Ephesus: A stroll through history

Ephesus is 5 km from the sea. Ephesus is the showpiece of Aegean archaeology and one of the great cities of the Greeks in Asia Minor and today one of the grandest reconstructed ancient sites in the world. The site is a pleasure to explore: Marble-paved streets with grooves made by chariot wheels take you past buildings and monuments that have been partially reconstructed. As a strategic coastal gateway to the Eastern World, this Ionian refuge grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire, the site of a Christian shrine, and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Built in 10BC, the Ancient City of Ephesus is an outstanding example of a Roman port city and one of the best preserved ancient cities of the world:

• Great Theatre
  Ephesus’ large theatre, where St. Paul preached to the pagans, is still in use and can seat 25,000 patrons. It is in an outstanding position which dominates the view down Harbor Street leading to the silted-up old harbor.
• House of the Virgin Mary
  This stone building under shady trees is a Catholic and Muslim shrine up in the hills of Bulbul mountain next to the city ruins where the Virgin Mary lived her last years. It has been a major pilgrimage destination since it was seen in a vision by a bedridden German nun in 1812. Pope Paul VI visited the site in 1967 and confirmed its authenticity. Also the Tomb of Apostle John at Basilica of St. John is located near Ephesus. St. John is said to have lived the last years of his life here and after his death, a shrine was located over his grave.
• Library of Celsus
  The façade of the Library of Celsus is one of the most spectacular sights of Ephesus. It was built by a Roman in memory of his father and faces east so that the reading rooms could make best use of the morning light.
• Temple of Artemis
  In ancient times it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but today the Temple of Artemis is represented by just a single column.
• Temple of Hadrian
  This attractive Roman imperial temple was constructed in 118 AD, but reconstructed in the fifth century and well looked after Terrace Houses (houses of the rich)

Kusadasi: genuine fake designer goods

One of the most popular resort towns in the southern Aegean, Kusadasi was a small fishing village as late as the 1970s but now is a sprawling town packed with curio shops and a year-round population of around 60,000, which swells several times over in summer with the influx of tourists.

Kusadasi, which means “bird island” in Turkish, is set in turquoise sparkling water of the Aegean Sea, broad sandy beaches, bright sun and large marina. Today, one of Turkey’s beach resort towns with a slew of cafes and restaurants. We found a range of shops and bazaars offering genuine fake designer goods, carpets, leather, jewelry, souvenir’s, silks and clothes.

Istanbul: Turkish Tea & Tear Gas

Istanbul formerly known as Constantinople, When the Republic of Turkey was born in 1923 after the War of Independence, Ataturk moved the capital to the city of Ankara. Istanbul today is a major city that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosporus Strait via the Galata and Ataturk bridges as well as straddling Christianity and Muslim faiths, living in harmony.

• The Bosporus is the channel connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean by way of the Sea of Marmara and the straits of the Dardanelles.
• The largest legacy from the vanished Byzantine empire is 25 churches. Many of these are still in use—as mosques.
• The largest of the churches is considered one of the great buildings of the world, Hagia Sophia, whose name means “Divine Wisdom.” Its neighbor, St. Irene, was dedicated to “Divine Peace.”
• Probably the most popularly known of all the mosques in Istanbul is the Blue Mosque, the mosque of Ahmed I (Ottoman sultan from 1603 to 1617), which has 6 minarets instead of the normal 4.
• To the north of Hagia Sophia, is the sultan’s Seraglio (Topkapı Palace), enclosed in a fortified wall.
• The Grand Bazaar has 4,000 shops around two central buildings, and nearby, one of the enormous open-water cisterns of the Byzantine era, the Basilica Cistern, has 336 columns rising from the still, black waters to a vaulted roof.

During my time as Senior Vice President & Executive Producer for Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, I undertook many trips to and from Istanbul, several years prior to opening, in prepping the Zorlu Performing Arts Centre (Zorlu Center PSM) in Besiktas, Istanbul, which opened on October 10, 2013. 

I usually stayed at the chic boutique Marmara Sisli hotel, which was also uber gay-friendly. When Russia turned super anti-gay during my stay, the hotel bar put up a sign boycotting all Russian vodka. Completely unknown by the hotel, secretly, part of reason for my stay at the hotel was to assess potential suitability for our casts and crew of international touring musical shows (~60 English speaking eclectic artists on extended stay, 4-5 times a year) to stay in future. 

Always an adventure 

In 2013, Lee joined me in Istanbul on one of my trips, since our dates aligned when he had been booked to DJ mix at the famous Mendy’s in Istanbul in July. 

At this time, it was also the height of the rioting in Istanbul, largely located in the central square of Taksim, where tear gas was being used to quell rioters. During this trip, we were caught during dinner in the Taksim area as protest riots quelled with tear gas, trying to run away, I was too slow, and we ended huddled in a neighboring restaurant kitchen with wet towels over our head for a few hours.