Oct 1, 2008 - Ephesus, Kusadasi

We were absorbed in history today with a guided tour of Ephesus. We felt the mystical atmosphere of the city and stadium where chariot and horse races were once held. Carpet weaving has long traditions in Turkey. At the carpet village we learned how the carpets are made by hand and what determines their value. Minus the sales pitch- We found it so interesting to see how the carpets are made.. They showed us every step of the process. The intricate patterns were just amazing. We stayed overnight in Kusadasi. After dinner we enjoyed some...

Sep 29, 2008 - Ephesus, Turkey (Kusadasi)

The Emerald Princess was delayed about an hour today arriving in port (Kusadasi) because she had to wait for another ship to clear the berth before docking. Today our driver Haluk was waiting patiently for us when we finally arrived to take us from the resort town of Kusadasi to the ancient city of Ephesus. Evidence of a city at Ephesus dates as far back as 2000 BC. However most of what remains today dates from the Roman period beginning in about 190 BC. Once a main hub in the East - West trade routes, Ephesus was a major Roman city on the...

Sep 3, 2008 - Rhodes to Kusadasi

The Agean was a little bumpy from Rhodes across to mainland Turkey - Brett rang me to tell me he just passed a sign that said Cognac - he thinks - obviously all a blur to him..much like the windscreen for us. Luckily for us we left before too many of teh fast ferries, so we didn't encounter too many boats out in the Agean, but once closer to land and in relative shelter we could pick up speed again and caught up to all the sailboats criss crossing their way between the idyllic island getaways. Past Bodrum and up the coast to Kusadasi where...

Aug 6, 2008 - I <3 Turkey

Turkey was really very cool. It was a lot greener than I imagined. We did a bus tour of two villages that were more rural than the port we arrived in. At the first village, we walked around, had a tea, bought a "cheese pie," and bought a bottle of mulberry wine. It was a very cute little village! At the second village we went to the local museum, which was fairly small, and then went to a local felt maker's shop to see how he still made felt the traditional way. After visiting the two villages, we went to lunch at the most beautiful outdoor...

Jul 22, 2008 - Turkey

Today we are ın Kusadasi, Turkey. We took a prıvate taxı to Ephesus which ıs an archeologıcal sıte datıng back to the 1600`s. It ıs absolutely ıncredıble. Check ıt out on the ınternet as there are good pıctures. The communıty had 250,000 people and some of them lıved quıte well. It ıs very hot here, but not as humıd as St Louıs ın AUgust. No wonder the Donıgans lıked Texas when they emıgrated from Turkey. I am sure that some of the sales people ın the bazaar must be dıstant relatıons as they are quıte good at sellıng skılls - ha!...

May 27, 2008 - Kusadsi, Turkey

Good day everyone! After a much needed really good nights sleep, we woke up to find ourselves in Kusadasi, Turkey. We’ve heard it pronounced a few different ways by people who should know what they’re talking about, but we will go with the tour guide’s version “KU sha da SAY.” Kusadasi means “Island of Birds” but it is not really an island. There were a couple of small islands in the harbor, but they have been connected by causeways. This is a smallish port town with quite a few apartment buildings and homes as well as businesses, most...

Nov 11, 2007 - Kusadasi - Turkey

After a short trip on the boat, we arrived into Turkey. Lots of their flags around, flag poles, house windows... just everywhere. We have seen lots of ruins on our journeys, but the ruin that we saw today was the best. The city of Ephesus. They have discovered a city fully buried, and they have excavated a lot of it. It is truly amazing. They believe the population was 250,000. We saw the library, which had a hidden tunnel to the red light district (see they were dodgey even back in those times)... "Love I am going to read some books", but...

Oct 10, 2007 - Kusadasi

8am arrival and already hot & humid - 30C. Travelled 161 miles from Santorini Off on tour at 8.15am to Ephesus - IT WAS GREAT - I think better than Pompeii. Ephesus was buried under a landslide caused by an earthquake. Back into town and shopping for a leather jacket - we shopped as a group as we didnt like the shop keepers garbbing us by the arm and dragging us into their shops - got good at bartering! Today there were 4 big ships in port - ours towers over them all. 5pm we sailed for Mykonsos.

Oct 7, 2007 - Kusadasi, Turkey

We crossed from Samos, Greece to Kusadasi, Turkey today by ferry. In Samos before boarding the ferry we had to hand our tickets to a fellow collecting them before standing in another line to go through passport control. Seemed quite inefficient, as the line became a mob of people all trying to weasel their way to the front. The trip was a pleasant one and a half hours to Kusadasi the port in Turkey. Arrival at the huge port city had us wait in line to buy our visa's at 40 euros each and then pay a port tax of another 10 euros each before...

Sep 28, 2007 - Kusadasi, Turkey

TURKEY: Bible times come alive We landed in Turkey this morning at the port of Kusadasi, a city that's adapted its whole lifestyle to the cruise tourists who pass through. I think most Americans probably feel "Turkey" isn't a travel hotspot. Yet it's a beautiful Mediterranean country with rich history and culture, trying to separate itself from its nasty neighbors, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Of course we're on the coast, so all that inland stuff is far away. If you're trying to picture what it's like here, think northern California. Very similar...

Jul 26, 2007 - Kusadasi, Turkey

Weather report: 110 F humidity 85% Kusadasi is one of Turkey's main holiday resort. It is situated on the west coast of Turkey. It is reputed as one of the most attractive cities on the Aegean, as it is close to the important historical sites, including Ephesus, Didyma, Priene, and Miletos, the principals of ancient times. The city has sunshime 300 days of the year (never snows) and is known for its numerous powdery sandy beaches with warm and clear water and it's attractive cafe's along the palm lined street. In the summer there are...

Jun 17, 2007 - Kusadasi

Sharon and I arrived around 8 am into Kusadasi on an overnight bus. Neither of us had slept very well. But after we made it up the 177 steps to the dorm room at the Stella Hostel, we decided to grab some breakfast and head down to the beach. Kusadasi is a resort town with lovely (but crowded) beaches. We decided to suck up the 4 Lira apiece to rent beach chairs because we were not very keen on sitting with the local Turkish men. This beach was where I discovered that my Italian sunscreen was not really waterproof and definitely not...