What does sitting on your master’s seat mean in Ephesus? How many books will you find in the library? How many people fit in their stadium (theater)? This is Luther reporting from SWBC, Southwood’s broadcasting company of the traveling nine.

[Playing catch up with my daily blogs due to not having Wi-Fi in our rental and when we got to a café with Wi-Fi I end up spending my time eating and talking, imagine that.]

(Monkeys don’t wear shoes and the rocks are hot and slippery. That makes for one grumpy monkey on your back. Since Luther lost interest after ten steps I’ll report) Ephesus has a long history since the Stone Age. There’s evidence of people living in the area from about 6000 BCE onward. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world was the temple of Artimis (goddess of hunting and the moon) constructed in 550 BCE burned down in 356 and reconstructed larger. A famous library, huge mall area, public baths, memorials, fortifications, fountains, sewage and water pipes, harbor and all the amenities of city life once flourished.

 

(Luther asked, “What are those stone benches with holes in the middle?” “

Oh, Luther, those are the public restrooms for men. Important thoughts and discussions happened there.”

Luther wasn’t so sure, “Wait, they rested there but were actually talking about stuff?”

“Well, they did a little more than rest,” I explained.

Luther pointed to his nose, “I got it. That’s what came before John Crapper invented the flush toilet.”

Feeling a bit flushed from the heat I replied, “Yes, water constantly ran through them like a little stream. In fact if it was a cold day and you were a slave, the master of your house may require you go and sit to warm up a spot until he came.”

Luther didn’t skip a beat, “You mean the master relieved the slave from his duty?”

Knowing there are lots of puns there I moved on, “Um, yes, you got it.”)

Alexander the Great liberated Ephesus from the Persian Empire in 334 BCE. During the Classical Greek period from 100 BCE-to 0 [Jesus was born probably around 4 BCE]. The city became a part of the Roman Empire in 88 BCE. At that time the population of Ephesus was about Lincoln’s size, 250,000. The apostle Paul should have been amazed. He founded a church there somewhere around 40 AD. (Speaking of Paul, Luther asked, “Is all this history stuff casting a pall on the readers? I said, “Funny one.”) Ephesus grew to about 400,000-500,000. [Omaha size by about 200 AD.] The Galls destroyed it in 263 AD. (Of course Luther said, “The gall of those Gauls.”) Emperor Constantine rebuilt the city. It survived to 614 AD when an Earthquake devastated the area. (Luther said, “God knows how to shake things up.”) As the harbor became a marsh, Malaria became an issue. (Luther didn’t think his aunt Marla was that bad. I explained it was a disease that killed people. Luther was relieved it wasn’t his aunt Marla.) The city moved many times in its history to get closer to the river and sea. The classical Greek and Roman area fell into ruin. When the Turks took it in 1090 it was a small village. (Luther thought the Turks gobbled up a lot of cities.)

Ephesus used aqueducts, rock channels, thousands of fired clay pipes to move their water to fountains, public baths, public bathrooms and drinking fountains for people to gather their water for their homes. (Luther asked, “Why did they fire the clay when they needed them to work? I explained, “It was fired as in baked until the clay turned hard so the water could run through them. It’s like pottery only not pots but pipes.” Luther didn’t care. He was bored, “Wasn’t Harry a potter too?” I ignored him.) Sewage system and rain water run off typically followed under the stone and marble streets. For construction rough cut stone formed the strength of the walls while smooth marble attached to it for splendor. Pictures may look impressive but only 15% of the city has been excavated. A museum that covers excavated homes reveals colorful frescos adorning the walls with mosaic floors. Courtyards with water pools are common in the richer homes.

