Into October -- Egypt!

It was time to say goodbye to our OAT group -- this fabulous two-week trip through Turkey was ending.  Our "official" farewell dinner had been held the night before.  This night we shared dinner at the hotel, followed by hugs all around, the trip officially over.  Everyone would leave, some very early in the morning, on Tuesday, 9/30. Jimmy and I had sort of a free day to explore Kusadasi because we didn't fly out till later.  Much later.

On our own, we hiked around the waterfront, and by day's end, we had like a zillion steps on the ol' fitbit.  A cool morning, we enjoyed being near the water.  A nice way to wrap up our Turkey visit.

Cruise ships are in!

If you look closely, you might recognize someone inside that giant red heart.

Heartfelt goodbyes to Anne and Mark, Lynn, Sandy, Donna and Peter, Xudong and Andrew, Jack and Dianne, and our great guide, Ulaş!  Thanks for the memories, everyone!

* * * * *

Sept. 30th -- Kusadasi north to Izmir (formerly Thebes!) by coach, a 6:00pm flight from Izmir to Istanbul, and a 9:20pm flight from Istanbul to Cairo, which brought us to this packed city by Midnight, in bed by 2:15am.  Our hotel in Cairo is the Hilton Ramses II, and we didn't get to luxuriate in the bed for long -- our first tour began at 8:15am!  Groan.  But -- Egypt!

Thought you might enjoy a short nighttime video of Cairo from our room at the hotel.

Imagine us at Egyptian pyramids!

Who'd a thunk it?

So ... here we are!  I can also tell you it's a whole lot hotter here than in Turkey.  We were kinda roasting in the sun.  Small green buses take you from the VC to the base of the pyramids.

 

Prerequisite?

Hard to get a photo without others cluttering the pic.

Yowza!

Ok, we signed up to enter the Great Pyramid, which requires a separate ticket.  See the indentation in the rocks, above?  That opening is where we're headed.

We'd been advised that the interior of the Great Pyramid is hot and we'd have to climb a steep, narrow and low passage, and I thought I could do it.  But it was stifling, stuffy (no air!) and too crowded.  While people were trying to climb the ladder, others were descending at the same time, their faces bathed in sweat.  I couldn't breathe and had to turn back.  So be it.

Instead, a different green bus drove us to the Great Sphinx.  What an awesome sight!  Hmmm, I appear "overheated."

In this shot you can see Khafre's Pyramid, which is the only one of the three main Giza pyramids that retains some of its original polished limestone casing at the top.  Jimmy and I could've been carried away on a camel if we wanted, but no thanks, been there, done that.  This does look like any/every picture of Egypt you've seen, yes?

Lunchtime at the pyramids, al fresco!  Merna, our guide for the day, joined us at the table to continue conversation about Egypt and kings and pharaohs and so much more!  Jimmy and I aren't on a group tour in Egypt.  Jan, from Adventure Travel in Grass Valley, set up this portion of our trip. We'll have different guides as we wander o'er the land, but we'll be well taken care of.  Nice!

Iconic Egypt.

After lunch came a visit to the new (air conditioned!) Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. (GEM), which had its partial soft opening only recently. It opens fully on Nov 1, 2025, and then it'll include the complete Tutankhamun and Khufu solar boat galleries. Even without seeing the 5,398 items from King Tut's tomb, this museum was tops. King Tut's collection will be showcased for the first time in one place at this new museum, allowing visitors to experience the full scope of his treasures.  You can bet the museum will be crowded then!

Inside the beautiful new building, Jimmy stands transfixed at the scope of the great entry hall.  A massive statue of Ramses II greets visitors.

Ramses II -- we'd see a lot of him in the ensuing days.

I took many photos of statues and relics and things we never dreamed we'd see in person.  I'll just add a few.  Most of Merna's spot-on descriptions went in one ear and straight out the other, not her fault, there was just so much information to be had in a place like this.  Besides at age 80, we have brain clutter ... there isn't much room left up there for new stuff.

Yup, a real mummy.

Ancient text that can be read if you know how.

