VERY EDIBLE SOY: Istanbul Family Reunion (3 of 4)

After a lazy Wednesday, which included saying goodbye to Erica and Giga, and some more fish sandwiches, we got to bed early for our 5:00 a.m. pickup the next morning. Jim, Irma, John, and Julie were off on a two-day overnight trip out of Istanbul to Ephesus, which was a former Greek, and then Roman, city in Izmir Province in Turkey. With it's extensive ruins it is a popular tourist destination.

We flew to Izmir and joined a group tour which visited several sites before we were dropped off at a hotel in Selçuk for Thursday night.

Our first stop was the House of the Virgin Mary, a Catholic and Muslim shrine. Small, and extensively reconstructed, it was nevertheless interesting.

Our Tour Group

Mary's House

Knocking at Mary's Door

A Couple of New Friends in the Gift Shop

Next was a stop at the archaeological site of Ephesus. These grounds are extensive and we wandered through for a couple of hours. Highlight included the Library of Celsus and the open-air theatre which had a capacity of 25,000 had had been used for drama as well as gladiator combat.

Ephesus Ruins

Our Tour Guide

Grave-site Ruins

This used to be the Sea Coast

Library in the Background

Library of Celsus

Theatre at Ephesus

After lunch was the obligatory stop at the carpet shop for a demonstration of silk weaving and an educational lecture on carpets. No, we didn't buy any.

Spinning the Silk from the Cocoons

Weaving Demonstration

Carpet Showroom

A Couple of Small Carpets -- Probably Over $3,000 each

From there we moved to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today this site consists of little more than a couple of columns in a marshy field.