Istanbul Part II

After our busy Wednesday we had managed to cover most of the bases in terms of what we wanted to see so we were able to slow things down a bit for our last two days in Istanbul. First we visited the mausoleums of the Sultans and saw firsthand the results of the fratricide practiced by the Sultans when ascending the throne. Lisa was not impressed and was particularly disappointed with Mehmet III who had nineteen of his brothers and half brothers strangled upon becoming Sultan! Witness all the turbans on little sarcophagi. We then visited the Topkapi museum which although wonderful was cheek to jowl crowded with visitors and a bit like an assembly line as people shuffled by each exhibit. Still it was not to be missed, particularly for the Topkapi dagger and other wonderful jewels of the Ottoman days. After Topkapi we lunched once more at our favourite meatballs place and then spent the afternoon relaxing and playing Carcasonne back at our hotel. In the evening, we embarked on a little walk to the Sulimanye Mosque and spent a wonderful hour and a half at the 550 year old Sulimanye Hamam enjoying the full Turkish bath experience. An absolute must for anyone who visits Istanbul! The next day we paid another visit to the Grand Bazaar and found the antique section. Christos managed to restrain himself and did not buy a thing other than tea for two! We lingered over a lovely lunch of arugula salad, manti (a wonderful Turkish pasta) and chicken while watching the tourists and denizens of Istanbul go by. Of particula note was the mussel seller, very popular with the locals but not something for our squeamish stomachs! After lunch it was time to say goodbye to Evil Ctos ("Etos") using the time honoured tradition of the straight razor shave; what an experience! From sudsing up, the close shave of the razor, burning cotton (for ear hairs?), a full face wash in alcohol and the face massage it was well worth the 10 Lira (6 bucks), including tip, that was paid! For our final dinner it was off to a local fish restaurant for more Manti, lamb (for Christos) and swordfish (for Lisa). How yummy it was! One thing we have really noticed about Istanbul is that it is a cat city. The streets are filled with them and while we doubt many live in houses, the locals seem to love them. Food and water is often put out for these street beasts and unlike North American cats, the local cats have real "cattitude", not moving for humans and simply fixing them with a stare that seems to say "this is my house". After dinner, we went for one final walk between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Lisa was a bit overcome with the beauty of it all ...

Istanbul Part I

Sadly, our first day in Istanbul was dominated by Lisa having to work all day but such is the price to be paid in order to afford such holidays! At least Christos got to wander about a bit and enjoy the sights of Istanbul. With work for Lisa finally done in the evening it was off to the Rumeli cafe where we enjoyed a nice meal of traditional cold starters and lamb stew. Lisa wanted to unwind a bit after her long day so we proceeded to drink through a bottle of wine with dinner ... followed by more wine and wandering. We found a place with live music (and expensive wine!) and Lisa danced away her worries! Of course, the only problem with drinking until the wee hours (in this case after 1am) is the next morning ... we finally managed to haul our butts out of bed around 11am the next day and wandered to the Grand Bazaar which, although interesting, is not as exciting as one might hope due to the profusion of shops offering the same thing. One thing we did notice was the large amount of vendors of precious metals; the view of precious metals as a store of wealth in countries like Turkey is much more prevalent than it is in N. America; I guess we need a lesson in the real ultimate value of all fiat currencies! Dinner was at a rooftop restaurant and although the views were amazing the food was only mediocre. Ah well, you can't win them all! With work and hangovers behind us, we really got things off on the right foot on our third day. We were at Hagia Sophia before it opened at 9am and one of the first groups through the door (highly recommended as by the time we left the place was packed). Hagia Sophia was the largest Christian Church in the world for around 1000 years after its completion in 537AD. It was a mosque from 1453 until 1931 and has since been a museum; but oh what a museum it is! After Hagia Sophia we visited the ancient Basilica cistern nearby which was constructed under Justinian I and utilized many columns plundered from old pagan temples. Two medusa heads were the coolest pediments of the bunch. The Basilica cistern is a welcome break from the heat and hustle of the surface and we highly recommend it! After the Basilica cistern we visited the amazing and beautiful Blue Mosque and even managed to fit in a coffee at Gulhane Park (overlooking the sea) and a trip to the Spice Bazaar. Today was also market day near our hotel and we just couldn't help ourselves; we had to buy some olives!

Turkey Day 9

Today we toured Bursa, visiting several of its fine mosques and of course an obligatory trip to the silk market! The mosques were lovely and their beauty was enhanced by Lisa's presence, complete with head scarf and long dress. The silk market is situated in a large building with an enclosed courtyard and has dozens of vendors. Each has their own product as patterns vary between shop while the items (head scarves, shawls, ties) are fairly similar. We purchased a few items, mostly as gifts and then it was time to bid farewell to Asia (allahasmaldiq) and hello to Europe and the mother of all cities, ISTANBUL! We took the ferry across the sea of Marmara and arrived in Istanbul around 6pm. It was a bit sad as we also had to say goodbye to our guide Kemal and we really enjoyed our time with him. However, the excitement of being in Istanbul overwhelmed all other considerations. We checked in to the lovely Amira hotel and relaxed a bit before dinner at an upscale restaurant (Matbah) that serves dishes based on old Ottoman palace recipes. We both had the leg of lamb and it was delicious. Unfortunately, Lisa had to get on a call with Yamana's BOD at 9pm (Turkey time) so we had to hustle back after dinner; we did a quick hustle through the courtyard of the magnificent Blue Mosque and then Lisa settled in to a solid 24 hours of work (with nap breaks) as Yamana was announcing a significant acquisition in the morning. Work to Live or Live to Work? What a question.

