The final pitstop in our Turkish sojourn was the coastal town of Kusadasi. From here we went on a day trip to Ephesus, one of the best preserved Greco-Roman ruins in the mediterranean region. Ephesus was a thriving port in its times and was one of the largest cities in this side of the world.
After wandering the intricate maze of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar and a bit of haggling, I had finally secured my long sought-after lamp (special Turkish-speaking English teacher price!) when the shop owner asked S.C. and I if we would like some tea. I saw that S.C. was on the verge of saying, "No," so I hastily jumped in with an enthusiastic "Yes!"
It doesn’t take long to realise that Istanbul is one of the world’s great cities. You start to see it on the way in from the airport as you pass the ancient city walls and skirt along the water’s edge and glance across the busy shipping lanes of the Bosporus Straight.
I apologize for the length of this post--the other two that describe this trip are about this long as well. I'm also going to post them in a fairly rapid succession; the rest of December is pretty packed (Vienna and Prague trip, possibly going to Bulgaria, New Years in Istanbul....and my studies!), and I want to relay this trip to you guys because I had an awesome time.
