​Weathering the Storm with the WP#162

What can I say about this past week. It was crazy busy, getting ready for client arrivals, documents, invoicing, and general living in Rome, but tying up loose ends here. We had taken an apartment in a neighborhood where we had stayed before, and it was convenient for getting around the city for both of us. Just one more step getting closer to my life here, but we are in the process, or shall I say, Rosa and others are in the process of renovating an apartment not used for decades, but in the family, except for storage, of the family’s stuff. It is a very nice apartment and will work out well for Rosa and me. Lots of family memories there for her as she showed it to me. When she first described it, I thought when she opened the door, I was going to see cobwebs and dust everyone. It was simply in disuse as it was her grandfather’s home until the 70’s and has lots of charm, but also will be lots of work, but, and it will be our home eventually, she and I agreed on about 80% of the changes to be made. The nuts and bolts were a given, but decoration, of which I know nothing, well on the same page. ​

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We also greeted clients from Colorado that arrived in Rome after a week in Iceland and time in Norway and enjoyed dinner a local restaurant. It is interesting to note that while I have very much gotten used to the Italian ways, of course, I am becoming a resident and possibly a dual citizen in a couple of years, was to see the interaction of someone, while having been here years ago, shown brightly. Asking for bread, not a problem, as it was going to be brought to the table, but also asking for butter, a no no in Rome and unfortunately, the restaurant could not provide it, but had olive oil and in the end, which she said she did not like, and ordering a salad to start the meal, among other things, not the Italian way, but in the end, the staff at the restaurant, made accommodations for our clients, all was good and the evening very pleasant. The next morning, met them at their hotel, was a bit of a pack mule and got them off and running on the train to Venice, where they are currently. Rosa will be with them sometime next week to be their guide for a few days, before they head on to their next destination, Greece, on their whirlwind tour. ​

But enough about this. As promised, more about our honeymoon in Turkey and after leaving Gallipoli and Troy, we drove to Izmir, which I mentioned last week. It is the jumping off point for Ephesus and the House of Saint Mary. It is one of the larger cities in Turkey. I had not been here before but had been to Ephesus off a cruise ship years ago, but it was all new for me, and certainly for Rosa. We were picked up by our guide and driver and left the city to see these most impressive ruins of the ancient world and while I had been there before, I was even most impressed this time. Our guide and driver were excellent in that getting to the House of Saint Mary first, we would avoid the big tour groups, even this time of year, and we learned the story, explored this little residence, where Mary supposedly stayed and the story of a local who had, in a dream, I believe describe this place in detail, including the location and other pieces that lead archologists and other to find this residence of Mary. It is tiny, but it was fine for one person. Also, there were several water fountains, each representing something and Rosa took her water bottle and took some of the holy water. ​

After leaving the House of St. Mary, we took a relatively short drive to Ephesus. Again, remembering bits and pieces, but since it had been years, finding out how much more had been excavated, whole sections including the public toilets and a brothel, I believe. The crowds were not too intense, so our guide was right, we were lucky, or it was still early in the season or all three. As a privately guided tour, it was at our own pace. She was well versed in the region and shared her insight, but for me, what was most impressive, and she was much younger, is that Rosa, having revealed, or maybe it was me 😊, that she was a guide as well, and knew some of the “stuff” 😊, provide her input to the conversation and our guide appreciated it and said, she could share with other travelers in the future. It is nice to know that people in some places in the world are still open minded. ​

As you may already know, Ephesus is still being excavated, as I have mentioned, and the most famous of the sites is the library and it truly is very impressive. Again, having seen it before, and through more mature eyes and Rosa’s eyes, I gained an even better appreciation for it. Also, on the site, this being very new, was an interactive museum they built, I believe around the time just before the pandemic or maybe just after. You go into this museum, into different rooms and you are “hit” with amazing screens of history and what Ephesus is all about, from its inception to its demise. I think this was a very nice way to bring Ephesus to life. We went to the amphitheater and other ruins of the site. This is a must see, coming to Turkey and yes, many cruise ships offer the opportunity to see Ephesus and the House of St. Mary. I did it privately the first time and this time and not with 30 or 40 of my closest friends. This offers flexibility and more attention to detail, so I would recommend everyone to see these amazing ruins but do it with your own private guide. Next week, Cappadocia, a totally different world. ​

As always, I hope you have enjoyed my offerings each week and appreciate that you have read my blog posts and look forward to continuing with sharing. As always, thank you so much for your support of Rosa’s and my little world now that they have been merged into one and enjoy the pictures we took of these wonderful sites and Rosa chose to include of the thousands we took all along the way of our honeymoon. We truly appreciate your support and congratulations. Stay safe, healthy, and most importantly happy, and as always, your shared comments and thoughts are most welcome!!!