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I had been in Greece no more than an hour and here I was already at a water-side café.
Greece and Turkey, September 1994
Dougburnett2003-11-22 11:11:32
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morning at 8:00 I caught the boat for the one hour trip to Turkey. It was a pleasant ride, weaving among small islands - the sea was calm and the day warm. When I arrived, I purchased a visa ($20), went through passport control and then walked up to the main square to cash some money. It was still early and most of the shops were just starting to open up. I wanted to put my pack down, so I started looking for a hotel. I headed up the hill behind Kusadasi and after a little looking found the Stella ($30). It sits on a bluff overlooking the south part of the harbor. The rooms are large, filled with Turkish rugs and have balconies overlooking the water.
After I settled in, I headed back to the main part of town - about a 10 minute walk. Kusadasi has totally given itself over to the tourists. It's the main port of call for cruise ships that visit Ephesus - up to five a day I was told. It's all rug, leather and gold shops. English breakfast and German beer are easier to find than shish kebab. But if you poke around to the north and east you can still find the town's Turkish soul - but it's not much to look at. Well, I was here to visit Ephesus, like everybody else, so enough complaining. I walked around some more and then sat and talked to some Germans visiting on a package tour.
Next morning when I woke, the harbor was full of giant cruise ships. As I watch, spell bound, wave after wave of tourists left the ship and jumped on waiting tour buses. "All going to Ephesus," I though in horror. I had dark images of having to push through crowds of sweating tourists to see the buildings I had come so far to visit. Oh well, too late to worry - I could never beat them to Ephesus now. I went down to the dining room and sat on the balcony watching the ships. After a delicious breakfast and a second cup of tea, I headed off to see exactly how crowded Ephesus would be.
Ephesus, Turkey
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See photographs from:
Turkey Gallery
,
Greece Gallery