Couldn’t find the site where a synagogue was built, the place Paul would have first told of the Good News. But the church of Mary built further away from the city central waited for exploration. Did Mary spend her last days here as Epiphanius of Salamis mentioned in his writings from the 3^rd century? Or did she die in Jerusalem as John states? We have two competing written legends. The apostle John is said to have traveled in Asia Minor spreading the Good News and if Jesus told him to take care of Mary from the cross, then it could have happened. Anyway, there’s a chapel with a spring where it’s said Mary once lived and died. The church about 5 miles away was built in her honor. Since Ephesus was the largest city and half way between Rome (Italy) and Alexander (Egypt) it was the place to meet for Christian Bishops. In 431 a conference of 250 bishops met to discuss dogma. (Luther wondered if there were any monkeyma. I told him enough people have been dogged by dogma. It’s better to try to monkey around with thoughts than to condemn them.) These conferences typically lasted about 3 months plus travel time. They didn’t happen too often as a bishop could be gone for six months or so. At this council Nostorus of Constantinople (Istanbul) was condemned for teaching heresy. (Luther was a little afraid of heresy as he has lots of hair you see. I assured him that if he got into trouble I’d shave him. He wanted to go home.) Nostorus thought Jesus had two essences in a human body. The divinity (God-ness) of Jesus was separated from Jesus’ humanity-ness. These two natures can’t co-exist due to human sin so they must have been separate in one human body. (Luther asked, “What do you mean? Jesus was two persons in one? What a hair brained idea!” I said, “I don’t know. It sounds like they were splitting hairs to me.”)

A person can see where metal hinges were attached for the wooden doors for the gates and some houses. Much of the marble streets are worn down and the top layers stripped for later buildings. The Theater could seat about 25,000 and the city square held hundreds of shops. The harbor was bustling with trade. (Luther thought the ancient bustling trade has come back as hustling trade in the souvenir shops. I may have been swindled but the coins are still cool. However, Luther lost his cool in the heat and isn’t too happy about a sabbatical for looking at rocks.) Tune in next time when we go higher with Hierapolis.

A bit about dinner

We asked Tracy, our flat manager, for a dinner recommendation for the best restaurant in Kusadasi to celebrate Megan's 18th birthday.  She recommended Mezgit on the waterfront, near the marina. (By the way,  correct spelling of locations is optional and usually there are apparently about 3 options.  So if you are given a name of say the Turkish Bath you are going to visit, it may be spelled several different ways.  This makes for great fun, driving around trying to get to your destination!)

The cook explains my meal, a typical Greek Dish.

 

 

 

 

 

When we requested Baklava for dessert, our waiter discovered they had none.  So he hopped on his scooter to run down the street, purchased it from another establishment and hurried back to deliver it to our table for our enjoyment!



Last day in Kusadasi, Turkey

We started today, Megan's birthday at Priene.  The dignitaries proceeded to their places for the theatre viewing. This city-state of laid out by architect Hippodamos around 450 BC, the theatre dates from the 3rd century BC and could seat 5000.  Apparently the front row seats were reserved for those of special status.  We have seen several theatre's but this was the first with these unique seats. 





This place is falling apart!  We gave our best effort to fix it up a bit, however....

Our second stop for the day was to Miletus, here we ran into a cow herder who pointed out the "Lion's".  Megan, Mike and I followed him a bit as he was herding the cow's towards water and kept saying, "lion's".  We caught a glimpse, of a skinny little lion as he ducked into the shrubbery.  But, our guide wanted to show us the lion heads that flanked the no longer existing harbor.

 And, yah, he was getting a little chummy with Megan.....


 Our third stop was Didyma, where the Temple of Apollo stands.  Built in the 7th century BC, marble from nearby Lake Bafa was used to build the temple.  The temple was never completed, I think the grand designs got a bit out of control......

We ended the evening with dinner on the beach front.  The kids got henna's.  This gentleman took his trade very seriously. 

To Taksim Square in Istanbul

On our way to Taksim Square.  This is a main shopping area with shops of all kinds flanking both sides of a paved street about 25 feet wide.  Progressively more crowed the closer we came.  Cindy was hard pressed not to stop and sample each delicacy along the way.  We have decided that each country we visit must include a thorough investigation of the traditional desserts otherwise we are not doing our duty.   

 

Here is the front line of a group of protester's marching up to Taksim Square.  We were early in the evening on Saturday, June 6th before any of the stronger protests took place and the day before the planned demonstration event.  

