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| Amphitheater for 25,000 |
Near Bodrum, sort of, as in a 2 ½ hour drive, is the ancient Roman city of Ephesus. There are two options for getting to the archaeological site. Option A: a tour bus with some time at Ephesus, but also stops at Turkish rug and Turkish delight factories. Option B: rent a car and explore the site and surroundings at your own pace without the tourist traps. We chose option B.
I was expecting yet another dusty field of rubble and ruins, but was overwhelmed by the size and scope of the site, of which only 15% has been excavated. At its height Ephesus was the second largest city of the Roman Empire, next to Rome, with an estimated 250,000 inhabitants. Despite the large crowds, I found this excursion well worth the drive.
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| The public toilets |
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| The Library |
After Ephesus, we drove to the nearby town of Selcuk and had lunch at Tat Cafe and Restaurant, recommended to us by Jennifer, our ever helpful hotel host. Here we experienced our first ‘Pide’, a narrow boat shaped Turkish pizza filled with minced meat (beef/lamb) and topped with either cheese or a fried egg. The very friendly owner was most happy to share with us his memories of traveling through New York and Connecticut as a young man, with a few photos taped to a wall inside as proof!
As we walked off our lunch we noticed several tea houses, restaurants and a park full of old men playing a game with numbered tiles. I later learned that this very Turkish game of 101 or Okey, involves scoring points against your opponents, much like the card game rummy. Although I don’t really understand how it all works, maybe one day when I’m a bit older I’ll give it a go.
The setup for a game of Okey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRqlQIsfbhw
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