“So would it make you all uncomfortable if I read Fifty Shades of Grey out loud on this plane? Would you need to talk about your feelings.”
This is how Ann and I began our trip from Istanbul to Izmir, with the most hilarious group of male seatmates from CA ever. They would come back again before the day was done. Off the plane we went onto a bus to Selcuk (and our hotel) and then a shuttle with Lily the rug dealer. All to get to the best place ever.
Repeated comments of “is this for real?” came from my mouth. Ann managed a quick search to find non-obvious Biblical references to Ephesus and read aloud time began. There was an angry group of silversmiths that felt like their business of making silver idols was being threatened. So they caused a riot.
There is something amazing when you’re strolling down a stone street that was built who knows when and you enter the public market space that was constructed in 300BC. I mean, it was a city with a thriving population of 250,000 people … 2,000 years ago. INSANE, I tell you!
Now, it is just a place for tourists to be in awe. It is also a place that explains the general thought process of Turkish preservation and this was something I thought a lot about…as I climbed all over 2,000 year old artifacts. We took pictures on top of columns, climbed through the arena and theaters, and then made one of our favorite discoveries…apparently sometimes they just let the archaeology students construct structures from pieces of columns and marble that mean absolutely nothing. But it also is a place that employees 10 turkish men to reconstruct a mosaic floor and the marble walls of the old homes.
Oh, and my favorite trip outtake…someone finally used her self timer. Someone also got a few laughs when she was found leaping in a column graveyard (my description, not the guidebook) in an attempt to get a great self-timed photo.
Only one more Turkey post to go. Then I guess it’s time to plan the next vacay.