 

Hierapolis & clothing thoughts

Yesterday we went to Hierapolis to visit the ruins and to see the white travertine terraces at Pamukkale. Unfortunately, do to its popularity as a tourist destination these spectacular limestone deposits are suffering damage.  So instead of a bright white color there are spots of red/orange and black/green.  An area is still open to tourist to walk and bath while a portion is for viewing only. 

Stunning!  Breathtaking.  So glad we made the 3 hour drive from our lodging. 

After our stay in Istanbul, where we tried to be cognizant of the local traditions, choosing to wear, long shorts or pants, tea shirts instead of spaghetti straps, and the girls put away the short shorts.  Around us occasionally we saw burka.  Now we are in Kusadasi where tourists dominate.  At Hierapolis where bathing is a prime consideration we saw many "speedo's" and bikini's all of which also meant very red and tanned skin.  There is a freedom here, no worries about your current state of physique!  All are comfortable regardless of size. 

So why do the "white's" wish to be brown and the "brown's" cover up their glorious dark skin?  All this begs one to wonder, what do the clothing signify?  Throughout time, people have always attached a meaning to clothing.  What value or meaning does it have?  What does it say to the wearer or the observer?  There is certainly a purpose to clothing I am noticing especially here in the hot sun!  We avoided sun burns for the most part, but I haven't been this tan since high school! Staying cool and covered is the trick!


Having trouble with the internet, so will download photos later. 

“Do you know why they call it the Blue Mosque,” a friendly local asked, letting us know we’d better see it today because it would be closed in the next three days for a religious festival. Practicing his English he became our “friend” hoping we would visit his family’s shops (which we did and it was fun—introduced to curious little glass cups for tea and apple cider.) It’s the second largest Mosque in Turkey and third largest next to Mecca. At the time it was built it was controversial because it had more spires than Mecca. From a distance on the base of two of the six spires roofs was adorned with blue paint but that’s not it either. The courtyard where some five to six thousand will gather for special events didn’t have any sign of blue. It was pretty much all marble stone and concrete. Our “friend” took us past the long line where the hundreds of people from the cruise ships would wait to get inside. We had to remove our shoes and put them in little plastic bags to carry inside under the dome. For those women who didn’t have a head covering, a blue cloth was given at the doorway. But that’s not the reason. Inside the red carpet has a special pattern for where one places their feet, hands and face for prayer. The four columns of stone were as wide as red woods. Eyes drawn upward, you could see the reason. I thought it was due to the blue in the stain glass windows or how blue people felt when loved ones died. But no, seven thousand soldiers worked day and night shifts in the 1609 to 1616 building from the ground up at the height of handmade ceramics. Over 20,000 handmade tiles in ancient Nicaea displayed different designs. The blues on white tiles closest to the bottom were flamboyant flowers, fruit and cypresses. But as the sultans decreed an ever higher price for their tiles they became cheaper with tulip designs. I couldn’t help but to think in my bare feet that we were all with Al Dubin, “Tip Toeing Through the Tulips.” The area around the equivalent to a pulpit was sectioned off for the local Muslim members to pray facing Mecca. Shops line in the buildings where the horses were once kept. Not much different as the horse left overs are now replaced with tourist stuff. As the sultans learned a lesson about economics. We learned about the prices of handmade silk carpet. Each carpet takes about six months or more to make, tying one thread at a time.

 

 

 

Kusadasi Kudos

When you had it and then lost it you miss it because it’s convenient. We are dependent on the wonders of modern technology. Yes, Wi-Fi does not exist in Topaz Village No. 4. No signals here. (Luther said, “You are definitely not receiving any signals.” I thought that was an odd comment.) That means a walk to the beach for a Wi-Fi cafe. But when you get there’s distractions galore. Store owners love cruise ships as about four or five come to port every day. It seems that people spend so much on their cruises that the tourists cannot afford clothing. Beach goers wear only scraps of cloth. (Luther said, “Those are called bathing suits.” I replied...I forgot as I was having trouble paying attention to the conversation. Luther commented, "They don't have enough fur and their arms are too short for their torso. How would they ever swing?")

