We're immediately taken by the storks nesting in the tall structures, be they power poles, street lights, minarets, or ancient columns or aqueducts. We wish Nik was here to share the moment - she has a real affinity with storks after her encounter in Kuala Lumpur. (Eh, Nik!)
True to form we retire to the rooftop bar before dinner as the sun sets over the Aegean Sea.
You may be surprised to learn that the single column you see upper left is all that remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Sadly the other 126 columns and the magnificent structure supported by them has long since been demolished and cannibalised for building materials elsewhere. I idly wonder where Artemis, the Anatolian fertility goddess, hangs out now.
Our hosts Dervish and his sister Shaziye suggest we sample Mama's home cooking for dinner. Meatballs tonight. How could we refuse?
We end up chatting with Lincolnshire couple Marion and Phil, and are surprised to find Marion's son lives in Beachaven a few kilometres from our place in Auckland. We end up swapping email addresses and will no doubt catch up again when they're next out to visit.
Friday and it's time to do Ephesus. It's had a checkered history from Bronze Age times as it hasn't been well fortified. At one point the inhabitants were forced out when invaders blocked up the sewers and the place became uninhabitable. It reached its heyday in Roman times around 200AD with a population of around 200,000, and enough of the ruins remain to give you the impression that this would have been a very desirable place to live.
Looking down the main drag towards the library.
The public latrines are pretty impressive too.
But not as impressive as the library itself close up. The cunning Romans curved the facade and tapered the columns to make it appear larger and more grand than its small site would normally have allowed.
But perhaps most spectacular of all is the 24,000 seat amphitheatre.
Acoustics are excellent (the loud American tourists on the stage were audible from the top seats), and you can imagine this place packed for state occasions, dramatic theatre, and perhaps even the odd gladiatorial fight.
But all in all very impressive, with many of the artifacts still intact. Perhaps the most complete Roman city you're likely to see anywhere.
Having gotten a lift to the top of Ephesus courtesy of our hosts, we choose to walk the three kilometres back into town. It's an easy flat walk, and I'm intrigued by the exercise equipment lining the road into town.
A few minutes on the wind trainer reminds me I haven't been on a bike for a while, and a cunning plan starts to take shape.
Closer to town now and we stop off for a closer look at the lone column of the Temple of Artemis (with stork).
That's the mosque in the middle ground (yes, with a stork nesting on top of the half-minaret too), the Church of St John to the right, and the Ayasuluk Citadel in the background.
We stop and have a closer look at the Church of St John.
One of the "Churches of the Cross" being St John's burial place, he's said to have come to Ephesus twice, once with Mary after Jesus' crucifixion, and again near the end of his life where he wrote his Gospel here on Ayasuluk hill.
Our final stop for the day is the magnificent Ephesus museum.
This cute little fellow is Priapus, the Phallic God (in case you missed it). To avoid offending delicate sensibilities, he's displayed inside a darkened case. Pauline obligingly pushed the button so we could all see him in his rampant glory.
I don't think I've mentioned cats yet. Cats and dogs are all over Turkey, from the heart of Istanbul, though the villages and tourist areas to the beaches. Clearly there's no neutering program here, and there are a few emaciated looking puppies to feel sorry for. But most dogs seem to be registered, and the cats and dogs reasonably well looked after.
This cat in the Ephesus museum took an instant liking to Pauline. Merlot had better not be reading this.
The old sundial provided as accurate a time as it's modern counterpart in the background, though perhaps a tad less portable.
This handsome fellow is my namesake, Proconsul Stephanos from the fourth century AD. And in case you're wondering what all the fuss for Artemis was for, this is her in all her glory.
Originally thought to have been "accessory breasts" on the Mother Goddess, later studies concluded they were just tear-shaped amber beads. Being a bloke I prefer the original description.
Our wander back to the guesthouse took us past, wait for it, another ancient monument and another cat. That pretty much sums up Turkey!
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