Long term readers may have noticed that Fethiye Times has not yet taken a trip anywhere this summer. Well now we have, and shall be telling you all about it in a series of articles.

The photo is of the famous Library of Celsus at Ephesus – which is the second most visited site in Turkey after Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Ephesus benefits from its proximity to Kuşadası, where even the large cruise ships can dock and have their passengers bussed out to the ancient site.

Ephesus is also firmly on the religious tourist trail thanks to St. Paul’s sojourn there.

It is often crowded – the larger ships carry as many as 3,000 passengers or even more – and this writer managed over twenty years of residence in, and regular visits to, Turkey without setting foot in Ephesus.

However, it should be visited as it is certainly very impressive. Maybe we can whet the appetite of readers who have not yet been there.

We got there by hiring a car for three days and driving up to Selçuk, where we stayed in a lovely small pension for two nights.

That gave us a half day in Ephesus and a whole day visiting some of the other places of interest in and around Selçuk.

On the third day we drove inland to Aphrodisias then returned home to Fethiye.

So keep logging on to find out more about these two major imperial Roman cities.