Store owners stand outside of their shops and cafés wanting you to just take a look. They’ll shove business cards in your hands and say "free Wi-Fi. Not only is that good business practice it also shows how the numbers are down. Cafés and many rentable flats and apartments sit empty until a little nightlife. The caretaker, Ebrehim, his two dogs, a couple skinny cats are the only ones in our complex. That means the pool is ours!

A bit of recent Turkish political history (Skip if you don’t like history to “Driving is a video game.”): In 1923 Turkey changed from an Islamic state to a form of secular democracy and became a member of NATO in 1954. They’ve helped the US in conflicts with troops since the Korean War. Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, trying to take it from Greece. The result left Cyprus partitioned into Turkish and Greece sides. Later Kurdish peoples raised their voice for some form of statehood and the uprising slid into armed conflict. When the Kurdish leader of their Worker’s Party, Abdullah Ocalan was captured in 1999, things settled down. A store owner and many others we ran into were Kurdish. (I told the Kurds thanks for inventing cheese. I asked how they got it to curd so well. Luther slapped the back of my head with his pillow-like hand.)

The Sunset Café owner/worker said, “We love Americans because we are the only country in the world that supports us.” (Luther told me later he stopped himself from saying, “Most Americans love Turkey too especially with mashed potatoes and gravy.”)

When their inflation rate hit 100% in 2005 their banking system collapsed. The “AK’s” commitment to becoming a part of the European Union is a popular idea, however, the prime minister also wants more Islamic values incorporated into law. This has sparked the recent conflict in Taksim square which then spread to most major cities.

With the rule of law the prime minister vowed to take down the trees and build a mall. He said his patience will wear out. It’s already violent in Izmir (Where our airport is located) not far from Kusadasi (Luther noticed there’s a thingy sticking out of the bottom of some “S’s” and some “C’s.” The first “s” in Kusadasi has that thingy, making it a “sh” sound. The thingy stuck to a “c” makes a “ch” sound.) An Islamic leaning political party named “Justice and Development” a. k. “AK.” gained 2/3rds majority. They promised and accomplished new policies that brought down inflation to single digits. (Luther believes conflict is brewing and keeps asking when we are going to join. I told him, “We are on nobody’s side because nobody is on our backs except for one irritating monkey.” He left our party in a huff to wander around on his own.)

Driving is a Video Game because of all the twists and turns and near misses. This isn’t a place for, “Driving Miss Daisy.” Lanes don’t seem to matter nor do directions. Motorcycles and cars come at you in their lane as well toward you on your shoulder. (Luther often complains about getting a turn at this “video game” named, “Driving near-miss-crazy.” I keep thinking we aren’t in Nebraska anymore. Our rental diesel Volkswagen van with manual transmission takes a bit of practice especially on all the hills and mountains when the locals are so close you can see the variety of bug juices on their vehicle’s brand emblem. Things really are closer even when you look. Sometimes I look in the rear view mirror and want to rub their emblem clean with my elbow but I usually gun it and pop the clutch. (Luther volunteered to lick them clean. I think he’s hungry for protein.)

You got to love the speedometer in kph rather than mph. It makes you think you are going very fast. The highest number I’ve seen on the signs with a red circle around a number is 90. (Luther is certain it’s the minimum limit) So not knowing what it means in mph we target 120 on the open road just to be unsafe. So far we managed to keep it down to one scratch and a dent. (We bought the insurance.)

People squeeze through the tightest places. (Luther fights over the wheel and keeps howling, “Faster, faster!”) The other adults grab whatever they can find with wide eyes. They offer helpful comments about two turns later after their breath returns. We are very happy to have a phone with GPS.

The toll roads have two kinds of automatic pay lanes. The first try at the right lane started some siren and flashing yellow lights. (Luther said, “Gun it!” Like a slingshot we went faster.) On the second toll road we tried the other orange signed lanes and received a green light as we passed. We took that as a hopeful sign. (Luther keeps mumbling something about extradition laws and how much automated violation tickets costs. I don’t know what he’s talking about. He said “You’ll find out when they check your passport as you try to leave the country.” I said, “Whatever.”)