In January of 2020 my best pal MaryBeth and I booked a trip to Turkey. We bought plane tickets, reserved hotels, and became overjoyed at the thought of visiting this European/Asian country. Then, shit hit the fan. I couldn’t remember what exactly happened, but MB reminded me that an American soldier had killed a Turkish citizen (I think.) The Turkish president wasn’t happy with Americans after that, and Turkey was potentially unsafe for Americans to visit at that time.
After we each talked to our military raised fathers, we decided to redirect our trip. We had an amazing adventure in France that took us to Disneyland Paris, as well as a visit to the beaches of Normandy. We stayed at the most amazing Air B&B which I still dream of today, but my desire to visit Turkey never wained.
Fast forward to booking this cruise, and when I saw Turkey as one of the options I knew it was finally time to dip my toes into this country.
After an excellent day in Greece, we made the journey to our first of two Turkish ports. We docked in Kuşadası, a beach resort town on Turkey’s western Aegean coast. This town is apparently where Europeans flock for a “cheaper” beach vacation, but I can’t say I have a huge desire to return. The town itself is almost exclusively supported by the cruise ship industry, making for an uncomfortable time walking around. More on that later.
Thankfully we were not spending much of our time in Kuşadası, and our adventure for the day was a visit to the ancient city of Ephesus.
I should have known we were going to have an amazing morning after I was blessed with a tiny black friend the moment we stepped off the ship. On our previous days we had to venture further off the dock before I found my kin, but it was as if this ball of love knew I was missing my little black fur child. There he was just sitting at the end of the ramp off the ship, waiting for me to love all over him.
I couldn’t stay long, we had a tour bus to catch, but I was on cloud nine. Our tour guide for this excursion was excellent. His name was Mehmet and he spoke amazing English, was personable, and he was well versed on the location we were heading to. If you read my previous posts you will know having this guide was a blessing. Our bus ride to Ephesus was about 30 minutes from where we docked, and Mehmet gave us a history lesson while I contemplated my outfit of choice.
A few weeks prior to this trip, I saw the most gaudy, amazing shirts at REI and I knew I had to have one. When realizing there was a matching version for men I reluctantly asked Duncan if he would wear one with me. His answer surprised me as he said yes with no hesitation. I anticipated we would wear our matching shirts on the cruise ship only, but lo and behold we chose Turkey to don our attire. It just so happened this was the one chilly day of our trip. Good thing we are from the PNW.
Our shirts were a hit with both locals and our fellow cruisers, and despite the chilly weather I was warmed from the inside out as soon as we arrived.
This area had the most cat to human ratio we saw on the entire vacation, and I was in absolute heaven. It was as if a colony of cats had come here to live and never left. For all the dog lovers out there, we saw some stray dogs here too. Equally as friendly, living in harmony with the cats. It was truly an amazing sight.
Animals aside (for the moment) this city was one of the most fascinating locations I have ever seen. Ephesus was once a port city, considered to be the most important trading center in the Mediterranean region. It changed many hands and survived many attacks, but the ruins are well preserved to this day. It is also said that this city is where Mary, mother of Jesus spent her last days.
Ephesus is a pilgrimage site for many Christians because the Apostle Paul lived within the city to preach the gospel and gain followers. I too was on a quest to gain followers while in Ephesus.
I did my best to pay attention to everything Mehmet was saying, but I found myself distracted by the cats. I know I have been saying this a lot the last few posts, but this was such a unique experience for me. I have never in my life seen so many stray/well taken care of cats in this way. I was also soaking in the views of the ruins, trying to imagine what they looked like in their prime.
I didn’t take too many photos, just the essentials like photos of cats, statues, and an old bathroom.
We eventually made our way to the old library, originally in ruins, but reconstructed between 1970-1978. This was a beautiful location, and I knew this needed to be the backdrop for Duncan and I to take a photo in our matching shirts. I asked a man passing by to snap our photo, but I didn’t like the shot he took. Thankfully moments later someone from our tour asked us if we would like a photo in our matching shirts.
I of course said yes.
After we snapped this photo we were approached by a French couple I had seen around on the ship. The woman and her partner were wearing matching sweatshirts, and she wanted to take a selfie with us. As she was taking the photo her guy said to Duncan, “she roped you into matching too?” Which I found to be comical, because it was Duncan who had to convince me to wear these in public.
I wanted the shirts, but was too shy to wear them out.
Now that we have broken the ice, I can’t wait to match again. My inner eight year old is screaming with twinning joy. We finished up our time at Ephesus and were given about 15 minutes to roam the shops outside of the gate. Duncan and I didn’t want to shop and we instead headed to the bathroom. Nothing could have prepared me for what we saw next.
