In the footsteps of St Paul

 Time is passing quickly. My last blog was ten days ago; so since then, we have had two full days off. Each time we repeated things we have done before – we find it difficult to travel to new places, as it’s not always easy or comfortable (we’re not great fans of bus journeys, especially in crowded minibuses!)

 Last week, we went to Foça – ancient Phocaia. It was the base for many sea journeys around the Mediterranean; Phocaians are credited with establishing colonies at Marseilles, and in Spain. It’s still an active port, with numerous small fishing boats, and many tourist boats. It retains many of its 19^th century ‘Greek-style’ houses, and it’s always pleasant to walk beside the sea. There are ruins of a  classical Temple, to which there is no public access; remains of a Genoese fort and an old mosque. All the Orthodox churches were destroyed in a massacre of Greeks at the start of the Great War. But despite its painful history, it is a calm and pleasant place.

This week, we enjoyed our annual pilgrimage to Ephesus; it takes a couple of hours to Selçuk by Izban trains, with a further taxi or minibus journey. But it is a remarkable place – extensive, with some splendid ruins, notably the two theatres, the Agoras and the famous Library of Celsus. A large ruined basilica, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was the site of the third Ecumenical Council in 431. And of course, one remembers St Paul’s visits and sojourn in the city. The first time we went, in July 2016, its almost deserted, as there had been terrorist attacks and an attempted coup in Türkiye shortly before, and tourists were obviously discouraged. This time it was crowded, with tour parties from cruise ships and elsewhere. But it’s good so many people want to come to this special place.

 We are here to minister, of course, and we have continued with the Sunday Eucharists; attendance is around 30 – some different people each week, and a number of regulars have been away. The fact that many of the congregation do not have good English can be a little inhibiting, as far as preaching is concerned; but there are a number of young university students and others who are eager to learn more. Most people stay in the church hall for an hour afterwards, and some then adjourn to a local restaurant for lunch together. The weekly Bible Study is usually challenging and interesting. There is an enthusiasm, and desire to learn, that one does not always experience in England.

 This area of Izmir, Alsancak, attracts many young people, especially in the evenings; they come to walk and talk,  to go to the bars and cafés. There seems to have been a proliferation of the latter, offering a wide range of ‘Western’ coffees, as well as the Turkish coffee (which we like.) There are often some rather delicious cakes! On the whole, behaviour seems calm and sensible, with little of the rowdiness that can be seen sometimes in British cities. In the same way, there are usually groups of people – often young people – sitting and talking on the Kordon. We always feel perfectly safe. People are friendly and welcoming.

 Izmir has its downsides. Litter is a problem – every morning we see cigarette ends, plastic bags and bottles and empty beer cans all along the Kordon – and in the sea. There is no clearly organised recycling. Domestic refuse has to be taken and thrown into large open wheeled bins in the back streets – where each day it gets sorted by hand by obviously underpaid and under-nourished men, and children. One often sees them dragging loads of rubbish in large sacks on barrows. Traffic in the narrow streets is rather a nightmare. It’s sometimes hard to see what the rules are, cars park wherever they can, and motorbikes go everywhere, including along pedestrianised streets in both directions. Often the bikes are electric, and there are many electric scooters. So no pollution – but more chance of one coming up behind us without warning!

 We’ve also visited a newly opened carpet museum, in Bornova, set in a beautifully refurbished Levantine mansion, I hadn’t realised how many different varieties of carpet Turkey could boast of. It would be interesting to compare designs and methods with those of the famous Axminster carpet weavers.

 Only two more Sundays, and then we pack up and return (though our journey home will be rather complicated, thanks to the train drivers strike!)