MY LIFE IN RUINS
In case the 10+ historical ruins we’d already visited so far weren’t enough, we headed for Ephesus (proper name Efes) – known to be one of THE oldest ancient cities in the world. Unprepared and unaware of the sheer size of the city, we spent a full day marveling at the grandeur that Ephesus would have once held. Standing at the Gate of Hercules, walking through the library of Celsus and standing in the Great Theatre which was RE-constructed between AD 41 – 117 and still holds massive concerts for U2, Elton John, Sting etc without any sound equipment due to the top notch acoustics! Rather spectacular. After Ephesus, we had a huge buffet lunch (our favourite, not) and then went to see The Virgin Mary’s House, said to be where Mary lived her final years after Jesus’ crucifixion. Whilst the tiny house was reconstructed in the 1950s, there are original foundations and walls that were rebuilt upon. From there, we were bussed back home to Selçuk – not without stopping at a leather tannery for the old “Fishin’ For Comission” trick for our tour guide. No purchases for us considering the 4 leather jackets already in Kez’s wardrobe could possibly fund another RTW trip let alone a 5th. Nice try though, Mehmet.
WIN:
The sheer craftsmanship of the ancient era truly is remarkable and incomprehensible considering the size and detailing of the marble structures.
FAIL:
Chris Howard, younger brother of past PM John Howard, in our group was a flat out pest-a-saurus. Not sure if he’s been worded up on tour guide etiquette but pretty sure that ‘teaching’ the guide isn’t kosher. Sibling inferiority complex much?
theflightclub 