From an idyllic Greek island to a moonscape in central Turkey

We returned from the island of Samos on a ferry trip that was as smooth as the one over was rough. You just can't plan these things - even Judith took a travel sickness tablet beforehand this time. Still, we were grateful that the trip back was a pleasant and uneventful one. The evening we returned there were three cruise ships in the harbour. Within 24 hours they were all gone. Yes folks, it's seven wonders of the ancient world in seven days!

We stayed in Kusadasi at the same hotel for two nights and got the washing done and generally just took it easy. The next day we took an hour's drive to Izmir airport (where the flight was delayed for an hour and a half), flew to kayseri experiencing one of the roughest take-offs and landings we have ever experienced, and then took a shuttle bus to a town called Goreme which took another hour. There's no doubt about it, jet-setting sure is glamorous and sophisticated!

We are now staying in a part of central Turkey called Cappodocia which is a world heritage site. Many millennia ago two volcanoes erupted and left a massive layer of volcanic ash over the area. This ash subsequently was eroded away, except where harder rock forms resisted erosion and preserved the volcanic rock supporting them. The result is a plethora of phallic shaped rocky towers and a rugged moonscape.

Now, fast-forward to the centuries after Christ's crucifixion and we find that the early Christians (particularly the anchorites) settled in this area partly because of the harshness of the landscape and the climate. The ascetic life was one of hardship, which the Anchorites thought would bring them closer to God. (!!?) The advent of Arab raiding parties in the 7th and 8th centuries drove the monks underground taking their communities with them. Here, they built large underground cities housing thousands of people.

With the arrival of the Turks into Asia Minor, the Christian communities gradually dwindled and local Inhabitants moved into the more accessible underground dwellings. This area only came to the attention of the world outside this immediate region when it was discovered by a French Jesuit priest in 1907. It has now become a prime tourist destination which is itself changing the landscape yet again.

On our first day here we settled into the town and visited the Open Air Museum. This museum contains the ruins of an ancient monastic community, and includes quite a few underground churches with varying degrees of preserved frescoes. Apparently there are still a number of churches and underground structures as yet undiscovererd.

Quite rightly, photography is forbidden inside the churches so we will be unable to provide any pictures in this blog. If you would like to see them, you will have to come here yourself - something we would recommend anyway.

This also served as an introduction to the local eroded landscape. Tomorrow we are going on an early morning balloon flight over the area and on Wednesday we are taking a day tour which will include one or two of the underground cities. Can't wait...

Samos

We are currently staying on the first floor of a hotel overlooking the harbour of the main town of Samos, Vathi. The view is picture-perfect. And just as well, because the ferry trip over was a shocker. Milton had taken a travel tablet 20 minutes before departure but still felt rather ill. Judith, who generally travels well, didn't (travel well). It was very rough indeed.

The remainder of that day we recovered, settled in and oriented ourselves. The next day it rained for most of the day so we didn't do much, but day three saw us renting a car and driving around the island. The weather was great and it was a pleasant day with magnificent scenery and views. Unfortunately, apart from driving on the right hand side of the road, the roads around Samos are hilly with many curves and bends - and extremely narrow. Milton's usually faultless (!?) driving was put to the test - a test he finally failed when the car's passenger rear view mirror brushed a parked car! (fortunately no real damage). It was a good day in all, but at the end of it both of us were a bit stressed from the difficult driving conditions.

We rented a small, five speed manual volkswagen. However, the roads are so narrow, hilly and windy that we virtually never used fifth gear. So, back to the wreckers' yard. If you ever want to buy a second-hand, manual gearbox for highway driving, get one from a car only driven on Samos - fifth gear has almost never been used.

On our tour around the island we visited a beautiful village called Pythagorio, which unsurprisingly is the area where Pythagoras was born and spent his early years. Intriguingly, though, it appears that it is a moot point as to whether Pythagorus actually developed the theories (the Pythagorean theorem) attributed to him. I won't go into detail, but his mathematical theories could have arguably been developed by his colleagues, disciples in the following centuries, or the Babylonians and Indians!

Firstly the house of the Virgin Mary and now the theories of Pythagorus!!! This is just too much. I might need to have a high pot in use!

