Welcome to part two of my trip to Greece and Turkey. When I am asked about my highlight of the trip, the city of Ephesus is at the top of the list. The ancient city of Ephesus is located near the modern city of Izmir. Ephesus is unique because it is a large, wealthy port city. Ephesus was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. Around 7 CE, the port became silted, and the town was abandoned. There is so much to see here; it is almost overwhelming. There is a whole section of Ephesus on the verge of being open to the public. Ephesus was where I felt like I had gone back in time while walking down the street. Another item of note was the Theater in Ephesus. It was the largest theater from ancient times, holding 25,000 people. Ephesus was a busy place with plenty of shops near the exit. I appreciated the honesty of this watch vendor.

Our next stop was Militus. This site is not as excavated as Ephesus. There is a Greek temple here. I learned that Greek temples were always set on hillsides as they did not have access to cement. Cement construction came with the Romans. There is an incomplete Temple of Apollo near Miletus. Construction on this temple started in the 3rd century CE.

After a four-hour bus ride, we came to a beautiful natural place called the Cotton Fortress. There are terraces created from mineral deposits. These formations reminded me of terraces in Yellowstone near Mammoth Springs. Unlike Yellowstone, the water here was not dangerously hot. You could take a dip in the springs. Many signs said not to get in the water, but they had little effect on the tourist. There is a place roped off for sanctioned wading in the springs. I took my shoes off and made a go of it. I was surprised by how rough the surface was on my feet. The Cotton Fortress has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a beautiful and unique natural formation.

We made a quick, uninspiring stop at Colossae. Colossae has not been excavated and is just a grass-covered mound. I could not get myself to take a picture of this place.

Laodicea was next. Laodicea is known in Revelation as the lukewarm church. Our guide told us the church in Laodicea was modeling culture, not Christ. The Laodiceans worshipped in house churches. This is a beautiful place with mountains seen in the distance.

Next, we made a stop in Philadelphia. There are not many ruins in this place, only a church from the 7th century CE. The city of Sardis was next and more interesting. The ancient Silk and Royal Roads passed through this place. There is a large Gymnasium here that Americans restored. This restoration is considered poor as the results look too modern, and cement was used as part of the process. I also found out that in Greek, gymnasium means naked exercise. I will never think of this word the same way again.

The next day we visited Pergamum; a cable car here transported us to the top of a mountain. This day was the coldest, windiest of the trip. The ride was scary, and at one point, we saw an empty cable car hit a tower. With the strong wind, I was surprised the cable car was running. I concluded that it was indeed too windy and was relieved when the trip ended.

As with most of the archeological sites we visited, many artifacts from this place were removed and are now housed in a European city. In this case, the location is Berlin, Germany.

Our last stop in Turkey was Troas. While driving to Troas, I was surprised to hear from our guide that there is very little wildlife in Turkey. The most common wildlife are foxes, wolves, and snakes. Troas is known to many as the location of the Trojan war. This is also the location of the Turkish War of Independence from 1250 BC. There are a couple of replica statues of the Trojan Horse. They are both located near the beautiful town of Canakkale. The first Trojan Horse was located in a park. This horse did not look very realistic. The second horse was found in the city center and was donated by the producers of the 2000 film Troy. This horse looked realistic, at least to me.

This blog entry wraps up my time in Turkey. The next entry will cover my time in Greece and attempt to return to the USA after testing positive for COVID.

Make the most of this day!