Ephesians in Ephesus

Day 5:

Update #1: Today is out last day of breakfast at this hotel. We are headed up early to eat and then catch a flight to Izmir. When from there we will be visiting Ephesus. 

Update #2: As we continue to drive in this big city I am beginning to notice that people do not pay attention to the lanes and spacing is of no issue to anyone. If you think that people ride you in America you would be utterly astonished at the space that people give to each other here. It is incredible how close they manage to get to one another without causing a collision. 

Update #3: We were able to sit in the lounge in the Istanbul airport which ended up being an amazing experience, they had snacks and coffee and even a free masseuse! Now we are on the airplane headed for our next destination.

Update #4: We landed after being up in the air for a total of 45 minutes which seems pale in comparison to the 7 hours from America to Amsterdam. Once landed we quickly made our way out, retrieved our luggage, and got a rental car! Renting a car in the US is intimidating in and of itself but renting a car in a foreign country is another thing. The drive I assume went alright as I slept most of the way. But now we arrive at our next hotel. This place is gorgeous! It has a beautiful garden area and is about 15 min away from Ephesus! 

Update #4: We weren’t going to go to Ephesus today but considering the weather and the time we decided it best to head out today! Which all and all resulted in being a really good decision. For those of you who don’t know Ephesus is one of the most popular tourist sights today. Ephesus is also in the Bible, a letter written by Paul to the Ephesians (also known as the book of Ephesians). Ephesus was built in 10th century BC. And was completely abandoned by the 15th century. This was because silt built up in the harbor making it soon impossible for any ships to get in or out. Meaning that no trade could occur, and without trade there can be no town. Therefore Ephesus was abandoned. After many many years Ephesus was buried under the soil and even today there is only about 15% of the city that has been uncovered. It was amazing, and essentially a big puzzle to put together! The architecture and size of this city was unmatched! Our walk throughout these ruins took roughly 2 1/2 hours and was well worth every minute. We went at a time that was a lot loss crowded in comparison to other times during the day. What an amazing experience!! 

*More Ephesus pictures will be uploaded sometime tomorrow. The service at our new hotel is horrible! 

Update #5: Finally our last stop was dinner. We stopped at a little local restaurant and enjoyed a nice dinner. Riley enjoyed feeding the cats the most. Although we warned her against feeding the cats she did anyways. And soon there were hundreds (not actually) of cats around her. But she didn’t mind! After that we went walking around and visiting diffferent shops. Now we are headed home and going to shower and sleep! Tomorrow we driving for about 4 hours to the island house :))