Ruins, relaxation and a party!

Ok, so it's been a bit of a whirlwind since we arrived in Izmir so I've been remiss about posting.(Quick cast of characters - Francesca is my friend the bride. Her parents are Vicki and Mike and her sister is Kristina - she also has a brother Paul but he couldn't make it. Her aunt Barbara is also in attendance. Erkut is the hubby, and his dad is Ragip and his mom is Nilufer and his sister is Mine).

Early Tuesday morning it was off for a two day trip to Ephesus and Aphrodisias. Mom and I didn't know they were planning to take us, but we were happy to go back. We stayed at a fabulous hotel right on the harbor in Kusadasi. Ephesus is one of the more famous ruins in Turkey, and I enjoyed it, but there were quite a few tourists as the cruise ships bus them in. However, our guide more than made up for it. Her name was Daryia and she was great! She didn't give us a ton of facts that we whouldn't remember anyway, and told us mostly about the daily life. Which leads me to the best part of the site, the terrace houses. The dwellings were built into the side of the hill and are still being excavated. During ancient times, they were lived in continuously for more than 800 years, so there were a lot of renovations. For example, in one home there may be two layers of frescos, covered by a thin marble slab. As the tastes of the times change, so did the wall coverings. Oh yes, we also made a quick stop at the home of the Virgin Mary, as this is place where they believe she spent the last years of her life. After another fab dinner, it was off to bed after a quick bath as our suite had a bathroom with a tub that had a window with a view overlooking the harbor. The next day was a long drive to Aphrodisias with a quick stop for pide, the Turkish pizza - yum! Everything was still impressive, and we were greeted by the director of the museum of the site as Ragip had been the contractor for the new addition to the museum. Back on the bus to the hotel for another delish meal and off to bed.

The next morning we got to sleep in a bit before heading back on the road to Izmir with a quick stop in Sirince, an old Greek town that was abandoned when the Turks kicked the Greeks out after the end of the first world war. It has since turned into a tourist attraction, and it was packed with Turks on vacation for the holiday. We did a little shopping and then picked up Erkut at the airport before having another yummy home cooked meal. The food here is so amazing, but there is aways so much of it!

Today was pretty relaxed. The ladies got manicures in anticipation for this evening's henna night. While we were waiting for Francesca to get all done up, Mine, Vicki and I all went wandering about. We did a little shopping and stopped at a little patisserie for hot beverages, cookies and a chocolate confection. After a little rest, we got all dressed up for our night on the town. A bus picked us up, along with about 50 other ladies, and drove us to the restaurant. It was quite a party! There was lots of dancing, eating and more dancing. There was a live band, a photographer and a videographer. Francesca also got dressed in a traditional outfit that somewhat resembles an I Dream of Jeanie costume and what Jasmine wore in Aladdin. The henna was put on the palm of her hand (and later our own) and the tradition says that as long as the dye remains on her hand she is not supposed to do any work around the house. After a few more traditional things (procession of Francesca through path of lit candles held by all the single ladies, handing out of gifts, a circle dance that seemed almost Greek, and few other things that I'm too tired to remember) we danced some more and then it was time to head back on the the bus, but not before we stopped at Nilufer's house for tea and coffee. By the time we got back to the hotel it was 1am and I knew if I didn't write tonight, I would never be able to catch up. Sorry it was a little longer than planned, but I hope you made it to the end!