Day 176 - Colloseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum

I stayed at a hostel last night and it was the first time I was in a room with all Chinese people. There were two Taiwanese students who were studying in Prague but taking some time off to visit Italy, and one other guy who was from Toronto, Canada. Usually, I see all the Asians in organized bus tours, but I guess we have our own share of backpackers and independent travelers.

Linh and I took another tour on the Hop On Hop Off bus. Most of the route was the same as yesterday, with a couple of additional stops since it was a Sunday and they had to adjust to traffic conditions as well as the religious services that were held on the holy day. We stopped at the Trinita del Monti and the Spanish Steps, a popular spot for tourist and locals alike to stop and grab a bite to eat or converse amongst company. At the bottom of the steps were some of the more high end luxury brand stores.

We decided to use our Roma Passes and headed to the Colloseum, where slaves once battled each other and animals to the death amongst a stadium full of spectators. Each time the slave won a battle, they would win gold, honor, and the interests of the women of the empire. With 10 wins, the slave was then set free, or could continue to fight to gain more honor and wealth. I thought about it for a while, thinking how brutal these battles were, and how people watched it as a sport, seeing people get killed in front of their own eyes, but I guess it's not too different right now with boxing and wrestling seen as spectator sports.

Afterwards, we headed to the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum, which were adjacent to the Colloseum. The Roman Forum was a collection of ancient ruins, surrounded by Roman Empire government buildings. There wasn't too much left of the remains except for some standing columns and scatters of ruins everywhere else.
Palatine Hills is one of 7 hills in Rome, and also contained some ruins of homes and some nice green space at the top, providing some open views of the city below. I think they were just bonuses next to the well-known Colloseum, but easily skipped if you want to see other sights or museums, since there are so many options!

Roman Colloseum

Spanish Steps

Pizza Chefs Fooling Around

Roman Colloseum

Roman Forum

Palatine Hill

Day 160 - Old Antalya and the Antalya Museum

Antalya is probably a popular destination to visit during the summer given its temperatures, location, and variety of sights to visit, with rocky cliffs next to the Mediterranean, high mountains in the vicinity, and numerous ancient historical sites and monuments. I took the opportunity to wander through the city today with the help of a tourist map. The main tourist spot was called the Kaleici Quarter, where you could get lost in the maze of small alleyways as you headed down towards the marina. You could easily find your way out by looking for the high clock tower tower at the top of the area, a reliable point of reference.

There were a ton of pensions, restaurants, and shops in the maze of alleys, all needing a little more business because of the time of year. There were plenty of people around, and the weather was tolerable even for the most demanding or picky tourist, but October wa still one of the slower months as Winter creeped closer.

I followed the tourist guide map foot route around the are, which didn't take too much time to complete since the area wasn't too large. I stopped by a couple museums (Kaleici and Ataturk), Hadrian's three-arched gate, the marina, and the Karaalioglu Park.

After the small tour, I went to the Antalya Museum, which was one of the larger archeological museums housing an impressive collection of Roman statues, sarcophagii, and other small ancient vestiges. Some of the statues were incomplete, with sections empty and up to the visitor to imagine on their own, like missing puzzle pieces. There was also hype over the return of one of the Hercules statues, where a part of it was stolen and somehow ended up in Boston, before finally being given back to Antalya.

After the museum, Ali and I headed to his parents house, where they cooked a delicious traditional Turkish meal. It was fun to be included in these events, as if I were a part of the family. I even witnessed some funny familial matters, things you probably wouldn't share with someone you just met if you were in the states. But Ali was a really cool guy and it was easy to converse and open up to him quickly. Most of the time, people spoke Turkish during and after dinner, and I found myself sitting there quietly, but I've been in that position numerous times during the trip, so it wasn't bothersome. If anything, I should learn more Turkish. I've learned enough food words...which has made me gain a little weight so far...

After dinner, we headed to old Antalya with some of his friends for some beers. The alleyways were dark and quiet in contrast to the day, which gave it a sort of peacefulness. It felt completely safe, whereas you'd feel a little weary and more alert if you were alone in NYC or LA.

Day 155 - Ancient Ruins of Ephesus and the Village of Sirince

I set off early in the morning to get to Kusadasi in time to visit the classical city of Ephesus, where ruins lay that are over 2,000 years old. I set off my dolmus from Manisa to Izmir, and then took a larger bus from Izmir to Kusadasi. I contacted a couchsurfer in the city to see if he had a place available, but he was in the process of unpacking into a new apartment and told me his friends would be willing to host me. It's incredible how people can go out of their way to help someone they don't even know...

Upon arrival, I met up with Cagla, Elif, and Fatma, three university students who offered to host me for the night! They were a fun and energetic bunch of girls who were enthusiastic to host me and offered to be my tour guide for the day. I would be their first couchsurfing experience, and I hope I was a good surfer.

We met up with their friend Ahmet, who had a car and offered to drive us from the seaside town of Kusadasi to Ephesus. At Ephesus, we took a horse carriage ride around the sights in the area. Our first stop was the Cemetery of the Seven Sleepers, which was a graveyard area near Ephesus that was built inside a natural cave. The name comes from an ancient legend where six religious people and one dog hid inside the cave to shelter themselves from the pressure of Paganism and slept there for 200 years.

Afterwards, we headed to the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus, which was once a Roman city that was populated by 250,000 people – the second largest city in the Roman Empire (after Rome) and also the second largest city in the world at the time. The city underwent numerous restoration periods due to earthquakes, wars, and time. It was also home to one of the seven ancient wonder of the world – the Temple of Artemis. Check the pictures below for further descriptions.

The last stop of the day was to the small village of Sirince, first inhabited by Greeks before the population exchange in 1922. It is known for its wine production and minor tourist draw. We had a wonderful lunch/dinner atop one of the hills, overlooking some of the houses scattered throughout the other hills and mountains. I also purchased a cherry/strawberry red wine for us to enjoy in the evening.

Later on at night, we walked around the city of Kusadasi with some of the girls' other friends, enjoying the cool weather after the long and hot day in the sun. They were all students at the nearby university and all were studying tourism, hoping to one day travel both around Turkey and internationally. I showed them some of my photos from my travels, and they especially liked the ones in Bagan, Myanmar, and the ladyboy caberet pictures from Bangkok.

Ephesus - Celcus Library (built 115-117 CE)

Ephesus

Kusadasi Street Vendor

The Cemetery of Seven Sleepers 

Ephesus - Small Theatre

Ephesus - Memmius Monument

Ephesus - Kuretler Main Street

Ephesus - Hadrianus Temple

Ephesus - Celcus Library

Ephesus - Great Theatre

Sirince

The waiter wanted to feed me some dried red chillis since I was curious about them. He ended up forcing me to eat two whole ones, and afterwards, I needed a cup of Ayran (yogurt drink) to help neutralize the heat.

Wine Tasting with Elif

Kusadasi at Night

The Ladyboys were a Big Hit at Home