Exploring Turkey: Ancient Ruins

Kivanç wants to get an early start today. We are visiting the Temple of Artemis and Ephesus. He explains that all the tour buses will be arriving shortly and he wants to get in front of them. The sky has a slight haze but the sun will burn that off in no time. I lather up the sun screen, don my hat and head to the rooftop with Shannon for a decent breakfast with instant coffee (bleh).

It’s going to be a hot one today. The sun is shining, the sky is blue with a slight haze that the sun will burn off in no time. There is no breeze. The fragrant flowers of the jacaranda tree fill my nostrils. The blueish, purple flowers litter the sidewalk. I love this tree. I saw my first one in Mijas Pueblo, Spain and instantly fell in love.

Temple of Artemis

Standing overlooking a field, my ankles are irritated by the coarse weeds. My allergies are acting up even though I popped a pill thirty minutes earlier. Perhaps it is caffeine withdrawal but I’m a little irritated this morning. Scratching and fidgety, I swat away a fly. A merchant peddling hand-whittled wooden flutes blows constantly trying to attract our attention. Suddenly I hear an interesting bird song in the distance and pull out my pone and open the eBird app. My mind switches from the irritants to the the common House Sparrow, an Eurasian Collared-Dove, and the interesting call of an Eurasian Jackdaw and a smile comes to my face.

Focus Donna! You are here to explore history. From this vantage point, I see a vast field where remnants of the Temple of Artemis once stood in all of its Greek glory. According to Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her twin brother was Apollo. It is staggering to be able to touch columns that were built in 550 B.C.E.  I must locate the photo of me trying to push over a column. 

Ephesus

As predicted by Kivanç, the tour buses invade the area. Our little van is hard to find in the parking lot behind all the massive motor coaches. We hightail it out of there and head for the ancient city of Ephesus another short drive away. We start with a quick orientation around a model of Ephesus and then follow Kivanç for a short while before we go off on our own.

I discover a sign that seems to be from a hospital or pharmacy. Kivanç can’t confirm or deny, but I will confirm with my Greek friend, Michael Dalmaridis. He’ll know. I am certain it is the apothecary. The amphitheatre and library are impressive. We learn that the men told their wives they would be at the library all day when in fact they were accessing an underground passage to a brothel. Also, the number of seats in an amphitheatre indicates the number of people who lived in the community at that time. The Great Amphitheatre could seat 25,000 people!

We lose Greg for a short time, but eventually with the help of WhatsApp messaging, we are reunited outside the Great Amphitheatre. Kivanç obtains tickets to a show about Artemis inside a modern theatre.

The theatre in the round is a welcome relief from the heat and humidity. The show is about Artemis (Amazon woman), the burning of the temple by Herostratus, and the birth of Alexander the Great. At times, it feels like we are part of the movie. We move from room to room where the story continues. I enjoy it as it gives me the background knowledge of both Artemis and Ephesus. Warning: if you are tired, there are no seats. This is normal in Turkey; lots of stairs and standing.

Ataturk – More Gözleme

Following the Ephesus visit, we drive a short distance to Ataturk where we enter a beautiful oasis owned by a woman who built her business by making gözleme. We sit at tables under a roof of sticks. There are colourful painted gourds hanging from the roof, and trailing plants everywhere. It is a lovely place. Lots of green, colourful art, shade, and the smell of a fire oven. After a shared meal of gözleme, Turkish tea and pomegranate juice, we board the van again and head back to Selçuk. A few of us really want to get into that pool so we beg Kivanç for some free time. Thankfully, he acquiesces. 

Selçuk and Pool Time

Once back in Selçuk, Kivanç gives us a quick walking tour of the town. Some of the group want to go to the local hammani. He hops on the phone and organizes one for them. Shannon, Jane, and I wanted to do some shopping and get ourselves poolside as soon as possible, so we quickly head back into town to buy spices and some souvenirs. Shannon and I find a spice shop that satisfies all our aromatic needs. I was originally looking for leather sandals, but it is too hot for me and the sun is at its peak. I decide to head back to the hotel and that beautiful pool.

