Mediterranean Mezze

On the move again, goodbye Cappadocia hello Ephesus where it is much, much warmer. Ephesus was the capital of the roman province of Asia or as we know it today, Asia Minor or Turkey. The roman ruins here are in the best shape of any in the would and worth the stop if you are in this part of the world. See photos. The digging and restoration is still on going and with the help of some Austrian archaeologists some homes known as the ‘Terrace Houses‘ have a cover and are being restored in a meticulous manner. This was a great stop because it was a complete complex in much better shape than most ruins one sees. You really get a feel for the size and look of homes that were joined into one large complex then broken up again. Worth the time to visit.

Next was the Ephesus Museum where artifacts and some monuments found at Ephesus are on display. A small but nice museum. A funny note here, Ephesus on Turkish is Efes which is also the name of a popular beer. So when I saw we were going to ‘Efes Müzes’ I asked the guide why he was taking us to a beer museum and he corrected me and added all the best beer museums are in Milwaukee. His girlfriend lives there. Ho boy… 🙂

Last we visited the Basilica of St. John dedicated to St. John the Evangelist and where he is (supposed to be) buried. The ruins are large and it must have been quite the place in its time.

Tonight we are staying at Güllü Konaklari in the town of Sirince. It is up in the hills a bit, about a half hour from Ephesus. A very quiet place, the call to prayers were being announced shortly after we arrived, the nicest voice I have heard to date. Being a bit more isolated, it is a bit of a throwback to the way travel use to be, except for internet access of course. Many of the locals do not speak english so there is a bit of a back and forth like the old days. We are glad Sydney is getting a chance to experience this.

One final observation about Turkey, the produce here is the best we have had in years. Fruit, vegetables, etc. all have great flavors, meals are enjoyable. Local farming is doing great and I do remember the education about the pigeons being kept for the fertilizer they help produce, I try not to think about it a meal time. On the other hand, the results are good so keep up what ever you are doing.