The next morning we packed our bags to catch an 8.45 am bus for Selcuk. Somehow this bus takes almost 6 hours, despite being fewer kilometers than our first 6 hour bus ride. We're learning that distance is just a number in Turkey. Selcuk has a few sights and the town is pleasant enough that you could easily spend 3 easy days there. But we're now operating at maximum backpacker speed so we will do it in about 24 hours.
In the afternoon we walked around the town to St John's Basilica, but not much remains except for some rough stairways, a few arches and the basement beneath the garden. Walking through town we saw a hamam (bath house) from the 13th century, and the Temple of Artemis that was one of the seven wonders of the world! A single column has been reconstructed and it is astounding to think that over 100 of these were in place, supporting a huge marble top. Seeing Leah beside this one column really puts it into perspective.
That evening we rented a small, wimpy scooter and made our way up the mountain to Mary's House, where it is said that Mary lived in her old age, being guided there by St John around 60 AD. There is a legend of how the location was revealed to a blind, paralyzed, stigmatized nun in Germany - and when they followed her direction and excavated the location this house was found.
The next morning we packed our bags to catch an 8.45 am bus for Selcuk. Somehow this bus takes almost 6 hours, despite being fewer kilometers than our first 6 hour bus ride. We're learning that distance is just a number in Turkey. Selcuk has a few sights and the town is pleasant enough that you could easily spend 3 easy days there. But we're now operating at maximum backpacker speed so we will do it in about 24 hours.
In the afternoon we walked around the town to St John's Basilica, but not much remains except for some rough stairways, a few arches and the basement beneath the garden. Walking through town we saw a hamam (bath house) from the 13th century, and the Temple of Artemis that was one of the seven wonders of the world! A single column has been reconstructed and it is astounding to think that over 100 of these were in place, supporting a huge marble top. Seeing Leah beside this one column really puts it into perspective.
That evening we rented a small, wimpy scooter and made our way up the mountain to Mary's House, where it is said that Mary lived in her old age, being guided there by St John around 60 AD. There is a legend of how the location was revealed to a blind, paralyzed, stigmatized nun in Germany - and when they followed her direction and excavated the location this house was found.
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