Kusadasi (October 2019, including Ephesus):

         In mid October 2019 we flew to Izmir in Turkey for a week's all-inclusive stay at the Hotel Adakule in Kusadasi. The main attraction here was that it was close to Ephesus, the famed Graeco-Roman city we had visited as part of a half-day Anatolian coach tour a few years ago, and which we had resolved to explore further sometime.  Ephesus has many Christian associations (eg with St James and the Virgin Mary, St John the Apostle, and St Paul), as well as some spectacular Classical and Byzantine remains and artefacts (including the Greek Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). This time we planned to spend 3 days exploring the various Ephesus sites in detail, using the cheap, popular, and very handy dolmuses (regular routed minibuses) direct to Seljuk, the modern village near Ephesus. We would also be able to sample the facilities of our spectacular hotel and spa set in its own deep  private cove, and enjoy local walks along the coast and into the hills. The whole exercise was memorable (in spite of some very quirky mealtime and bar service in the hotel), but there is still so much more to be revealed at Ephesus that I feel sure we will go again sometime!