Today we are exploring colourful Kusadasi in Turkey with Celestyal Cruises. We visit the Ephesus ruins, eat a local lunch and some delicious baklava and climb up to the top to get a bird's eye view of this wonderful port city! And find out if I manage to talk Mr NQN into going to a Turkish barber!
Our second last stop on our Mediterranean cruise with Celestyal Cruises is Kusadasi in Turkey. It's a popular stop and during summer the population swells to 1.5 million people who enjoy the "bird island" for its port harbour, beautiful views and the ruins of Ephesus. It is also a very popular destination for cruise ships - Ege port is close to the action and hosts up to 800 cruise ships a year.
On the morning that we arrive in Kusadasi there are four ships that are docking at the same time. Another ship is disembarking at the same time as us and it's organised chaos. We make our way to our bus for our shore excursion to Ephesus, an ancient city and archeological site. Our guide Yunis takes the microphone and tells us a bit about the Kusadasi (including how to pronounce it, the first S has a SH sound).
Kusadasi is also a major producer of olive oil in Turkey and we pass many peach and olive trees. Ephesus is around 40 minutes away from Ege port and is popular to visit because it is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world. Sometimes I find it hard to imagine what life would have been like just from the ruins but at Ephesus they're remarkably intact so you can. Also a tip: wear sneakers, the marble can be slippery and I do not recommend visiting Ephesus in the rain as wet marble can be very hazardous.
Only 20% of Ephesus has been excavated and if you had visited last year in 2023 then you may not have seen a huge section that was only recently excavated. We are all listening to Yunis through earpieces which allow us to branch off and take photos but still hear him. There are 120 cats here who help to get rid of snakes and rats including the famous ginger Garfield of Ephesus who has his own Instagram account.
We pass the agora or market meeting place as well as the Temple of Domitian, built by emperor Domition who was described as cruel, paranoid and narcissistic and who demanded to be viewed as a god. He persecuted and exiled philosophers and orchestrated the execution of the chief Vestal Virgin, condemning her to be buried alive in a specially constructed tomb. He was eventually assassinated in what some say was a conspiracy between court officials and some believe his wife. After his death the Senate condemned his memory (a practice known as damnatio memoriae) and his reign was viewed negatively in Roman history although modern historians have acknowledged his administrative capabilities. Yunis says that there is a reason why so few children bear his name.
The headless statues were also a feature that people could buy. If they didn't pay the annual fee the head would be removed and then replaced with someone else's. He shows us an area he calls the "Beverly Hills" of Ephesus where mosaics were nailed into the ground to attract the upper classes. Merchants sold silk and saffron which they call red gold. We pass by Hadrians temple as well as the public lavatories. 48 people sat elbow to elbow with no privacy using the toilets. Then they'd take a sponge on a stick and use the water flowing under to clean themselves. The wealthy employed people as seat warmers who would go in beforehand and sit on the cold marble.
We end near the library next to the pomegranate tree. People could loan scrolls and sailors would pay 10k dinaris or $6000USD today to purchase a scroll that would map their course. Outside our bus waits for us at the bottom part of Ephesus. I buy a medium sized freshly pressed pomegranate juice for €5. It's deliciously sweet and money well spent.
We have one last stop before returning to port and that's to have a snack and drink and stop at a carpet store. They show us how they get the silk out of the silkworms and spin the thread. We take a seat in a display room and they show us varieties of rugs - these are beautiful in a variety of patterns. The one that I like the most is $15,000USD. We nibble on cigar roll pastries filled with goats cheese and sip on Turkish apple tea.
Once we're back in the port, we head to the busy market area. It is busy with tourists and touts enticing you to eat or shop in your shops. While a lot of restaurants have international menus, we're on the hunt for an authentically Turkish restaurant.
I consider it good luck when a cavoodle crosses your path. A couple of minutes walk away from the bustle is Mithat Baysal Sk (Sk is an abbreviation of Sokak or alley). This colourfully lit alley is home to Turkish restaurant Merakli Turk Mutfagi Ev Yemekleri. The name translates to "curious foods" and if a restaurant says “Ev yemekleri” it means it is known for home style cooking. This is a family run restaurant by Ali and Halide. Halide has won two medals for her Turkish cuisine which she has been cooking for 20 years and these are proudly displayed in frames. Ali speaks great English thanks to his first English teacher who happened to be from Australia (he says that my accent is easy for him to understand).
We order a range of items from mercimek Corbasi a creamy yellow lentil soup that you squeeze a bit of lemon into and it is like a warm hug.
We try Guvec or slow cooked beef with capsicum and zucchini mixed together which is deliciously comforting. It feels like the first day of winter today and anything comforting is needed.
