The Library of Celsus |
One of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world
We walked down the original wide marble roads in the city’s downtown area
and walked into public restrooms outfitted with ancient marble toilet
seats and a drainage system for waste. We stood in awe in front of the Library
of Celsus where the Ephesians stored 12,000 scrolls, and we sat in seats once
reserved for ancient theatre performances.
Terrace Houses |
The terrace houses feature private baths with heated flooring and the most amazing frescoes painted on the walls. The fact that we can still see these colorful frescoes today is nothing short of amazing, considering archaeologists had to dig up these ruins from under several feet of dirt to find them. The natural dyes they used in the paint have lasted for thousands of years. The elaborate mosaic floors of the houses are also intact and are works of art.
Mosaic floors are still intact inside the Terrace Houses. |
Day-tripping from Istanbul
A large marble road is amazingly intact. |
Experiencing the amazing site of Ephesus can be accomplished during a day
trip from Istanbul. We flew AtlasJet to Izmir (a 1 hour flight) for its cheap fare and for its free luxury
bus service to Selcuk, the town only a short distance away from the ancient
city of Ephesus. We hired a private tour guide from No Frills Tours to drive us around and to give us the extra
special historical nerd treatment (without the many souvenir and carpet-buying stops, etc., most other tours make you do). Kirk, always with questions, was in heaven.
In the evening, we simply took the AtlasJet shuttle bus back to the Izmir airport. It was super easy. At the Izmir airport, the AtlasJet shuttle leaves from the bus park (accessible by walking through the parking garage). It is ready and waiting for you right after you deplane. After a 45-minute trip, the bus drops you off in Selcuk right in front of the city's Tourist Information center. For the return trip to the airport, the bus picks you up on the opposite side of the same road. The pickup location is next to the Selcuk hospital's emergency entrance in front of a park and a small mosque.
After our day trip to Ephesus, we capped off the night with more Turkish Delight. Since our supply at the hotel was down to none, Kirk went out for some at our local locum shop (locum is what the Turks call it). When the shopkeeper tried to sell Kirk on the “aphrodisiac” Turkish Delights, Kirk just laughed. “No seriously,” the man said. Kirk returned with a stash of chocolate, fig and pomegranate Turkish Delights. And the day was now complete.
In the evening, we simply took the AtlasJet shuttle bus back to the Izmir airport. It was super easy. At the Izmir airport, the AtlasJet shuttle leaves from the bus park (accessible by walking through the parking garage). It is ready and waiting for you right after you deplane. After a 45-minute trip, the bus drops you off in Selcuk right in front of the city's Tourist Information center. For the return trip to the airport, the bus picks you up on the opposite side of the same road. The pickup location is next to the Selcuk hospital's emergency entrance in front of a park and a small mosque.
After our day trip to Ephesus, we capped off the night with more Turkish Delight. Since our supply at the hotel was down to none, Kirk went out for some at our local locum shop (locum is what the Turks call it). When the shopkeeper tried to sell Kirk on the “aphrodisiac” Turkish Delights, Kirk just laughed. “No seriously,” the man said. Kirk returned with a stash of chocolate, fig and pomegranate Turkish Delights. And the day was now complete.
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