We have done a lot of walking around the main town of Samos and its harbour. It is truly a beautiful spot and very photogenic. Many of the houses have fruit trees front and back, including lemons, oranges, loquats, figs, olives and grapevines. As it is spring, the wonderful smell of orange blossom greets you around many a corner. As do the ubiquitous neighborhood cats.

One thing we had forgotten, though, is that there are no restrictions on smoking, so people can (and most of the population do) smoke in restaurants, cafes, bars and most public places. This makes it very challenging for non-smoking Australians who don't like to smell cigarette smoke when they are eating (or doing anything else really). There is a room for non smokers in our hotel, but it has ashtrays in it (WTF !!? again!)

We visited the archeology museum today. It has a great many artifacts, some of great value and significance, but at heart it is a provincial museum and fairly basic. One interesting fact we learned was that ancient Greek aristocrats traced their origins back to Gods and semi-divine heroes. Not like Australians who trace theirs back to criminals - although it must be remembered that the Gods did some pretty nasty and immoral things in their time too.

Tomorrow is our last day here. We take the ferry back to Turkey late in the afternoon. We are both hoping that this trip will not be as rough as the one over...

Chance meetings and changing plans

The hotel we stayed at in Kusadasi (pronounced "koo sheh darzy") was on the waterfront and hosted by a cheerful Turk who goes by the name of "Mr Happy". He is a very outgoing and cheerful host who is keen to make his guests welcome - but who speaks alarmingly like the Australian comedian Akmal Saleh.

We had a room with a seafront view on the third floor. On the first evening we heard some Aussie voices outside so I went out onto our balcony and found a very friendly and relaxed Aussie couple drinking wine on the balcony next door. We got to talking and sharing their wine and found a number of similarities in our journeys through life. In the course of our conversation Jenny mentioned the fact that one could fly over to Cappidoccia from Izmir airport (which is close by).

Judith and I had been trying to work out the rest of our time in Turkey without spending 40% of it traveling, so the next day we went to a travel agent around the corner and arranged to spend the next six days in the area, and particularly to spend four days on the Greek Island of Samos (one and a half hours away by ferry). And then to fly from Izmir to Cappadiccia in just over an hour!

That evening we caught up with Mark and Jenny on the balcony again and shared the day's events over a couple of bottles of Turkish wine. We all agreed that Ephesus was indeed impressive and awe-inspiring. We then went and had dinner together along with their three teen and adult children. We had a great evening not only with great company but also with great food. Yes folks, we have finally had some very nice food (in my case a large plate of barbecued king prawns!).

As a matter of fact we had another very nice meal the night before at a seafood restaurant on the foreshore just 60 meters away from our hotel. We shared a barbecued sea bass which was deboned at our table by the waiter and came with a simple salad. It was excellent.

So the next post will be about, and from, a Greek island just off the coast of Turkey... well, SOMEONE has to do it!

Ephesus - gateway to the past

The taxi driver who drove us around Bergama to see the ruins of Pergamum offered to pick us up at our hotel the next day and drive us to Ephesus, St John's Basilica and the Virgin Mary's house, and then drive further on to Kusedasi and drop us off at our hotel. This was a trip of over 220 Kilometres. The price - 75 Euro or $95 AUD (because it is the off season). Needless to say we jumped at the chance and had a great day of it and it was the easiest move from one place to another that we so far have had.

St John's basilica was very interesting as it showed how strongly Christianity grew in these early centuries AD. There are enough surviving ruins to see that the Basilica was very large indeed, and it contains the purported grave of St John.

The Virgin Mary's house, on the other hand, is another case again. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that Mary spent the remaining years of her life in this part of the world. However, the "evidence" for the siting of this particular house as Mary's derives from a vision that a 19th century German nun had. An expedition was sent out from Germany and the ruins that this site are built on we're claimed to have exactly matched the nun's vision... I think I will leave that one there.

The ruins at Ephesus are indeed impressive in their scale and the extent of what has survived. As they say, one is able to get quite a strong feel for how the ancient Greeks and Romans lived and of the sophistication of their civilization. The amphitheatre could hold 25,000 people and scholars of ancient civilizations, using this as a base figure, extrapolate the population as being approximately 250,000 at its height.

