Ephesus is an ancient Greek city built in the 10th century BC. After it came under Roman control in 129 BC, it became the third largest city with a population of approximately 33,600-56,000. I know I should have been mesmerized by the vestiges of this awesome city, but I confess I was focused on the fluffy cats that were literally everywhere. They were adorable. My attention was redirected when we went inside a covered excavation zone where ancient residences are currently being unearthed (hence the well-preserved pigment of the wall paintings) and where broken pieces of walls and floors were being painstakingly put together (biggest jigsaw puzzle ever).
Back to that dance performance that I had mentioned on 9/30. On the evening of 10/9, Mohamed said, "I just spoke with Alp [the tour guide]. Since we have a farewell party tomorrow night in the hotel's spacious lobby, and you have your performance music and brand-new costumes, I thought you might like to have an opportunity to dance in Turkey. Of course you don't have to, but let me know what you think." My thoughtful husband is so amazing -- he creates opportunities for me to dance, which I love love love to do! So on the evening of 10/10, as I waited on the staircase leading into the lobby, Alp announced into the microphone, "Because you've been such a great group, I have a surprise for you. Please welcome her!" And in I went. Dressed in one of my new Bella costumes, I performed a choreography, then got folks up to dance, and finally posed with them for pictures. I hope they had as much fun as I did!
As the final activity of the tour, we all walked to a local restaurant for our farewell group dinner. We had classic kabob as part of the set menu, and the chef did a great job with the juicy smoky meat. I couldn't eat the grilled peppers, though, because they were too spicy hot. I wasn't the only one -- Alp and Mohamed ate the entire table's worth of peppers. After dinner, Mohamed and I took a picture with our buddies, Susan and Craig (we would look for each other when Alp said "buddy check, please!" to make sure no one got left behind). It was a wonderful tour, and I was relieved that Mohamed and I had tacked on two more nights in Istanbul on our own. I wasn't ready to go home just yet!
