As expected, the start from Izmir via the alleyways above the Bazaar is particularly steep. I had to push the bike quite a lot and change streets because the stairs were too hard to climb. And the map of this maze of alleyways is a bit sketchy, so my route is a bit sketchy too. One last staircase down (not too steep) to get to the main road that takes me out of Izmir and that’s it.

However, I arrive directly at a traffic junction that I’d underestimated a little, so I have to be very careful. But the whole way to Izmir airport is hell. Horns honking everywhere... Even as I reach out to pull over to the right of an entrance lane, a scooter honks at me... I looked and let him pass : he passed me on the right as straight as an arrow when he could just as easily have passed me on the left. He doesn’t seem to have been moved by the barrage of insults he received. There were a few more cars double-parked (on a three-lane road after all), and I squeezed past them... a car passed me at a distance of 20cm... In short, it’s better to push your bike through back alleys than to ride on city exit roads...

Navigation gag : just as I’ve left the dual carriageway, I’m on some quiet little roads, and suddenly I’m stuck : I need to cross the railway line, but there are big gates all along the way that prevent it. I had to turn round.
I follow a main road for a while, then decide to take my alternate route along the coast because it seems more reliable (it’s the route indicated for Selçuk).

Last gag, but a booking one, I had booked a hotel the day before... No trace of it by email... no confirmation text, that’s suspicious... The booking seems to have well and truly disappeared. I found a hotel that wasn’t too expensive and went there. I show her what I’ve seen on the internet and she tells me to book online... it’s cheaper !
After all these adventures I finally got a room and arrived at Ephesus at 4pm, so I still had enough time to do the tour. And the last gag is the price, I had seen a website that seemed to have been updated not so long ago announcing 120 Ltr... But now the price is 40€ ! Or about 1400 Ltr.

But once you’re there, it’s worth it ! The site is huge and the theatre is really big, bigger than the one I saw in Greece I think. My only regret is that I would have liked to have seen the old port (the historic port has been silted up) but the long walkway leading to it is being renovated... Too bad.

Big stage tomorrow.