Judith was particularly taken by the public latrine - she can spot a toilet in a foreign land from at least a kilometre away and hence the photo. This one (for men) showed that everyone had to sit quite closely to use it, but apparently that was not a big problem as it was an important social meeting place. According to the Lonely Planet, even if you had your own bathroom you would often come here to "shoot the shit with your friends".











As I said in an earlier post, the ruins at Pergamum are regarded by many people as very much second-tier to those at Ephesus, and in a sense that's true. However, if you are in this part of the world and you miss a visit to Pergamum, you are missing a real treat. It is not as big as Ephesus but it has it's own unique features, like the amphitheatre carved into the side of the mountain with a view over the valley, the spectacular views of the countryside far below, and the Esklepion (Medical centre).

Outside the entrance to Ephesus is the usual alleyway of stalls selling all sorts of necessary and useful souvenirs (!?) This is all standard and nothing of note. However, we were taken by the signs on one or two of the stalls advertising "genuine fake watches". WTF?!!

If Pergamum is THIS good, what's Ephesus going to be like!?

Today we took a taxi around the Roman ruins at Bergama. These tend to be a little overlooked next to the ruins at Ephesus but we decided to see them, as our son recommended it and we had seen the temple that the Germans had transported from here to the Pergamum museum in Berlin. And we are very glad we did!!

The ruins of the Acropolis sit on top of a very high hill on the edge of town and are fascinating and impressive. At its height the acropolis was home to 150,000 people. It had an amphitheatre (that could seat 10,000 people) on the side of the hill to take advantage of the spectacular view and to conserve space on top.

Down on the flat section of a hill closer to town are the remains of an ancient medical centre (the Asklepion) which was also of impressive dimensions with its own amphitheatre, temple and library. Treatments included mud baths, herbs and ointments, enemas and sunbathing. Diagnosis was often by dream analysis. All in all it was a great deal ahead of its time really.

I could go on but that would just bore everyone. I'll let the photos tell the story.

Our hotel room is quite good this time although very small - there is nowhere to hang clothes or put them away, so it's literally living out of a suitcase. On the positive side it includes a Turkish breakfast which is very good (a boiled egg, slices of tomato and cucumber, cheese, sliced banana with honey, toast and tea and coffee). Also the bathroom has been newly refurbished - we know this because the bar codes are still on the window and the handbasin.

Tomorrow we go to see the ruins at Ephesus and are staying at a seaside town called Kusadasi. After that we are going to slow the sight-seeing right down and chill out for a time.

Leaving Istanbul - seeing Gallipoli

Well, we finished up in Istanbul by revisiting the Spice Bazaar because someone forgot that the Dolmabahce Palace doesn't open on Mondays! This is a real issue when you are traveling because not all sights or tours are operating when you are in a particular place and you are only there for a limited time. Anyway, we were happy to spend a bit more free time just wandering around the city.

Just revisiting the topic of a busy and traffic-congested city, if anyone was going to a wreckers to get a second-hand indicator for their car, I would suggest they look for one that's been retrieved from an Istanbul taxi - it will be in mint condition because it has never been used (the accelerator pedal, on the other hand, will be worn out).

On Tuesday we took one of the said taxis out to the Istanbul Otogar (bus station) to catch a bus to our next destination. This bus terminal is, to say the least, huge. It has 168 ticket offices and gates, its own mosque, metro station, clinic, police station, and of course shops and restaurants. Buses leave at least every 15 minutes 24 hours per day to all over Turkey, the Balkans, Greece, central Europe and the Middle East.

Fortunately we and our taxi driver managed to find the right bus line and we only had to wait 40 minutes before leaving. Taking a long distance bus in Turkey is a singular experience (that two of our children had already informed us about). They are set up just like airplanes: you have allocated seats, TV and games console in front of you, earphones provided, in-trip service (free), and on the one we went on today, free wi-fi. They serve hot drinks and snacks, water on request and lemon-scented cologne to wipe your hands with.

Our destination was a seaside resort called Cannakele which is the main stepping off point for tours of Gallipoli. We stayed at the Anzac Hotel (where else?) where every evening they show the movie Gallipoli in their lounge bar. We ended up watching the last 30 minutes and explaining what it was all about to a couple of Americans who live and work in Istanbul. Cannakele is also very near to Troy and along the picturesque waterfront is the wooden horse that they used in the Brad Pitt movie. It sounds a bit tacky but I thought it didn't look too bad.