A rooftop of feasting cats was the perfect way to end the tour to Ephesus. We loaded back into the bus and headed back to Kuşadası for the remainder of our tour. This second part was optional, and while I am glad to have had the experience (I think), it was wildly uncomfortable for both Duncan and I. Turkey is known for their amazing carpets, the intricate patterns and colors are enough to keep you mesmerized for hours.
Fitting that we would end our day at a carpet shop.
Our group gathered into a small shop where we sat around a long couch as if we were seated into an auditorium waiting for a show. We were given a snack and a beverage and before we knew it four or five men were throwing carpets onto the floor while one ring leader described what we were looking at. Perhaps while trying to be personable he asked where everyone was from, and he said the words Duncan still sneers at me for replying to: “is anyone from Seattle?”
While we are not directly from Seattle, I typically tell people I am from Seattle (or Canada) while traveling. Because of this my hand shot up before my brain knew what I was doing. The ring leader looked at us with eyes beaming, “I have been there! My daughter studied at the University of Washington.” I smiled and told him that was wonderful and he continued on with the show. I thought we were in the clear, safe from the attention directed at us, but then the show ended and it was time to shop.
Duncan and I were the youngest two in the room, and neither of us feel the need to buy “stuff” so while we tagged along for the experience we were not planning to spend our hard earned cash on any carpets. The moment the show ended the ring leader bee lined over to Duncan and I and started whispering to us. He told us that because he loved Seattle, he would give us an extra special deal. He asked which carpet we liked the best, and while I had no plans to buy any of them I pointed to an exceptionally beautiful blue one.
He pulled back the carpet to reveal the price tag. $10,000. WOOF. But for us, for us he would sell the carpet for somewhere just under $4000. What a steal right? My face flushed as I felt the pressure to get away from this salesman. I knew we could not be the last ones in this store, so I told him we were going to continue browsing and would let him know what we decided. This got him to focus on another set of people, giving us enough time to escape. We thanked Mehmet as we ran out the door and attempted to wander for a few minutes in the town.
Just as I thought we were free of the aggressive salespeople we were met with human after human trying to lure us into their shop. Nothing pushes an introvert away more than being followed and summoned. I knew I wanted a Turkish coffee maker, but after attempting to enter into one of the shops and not being given the time to breathe let alone think about what I was looking at (when I buy things it takes me time to think) I knew this was not the place I would be shopping.
We headed back to the boat, because I was no longer interested in exploring this town, and it was as if my little friend knew I had been overwhelmed by my final moments. He was there, just as he was at the start of the day to bid us adieu. He left a much better impression on me after being bombarded by the shopkeepers. It took everything in me not to stuff him in my shirt and smuggle him back onto the ship.
My first taste of Turkey was a bit much at the end, but I knew I could not base my entire experience on this tiny cruise ship town. Our second day brought us into Istanbul and the entire day was marvelous. Kuşadası is a town of its own, I would love to return to Turkey one day and visit some of the other cities like Cappadocia, Antalya, and some less touristy towns, but I’ll likely avoid the carpet shops.
When we returned to the cruise ship we overheard a man waiting for an elevator tell a couple about why he will never set foot into one of the carpet shops again. He said the one time he did, the shop owner locked the door and told him he couldn’t leave until he bought something. I can’t even imagine what I would do! Thankfully our ring leader was nothing like that, or maybe we just got lucky because we were the first to leave.
I guess we will never know.
Q: Have you had a pushy shopkeeper experience? Multiple?
Blissfulbritt 
40 thoughts on “Türkiye Pt. 1 – Ephesus and the Carpet Shop”
niall
We experienced something similar when we lived in England. On a daytrip to Blackpool we ended up inside what was originally an open air stall as part of a group but experienced a very aggressive and verging on frightening hard sell experience. The atmosphere felt very threatening and I was glad we were able to escape it.
Your little black friend looks very pleased with himself in that last photo 🙂
Brittany
I will never understand the desperate need to sell something, maybe that makes me lucky, or maybe I’m just in the right line of work. Sheesh.
Lis
I had exactly the same experience as you in probably the same carpet shop 😉 many years ago on my first trip to Kusadasi (via cruise ship). It put me off Turkey completely to be honest and only my utter love of Ephesus convinced me to get off the ship on a return cruise to the area in 2022. I actually just skipped the carpet shop completely this time, ran the gauntlet of pushy obnoxious shopkeepers and got straight back on the ship. I had similar experiences with shopkeepers in Istanbul on the same most recent cruise and I will not return to Turkey, unless it’s to visit Ephesus.
