Thursday 04 May 2023
Highlights: Visting Şirince Village, Exploring Selçuk, Visiting St John’s Basilica, Enjoying a Wine Sampling afternoon.

Today was a day of options with no travelling between hotels. Isik started the day with a quick orientation walk around to the key points of Selçuk so we knew were our major options where. From year it was off to the picturesque Şirince Village.

Şirince Village is located about 8 kilometres from Selçuk and was established after the fall of Ephesus in the 15th century, with most of what can be found today created in the 19th century by Greek population. However in the early 1920s following the Turkish War of Independence the Greek population had to leave in a population swap of Greeks and Turks.

As a result a lot of the archieuture is in more of a Greek style, there is a major disused Church in the village as well. It is a very beautiful village but with lots of rock paved steps and slopes. We did get caught in the rain as we were leaving.

Back in Selçuk the group broke up to do our own things. I eventually headed for St John (the Apostle) Basilica with construction beginning in 548 and completed by 565, this is believed to be the burial site of St John. While the Basicica is now only in ruins a model shows you how grand it was.

From these grounds I also got a good look at the nearby Castle of Selçuk.

After a short break I meet up with others in our group who opted for an afternoon of wine sampling. We headed off to the Bilgeler Winery and Wineyards. While I choice the 5 wine samples due to Emma’s generously I got to try 7 wines she had decided to try.

The wines were:

• Vindemia Defne (Dry White Wine)
• Anaxagoras (Dry White Wine)
• Khilon (Sauvignon Blance Dry White Wine)
• Lasos (Dry Rose Wine)
• Bias Priene (Merlot)
• Pythagoras (Red Wine)
• Vindemia Ruzgar (Red Wine)

I’m more a white wine fan but all tasted between nice and great. We had some nibbles included as well. All of this for only 300 Turkish Lira.

Several group members opt for a cooking class on our return. I went back to the hotel to pick up my laundry. Later those not at the cooking class head to the cooking restaurant and enjoyed a nice night settled by several friendly cats and dogs with light rain.