The next day we went on a tour of the battlefield at Gallipoli guided by a very knowledgable retired academic. Unfortunately he was a little too knowledgable and was unable to cut the information down to the essentials and include a more human element. This wasn't too bad for us, but the Swiss couple that were with us were overwhelmed and ended up sitting in the bus for the last half of the tour!

It is easy to see how difficult the battle must have been for both sides - those steep cliffs and the rugged, unfriendly terrain are still quite evident today. But at the same time it is a place of beauty, and the well-kept, uniform, and light-colored graves and cemeteries belie the brutality and obscenities that caused them to exist.

The whole area is undergoing preparations for Anzac day and we were glad we were able to see it without the crowds. Thousands of red seats are being put up on many large stands and these make a statement in themselves. One point our guide made was that it was a great achievement that the Aussies got as far as they did and that it was (as we have been told over the years) largely poor British leadership that led to the failure of the campaign.

We certainly felt that it was a worthwhile visit and feel much better informed and connected to the events of that campaign, but it did not have the same deep impact on us as did our visit to Passchendaele and the Western front a few years ago. It may have been our guide, or it may have been the fact that we both had great uncles killed on the Westernn front.

We struck up an acquaintance with another couple of Americans on the Gallipoli tour and ended up having dinner with them in the evening. Their daughter has married a Turk and lives here permanently. As a consequence, this is their eleventh trip to Turkey! Once again, for us the meal was OK but still a bit disappointing as both of our dishes (hotpots) we're drenched in olive oil. We're still searching...

We took another bus today, this time to a place called Bergama. From here we will take a tour tomorrow to see the ruins at Pergamum which include the site of the asklepion, ancient Rome's per-eminent medical centre.

So take me back to Constantinople, no you can't go back to Constantinople...

Greater Istanbul has a population of 13.5 to 15 million people depending on who or what you consult. Couple that with very hilly narrow streets, a colourful history that goes back over two thousand years, a position on the coast that bridges Europe and Asia and you have a vibrant and bustling metropolis. Although I would have to say that on this Sunday morning where our apartment is situated (on the newer northern side of the Golden Horn and far away from the tourist precinct) it is very peaceful and quiet, apart from the more than occasional jet flying overhead.

We have been here four days now and we have sampled the food, seen some of the major sights and only been ripped off by a taxi driver once.

The Aya Sophia is indeed impressive just in its size alone. It is not necessarily that attractive on the outside but the interior is very impressive. It is yet another example of how the rulers of the past demonstrated their wealth and importance by constructing a bigger and more lavish palace/cathedral/mosque than their predecessors (my cathedral is bigger than your cathedral).

The Aya Sophia was the biggest cathedral in the world for many centuries. When Constantinople was conquered by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453 he very quickly changed the Aya Sophia into a mosque. It was subsequently proclaimed a museum by Ataturk in 1934.

Just across the road is the Blue Mosque which is still very much in use today. Its interior is stunning.

We have also seen over Topkapi Palace which is also quite spectacular in its size, architecture and decoration. At its height it was a city within a city with over 4,000 inhabitants. The jewellery here is amazing - the sort you imagine exists in pirate treasure chests. It includes a lot of emeralds, some of them bigger than a matchbox.

We also explored the Grand Bazaar, which was interesting in and of itself (again just by its sheer magnitude) but which became a little "ho hum" after an hour or so.

Today we took a tour on the Bosphorous and visited the Egyptian market - better known as the spice market.

This latter market was a highlight for both of us, but Judith had to be held on a very tight leash! We bought some saffron, lemon and mint tea, dried apricots, pistachio kernels, and of course some Turkish Delight (pistachio and honey).

Another characteristic of Istanbul is that almost everyone smokes (or it seems like it) and almost everyone has a cat (or it seems like it). The outcome of all this is that when you walk the populated streets you can't avoid cigarette smoke, and when you walk the back streets all you can smell is cat's urine. Neither of us has seen so many cats in one place before - nor smelled so much cat's urine!

We haven't been overwhelmed by the food yet, so we are trying a Trip Advisor recommended restaurant tonight that is just around the corner. Stay tuned...