Brittany
WOW! That is so wild to me. It was sad, because our guide was telling us they don’t get a lot of tourists, but that their country has so much to see. After this day I couldn’t help but think part of why they don’t get many tourists is because of stories like ours. I thankfully had a good experience in Istanbul, but it’s unfortunate that the shops are this way.
Lis
I totally agree about the affect on numbers of tourists. I think it’s a cultural thing and it just doesn’t sit well with a lot of Northern Europeans (and obviously people from your side of the pond!). But they should have a better understanding of what it is that stops return visits.
We had a bad experience in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul – there were a lot of renovations being done and it wasn’t explained to us and we were herded into very dark tunnels that we couldn’t leave – we’re both extremely claustrophobic and so once inside we couldn’t get out as there was a one way system in place.
After about 15 minutes of horrific crowding and panicking on our part I pushed us through the one way system onto the other side and barged through the queue to get out. Extremely distressing for both of us and totally the fault of the guide who did not explain what was happening. So Turkey as a whole has been well and truly crossed off our list!
Brittany
Oh my GOSH! That sounds horrific. I also have fears of tight spaces and being surrounded by too many people I would have lost it. Shame on your guide for not explaining better! I’m sorry you had that experience, I don’t blame you for not wanting to go back.
anfieldgirl
It was traumatic but thankfully it did not spoil the rest of that cruise which was lovely. And we have cruised again since – our first transatlantic from Miami back home to the UK this year. Highly recommended!
Brittany
Wonderful! I didn’t think I would be a cruise person, but we had such a good time. I’ll need to stay home a bit to spend time with my kitty, but we both cannot wait for the next cruise. 😀
anfieldgirl
It’s the only way we plan to take holidays in the future. We’re already planning next year’s holiday to Alaska. 😎
Brittany
You will love it. I took a cruise to Alaska in 2017 with my dad, and it was fantastic! Such a beautiful state.
Liz H
Hey, that final picture of the kitty? He looks so pleased to see you safe and back from your harrowing shopping experience. Hope he got more rubs & pats before you left!
Brittany
He was such a sweetie. My favorite cat of the entire trip. What a little love ball. He got many rubs and pats!
Liz H
(Prrrrrrrrrr!)
MaryBeth
I laughed when you wrote you told him you were from Seattle. What a fatal mistake! I can’t think of any pushy shop experiences. China Town in New York wasn’t fun, but that’s my home country so I didn’t mind giving some push back there. Love the matching shirts. Ben and I have never matched before! I haven’t found a good shirt to match for us. Maybe REI will be the place to look.
Brittany
Bahaha I know where you can get an REI discount. Or wedding gift. 😉
I’m not normally one to match, especially with my partner, or so I thought. These shirts were just too good to pass on.
I know what you mean about giving push back in the states, I would give it too. Although these days no where feels safe. But my sass still finds a way out even when it shouldn’t.
Atheria
OMG! Guess where I’m moving to? 😉 #catscatscats
Brittany
You would have diedddd!
kagould17
That Ephesus trip and carpet shop sounds so similar to our visit in 1984. I don’t think any of us bought a carpet. Cheers.
Brittany
The carpets were indeed beautiful, but I couldn’t justify spending that much on something I’d walk on. I’d have to hang it on a wall. 🤣
Unfortunate I’m getting similar experience comments though.
Paula Owen
The cat photos are so lovely! You probably know about Japan’s cat island but just in case:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aoshima,_Ehime
PS: My pushy sales person experience was (ironically) at a rug store on Bainbridge Island.
Brittany
I knew of the island, but not of its name. Thank you for sharing!
Ohhh noo! Good thing I’m not in the market for a rug, I won’t be going into any Bainbridge rug shops.
Joyful Change With Yvonne
The cats are adorable and so healing especially after your adventure in the carpet store!
Brittany
Agreed, what a special treat to end the day. 🤣
Pam
Spending thirty years hunting for treasures at car boot sales and antique fairs I’ve learned how to navigate crowds, first time I had aggressive behavior was when people from another country would be at fair and push You away from tables and block Your ability to shop, they were snatching up everything insight and anything that related to their own country….I know the Bainbridge rug shop, they even wanted to deliver to house for trial run to see if we liked it, yikes I was outta there…..I too have to absorb what I’m looking at and think about it.
Love the cat photos……lunch time pic 😻
Brittany
If someone pushed me or in front of me I would be slapping people. Absolutely not. I can’t believe people do that at antique fairs!
