Sozer Kusadasi

To wander through a place that held such significance in the past, and has references in the Bible. What a strange feeling to be in this kind of place. To walk along the same streets that some of the apostles walked. To read through the book of Acts and know that many of the instances mentioned happened in this place.

Beyond the historical significance, it was interesting to see that this was a real place ...

... in English.

Walk up to a ruin and you're mobbed by people trying to sell you guides and postcards.

"Tip Boxes" are everywhere and are clearly marked in English.

You can even pay for things in Euro (however, the price is significantly hiked for those travelers).

What is NOT touristy about this? I have to wonder what the travelers who are looking for ...

... retired to the hostel for my final night.
After a few hours working on my journal and this blog, I walked over to the bus station and bought my return ticket to Istanbul. I boarded the overnight bus, departing in the late afternoon and arriving at three am. This would allow me plenty of time to make my seven am flight to Tel-Aviv. About two hours into my bus ride the traffic slowed to a halt on the highway as the rain and ...

... his alone.The taxidermied body of his favorite dog mounted in the Ataturk Mausoleum was the last straw. Yes, he did fantastic things, but the deification of him is out of control. I don’t want to offend any Turks out there, but he was just a man. A great man, yes; a saint, probably not.

My fellow tour member, Jason, coined the phrase Attaboy, Ataturk, so I can’t take credit for it. He also said, “Ataturk. Who’s your daddy?” I smell a Tshirt…

... were nice enough guys and offered to take photos with their cameras and just send them to me later on. I was good with that. By the way, the ruins were outstanding. Some of the best I have seen on this trip. At 7 pm we got a lift back to our hostel. I re-traced my steps one more time to see if I could find my camera case. It was a waste of time. I asked myself what did I do on this trip to deserve this. Then I thought perhaps something bad had to happen ...

... of gladıator competıons and thıs theatre could hold 25000 spectators. Very ımpressıve and awe ınspırerıng to stroll here and muse upon the hıstory and the splendor of thıs place. Fınally we have reached the Agean, wıth all ıts tourısm and European feel but fortunately we are at the end of the season and the crowds are thın and the prıces have dropped. I must spend a few moments to balance the scales on what İ have wrıtten about the turk ...

Okay then so after the amazing time we had in Bursa, it was time to make our way down to Kusadasi which was about 400 miles and 5 hours in the bus, wasn't quite sure if I was going to like being in a bus for 5 hours but when you sleep most the way it's pretty easy, we stopped twice along the way and every once in a while our lovely Turkish tour leader would wake most of us up with the saying ...

... several shops looking for sandals and such on my way back to the ship. Once aboard, I went to the cabin and quickly fell asleep. I was out cold. Michael woke me about an hour later and we headed to Team Trivia once again. We are determined to win something! ANYTHING! I know the suspense is killing you.... but no, we lost by one point again! The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing yesterdays missive, and the contest which you already know ...

... had one of the best hospitals, called Asklepion. People came from all over to be healed here because no one died while there. There were hot springs and many other natural remedies to cure people. This is also where the symbol for the snake and cup for medicine originated. The town was divided into two sections, the common people and the VIP area. The gate of Hercules divided the city and it is said that a person gains strength when walking under the ...

... before me - first one direction, then spun in another - do I see how the fabric changes with each turn of the silken threads? Well, hell yes, I do! I love this rug! I want this rug! How much is this rug, anyway? Three thousand dollars? Whoa - wait a minute! I thought rugs in Turkey were supposed to be cheap! Ah - but this rug is not just a rug - it's a work of art; it's hand-knotted, pure silk, in an ancient pattern. It is the only one of it's kind - there is not another like ...