I walk uphill for about 10 minutes. Not too bad, but it is steep. Sweat is pouring down my face, and my back. I know my face is red. Dreaming of entering the crystal blue water of the pool motivates me to keep going. Back at the hotel, I slip on my bathing suit and jump into the pool. Ahhhh! It is exactly what I need. Jane joins me shortly and we float and chat while the cool water removes all traces of the heat. Heaven!

Shannon returns shortly and joins us by the pool. After a while, I leave her as she reads and enjoys her free time. Returning to the room, I discover our air conditioner has leaked, down the wall, over the table and into my suitcase. Some of my clothes get wet and there is water at the bottom of my suitcase. I place my suitcase outside in the late afternoon sun to dry. Later, Kivanç organizes a new room for us. It is our final night in Selçuk, and as long as the new room has air conditioning and two beds, we will be fine.

Cooking Class and Dinner

Tonight we are going to a cooking class. Joseph, our driver brilliantly navigates the mountain road until suddenly there seems to be an issue. Joseph backs up the Mercedes van and turns us around in tight spots. We are marvelling at Joseph’s driving skills while using a stick shift. Kivanç, in the front passenger seat, and Joseph are steadily raising their voices as Joseph does his best to get us to our destination. The group, anticipating a fun evening of cooking and eating lower their voices as the tension in the van rises in direct relation to the heights we are climbing. Upon arrival in Sirince, we thank Joseph who is looking a little stressed.

Walking along a small cobblestone road which of course is uphill, we come to a doorway where 2 women and a little girl greet us with huge smiles, kerchiefed heads and aprons. The sign outside is IlyStepe, translated to Ilya’s Hill. 

They give us a few minutes to wander around the property. The late afternoon dappled light creates shadows through the flickering leaves. Walls hold back the earth and mounds of English ivy cascade over flagstones. The cobblestones lead us to an amazing view and a lookout tower with a barn door entrance. I stay on the ground as the rest of the group wind their way up to the top to see the view from a different perspective. I can hear their laughter and giggles. I’m loving this location. With the sun starting to lower, the light is incredible. I happen upon a little fountain that gurgles happily. I imagine what it is like living here in such a remote location.  

Kivanç calls us to the kitchen. Upon entering, we are greeted with the smell of a wood fire, beautiful stone walls and clean white cabinetry. The backsplash is a kaleidoscope of colours. This room oozes warmth and cheeriness. Our hosts wrap our heads in kerchiefs, our waists in aprons and off we go to the sink to wash our hands. We are ready to prepare the food. There are a couple of worktables covered in plastic and chairs and benches for us to relax on. A gas stove is off to left next to a window that looks out to a little garden. Ilya grows all her own food but not in this location, further down the mountain. 

Everyone gets involved with either chopping, braising, stirring and of course sampling the food. We make hummus, an interesting dip (I can’t recall the name, but is is delicious) and a beef stew. Shannon is frying up the veggies, Greg is doing something with the beef stew and Kerrie is pulsing the ingredients for the hummus. We are told not to fill up on our efforts because we will be going for dinner soon. What we are cooking here is the menu for what is being served tonight. At the end of the cooking class, we make our way down the hill to a beautiful mountainside restaurant. The lights glow and welcome us to dinner.  I forget to take pictures of the view but it is etched in my mind. We enjoy the meal, the view, and the camaraderie. I’m trying not to think of how we will get down this mountain.

Cats lounge close enough to stare us down as if to say, “are you done yet? It’s our turn!”  They hop on the table, and on dirty dishes looking for scraps. As I get up to leave, I startle a cat that unbeknownst to me has settled under my chair. The dang thing screeched as loud as my metal chair on the stone floor and scratched the top of my foot announcing that I’m in her space.

With dinner over, we walk a portion of the way to meet a taxi. Joseph cannot manage this road at night, so taxis have been ordered for us and take us to the bottom. We are happy to greet Joseph at the bottom were he safely gets us back to Selçuk. We settle in for the night in our new hotel room. Jane tells me about a ceramics factory around the corner fro the hotel where I can get my hand-painted tile. That will be my first task of the day, tomorrow. My clothes are almost dry, and we have a functioning air conditioner; Life is good! I fall asleep with no issue.

Intrepid Travel – Turkey Real Food Adventure