06/02/98

                                  Selcuk

Yesterday we checked into a hotel ($16) and spent the day just walking
and hanging about, reading, etc.

Today we visited Selcuk, also called Ephesus V, the fifth and final
site of the town of Ephesus.  It is named for the Selcuks, who were a
tribe from Central Asia, as were the Turks, perhaps from the area now
called Turkistan.  We got a ride here from one of the guys at the
hotel, another example of Turkish hospitality.  Part of his job it to
meet tourist boats to get people to come and stay at the hotel.

The Basilica of St. John is here. Emperor Justinian is credited with
building the Basilica, 527-565 A.D.  It is in ruins but if restored
would be the 7th largest cathedral in the world.  You can clearly see
the outlines of the building.

Also in this town is the Church of Mary, also called the Double
Church.  It is called the latter because two churches have been built
on the same site.  Here in 431 the third Ecumenical Council was held.
The main issue was whether Mary bore a man or God.  The church decided
that Jesus was both man and God. In 449, this position was negated and
the position of the Nestors adopted; Jesus was just God.  In 451, in
the Council of Chalcedon in Istanbul, the church reverted to the
position adopted in 431, and so it remains.

While we were walking around, a young man offered to sell us some
coins, which he said were very old.  I asked him why he did not sell
them to the Ephesus museum.  He said they would not pay him anything.
We declined his offer.  It is illegal to remove antiquities and we had
not way of knowing if what he found was of any value.

There is a Selcuk castle from the early days but it is closed for
visits.

On our way out of town we passed children and women carrying loads of
oregano on their backs in heavy cloths.   There are lots of tractors
in the fields and on the roads.  Grapes, figs, peaches, strawberries,
wheat and other crops abound not only in the fields but in people's
yards and gardens.  It is early in the season but we can already see
the small fruits growing.

There are many carpet shops but far less hustling here.  Same with
restaurants.  Only one guy approached us, smiling as if seeing a long
lost friend.  We know the routine now- don't look or respond unless
you want to have to spend time talking.

We are leaving tomorrow (Weds).  First we fly to Istanbul.  We stay
overnight there.  We fly to Bucharest Thursday.  I feel a toothache
coming on.

06/03/98

                           To Izmir and Istanbul

In the morning we took the Dolmus to Izmir Airport.  The Dolmus drops
passengers off about a mile from the terminal.  I guess not too many
people using the Dolmus go to the airport.  There was a sidewalk part
of the way, but the rest of the time we shared the road with cars and
trucks whirring past at high speeds, Turkish style (pedal to the
metal).

The flight is only about an hour.  We fly over the Bosforo, and are
afforded a great view of the whole region, including Istanbul.

The airport bus takes us into the old town for less than $1 each,
taking 45 minutes to do so, including time for a traffic jam.  We went
to the travel agent to get the bag we left behind and to return the
book we borrowed.  They were happy to let us try to connect to the
internet.  No luck.  I think that the physical connection into their
line was not good.

We found a cheap hotel nearby.  It turned out to be noisy.  No matter.
I could not sleep due to the raging toothache.  I know this pain.  I
need a root canal.  Our dentist friends Jaime and Maria Eugenia in
Madrid told me that I had a suspicious looking tooth that should be
treated when we get back to the states.  I figure that they were wrong
only in how long it would take before it erupted.

The last (and only other) time I went to Eastern Europe, we were in
Budapest when the same kind of pain got so bad that we left after a
few hours.  We went to Vienna, arriving on a Saturday night.  Sunday
morning, Grandma, in whose room we were staying, found us a dentist.
The dentists in Vienna take turns covering the off-hours.  For $250, I
got my root canal done.  Well, am I going to have to go to Vienna
again?  But this time, I'll have to go by plane, since Vienna is no
longer just four hours away by train.  Or will I find a dentist who
can do the work in the little towns of Romania?  We are skipping
Bucharesti.

I must be nuts for agreeing to go to Romania when I knew I was going
to have dental work done.  I knew that taking antibiotics was unlikely
to work.  I have tried that before without success.  Lucky thing I
refused to go to Bulgaria.

(end of Turkey entries)