Saturday, July 9, 2011 – Priene, Didyma, and Miletus, Turkey

First off, just need to say it’s been a LONG week full of more information, sights, and wonders that I have ever seen or will be capable of sharing most likely.  I’m so blessed to be on this trip and feel quite unworthy of all that I am learning, seeing, and experiencing.  I’ve hit a spot of exhaustion – body, soul, and mind.  My body is responding with some sort of chest cold including a sore throat and deep cough – but I’m taking some Turkish pharmacy items that have been suggested to take.  Two others on the trip got the same thing about a week ago, and now two more of us came down with this this week.  I know it’s from a lack of sleep and pure mind exhaustion – but I am still enjoying all my travel mates and sights.  I do admit though, I am so looking forward to our 100% free day tomorrow, on Sunday.  Timing is everything!  I haven't been able to update my blogs until now  because I haven't had reliable internet service since leaving Ankara.  Thanks for your patience.  And...I must say, it feels good to empty out my brain!  :-)

Now…on to the amazing sights from today!  First we went to Priene which was the first planned city of the ancient world.  Here we saw the theatre, temple of Athena, agora, the bouleterion, and the Zeus altar.  The ruins are believed to date back to 300 BC.

No cheap seats for godness Maryann Louisa at the theater.

The theater

Richard performing Shakespeare

The path to the temple

The ruins of the temple

Didyma (aka Didim) is best known for the Temple of Apollo that is here.  The 122 columns that made up the temple were never completed fully, but it was the second largest temple in the entire world.  (I already saw the ruins of the largest, which was the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.) 

Me hugging one of the 8 inch diameter coloumns at the Temple of Apollo

Our bus with our great driver, Mutfasa

Our last stop was to Miletus (aka Milet) which mainly consists of the Great Theatre.  It originally could seat 15,000 people and is believed to be about 2000 years old.  One of the things I was particularly excited about was that there was caravanserai that was a stop on the Silk Road.  It was much, much smaller than the one we had seen earlier in the week, which was great for me to understand just how grand the other one was.  This one has been made into a restaurant.  Kind of cool, huh.

The theater at Milent

The caravan stop

Oh, and I almost forgot.  I went to my first fashion show.  Yes.  In Turkey.  We learned about how leather is made, lamb leather, and then watched a professional fashion show.  Weird experience but...in the end, I bought myself a nice wallet seeing that mine was stolen in Athens. 

So…that’s it from the area surrounding Kusadasi, Turkey.  I am going to enjoy my free-day tomorrow with sleep, blog writing, sleep, pool swimming, sleep, medication-taking, sleep, and then a little more sleep!  One more week to go in Turkey…then I’m off for my private vacation to Egypt.  Where does the time go???