This was the second of our replacement ports of call and not having been able to do any research I had very little idea of what to expect. I had three options 1) stay on board the ship all day – 2) take a very expensive organised excursion – 3) wander around the local area and try to find something of interest. Option 1 was not a contender as I could never visit a port and not get off to see something of the area. As there were some short tours on offer I decided to combine both the remaining options i.e. a tour in the morning and a short wander around town in the afternoon.
The tour I opted for was called The Glory of Ephesus. What or where is Ephesus?? The city of Ephesus dates back to pre-Ionian times when the Carians and Lelegians lived in a wide plain near the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. St. John is said to have written his Gospel here and it is also meant to have been the last home of the Virgin Mary. The ruins of this very ancient city are only ten miles away which is why Kusadasi has become known as The Gateway to Ephesus.
Our first stop was at the Basilica of St. John where I was greeted with the sight of tall pillars rising into the sky. Huge chunks of highly carved marble dotted the ground lying where they had fallen from pillars centuries ago. Here and there were large round earthenware water pots whose deep orange hue contrasted vividly with the white of the marble. The guide spent 45 minutes explaining the history of the site and then allowed 10 minutes for photo taking. Having been on a number of excursions in the past I know how frustrating this can be so right from the outset I set off on my own snapping picture after picture so that I have my own memories of the place. From the ruined walls I looked down to see one single pillar rising from the plain below. Apparently this is all that survives from the once impressive Temple of Artemis.
Then it was onto Ephesus proper and what sights were in store for me there. The Temple of Hadrian; The Library of Celsus; The Marble Street. The tour took us through the main thoroughfare from the high hillside entrance down to the plain. If I had strayed too far from the guide there was every chance of getting lost here but whenever possible I struck out on my own for a few minutes. It was during one of these “stolen” moments that I came across an American photographer. She had two cameras strung around her neck the most impressive of which would not have looked out of place in a museum. I asked her about it and she told me that it had belonged to her grandfather and that it still worked as good today as it had 55 years ago when he had purchased it. In fact it took much better pictures than todays digital varieties. She told me that she was a freelance photographer from a little town called York – New York (!!). Apparently she was as frustrated as I was with having to stay with a guide but she had the flexibility of being able to return the next day when she hoped to visit much earlier in the morning when the light would be better for her photographs. I bumped into her again on a couple of other occasions during the morning when both of us were again “stealing” time from the guides. At one point we both discovered one of the city’s cats who was posing unashamedly on a ruined pillar. It was lovely to see a livng animal amongst all the ruins but I bet her photograph will make mine look amateurish. Who knows, perhaps one day I may come across the one she took in National Geographic and be able to compare them!
Well, the excursion may have been expensive but it certainly gave me the chance to take some wonderful photos – and I loved meeting the lady from the little town called York.
After lunch I took myself off into the local town of Kusadasi and walked around the harbour and out to the fortified island which was reached by a causeway. This again proved a good vantage point for taking photos and yet again I came across cats who were desperate to get into my pictures. I think I may have to rename this blog The Cruise for Cats.
I have no regrets at visiting Kusadasi instead of Port Said. It was wonderful to have the opportunity of seeing the ruins of Ephesus but I don’t think there is anything in Kusadasi itself which would ever draw me back.
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