A Private Group Tour in Ephesus
On a “Travel With Anne” group tour, the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Viva docked in Kuşadası, Turkey, a port city (far south of Istanbul) in the Aydin Province along the Icarian Sea. This time we chose a private tour with Fatima of Best Turkey Tour (aka Iglesias Tour). Our small tour group climbed into a spacious coach and made our way out of the small port city, deeper into the countryside.
First we visited the House of the Virgin Mary. Because we had a private tour, we were able to beat the larger crowds coming from the cruise ship, and had the site mostly to ourselves for a time. There was a small home to explore (no photos inside out of respect). The site also includes a large altar with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the large Prayer Wall where pilgrims leave prayers and notes, and fountains, believed to contain holy water where visitors can purify themselves. Originally blessed by Pope Leo XIII in 1896, the more religious among us found it a very moving experience, while the others enjoyed the historic and cultural significance.
We then made our way to the Ephesus Archaeological Site. Again we beat many of the larger tour buses that would begin arriving as we left the site, making our private tour a very worthwhile investment.
At the site, Fatima explained the historic significance of the location and explained the ongoing excavation and reconstruction of the area. This is an interesting site, because Ephesus was actually once a port city, but earthquakes reshaped the area, buried part of the city and moved the river that used to feed it away. This led to the shrinking, and eventual abandonment of the site.
We worked our way from top to bottom and explored the Temple of Hadrian (with its well-preserved archway), marble-paved Curetes Street (slippery when wet), the Library of Celsus (and the nearby brothel), and the Great Theatre, which once again hosts concerts and performances after being painstakingly rebuilt over the years.
Our next stop was Turkmen Carpet Weaving Center. This co-op is part of a larger program by the Turkish government to preserve the art of Turkish Carpet Making. At the center we were treated to a more detailed demonstration of weaving than we experienced in Istanbul the day before. We were also shown how the artisans harvested silk and performed the famous double knot technique that makes Turkish rugs some of the most sought after in the world.
It was here that we were also treated to an amazing home cooked meal. We were fed lamb patties, chicken, oil and apricot syrup for dipping our fresh bread, garlic rice, fried cheese, eggplant salad, pickled veggies, and a very delicious tomato and pepper paste (also great with the bread) that I need to find the recipe for.
On the way back to the port, Fatima asked if we were interested in checking out a local leather store, since we still had some time. We agreed, and she took us to Freya Russo. I’m not sure what you expect when you go to a leather store in Turkey, but we definitely were not expecting to be greeted with a private fashion show and drinks. We were then led into the main shop floor, and honestly this was one of the most low pressure “tourist traps” I’ve ever experienced. The clerks worked with those who were interested in purchases, and kept everyone else entertained with jokes and history while people shopped.
We made our way back to Kusadasi port, tummies full, and buzzing with the day’s events. I cannot recommend Fatima, and Best Turkey Tour, enough. Our favorite thing about the private tour was that since we were one small group, she was able to tailor the experience to what we wanted in real time. That included, with her expert guidance, giving us the options of which attractions to visit, in which order, where we wanted to eat, what we wanted to see and where we wanted to shop.
We were not on a preplanned schedule, so places we wanted to spend more time in we did, and attractions we were over with quicker, we didn’t have to linger. It helped make the most out of our short time in port and made this one of our favorite stops on the entire 10 day cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Viva.
