Pergamon yesterday to Ephesus today
Please watch Relive video: https://www.relive.cc/view/vRO78wz2xy6
Today we rode 35 miles (55km) 3,041 ft
Nobody said Odysseus had it easy, so why should we??
A little chiily to start this morning, base layer and jacket needed.
Breakfast in our little hotel was quite nice, on the top floor with a great view over part of the city looking one way and the hills the other. Lots of fresh fruit, honey, homemade quince jam, local cheeses. The owner asked me if I would like some eggs, when I said yes, she asked, “sunny side up?”, I answered yes….she made me a large cheese omelette!
Our group of seven rode over to the hotel to meet the others(all couples), where we did our customary pre-ride group stretch led by Marjolein, our travelling soigneur.
The ride was only a half day so that we could bus through the city of Izmir. Population of 360,000.
A city that size and the size of our group would made it too difficult and unsafe
The ride itself was a mixture of good and heavy roads and of course some cobblestones. We started out chilly (10C), humid but dry. Three km of cobbles both downhill and flat, then to heavy paved roads. At km 18 the big climb of the day started which took us to coffee. I rode the climb with John from Australia and my friend Joanna from Spain
Coffee/ snack break at 41 km mark allowed for the group to regroup. With a large group of varying cycling abilities, our line does stretch out.
It was then only 18km to our destination with one steep climb. I rode it in with my friend Marjolein from Spain and Chris from Australia.
After a cobbled (standard in Turkey!) town start we came out onto super quiet rolling roads with wild horse and windmills all around us. This is remote Turkey! Amazingly only 50km away, the coast is packed with people; here we were lucky to see any! The landscape is harsher than it has been, rocky and smaller vegetation but is beautifully remote as we headed to our unusual lunch spot – Obasya – see below!
The destination for the ride was a Yurt village. We had two yurts reserved so we could shower and change out of our kits. The yurts were essentially hotel rooms; king size bed, full washroom etc.
After refreshing ourselves, we had a beautiful Turkish lunch of chicken, eggplant ratatouille, couscous, garden salad, olives, and dessert of fresh picked clementines, plums, watermelon and Turkish Delight…all wash down with a crisp cold rose!
So on to our private coach and onto a 6 lane highway for 2 1/2 hr. About 30 minutes from tonight’s hotel was the ancient city of Ephesus (Efes). An outstanding archeological site, one that should definitely be visited!…my 2nd time , so much to see and understand.
Today’s ride was shorter, with another classical highlight this afternoon. Due to Izmir, Turkey’s second largest city which we are just above, we shuttled 1hr 40mins from Obasya around and through this modern metropolis, to the ancient equivalent Ephesus. Here another guided tour before ducking on to our great winery hotel, Vinefera.
Obasya!
Stone houses with earthen roofs, built on the basis of the traditional architecture of Yuntdagi Yörük villages… the theme of life in Yuntdagi was revived as a village square in the 19th century, includes restaurants and museum buildings.
Obasya is a co-op offerring traditional Turkish 19th century accommodation (with ensuite!) and community. It is a little odd and full of kitch! Model horses charge past the tents, flags flutter from the Turkish nomadic tribes.
Ephesus
Of Turkey’s hundreds of ancient cities and classical ruins, Ephesus is the grandest and best preserved. A Unesco-listed World Heritage Site, it’s the best place in the Mediterranean to get a feel for what life was like in ancient times.
Ancient Ephesus was a great trading city and a centre for the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess.
Under the influence of the Ionians, Cybele became Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon, and a fabulous temple was built in her honour.
When the Romans took over, Artemis became Diana and Ephesus became the Roman provincial capital, the fourth largest city in the empire after Rome, Alexandria and Antioch.
In 356 BC, the Temple of Cybele/Artemis was destroyed in a fire set by a lunatic called Herostratus, who claimed to have done it to get his 15 minutes of fame, proving that modern society has no monopoly on a perverted sense of celebrity. The Ephesians set to work building a grand new temple which, when finished, was recognised as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
We arrived at our hotel, the Vinifera Winery, a beautiful place, an infinity pool overlooking the vineyards. Th e reception desk was a table at the side of the road!
Life is good in Ephesus!
