Holibobs

Well! What a fantastic holiday I had with Margaret and Chris. They were such brilliant hosts. For a whole fortnight, I felt like I was like settling into a nice, soft cushion – gentle, yet supportive – and boy, did I come home feeling relaxed and refreshed!!

We were in the apartment that Margaret and Chris have owned for a good many years, which meant that they knew all the cool places to go and the best sights to see. And what was particularly marvellous was that they were very happy to show me those well-frequented and much-loved points of interest. Gosh, I was excited! Can you tell?

We had it all: great company and conversation; good weather; fascinating shops; culture galore; great accommodation; and all-inclusive food and drink – including Margaritas…….

We swam in the pool and the sea and, naturally, sunbathed by the pool and the sea, too. Oh, it was glorious! I had the best time.

What was particularly interesting though, was that the area around Kusadasi, where we were staying, has history. Kusadasi is not far from Ephesus, which was second-only to Rome in importance during the Roman Empire.

Ephesus was such an important town that not only did Anthony and Cleopatra visit, but both St Paul and St John, of Bible fame, lived there for a short while.

In fact, it transpires that, after Jesus was crucified, John protected Mary, Jesus’s Mum, as they fled from the Roman rule in Israel; and there is evidence that they set up house – now known as Mary’s House – about 5 miles from Ephesus. It’s a fascinating story.

Ephesus is now a ruin – the inhabitants all long gone, having abandoned the town following a series of devastating earthquakes during the 1st Century AD. Despite that, the sense of history was to be marvelled at when we visited, and I came away with my imagination, and a thirst for knowledge about that civilisation, all fired up.

Kusadasi itself was lovely to visit, with a lovely walk all along the coastline, out towards ‘Bird Island’ at the end of the town.

There’s a harbour where the very large cruise ships come in to port, and every time we went by, we’d gee each other on to see how many ships we could spot in dock. Margaret was thrilled to see the ships – she loves a cruise – and would have loved to have gone on board for a look around. I wasn’t so sure. I mean, the ships are absolutely huge…

We also enjoyed rummaging around among the labyrinthine alley ways of the town, all packed with small individual shops and stalls, selling both quality items such as carpets and leather goods, but also plenty of ‘genuine fakes’ – of which the sellers are very proud.

In nearby Syrince, we admired the exclusive-to-Turkey jewel, Zultanite – a rare, naturally colour-changing gemstone, which shifts between vivid greens, pastel pinks, and rich champagnes depending on the light – and afterwards, we just had to sample some Turkish coffee, didn’t we?

In Selcuk, having left Margaret at home in bed nursing a tummy bug, Chris and I dined on Sac Kavurma – a classic Turkish sautéed meat dish cooked in its own juices over high heat – before taking in the town’s festival atmosphere, as the residents celebrated their young people and sport. We then took time out to admire the storks and their nests atop the high pillars of this ancient town. Can you spot them? They’re there somewhere!

Apart from the tummy bug that both Margaret and I succumbed to half-way through the holiday – everything was just perfect.

Take care everyone. God bless.