Ephesus, just incredible

On Tuesday I joined a tour of Ephesus and the Terrace Houses offered by Windstar. Ed chose to stay back in order to conserve energy for the evening event. He is still recovering from a recent surgery and though much improved, he is not back to full steam yet.

Ephesus is simply amazing. I am not going to try to recant its history. There is so much information readily available that there is no need for that. What amazed me most was the fact that the entire ancient city was left in ruins and buried after a series of earthquakes. It was not until the mid 1800s that excavation of the BCE site began. The site is vast and to date only 20% of the ancient city has been excavated.

The small amphitheater
The concentration of artifacts is astounding.
The Goddess Nike. Note the swish in her skirt. It was the inspiration for the iconic symbol of the brand.
An alter for sacrifice within one of the terrace houses.
The frescos on the walls and the intricate mosaic floors were indicative of the wealth of the terrace home occupants.
Ancient latrines! The terrace homes had private ones!
The Celsus Library.
Named for Governor Celsus, a wealthy Jewish man. Note the discrete menorah carved into its steps.
And the discrete Christian symbolism found in various places throughout the site.
The amphitheater that sat 24,000 people! They still have concerts here but only classical ones. The rock concerts were banned after one made the ancient stones tumble because of the vibrations!

It was a fascinating tour but it was very crowded. The throngs of people made me anticipate the evening event even more!

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Author: robmin57

We still enjoy planning our own travel (most of the time😉). Using “Third Home”, a home exchange program, has added a new dimension to our travel planning. As Andy Dufresne says “Either get busy living, or get busy dying”

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