Clearing Up Loose Ends in Ephesus

Well, this is my final night in Ephesus and it has been a relaxing day. There was no group visit to an archaeological site and no lectures. I thought it might be a good time to tie up some loose ends and add a few pictures that I really don’t want to leave out. First, in case you missed it my sister (whose appreciated comments are common on my blog) sent this link to a panoramic tour of Ephesus: http://www.sailturkey.com/panoramas/ephesus/index.htm I thought that some of you armchair tourists might enjoy the site!

Next: latrines…. I heard from one fan of the blog that they really liked seeing the photo of the bathroom. So, when I came across a public latrine from ancient times I thought I should add it to the blog. First there is a picture of what you actually see at the archaeological site, then there is a drawing to show you better how it really worked. The photo is taken from one end and the drawing from the other end. There was a channel of moving water under seats that are no longer there. Archaeologists know this because they have found examples of ones that are more complete.

Next: The Cosmic Fly I thought that this picture was worth including. When we visited Hierapolis part of the archaeological site has a lot of tourists having fun. There is a pool at this site that was built around fallen columns, so people wear bathing suits and swim around the columns. There is also a large restaurant (like you might see at Disneyland) and while we were sitting at a table we saw The Cosmic Fly. Have you ever wanted to take off on a flying carpet? Well, this is where you can create the illusion. There is a set up with a green screen with a Turkish carpet on the floor. People pay and get in and are filmed “flying”. Of course, they cannot see where they are going and actually just stay on the carpet, but the photographer tells them what motions to do with their hands and what expressions to have in different parts. Then through the magic of technology the green is replaced with a movie of aerial flight around the archaeological site! You can go away with a “realistic looking” movie on CD of your flight!

This has been a very interesting visit. The group we traveled with was mainly from Scandinavia. This is what we call three countries from northern Europe: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Look on Google Earth to see where these countries are. Iceland is just an island way up north. I had never met anyone from Iceland and rarely talked to anyone from the other countries. It was great meeting people from other countries and spending some time together.

Finally, here is a picture of Ricky Raccoon saying goodbye from the breakfast table. He left Ephesus on an earlier plane with his owner, but I have good news. You will soon be meeting someone who will take his place.