Tuesday in Kusadasi was beautiful but HOT! We slept in a little and then met Aunt Deniz who took us to Ephesus. In case you need a quick history lesson, Ephesus was an ancient Greek city. It was the second largest city in the Roman Empire. It dates back to the 1st century A.D! So, in other words, it's really old.
We explored Ephesus for a couple hours that morning. It was a very interesting sight to see with all the old buildings and statues. It was so hot this day, that towards the end of the trip we had to forego seeing some of the sights. We were not all that prepared for the blazing sun so Aunt Deniz bought us hats for our adventure and it was well worth it! Here are some pictures from Ephesus:
Got to love the toursit look!
The small theater
A headless statue... haha!
Ancient toilets. Apparentaly there was no privacy back in the day
Town library
The Big Theater
After our tour of Ephesus, our chauffeur, I mean Aunt Deniz (haha!) picked us up and took us on a beautiful ride up the mountain to a small town called Sirence, I think, where we had an outstanding lunch. It was one of the best Turkish meals I had! Then, we went shopping through the cute little town. While we were there, Aunt Deniz bought us the most beautiful souveniers. First, she bought us a hand-painted plate that was full of all the colors that I love. And then, we went to a little jewelry shop where Deniz bought me a ring. It is beautiful. It is hand-made in Turkey and something that I will treasure forever! (I will take pictures of both items and share them later)
Me and Aunt Deniz while shopping
In the town, we stopped at a quaint, but beautiful church that was once the church of John the Baptist. It had amazing views of the mountains as well!
After Sirence, we went to the Home of the Virgin Mary where it is believed that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, moved to about 5-7 years after His death. It is a very small home where many Christians and other believers go to pray.
I said a prayer with a napkin...or something like that
This is a drinking fountain that is said to bring you a long healthy life if you drink the water
So, we drank it!
Then, we headed back to the hotel for some pampering time! Aunt Deniz made an appointment for all three of us to have a Turkish hamam (or Turkish bath). If you ever have the chance to have a Turkish bath, you MUST do it! (if you are googling it right now to see what it is, please keep in mind that we were all wearing our bathing suits...haha!) In a turkish bath, you lay down on a warm stone bed. Then, the staff scrubs you down with an exfoliating sponge. And you would not believe how much dead skin they remove! Then, they cover you with soap and wash your entire body. Afterwards, your skin feels amazingly smooth and you smell nice too! After the Turkish Bath, Erol and I were pampered some more with a couples' massage. To say the least, we were spoiled rotten!
That night we celebrated Grandma's 78th birthday at the hotel. Her first cousin came to dinner with us with her children and grandchildren. It was so good to meet more members of the family. Friends of Deniz's and Askin's also came to dinner with us. We had a great time and the food was delicious!
Erol and Grandma
Get 'em Grandma!
Us with Aunt Deniz
What an awesome day and night we had! Every day has been full of adventure with many more to come!
Stay tuned for more...
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