The plan initially was to Uber there and then go bus back (requiring a quick taxi to Selcuk - the nearest actual city). Instead, just as we left Izmir proper the taxi driver proactively looked to make a deal - for basically what amounted to the price of my tour, he would drive me there and back and wait. This actually was less than 2x the fare (taxi is far from the best option) but more of course than if he were to just drive back solo, so it was a decent compromise option.
Anyway, Ephesus - the old Greek turned Roman city that has been uncovered but left mostly to the imagination apart from some amazing sculptures. I remembered really liking it in 2007 without a great memory of what it was. Certainly, the fairly staid entrance area and parking lot, with far less shops and stalls than I would've expected (more than made up for at the exit...), and the middling ruins right past the exit, got me a bit worried. Luckily, the place is more than that initial area.
One interesting aspect of Ephesus is the myriad signage in the place expertly tells you what used to be there but then has renderings, both 3D and floorplans, of what that old structure is. In most cases on parts of that remain so it requires a bit of imagination - but I am glad they've resisted any urge to recreate them unfaithfully or quarry newer rock to make them more complete. It makes the areas that are complete all the more special.
Anyway, the first fun site is an amphiteater which I thought was cool until I saw the map and saw the outline of the far larger amphiteater to come. Anyway, this one was nice too, and then we arrived at the long colannade down to teh main area, with the Celsus Library tri-level facade gleaming in teh distance. That was the first image I truly remembered of the first trip - it was still about 300 meters away, but the excitement was then growing.
On the way was a weird box structure into the hill, marketed as the "Terrace Houses", and when you enter into that you go into another world. It's a large area of about 4-5 levels built into the hillside, that were all houses of the wealthy in the Ephesus days. Some areas were quite well restored with wall and floor mosaics and frescoes and paintings and the rest. This area was intentionally well preserved to show what the life of the people really was like, given that most of the key sites elsewhere are business and cultural buildings.
The Celsus Library itself aws incredible, three story facade with statues and intricate marble work everywhere. No idea why they put so much effort into a library, to be honest, but it resulted in one of the more memorable and picture happy spots. Next to it was a large open area with half-ruined columns along the borders of a square which was The Agora. Here is where you wish they maybe took a bit more liberties reconstructing stuff, but it still worked
Down another colannade was the Odeon Theater, the real amphiteatre, which is just spectacular. It's imposing enough from the groudn level, but when you go in and start walking up the rows of semicircles and get a sense of what a tremendous sight it must've been 2500 years ago. I would put the capacity at say 8,000 or so. You could climb a long way up and they still cordoned off the top tranche of rows. It is crazy that this exists and I'm sure was sold out often.
Next to the Odeon theater are more ruins of this and that, and a newly built musuem that basically offered the same AV-tied experience I got in Istanbul for the Hagia Sofia, but this time recreating life in Ephesus during Greek and then Roman rule. It was quite cool and really well done, my only complaing being it was way too short for the price (20 minutes, $20). It did do a nice realistic version of what the main drag must've actually been like during the heyday of Ephesus, and similarly the Amphitheater and the Terrace Houses, but I would've loved a bit more on the Library and a few other sites. Still, it's a really cool concept that Turkey has really leaned into.
From there we exited the main Ephesus area and my taxi driver took my up a ton of twists and turns up to the House of Mary, the purported last home of Mother Mary before the assumed into heaven. There's admittedly not a whole deal of confirming details around this, but Catholicism has more or less agreed on this (cimapred to Orthodoxy, where there is a house in Jerusalem that purports the same). It's a small location, quaint in keeping with it being just the place Mary lived out the end of her life, but it was a nice pilgramage all the same.
From here we headed back to Izmir. I was hoping first to get lunch in that area but because this was the low season (granted, there were quite a lot of tourists) the restaurants near Ephesus were closed and the taxi driver was itching to get back to town. I had him drop me off on the main seaside drag in downtown Izmir (Alcanscak neighborhood), heading for Balikci Hasan, a fish restaurant. One of dozens that line this street, but from really quick research seemingly one of teh better reputed ones.
The place was empty (it was 3pm) so I got the food out quick, a really nicely, calmly, grilled bream, skin-on, with salad and a really nice sauce you could put on the fish. This is helpful since I was surprised at the restraint of the grilling - not much spice, just the fish grilled to close to perfection. I was already planning to go to one of these spots later in the day, but Izmir is known for its seafood, so I didn't feel too bad going to the same type of spot twice.
Following this was a nice stroll on the shorefront road, which has been turned into a thin park with bike lane, jogging lane, a bunch of sculptures and great views of the giant Bay of Izmir, with another neighborhood (Bostanli) seen on the other wide (admittedly you can drive there on a ring road). Izmir is every bit as beautiful as I remembered it being. It is also a lot more cosmopolitan, as my first stop after the walk would attest to.
La Puerta may sound like some Spanish-themed bar, but go inside and its a large, perfect little gastropub, with a beer garden type setup in the back, brewing its own beer and selling more Turkush craft beer on draft. I tried two of their IPAs, neither was amazing but both plenty good enough. The scene, given it was post-work on a Monday, was also quite interesting to watch and observe - just young (20-40) Turks enjoying life.
Same with post dinner, where I mostly replayed my night the day before, but prior to that I went to Deniz Restaurant, arguably the most famous, popular fish spot no the drag (at least from my Google research). It was much like the lunch spot except bigger (it sits at a corner of a block), and way busier - granted I came at 8:45pm. Same type of main course where you go pick a fish, they weigh it and then prepare it for you. This time I went a bit bigger with a seabass that they grilled and served butterfly style, with a turkish chili oil on the side, and it was again just really fresh and well grilled. They don't overwhelm with fanciness, just a place that knows certainly well they can cook fresh fish great.
Replaying the rePUBlic Beer Bar and Studio House wasn't the most inspired choice, but given what they offer is what I wanted most it worked perfectly. Both were consdirably more full than the night before despite me getting there later. I had two half pour beers, one stout and one winter ale, at the craft beer spot - both were excellent. Sadly, I can't seem to find a craft beer store that sells beer bottles or cans to go in Izmir, but I've slapped it on my list for Istanbul. At Studio House, I went more conventional withc cokctails, taking their take on a negroni and old fashioned, both excellent. The place really is surprisingly upscale and exact for what is the mdidle of an alley in the party/late night drag.
The final stop on my last night in Izmir was at Adres Belli Irish Pub, on the same alley as RePUBlic - packed with people again just having a great time - some playing darts, four couples alternating at foosball, and drinks and food flowing at what was by then 12:30 on a Monady. I had a couple more craft half pours, did some people wataching, chatted to a couple interested locals and then went on my way, another fun night in Izmir down. I have to say, despite coming here for what arguably are teh two worst nights of the week to judge a city's late night scene by (Sunday, Monday), Izmir held its own easily. If anything, makes me more concerned about how rough it may be on a normal weekend.
