Esra Pansiyon Selcuk

After a beautiful, restful evening, we were up early to eat out on deck and watch our entrance into the port of Izmir, Turkey. Izmir is the third largest port in Turkey and has four million people. The port seems huge, once again all sorts of sea vessels, and cargo ships. The weather was a cool 53f but clear and no wind. At 0800 we boarded our tour buses. We were required to pick up tourist passes for the port and return them when we came back to the port. (Turkish ...

... He spoke all through the tour about the extensive history of the place with pride and passion.<br><br>The ruins are buried under layers of earth and this process whereby a thriving community gets lost over centuries by being interred is a mystery to us really. The quality of the stonework at Ephesus mirrored that we had seen in Greece and the expertise of the stone workers astonished us. Also the extent of the complex with its way down to what used to be the Aegean Sea until ...

... on them or carried drinks over some of these incredible pieces that took years to make. Once the presentation was over, our host called in his 'associates' and we were effectively cornered by 10 or so Turks trying to engage us in conversation in the hopes that we would buy as many carpets as possible (starting at around $2000 US for the small ones and $6000 US for the big ones). It was quite amusing - they didn't bother us as much as other ...

... little information is available comes from the ruins of the foundation. A colossal statue of Domitian, 5m (16 ft.) high in a seated position, 7m (23 ft.) if you include the base, was the altar centerpiece in a cella only 9m*21m (30 ft.*70 ft.). Remains of this statue can be seen in the Ephesus Museum, while the head is on display in the Izmir Archaeological Museum.The Museum of Inscriptions takes up the underground substructure of the temple, and contains a collection of stone and marble ...

... us to leave his store. We escaped after being invited out dancing in Selcuk later that night (this is a prominent theme for us in Turkey).<br><br>We searched the town for pashminas and scarves.After haggling rather successfully we ended up with two beautiful pashminas and a scarf. <br><br>Late afternoon was spent beside the pool recovering from the intense heat and wine. There were two adorable rottweiler puppies at the hostel who love to cuddle and play. We did a healthy does of both.

... cared that they reacted and therefore listened. How often do we get caught up in either the pleasures or the challenges of daily life and lose our sight? I wonder if there are times we need a good attention-getter to wake us up, even though we'd probably resent it. I wonder what it takes for us to consecrate the stuff of daily life so that it becomes, not a distraction, but a focus, where instead of losing sight of God, we see God right in our midst.

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... the armed guards were! We asked to see a menu so we could see the price of watermelon, and the only thing that closely resembled it was a fruit salad for which they charged 12YTL, so he ended up taking off 3YTL. Big deal - it was still overpriced! The next night we walked by that restaurant, the waiter at the Panorama Restaurant next door told us that we had been charged double. He had watched the night before as we questioned the waiter, and said at his restaurant, he would have ...

... had been involved. I guess that was the "hook" they needed. On the way out of town we stopped at a ceramics place to buy a few things that Grandpa wanted. We learned that if you show up on your own without a guide that everything is 50% off! So, folks, if you ever come to Turkey, never shop with a guide! The good news is that I was still more impressed with the ceramics that I saw and bought in Capadoccia than I was with the ones there. We ...

... diving certification. I have been talking about it in depth just the last two days as I've shared hostels with people who are doing the reverse of my trip and have recently been to the region. <br><br>I'm spooked...and a bit freaked out. I think I've had a healthy understanding of the risks associated with my path but this is the first time an actual "threat" has arisen for me (I'm currently nowhere near there and ...