Where: Ephesus, Turkey
When: July 24, 2007
With: Rachel, Lucy, and the Contiki crew
After our night in Mykonos and our morning in Patmos, we were starting to feel the wear and tear of the trip. This coupled with a forecast of 120 degrees and we were dragging. Which is a shame because in the right conditions, this would have been an absolute favorite stop of my trip: the ancient city of Ephesus.
Ephesus was founded in the 10th century BC and rose to power as one of the most prominent Roman port towns in the eastern Mediterranean. While the water is no longer situated at the city's edge, the wealth and power that came from it can still be seen in its ruins. The ruins are so well preserved, you can still walk the main street and get a feel for what it may have looked like.
While knowing all of that, I only had one main concern on my mind as the bus dropped us off at the site: the heat! We all knew it was going to be hot inland, but nothing could quite prepare us for 120 degrees. When I got off the bus, it was so hot that I thought I was standing in the way of the exhaust pipe. When the bus pulled away, I sadly realized that no, this was just how heat that strong felt. I did love how our tour guide Linda came prepared to handle the heat with an umbrella...and how our friend Marc chose to capitalize on her tactic.
The original "main drag" of Ephesus still has columns lining the way past the foundations of buildings that once stood. We started in the upper agora, and worked our way to the lower agora.
Looking back on the gate and the library, it a was a long road out of the city.
When: July 24, 2007
With: Rachel, Lucy, and the Contiki crew
After our night in Mykonos and our morning in Patmos, we were starting to feel the wear and tear of the trip. This coupled with a forecast of 120 degrees and we were dragging. Which is a shame because in the right conditions, this would have been an absolute favorite stop of my trip: the ancient city of Ephesus.
Ephesus was founded in the 10th century BC and rose to power as one of the most prominent Roman port towns in the eastern Mediterranean. While the water is no longer situated at the city's edge, the wealth and power that came from it can still be seen in its ruins. The ruins are so well preserved, you can still walk the main street and get a feel for what it may have looked like.
While knowing all of that, I only had one main concern on my mind as the bus dropped us off at the site: the heat! We all knew it was going to be hot inland, but nothing could quite prepare us for 120 degrees. When I got off the bus, it was so hot that I thought I was standing in the way of the exhaust pipe. When the bus pulled away, I sadly realized that no, this was just how heat that strong felt. I did love how our tour guide Linda came prepared to handle the heat with an umbrella...and how our friend Marc chose to capitalize on her tactic.
The original "main drag" of Ephesus still has columns lining the way past the foundations of buildings that once stood. We started in the upper agora, and worked our way to the lower agora.
First, we passed by the Odeon, a theater used for entertainment and for Senate meetings.
The upper agora contained several old ruins, too many to identify. However, it was nonetheless impressive to see how clear it was that this was a busy, functioning main street back in its day.
In excellent condition is a stone carving of the Goddess Nike.
Ephesus is also where one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World once stood: the Temple of Artemis. There is nothing left but the foundations now, but at one point it was 60 feet high with 127 columns. It must have been quite the sight back then. Here's a wikipedia rendering of what it would have looked like.
And while you can't see the Temple of Artemis anymore, we were equally impressed by another stop along the way: the ancient bathhouses. Classy, boys.
The most amazing structure still standing in Ephesus, in my opinion, is the Library of Celsus. It sits at the bottom of the main street showcasing how its two story facade has remained remarkably in tact. My favorite fun fact is that the library had a hidden passageway that led under the main street to a brothel a few doors down. That way men could discreetly visit the house of ill-repute while claiming to just be going for a read at the library.
A close up on the library.
After the library, we passed the Temple of Hadrian.
Looking back on the gate and the library, it a was a long road out of the city.
However, that long road led to one of the most impressive sites at Ephesus: the theatre. Estimated to hold 25,000 people, it is believed to be the largest in the ancient world.
The views from the top.
After our walk through the city, we were all pretty much cooked. So it was a welcome return to the boat and the breeze of the ocean at the port of Kusadasi.
The sun setting was a relaxing start to a relatively booze-free night on the ship while we sailed back to Greece and to the island of Rhodes.
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