Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
The key to experiencing the unique culture, architecture, and welcoming atmosphere of Turkey without spending your savings and then some lies in when you leave and where you stay. I came across these things by luck, and hopefully the following tidbits will help you to experience the surprisingly abundant wonders of such a small city.
Timing is everything when it comes to vacations. Ephesus is second on Turkey's tourist hot-spots behind Istanbul, partly because of its convenient location near the Greek Island of Samos - which makes it a popular stop for cruise ships. Therefore, it is vital to get your trip started before the place is clogged with tourists. Thankfully, the Easter break falls just before the tourist season begins, making it the perfect time to visit. Since you are the beginning of the big wave of tourists, Turkish locals will welcome you with open arms and shops will give you a good deal because they've just opened their doors.
Turkey is not the most convenient place to get to from England, but my friends and I found some great deals mostly from stumbling across them. We travelled on Easy Jet to Istanbul for a very low price, and then went via ferry and train to the city of Izmir, where we grabbed a bus to Kusadasi, a port city located 15 minutes away from the Ephesus ruins. Confused? It definitely is not the most convenient route, but was perhaps the cheapest for our cause. Other options include flying straight into Izmir, or coming via a ferry from Greece. Don’t let this inconvenience stop you, it is definitely worth the time spent travelling.
The one thing that has left a lasting impression on me, and what made this trip so wonderful, was my stay at Sezgin's Guesthouse in Kusadasi. I could not recommend a place more because of the welcoming and providing staff, especially the owner, Sezgin. We got a wonderful deal of £24 per night for a spacious three bed room with breakfast provided. In addition, Sezgin himself took us on a tour of all the surrounding areas including Ephesus and several other sites as well as a little known town in the middle of some hilly olive groves, Serince.
This area in Turkey is a mix of several different cultures, making it easy for you to experience all these cultures at once. If you do stay at Sezgin’s Guesthouse, going on the tour is very useful and much cheaper than taking a taxi or bus ride to only Ephesus. If you enjoy ancient ruins, Ephesus has some of the best preserved architecture and it has an extremely beautiful Roman theatre. There is also St. John’s Basilica, and many other ruins. If you would like to watch craftsmen at work, stop by the ceramic factory and view how some amazing pottery is brought to life with vivid paint made from ground turquoise!
In the winding streets of the village of Serince, drink some blackberry wine, a delicious sweet dessert wine, or try Turkish coffee, which will give you quite the energy boost to continue on with the rest of your day. If you’re feeling adventurous and wanting to get a taste of ancient Turkish culture, take a dip into the Turkish baths, a great way to relax and feel cleansed from the grime of travelling. And for the shopaholic, there is a plethora of shops on the beaches of Kusadasi, most of which can be bartered with. And once you’ve got a good deal, don’t be surprised if the owner invites you to stay for another delicious Turkish beverage, apple tea!
If you’re looking to keep prices at the minimum, there is no end to the number of kebab stands that provide a delicious (though not necessarily nutritious) meal for less than a pound. If you’ve just come from a hard day's trek through the Ephesus ruins, be sure to walk down the road a bit to the Seven Sleepers, a traditional nomadic restaurant serving savoury pancakes cooked on a stone, and enjoy the tasty meal inside a spacious tent sitting on cushions. If you truly want to just sit back and relax, let Denis the cook at Sezgin’s Guesthouse whip you up some amazing homemade cooking, the type that you could only get in a Turkish house! You can probably enjoy the company of Denis’s dog, Coco, whom we got along with quite well!
Going to a country filled to the brim with a unique culture, amazing architecture, and tons of adventures no longer means you have to spend an arm and a leg to experience it. Turkey may have been the most surprisingly enjoyable vacation I have ever taken, and I hope that others might find this jewel of a getaway as well.
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