But it is their meatballs or kofte that are a revelation. Ali puts a half serve down saying “you will like this” and he’s absolutely right. After I polish off two of the three, I wish I had ordered half a dozen of these.
The manti beef dumplings are tiny triangles filled with beef with a blanket of yoghurt sauce on top and butter. They bring some oregano and sumac along with a pot of garlic. Sumac and garlic dress these dumplings perfectly.
He also puts together a plate for Mr NQN of all vegetables which are delicious from the ispanak or spinach with the rice to sautéed leeks or pirasa, bamya or okra and Türlü or sauted and stewed vegetables.
Ali explains that It’s very important for them to source the best ingredients from all over the country whether it be butter or beans. And although he can buy tomato paste from the local market he buys it from Gaziantip where it is the best. We polish everything off finishing with a cup of Turkish coffee and some delicious dried persimmon. Everything including 2 sparkling waters is around $39AUD/$24USD.
Our stop in Kusudasi is actually our longest stop and we are setting sail at 11pm tonight. Because we have such a long time here, I've finally convinced Mr NQN to get a haircut. I ask Ali if there's a barber he recommends and he negotiates a haircut with the barber next door for us for 400lira or around $17AUD/$11USD.
He is an excellent barber and spends a lot of time doing things just right. He even lights wax and burns away any ear hairs and trims his eyebrows. When he asks if Mr NQN would like a shave he happily agrees and he gives him a straight razor cut, leaving his skin incredibly soft. Mr NQN is thrilled with his new haircut calling it the best haircut he has ever had. The haircut and shave are a bargain at €30/$49AUD/$30USD.
Afterwards we stop by a baklavaria called Demiroglu and they sell one thing and one thing only: baklava. The service is friendly and polite and we exit with a gorgeous little box of pistachio and walnut baklava. You can also eat in and have the baklava with ice cream.
We head for a walk up to the memorial and statue of Mohamed Kemal Atatürk on a hill above Kusadasi. It affords us the best view of the water below and Pigeon Island. It's a bit of a steep walk, most people take taxis up there but the walk down is much easier than the walk up and the pictures are worth the trip.
We return to the Celestyal Journey and need a refreshment. We head to Ocean Bar and order a Gym Junkie juice for Mr NQN with avocado banana, soy milk, low fat yogurt and apple and it's divine and I want to steal it from him. I order an iced green tea lemonade and sip on that while we snack on baklava.
After a bit of rest we head downstairs to Thalassa restaurant at 6:30pm. This restaurant is sort of hidden away on Aft (the back) of the ship and it is a popular place for large groups as there are large tables there as well as those seeking a bit more of an upmarket atmosphere with table service. The food at Thalassa is included in the price so doesn't cost extra but there are also steak and lobster dishes that you can pay extra for if you want it. The menu changes daily and this evening it is Greek themed.
The stuffed cabbage leaves are definitely the most popular entree. These cabbage leaves are stuffed with rice and lentils with an avgolemono sauce. This vegetarian starter is absolutely delicious and so packed with flavour - the only thing I'd want is one or two more on the plate!
You can really taste the Mataxos brandy in this smooth, flavoursome langoustine bisque soup. There are small croutons in this for crunch. I love soup any time that I'm travelling as it is so soothing and comforting.
I was tossing up between the braised lamb shoulder or the Duck a L'Orange but knowing that Mr NQN doesn't like lamb very much I go for this. It's a duck breast served with sweet stewed red cabbage, baked sweet potato slice, broccoli and a citrus ginger sauce.
The seafood saganaki is the pick of the two mains. It's a range of prawns, calamari, fish and mussels simmered in a tomato based sauce and flambeed in Ouzo that gives it a strong aniseed taste but not too much. Even though I don't really love ouzo or Pastis it adds a lovely aroma to the dish.
The chocolate cake comes out warm with a rich chocolate sauce on top but given a choice between the two, I prefer the assortment of Greek desserts.
There are three pastries on the plate: chocolate kataifi pasty, baklava and halve with orange and cinnamon syrup. The kataifi and baklava are particularly good.
It's another early night as we get ready for our last night on the cruise. Next stop is our very last stop: Patmos!
So tell me Dear Reader, where is the best haircut you've ever had? Do you find it easy to envisage what ancient life would have looked like from ruins?
NQN and Mr NQN were guests of Celestayl Cruises but all opinions remain her own. We flew to Europe with Vietnam Airlines.
Celestyal Cruises
A similar cruise is priced from $1289AUDpp twin share for a 2025 voyage: https://celestyal.com/au/our-cruises/7-nights-au/idyllic-aegean/
Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines offers 23 flights per week connecting Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Vietnam Airlines is continuing to add new routes having recently announced new flights to Milan, Munich and Delhi.
Reader Comments
Loading comments...Add Comment