Ephesus

     Took an 8 hr. bus ride to the ancient city of Ephesus this past weekend. Located on the western coast of Turkey along the Aegean Sea, Ephesus was once a thriving Greek then Roman city before the sea retreated from its commercial harbor, severely crippling its relevance. Excavations of 5000 yr. old Ephesus have been ongoing for over 100 years to remove the overburden that eventually covered the city. According to our guide 75% remains to be uncovered which is mind blowing as there was a lot to see. After viewing the ruins I am sure being an archeologist is cool only in name. Painstakingly unearthing each broken piece of ruin (and by ruin I mean a chunk of rock) and then trying to put the giant puzzle together (where each piece looks about the same and there is no picture) does not sound like Indiana Jones fun. Nevertheless what we saw of the city was impressive and our knowledgeable guide was able to relate the city's background and significance as we explored. 

Amphitheater on entrance to the city.

Library, one of the largest in the world during its time. You could check out scrolls upon scrolls.

Certified! Maybe Katie will make this the cover to the next reunion book. #fingerscrossed

The sea came right up to the entrance of the city at one time. It has retreated approximately 5 km and all that remains is the marshy land seen in the background.

Temple of Artemis remains. Monumental and prodigious before a mob of Christians destroyed it during the end of paganism, all that remains today is a reconstructed column for perspective.  

View from the rooftop of our all inclusive hotel! I stole this picture from Ross's blog, which is a quite enjoyable read  and far superior account of what we are up to here in Turkey. He seeks my advice when he blogs. Just kidding he doesn't.

      We also visited an exhausting, but really cool, number of other sites on this trip. These include the House of the Virgin Mary, St. Johns Basilica, St. John the Baptist's church, site of the Seven Sleepers,an archeological museum, Isa Bey Mosque, a wine village, a Turkish rug production shop, and were given a private runway show. I wish I payed more attention during Sunday school. 

Drainage tile. How long has this stuff been around!? Looks like it hasn't changed much. 

Prayer candles being lit after tourist make it through the House of the Virgin Mary. Don't worry Grandma K I put a few in my pocket for ya.

Prayer wall filled with requests in all languages. 

Baptismal pool. Interestingly our guide explained that Mary is one major link between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. 

An American Model.

Turkish rug weaver turning caterpillar cocoons into silk before our eyes. Amazing! She is paid 4TL/hr and it can take her months or in some cases years to finish ONE rug. 

Refreshments while our generous host explains the in's and out's of Turkish rugs. The effort that goes into making them is impressive and it would be really cool to have one one day. 

View of mosque from St. John's ruins (I think).

Learning the finer points of Mosque architecture. 

Steep descent after the wine testing was a challenge. The disorientation you feel looking at this improperly imported picture is kinda how I felt as I attempted a buzzed descent. Made it!

We made a detour on the way home to Pamukkale, a world heritage site that pops up on StumbleUpon and Pinterest. I am so glad we did! Pamukkale means "cotton castle" and is a famous site that consists of hot spring pools formed into a hillside of carbonate mineral deposits. Heres what happens from what I gather on Wikipedia: Flowing water, heavy with calcium carbonate and heated by volcanic activity, leaves the hillside and is exposed to the air. Carbon dioxide in the water leaves the solution and attempts to reach equilibrium with  the surrounding air, depositing CaCO3 as it does. The deposit eventually hardens and forms the beautiful snow white hillside  with these pools that are continually overflowing with clear water and tourists. Maxed out the memory card here.

Lots of people.

The deposit is said to be a beauty treatment. I tried some. Still waiting. 

Asics in the formations!