EPHESUS

Yesterday we were taking the night bus from Selcuk back to Istanbul.

These buses leave late at night and get one there early the next morning,so one has quite a bit of time to kill between checkout at around 11am till the bus arrives at 11pm.

We had thus decided to take a walk down to the ruins later in the day,....with the sun a little lower.Arrived at the entrance at around 2:45 and eventually left at close to 6pm.

The thing about Ephesus is the scale of the place,.....there are,in my view,only 2 other ancient ruins comparable to Ephesus in scale and gradeur,.....Pompei and Machu Picchu.

This was our 3rd opportunity to examine this marvellous Roman city over the past 20 years or more, and it has never ceased to amaze.

The site was once the second largest and most important port city on the planet,......second only to Rome.

It's been the site of an archaeologic dig since as far back as 1863 and a constant "dig" since 1902.They are still literally excavating on site today,and will probably be in 100 years time.

Here one can literally walk the very streets walked 2300 years ago by the Romans,taking in the bathhouses, the church of the Virgin Mary,who died in a house located on a hilltop just a few km away.Past the Celsus library,....the gymnasium,......an amphitheatre which seats 60000 people,....a smaller one for 5000,.....terrace houses,.....shops.

A truly spectacular experience with more of the city opened up each time one visits the site.