Well, our first day in Egypt was very full, we didn't get back to the hotel till 5:15!  We were supposed to attend a Sound and Light show tonight at the Pyramids, but it was canceled, which was actually a relief.  We were exhausted.  Tomorrow, we fly to Aswan.  I hear it's even hotter there!  We'll return to Cairo in a few days for more exploration.  Wow -- Egypt!

Hello from Ephesus, 9/28-29/25

 

This morning we disembarked the gulet -- our home for four nights -- in Marmaris and hopped on the bus for Kusadasi on the Agean Sea, an approx four-hour journey.  We surely enjoyed our time aboard the boat, the hiking, and especially being able to plunge into the turquoise Mediterranean Sea.

We stopped for a buffet lunch -- at the place above -- and this restaurant features cooks from the region who prepare their favorite or signature dishes, à la the 2025 movie, "Nonnas." If you missed the flick, try to see it, we give it a thumbs up, both the movie and today's restaurant.  The lady at top left is making cabbage rolls just outside the entrance.

Monday morning we set off to visit another ancient ruin:  Ephesus.  How many of these archeological sites have we already seen?  Quite a few, but Ephesus is one of the largest, best-preserved ancient cities of the world.  A Greco-Roman UNESCO World Heritage Site, with wide marble streets and flanked by columns and temples, it's a true marvel.

Ephesus was home to the Temple of Artemis (above, from Wiki), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  It's no longer standing, as you see, but was said to be one of the most colossal temples ever built.  Earthquakes have damaged or destroyed many sites.  See pic below, too.

Also from Wiki:  Artemis was a child-nurturing deity, being the patron and protector of young children, especially young girls. The "eggs" on the statue represent fertility and have been variously identified as stylized breasts, bulls' testicles, bee eggs, or bee nests, reflecting her worship as a mother goddess. The most convincing theories suggest the objects are either breasts (as a symbol of nourishment), or bull testicles (offered as a fertility sacrifice). I vote for breasts or eggs.  Pics are mine from the Ephesus Museum.

The Baths at the State Agora.

Relief of winged Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory.

Yes, lots of people, but check the well-preserved marble street.  The marble stones were so darned slick, every step we took had to be carefully placed.  I saw one woman (not in our group) go down and bloody her leg.  Those ugly covers at upper left are protecting the terrace houses.  Requiring an extra ticket, we didn't go into them.

Temple of Hadrian relief over the door lintel.

They had a highly evolved water/sewer system, bringing in fresh water from reservoirs and carrying waste away via underground pipes.  Not much privacy tho!  Above is the community toilets.  Think that marble was cold on the heinie in winter?  Royals had slaves warm the seat for them.  Woohoo!

A long view of the Library.

I like this shot of the Library

with the fully-laden Pomegranate tree at left.

The Library of Celsus is considered an architectural wonder, and it's one of the few remaining examples of great libraries of the ancient world located in the Roman Empire. It was the third-largest library in the Greco-Roman world and is believed to have held around 12,000 scrolls.  Celsus is buried in a crypt beneath the library in a decorated marble sarcophagus. The interior measured roughly 2,000 sq ft.

Libraries should look like this!  (but not destroyed)  If you enlarge this photo, you can spot exquisite statues on the tiered façade.

Ephesus Theater, above and below.  Horseshoe-shaped on the western slope of Panayir Hill (aka Mount Pion), archaeological estimates suggest it could have accommodated approximately 25,000 spectators. The Theater was used for a variety of events, including plays, concerts, and gladiator fights, and it's still used today for concerts, with a smaller seating capacity of 8,000 for modern events (bring your own seat cushion!). Only its western section has been partially excavated.  You see excavation is ongoing (below).

The theater is often mentioned in the context of St. Paul's visit to Ephesus. The common misconception is that he actually preached in the theater. Actually, there is no historical evidence of St. Paul's presence in the theater.  (Wiki again) Who am I to disagree?

Talk about being on overwhelm, and with an overload of information, I'll leave you here.  But, believe me, I have so many more photos I could post.  We came, we saw, we conquered.  Honestly, we were blown away with Ephesus.

But that's not all, either!  The next morning, we visited Ephesus Museum.  Another impressive experience!

A dog and a kitty cat enjoying their morning outside the museum.

