Friday, October 2
Ephesus was so interesting! Our tour began with a stop at the house of the Virgin Mary up in the hills above Ephesus. This small, two-room building is said to have been her home the last few years of her life. The crowds were huge (about 50 tour buses were parked there with more waiting), but everyone was respectful of the place.
We then drove down into the valley to through orchards of peaches, oranges, lemons, and olives and up another hill to the village of Sirince (pronounced Shir-injee), a quaint town with stone streets that had a bazaar feel. Everyone inviting you to come into their shops ("no charge for looking") and taste their wine. I had tastes of loganberry wine (nice for after dinner), raspberry wine (so sweet it tasted like cough syrup), and finally a dry red wine that was very nice. After a few purchases, I tried their fresh-squeezed orange juice (made right in front of me with a hand press) - it was delicious!
The last stop was a carpet weaving place, where there were demonstrations of silk spinning and carpet weaving, snacks, and, of course, the offer to sell you their finished products. Mom gave in first and purchased a small rug for her living room. I then caved in and haggled for a carpet for the dining room. I hope Ted likes it because I can't take it back to Turkey!
Next stop - Athens.
