This is a truly exciting story for me to tell. We were able to go back to Ephesus during a two-day holiday this week, and this time, we were actually able to see it! In the sunshine! All of it! And take pictures without our camera getting wet! I know! Aren’t you excited?
So get ready for more pictures. Prince was measuring the size of the East Gymnasium.
These carved bulls were on the walls of the Odeum, a theater used for musical performances.
The Temple of Hestia Boulaea.
The entrance to the Temple of Domitian.
Curetes Way with the library in the distance and, beyond that, see those flat green fields? That’s where the sea used to be.
There were just a few more people with us this time than in January.
Ok, more than a few. It was packed. It gave us the true feeling of a busy Roman metropolis.
The Fountain of Trajan, where only a foot remains of the huge statue of the emperor.
The Temple of Hadrian with a head of Medusa carved on the arch.
These are the Terraced Houses, which are the second-best chance (after Pompeii) to see the luxurious way in which the Roman elite would have lived. You can see they are still excavating and sorting through the treasures.
Every wall that was intact was covered with frescoes, and every floor with mosaics.
We had to walk on see-through glass walkways over all the rooms, and it really gave me vertigo. I did crouch down and hang off the side of one to get this picture, though. See what I go through for you so you can experience these places with us? 🙂
Just to clarify, this picture is upside-down. But if I put it rightside-up, the lion would be upside-down. So I made a choice.
The grand Library of Celsus, with a blue sky behind it this time! The archways on the right are the Gate of Augustus, which leads into the agora or marketplace.
The Great Theatre again, from the top. Remember it could hold 25,000 people, and someone standing in the arena could speak and be heard by the people at the top because of the acoustical genius of the construction.
After all this archaeology, Princess felt like a female Indiana Jones. So we got her the hat to match.
On our way out, we were excited to see a mock gladiator fight. At the end, I covered Prince’s eyes because I wasn’t sure which fate the crowd would choose.
And because the last picture was blurry with rain, here are the grand remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The Basilica of St. John in the foreground, built on the 4th-century tomb believed to house his remains, and the Byzantine citadel in the background. The citadel has been closed for a while because a wall collapsed, but they still decked it out for Ataturk’s birthday.
The Basilica was a great place to explore because the ruins were extensive and there were all these hidden nooks and crannies. If the kids were older, we would have played hide-and-seek.
This was the baptistery. There were stairs leading down both sides into the pool.
Prince found a friend! Actually, he found several friends like this. He chased them around with his camera. I will upload his photos separately. He deserves his own post.
To reward the EXCELLENT behavior of our offspring, we took them to the Camlik Steam Locomotive Museum. It was a beautifully-landscaped open-air museum of trains. Can you imagine a more magical place for a Thomas the Tank Engine fan? Except for meeting Thomas himself, of course.
Prince loved the turn-table. He ran from train to train, naming them by the character they resembled. We saw Gordon, Annie and Clarabel, Duncan, and Percy. No Thomas, though. Most of the trains were black instead of blue.
Princess is either critically scrutinizing the roses or admiring their scent.
Seriously, isn’t this one of the cutest pictures?
I think I can safely say that we had a wonderful day.
And the best part? (for me at least)
My maternity leave starts on Monday! I’m free to be the mom I was meant to be!