I think I’ve seen this carpet shop on the island, downtown on Winslow by all the other shops? I always wonder about those shops and how they stay afloat. I suppose one impressionable person is all it takes to pay the bills for a month at those prices. Big yikes!
crustytuna
Online shopping might be one of the best things ever invented imo. I hate the haggling and aggression. It is so anxiety-inducing.
I love this post! So many cats! So many photos with cats! Matching shirts! LOVE IT!
Brittany
Honestly I agree, especially as an introvert. I will say there are things I just cannot buy online like clothing and shoes, they rarely fit right if I do. So I tend to wear shoes out. Thankfully I work somewhere I can try on shoes in the back at my leisure because shoe shopping is the worst!
Roy McCarthy
Ah, matching outfits, here come the Americans. The cats amaze me, we just don’t see friendly wild cats in the UK. So you were at the Normandy landing beaches one time? We can see the Normandy coast from Jersey (C.I) but the landing beaches are away to the north.
Brittany
HAH! Not only matching, but loudly matching! 🤣 but hey, we had good company with the French couple.
Yes I visited the Normandy beaches a few years ago, Normandy as a whole is a beautiful area.
Pree
The carpet shop experience sounds terrifying 😓 but at least the ample cute cats made up for it I hope??
Brittany
It was so bizarre. I’m just thankful we didn’t have an experience like some of these comments.
Allie Zottola
I love when the cat to human ratio is high. That is my kind of population ratio, LOL. Your face while petting the black cat = the best.
Ooooof to the carpet shop and pushy salespeople. Now I know… never go to a carpet shop in Turkey 😉
Brittany
I need to live on an island where there are more cats than people. What a dream. LOL.
Nicole
This was my experience in the Caribbean when my hubby and I took a cruise ship there. We were just surrounded by salesmen and taxi drivers and women wanting to braid my hair. I was seriously uncomfortable and overwhelmed!
The pictures look amazing though!!
Brittany
Oh my gosh, women wanting to braid hair…I would die. I’d be in luck probably as I have very short hair. LOL.
braey89
I’m sorry if I’m overthinking this and I’m wrong, but I know that you said the president in Türkiye wasn’t happy with Americans after what happened, but how do you know that the person that the American army killed was a Terrorist? ( you said you think, isn’t that a problematic assumption? Sorry I’m not trying to be rude )
Brittany
I was going strictly off news articles, which I admit is likely problematic as most media is untrustworthy. I don’t think you’re being rude at all, and I appreciate your comment. At the end of the day I don’t remember most of why we didn’t go, my point for this post was trying to recall that I WAS going to go, but then it became unsafe for Americans. I’m happy to change my verbiage.
braey89
I could be wrong, and I’m okay with the military, so I’m not defending their actions btw, but you never know, because the army is problematic, they could have killed someone who wasn’t problematic
Thanks for responding 🙂
Yuriy
Me and my wife had the same experience on carpet factory there on the ship excursion to Ephesus. Carpets are beautiful indeed but we don’t need them. They tried to sell, yes, but we didn’t have any problems to get out after the carpet presentation. Same on their Grand bazaar. If you want to buy anything, you need to negotiate, and negotiate hard. This is absolutely normal on East. You can get price down in half, sometimes more. It is interesting experience. Yes, they pressure you to buy all the fake stuff, jewelry, carpets etc. but jut firm “no, thank you” from you usually enough. Listen, you are in the different world and can’t expect everything the same as in the US. You are traveling the world for the different experience and shopping is one of them.
Brittany
I agree that the need for these types of carpets is not necessary. I wouldn’t be able to use the carpet because I would be fearful of getting it dirty! Duncan and I did not have trouble getting out of the shop either, but as you read at the end of my post not everyone was so lucky.
I actually quite enjoyed the Grand Bazaar and found a wonderful booth where the man was not pushy. He let me browse in silence. I happily bought something from him.
Unfortunately in Kuşadası a firm “no thank you” was not enough for most of the shops. We had to eventually ignore them all together to get them to stop pushing. I accept that this is part of the culture, however I do think in this town specifically the pressure is higher due to the cruise ship traffic. I did not have anyone approach me walking throughout the Grand Bazaar the way I did here.
I agree with you that cultures are different, and I never expect things in other countries to be like the US, that’s why I travel away from my home country. However I will never comfortably shop somewhere when someone is breathing down my neck. That goes for my own country as well. I will politely excuse myself and find somewhere else. I just don’t enjoy that experience no matter where I am in the world. I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t enjoy shopping much!
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