We arrive early in the morning at Selcuk exhausted from a 10 hour overnight bus ride from Istanbul. It should be noted that buses in Turkey are of a higher quality than any of our previous countries and were pleased with the following pleasantries: free snacks & drinks, liberal sprinklings of kolonya (lemon cologne) for our hands, and numerous potty breaks.

We took a quick nap at the hostel before joining the hoards of tourists at nearby Ephesus. Our favorite portion of this old Roman city was the Celsus library which is a stunning ruin with a double layer of columns and well preserved statues. The grandeur of the Great Theatre was also spectacular, in its glory could hold up to 25,000 people (other accounts estimate up to 44,000). The acoustics are really amazing as was demonstrated first hand by a Japanese tourist who was putting on an impromptu solo for her tour group.

Being the best perserved classical city in the area, it helped us imagine the lifestyle and wealth of people from this era. Please note further info and details of the ruins are available here.

On the way back to Selcuk we stopped at Mary's House which is believed to be where the Virgin Mary spent her remaining days. At this point we may need to read the book Mary's House by Donald Carroll (which is recommended in our Lonely planet guide book) which outlines the history of this place because we did not exactly understand what all the fuss (let alone the outlandish expensive) was all about.

Back in Selcuk we spent the evening strolling along the streets of this delightful town past old mosques, an old castle, ancient aqueducts with stork nests settled on top, and numerous restaurants with their various mezes (appetizers) on display. That night we enjoyed one of our favorite meals consisting of about 6-7 wonderfully made appetizers, descriptions of some include: yogurt with grated cucumber and mint, eggplant salad (served cold), stuffed vine leaves, stuffed eggplant, gozleme (crepe laced with spinach and cheese), kebap (meat packed onto vertical skewer and then roasted), calamari (fried) and a couple other dishes most likely including some mixture of tomatoes, eggplant, onion and meat cooked into a casserole. Of course dessert followed by sampling more turkish delight and the daily purchase of baklava (layered filo pastery with honey and nuts).

October 3rd - 7th
Istanbul

October 8th
City of Selcuk & Ruins of Ephesus with a detour to Virgin Mary's house

October 9th
Hierapolis (Ruins from Roman City) and Pumakkale (Cotton Castle)

October 10th - 15th
Oludeniz, Lycian Way Hike, Olympos Ruins and Chimaera

October 17th - 21st
Cappadocia region

October 21st - 24th
Tokat and Amasya

October 25th - 26th
Amasya and Ankara

Turkey Country Summary