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 