Wowzers!  This guy, Priapus, originally represented land abundance. He was also a god of the land and sea, protecting herds, bees, and fishermen. A picture of him was placed at house entrances, which would drive away evil and provide peace.  Priapus especially portrayed masculinity and physical love in Roman times. While Priapus figures are depicted as a small and ugly man, his penis is as long as himself.  I'd say, yes.

Jimmy with the head and arm of Emperor Domitian.

(good job, Jimmy!)

Top left is Socrates, bottom left is Eros on a Dolphin,

a bronze snake, and Marcus Aurelius.

Resting warrior.

So many statues, so much art.

Thank goodness we had a lovely room and comfy bed at Charisma Hotel!

Sweet dreams and good night from Turkey!

Kaunos, and more! 9/27/25

 

Today would be a treat of a day for our group.  First we'd transfer from our gulet to a riverboat, go to another ancient site, and visit a pretty town, all before lunch!

Our boat, parked up in this cove

for the night.

The captain stepped aside for a while so our leader, Ulaş, could take the helm of this smaller riverboat for our visit up the Dalyan River.  Protected Loggerhead Sea Turtles have nested at the entrance to the Dalyan estuary since the Dinosaur age, so we might see some when the boat entered the estuary, but nope, no such luck.  Not nesting season, I guess.

Of course we saw House Crows.  And Gulls.

They're everywhere.

And a fisherman trying his luck.

Whoa, Jimmy and I were surprised to see these tombs, similar to Petra in Jordan.  They're the final resting places of the kings of Kaunos and have been carved into the rocks in the "Lycian" style. There are two types of tombs in Dalyan: the simple tombs and the much larger temple tombs for royals, dating back over 2,400 years.   (and a Cormorant)

But first, before traipsing around this ancient site, an important stop.  

Jimmy at one of the theater entrances.  

Kaunos has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2014.  It was an important seaport, and its history is supposed to date back to the 10th century BC.  Due to silting of the former Bay of Dalyan (from approx. 200 BC onwards), Kaunos is now located about 8 km from the coast.

Listening to our leader tell details about the civilization, and the theater in particular. 

The theater had a seating capacity for 5,000 guests.

Facing the Mediterranean Sea and the Dalyan River delta.

Sea Squill with Wasp!

The city also hosted a basilica, bath, agora, 1,300 year-old mosaics, and the Sanctuary of Demeter.  Our group wandered all over the area.  These sites are all so similar to us -- ancient ruins -- but Kaunos was supposedly different because it was a more modest city.

 

I found this interesting -- In the 15th century the Turks captured the entire area north of Caria, and Kaunos was hit by a malaria epidemic. This caused the city to be abandoned. The ancient city was badly devastated in an earthquake and gradually got covered with sand and a dense vegetation. The city was forgotten until Richard Hoskyn, a Royal Navy surveyor found a law tablet, referring to the Council of Kaunos and the inhabitants of this city. Hoskyn visited the ruins in 1840 and published his account in 1842, making knowledge of the ancient city once more available.

Imagine!  Kaunos' original road and red clay water pipe.

We were looking down at it.

New bird:  Western Rock Nuthatch.

(sorry about the lousy photo)

I love pictures like this.  Check out the sign.  If you drive too far on this "road," you end up in the water!  Lemon and Pomegranate trees lined the left side of the road, the trees heavy with ripe pomegranates.

Do you think this dock would work in the states?  Yup, here's where we disembarked from our riverboat and where we gingerly climbed aboard on our return!  Good thing the captain pulled the boat close into the bushes.

Another shot of the necropolis,

both left and right.

We used the resort city of Dalyan as a restroom stop ... and souvenirs, of course.  It's also called turtle town, and you see a turtle above.  Really nice place.

Back on the boat.  I guess I wasn't ready to have my pic taken!

Local day-tripper boats, for people going to broad İztuzu Beach to see the turtles, located on the other side of the hill.

Thank goodness for a sharp riverboat captain who could and did navigate around the shallow water and sandy shoals to reach the sea again.

Quite a crowd at İztuzu Beach!

You know what we did after lunch (and waiting a half hour) ... yes, we jumped in the water, although I'm not sure if we were in the Mediterranean or the Aegean as Dalyan is positioned at the point where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Aegean Sea.  No matter.  The water is fantastic.