip, but none like the salesmen in Turkey! Holy moly, I’m surprised we left with the shirts on your back! I was pretty proud of myself for haggling a dress down from 95 Euros to 45 Euros! But who knows, still could have been a rip off.
Next week we’ll be recapping one of my favorite stops- Rhodes, Greece! It’s gonna be a good one!
Check out these posts to see more from our trip!