Selçuk

 We flew from Istanbul to Izmir a few days ago and headed straight to Selçuk. We’re staying at the Nilya Hotel, a small inn with breakfast and a beautiful courtyard full of cats. The ancient city of Ephesus is about three kilometers from here. 

Heading back to the hotel in the evening 

The archeological site of the Basilica of St. John is just around the corner from the hotel. We toured the ruins a couple of days ago. There are still some columns and arches standing and tomb of the Apostle St. John is there. The story is that he accompanied Mary to Ephesus after Christ was crucified. 

Ruins of St. John’s Basilica

Ayasuluk Castle on the hill above St John’s Basilica

Details

The tomb of the Apostle St. John

The Temple of Artemis is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After we visited the archeological museum in town, we walked over to see what was left of the temple, not much unfortunately. Earthquakes destroyed most of what stood here.

There’s almost nothing left of the Temple of Artemis 

The archeological museum in town was wonderful!

Here are some pics—

And lastly, out and about in Selçuk—dinner, market, and relaxing in town.

The baby at the hotel—love her!!

Heading to Ephesus tomorrow morning!

Istanbul

 Istanbul has just become one of my favorite big cities. We spent four nights in the Kadiköy neighborhood on the Asia side. Kadiköy’s streets are lined with shops, bakeries, confectioners, outdoor restaurants, markets, everything. And there are people everywhere. Our last night—Friday night— the bars and restaurants were packed. I don’t think anyone was actually at home.

So pretty! The clothes in this shop were adorable!

And there are a lot of very contented street cats. People leave out food and water for them. You see them sleeping on cars in the warm sun in the morning, resting on ledges and in doorways, and lounging on cushions at restaurants. And there are dogs, too.

One of the dogs on his way somewhere 

The kitty in the back garden. She could open the screen door (which she did all the time!) and let herself in.

Cat looking statuesque at the Nuruosmaniye Mosque 

Yesterday we took the ferry to the European side across the Bosporus to see the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and some other sights. We did one of the free walking tours. It was great. The only downside to the day was that it was rainy and chilly. 

Outside the Hagia Sophia

The Blue Mosque

Inside the Nuruosmaniye Mosque 

The sahn (the outdoor courtyard) of the Nuruosmaniye Mosque

Heading out

 We’re leaving Jordan today and heading to Istanbul. Goodbye to our sweet, quiet hotel in Petra.

We sat out on the terrace here a few late afternoons and every evening enjoying the beauty of the rocks and mountains, cool air, a beautiful blue sky, and having the pool to ourselves. ❤️. 

Richard pointed this out. What do you make of the reptile collection box? There were a few of them. All with really big fat holes. I checked. Fascinating! I immediately looked up snakes. 😊

Jordan - Part II

The valley and mountains of Petra

We got to Petra Thursday afternoon. It was about a three and half hour car ride from the Dead Sea Hilton. Petra has a completely different feel from the Dead Sea. The Marriott here is quiet and subdued; the rooms and terraces look out over the valley and mountains. I'm liking the temperature here in Petra much more and I really like the relaxed atmosphere. Here in Petra it's not as hot as the Dead Sea and definitely not as hot as the east desert, but it's still warm and dry and the nights are cool and lovely. 

Yesterday, we strolled around the archeological ruins of the ancient sandstone city of Petra. Actually it was much more than a stroll. We walked about 6 miles and only covered a fraction of the site. If you haven't seen pictures of this place before, it's amazing. The entire city is carved out of stone. It was built by a nomadic desert people, the Nabataeans, and it dates back to at least the 4th century BCE. The city  began to flourish in the 1st century BCE as it became a hub for caravan trade routes. At its height, the city had a population of nearly 20,000. In the first century BC, Petra became an independent state within the Roman Empire and, in 106 AD, it lost all of its independence to Rome. (I spent a lot of time tripping over the now uneven paving stones that the Roman's left -- they really liked to lay roads). A major earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city and it slowly declined in influence and was eventually abandoned.

To get to the city, you walk about a kilometer and half down a pathway/gorge called the Siq. The Siq narrowly cuts through the sandstone rocks and you eventually emerge at the focal point of the city: the Treasury building.

The Siq

You emerge from the Siq and there's the Treasury. Wow!

The hub of the action in front of the Treasury

Walking the dusty path through the city

The most important temple in Petra: Qasr al-Bint

The photographer

Afternoon -- heading back