Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis, and Selcuk, Turkey.

The ancient Greek city of Ephesus that lies in present day Turkey.

I’ve grown accustomed to slow travel. I like spending a week everywhere, soaking up the atmosphere of whatever city I’m in, getting used to being in a place. At least for a small bit of time.

But it quickly became evident that that lifestyle wasn’t going to work when traveling in Turkey. Most of the places on my list of things to see weren’t places I could hang my hat, spend a chunk of time. They had maybe one big thing to see, were good for a day of exploring, but after that I just couldn’t find much else to occupy my time. So I’d move on.

I had intended to go to some beach towns in Turkey but the weather had been miserable so I wasn’t in the mood. And so I ended up breezing through the country much faster than I’d anticipated.

I spent two nights in Selcuk, Turkey, in a hotel I’m convinced I was the only person staying at. I think the owner tried to make me feel like there were many more people staying there by proclaiming that I was the last to eat dinner (at 8pm) and the last to eat breakfast (at 9am).

I arrived late on the first day and left early on the third so I really only spent a day exploring, which was more than enough. There weren’t all that many things to do in Selcuk.

Selcuk is the base for those wanting to see Ephesus, an ancient Greek city in Turkey. It’s the one big thing to do among not a whole lot else.

I spent a few hours exploring the ruins that lay three kilometres southwest of Selçuk (and, you know, petting some cats). Like Cappadocia, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site full of ancient buildings and monuments like the Library of Celsus and a 25,000 capacity theatre.

Present day Ephesus:

Afterward exploring Ephesus, I went to some other attractions around town, like the Ephesus Museum that displayed some of the statues that were originally scattered throughout the site…

And the Temple of Artemis, which is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world…but really, now, just some piles of rubble…

And the Church of St. John because it was near my hotel…

And a random goat…

Ephesus and Selcuk, Turkey. The ancient Greek city of Ephesus that lies in present day Turkey.

Bucket List Idea: Travel to Ephesus in Turkey. The ancient Greek city of Ephesus that lies in present day Turkey.