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| Ancient Ephesus National Park - Turkey Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
WHEN WE booked this cruise, there were certain parts of the itinerary that I was nearly over-the-top excited about. As an avid photographer and historian, I was getting a chance to see some of the most beautiful and historic parts of the world. In those days, the photography part probably heavily outweighed the history though. So Venice, Mykonos and The Amalfi Coast were my key destinations. I was (surprisingly, as I look back) less enthusiastic about some of the other places. I remember telling my younger law partner that I was frankly "lukewarm" about Istanbul, for example. I will never forget his somewhat passionate rejoinder (ironically his name was also Andy; and he is also a student of history). He said "you've got to be kidding me! How can you not be totally 'geeked' about Istanbul. The cradle of modern civilization. Constantinople. Where western civilization all started!" I hadn't really thought of it that way, but he was certainly right.
I BEGAN to do my "homework." In spite of all the resources available, someone suggest I read the current novel, "Inferno," by Dan Brown (The Robert Langdon Series). The story line in the book follows much the same geographic trip we would be taking, with major parts of the story taking place in Istanbul. It was a good read. But a big part of the fun was visiting places and saying: "hey, I read all about this in Inferno." We will get to Istanbul next.
I will never forget his somewhat passionate rejoinder (ironically his name was also Andy; and he is also a student of history). He said "you've got to be kidding me! How can you not be totally 'geeked' about Istanbul. The cradle of modern civilization. Constantinople. Where western civilization all started!"
EPHESUS WAS, in all honesty, another stop that I felt like I could take or leave. Ancient Roman Ruins. Sure. But we had already seen alot of that in Athens. But it was a full day part of the cruise itinerary. I hoped for some nice photography opportunities. I was not disappointed. I was to discover (as I did again years later with some other ancient ruins) that these sites are a fascinating and amazing look back into ancient times. Our group that day was one my wife had found on Cruise Critic that we had joined. There were - if I recall correctly - 8 of us. We would all be together again the next day in Istanbul. With this excursion we made one stop before reaching Ephesus: The House of The Virgin Mary, where historians believe Mary lived the final years of her life.
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| The Tomb of The Virgin Mary - Ephesus, Turkey Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
THIS STOP was another "first" learning experience that would become a recurring theme in my later blogs - not always as positive commentary. Our port was actually the Port of Kusadasi. Cruise lines love to "name" their port stops with a famous or sought after destination. The way they are written it would be easy for the novice cruiser to conclude that the ship is going to cozy right up next to the spot and you are going to walk of the ship and right to the entrance. I was to learn that very often, the destination targeted was not only not on the ocean, but often a long way from the actual port. This seems to be especially the case for Mediterranean Cruises. Rome, for example, isn't really anywhere near the Mediterranean Sea. It is a good hour to hour and a half inland. The nearest seaport is Civitavechhia. Another peeve of mine is Florence. Again, Florence is nowhere near the water. Depending on which port your cruise line makes its deal with, you will either be in the port of Livorno (Princess, in our experience), nearly 50 miles inland and a nearly 1 hour and 30 minute drive; or La Spezia (Celebrity) which is more like 85 miles and over 2 hours away from Florence. Likewise, Pisa, which is also nearby and also a popular tourist site. I could go on, but you get the point. I get that not every place that is sought after in the world is directly on a seaport. I just think maybe the cruise lines could be more forthcoming about this in their sales pieces. In this case, it really wasn't so bad. Ephesus is not an inhabited city and I think the ship itinerary said "Kusadasi (for Ephesus). And Ephesus - actually a Turkish National Park - is only about 12 miles from the actual port - Kusadasi, and a short drive away.
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| The "Main Street" of Ephesus Copyright Andy Richards 2013 |
THE APPROACH to Ephesus might lead you to think it wasn't going to be that great. The entrance is wide open and has a few artifacts haphazardly around. Eventually, though, you find yourself at the top of a long, slow grade down into the heart of the village. And wow! It just gets better as you go. Most of the Acropolis was built in the 5th century, BC. Ephesus was the 10th century, BC. So everthing we saw at the acropolis that suggested an advance, thriving civilization was kind of thrown on its ear for me when I saw Ephesus, a full five hundred years older.
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| Men's public bathroom - Ephesus Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
AS YOU walk down the street, there are entrances to residences, as well as what were once public places, including stores, and a public bathroom. The houses had multiple stories and within them multiple rooms which is was easy enough to see were bedrooms (even children's rooms were distinguishable by the artwork (in the form of mosaics intricately integrated on the walls and floors), living space, and even kitchens.
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| Ephesus Residential Living Spaces Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
ONE OF the most eye-opening features was the accommodation of "waste-water" plumbing (manifested in large, open troughs that angled downward and out of the residence.
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| Plumbing in an Ephesian Residence Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
AS WE exited the residential area and continued down the street, things eventually culminated in a "town square" ending at the massive Ephesus Library - probably the most impressive displays of ancient Greek (and later Roman) architecture I had ever seen.
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| The Library in Ephesus Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
LIKE THE Acropolis, Ephesus had a large theatre, lelaving little doubt in my mind that the ancients liked their entertainment.
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| Theatre in Ephesus Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
I HAVE said that from time to time I would try to interject a humorous anecdote here on the blog. Maybe not so much an anecdote as an observation in this case. When I am walking around with my camera in hand, one thing I am always on the lookout for is quirky, or humorous signs. I have a small collection of them in my archives. As we exited the Ephesus Park, there were the predictable souvenir hawkers hoping that we tourists would spend some of our money there. We walked through that area on our way back to our ride to the port. How could I resist? It is an additional irony that I am kind of a "watch guy." But the fact that "fake" watches were being sold in any area where a lot of people/tourists might congregate isn't really that surprising. I just loved the wordplay. What does that mean? That they are genuinely fake? 😆I didn't buy one.
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| Outside the Ancient Ephesus National Park Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
AS WE headed back to our ship and the port of Kusadasi, I could see (what I had missed this morning as we left the ship) that it is a very nice, and reasonably large port, but I later learned, is also a popular beach resort. It was another full - and fullfilling - day. Tomorrow: Istanbul.
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| Port of Kusadasi, Turkey Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
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