Kusadasi is a small coastal port in Turkey with a floating population starting at an off-season 50 thousand. It is a popular international holiday destination for most of Europe and Istanbul that adds a half million or so during European Summer. A new 3-bedroom villa with pool is available for 240,000 Euro or a coastal 2br apartment for 100,000 euro.
Kusadasi has three key attractions. Firstly, just out of Kusadasi is the town of Ephesus, which Three Popes, including Pope Benedict XVI, have declared as the last home and resting place of the Virgin Mary, really!! Mary died in 42 A.D. having been brought to Asia Minor by John the Evangelist who promised Jesus he would look after her. St John wrote his Gospel here also, probably on the kitchen table. Around the house are thousands of messages to Mary asking for blessings that do wrench the heart, yeah mine too.
Secondly, Ephesus is the site of the largest intact ancient Greek ruins that compete with the Pyramids and the Acropolis for grand scale and stone masonry. A whole city with houses, library with niches for scrolls, Town Square and a 25000-person amphitheatre. This was breathtaking and took several hours to walk through.
Lastly, Kusadasi is great for Turkish coffee and shopping. Most shops serve coffee to create a friendly atmosphere to bargain. Real Turkish coffee served by Turks in Turkey blows your head off; you can feel the buzz for hours, probably from drinking three of the little buggers.
As an observation, Kusadasi is the poor cousin to the Istanbul Grand Bazaar and the Cairo Bazaar but has less pressure to buy and more to make acquaintance.
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