Ephesus

I wake early this morning. We've all been battling a cold and the boys are a few vdays behind me so I let them sleep. In a sudden fit of enthusiasm I go to the Fab Abs class and then grab a coffee and take teas to the boys. They are still asleep. It's pretty windy on deck but still warm so I stay there until they materialise. Our trip to Ephesus meets at 1.15 and we're all out of sync for meals. There's a barbeque on the pool deck so I grab a bite there then have a quick swim with Alex while Simon goes to the buffet.

It takes just over an hour to reach Ephesus. It's very busy with many tour groups and most of them seem determined to photograph each other in front of every monument. That's in direct conflict with my policy of keeping people out of my shots as much as possible! The most impressive parts of Ephesus are the library and the amphitheatre, although the communal toilets also prove popular. We're told how the Romans used sponges to clean themselves, dipped in the water that ran along a channel below the seats. Alex observed that you would want to be at the beginning of the flow since everybody else would be washing their dirty sponges in it.

Ephesus was an enormous city - population estimated at 250k based on the capacity of the theatre - and we're only able to visit the most prominent parts. Leaving the site we run the gauntlet of shopkeepers trying to attract our custom but Alex and I can't resist buying some figs which are enormous and fabulously juicy.


 Our guide, Bert, gives us a lot of information, not just abiut the site but also modern Turkey. On the way back to the ship we have the inevitable stop at a leather shop, but I would much rather have stayed at Ephesus longer. As it is, we only just make it back by last boarding time.

We watch from our balcony as the last passengers arrive back, apparently from tours that have been held up. Izmir - ancient Smyrna - is Turkey's 3rd city with 4M people and one of Europe's largest commercial ports so it's not surprising the port area gets congested!

Alex has returned with a migraine and we realise that despite nagging from both Simon and me he forgot to have lunch so I grab him a plate from the buffet and some painkillers. We're late getting ready for dinner and there's a queue at the Garden Room so we eat at Windows. Alex's friends and their parents are a couple of tables away, right by the windows. It would be a great spot to spend our last evening in Venice; I decide to try and book it.