Whooppieeee! Today dawned bright and sunny with temperatures around 60 degrees, and getting warmer! With a clear blue sky the day was going to be great. We met our tour guide at 9am just outside the port terminal and were off for Ephesus. Just 30 miles North Ephesus was established as a trading port and religious center 3000 years ago. Found while laying track for a railroad, it is the Aegean’s best preserved ancient city. Only about 20% has been uncovered, but was can be seen it is easy to envision life as it was 2000 years ago.
While there, we also saw the Basilica of St. John, the House of Mary, the remains of the Temple of Diana, and the terrace houses. I can honestly say that if you ever visit this area Ephesus is a must see. Plan on spending a couple of hours minimum and it’s best if you have a knowledgeable guide with you.
By now it was lunch time so we stopped at a small local restaurant where we had a delicious home cooked lunch. It definitely was not a place that a typical tourist would find and was located along a very narrow road in the middle of the city.
On our way back towards the port we did make a stop at a ceramic factory to see how they are made in this area. It was very interesting to see how they are all hand painted so no two pieces are ever exactly the same. They are however very close. When you see the finished product you can readily appreciate the amount of time involved in creating each piece.
All in all we had a most enjoyable tour and our guide was fantastic. Tomorrow we are in Santorini. With luck we will have wonderful weather once again.
Cheers!
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