Turkey Day 8

Day eight started with a tour of ancient Pergamon which is but a stone's throw from the modern town of Bergama. Although we have just about had our fill of ruins, the tour today was well worth it. First we visited the old acropolis of the city which was accessed by a cable car; the wind was fierce and our cable car swung back and forth on the way up; Lisa was a bit nervous but Christos relaxed and put himself in Allah's hands. The views from the acropolis were stunning! While Ephesus was more impressive overall, the setting made the ruins at Pergamon well worth the visit and the ruins were pretty interesting to boot. After the acropolis, we descended back to the low ground and toured the old Asclepion, an ancient hospital. Christos bought some pine nuts from a vendor who was harvesting them on-site and they served as an excellent snack for the next couple of days. We both drank from a spring with reputed healing powers and then it was off for the drive to Bursa, the terminus of the ancient Silk Road!

Turkey Day 7

Day seven started a little rough in Kusadsi as we were awoken at 4:30am when the night porter mistakenly entered our room and we had trouble getting back to sleep after; Dang! We put on our best faces but it was clear after a little touring that we were not in top form. Fortunately at the end of the day we did mange to grab a little nap on the drive to Bergama. Prior to arriving in Bergama, we visited the tomb of St. John and the (almost non-existent) ruins of the Temple of Artemisia nearby. All that remains of the Temple of Artemesia are one and a quarter columns, the rest having been pillaged over the years. It was sad to think it had once been one of the Ancient Seven Wonders! At least the local storks were making good use of it! After touring the ruins, we visited a local village whose inhabitants claim descent from the original inhabitants of Ephesus. Today it survives on tourism. We found a little jewelry shop run by one "Demetrios" who had prepared quite a bit of jewelry for the movie "Troy" (and proudly displayed a signed picture of Brad Pitt behind the counter). While browsing through the gaudy Turkish jewelry, we came across an odd gemstone. The owner told us it was "Sultan's Eye" and it turns out it is a very rare stone mined only in Turkey! The coolest thing about it is that it changes colour depending upon what light it is in! It can be rose, yellow or green; all depending on the light source (candle, artificial or sunlight). Now it proudly adorns Lisa's neck! After our little purchase it was off to Izmir (which was once called Smyrna) where Christos' grandfather left Turkey from almost 90 years ago. On the way we had a quick stop for peaches. Oh my were they sweet and tasty! We stopped for lunch in Izmir but that was about it as our destination was Bergama and we had a schedule to keep! We arrived in Bergama around 6pm and spent the night at a lovely hotel ("Hotel Hera") which is an old ruined Greek house that has been completely redone by the couple that owns it. They have done an amazing job! During the renovations, several old artifacts were unearthed including the marble slab with Arabic writing that Lisa is posing beside. Dinner in Bergama was at a small local restaurant (unlicensed) and was just divine. After dinner we each had a glass of Raki with the owners and retired to a very restful sleep (the best we have had so far).

Turkey - Day 6

Day six actually starts with the night of day five. After dinner at our hotel in Pamukkale, (with an amazing sunset) we had a short walk about town before settling into our room for some reading and relaxing. We drifted off to sleep some time around 11pm but were roused from our slumber by a thunderous storm! Lightning crashed around Pammukale and even knocked the power out for about ten minutes. We sat on the deck in darkness watching the lightning and rain come down until power was restored and then back to bed. The next morning we got going around 9am and arrived at the “Carpeterium” outside Ephesus shortly after 11am. Unlike most carpet shops, the Carpeterium is a place of both the manufacture and sale of carpets. It is a state funded enterprise to keep the tradition of carpet making alive and our guide (not Kemal but the Carpeterium guide) walked us through the process of making the carpets and explained all the different aspects to us (including the extraction of silk which was quite fascinating). Of course, we could not resist the fine wares available and ended up purchasing a few carpets. Lets just say our initial budget was a pipe dream, particularly once Lisa discovered the silk Hereke carpets! After our purchases we had a lovely lunch in the courtyard of the Carpeterium before heading to the House of the Virgin Mary (supposedly where she lived her later life and eventually ascended to Heaven from) and then we toured the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus is a stunning set of ruins with its marble streets, the Library of Celsius and the remains of so many ancient beautiful buildings, all rich with inscriptions in ancient Greek and Latin. Our tour wrapped up around 5pm and then we drove to Kusadsi where we are spending the night in a lovely boutique hotel on the waterfront. Dinner was fresh fish (sea bass) and the usual vegetarian sides (seriously, vegetarians will find Turkey a boon); we actually bought the fish at the adjacent fish market and then the restaurant cooked it for ten Turkish Lisa ($6). After dinner we had a wander through the streets of Kusadsi and ended up having our fortune told by a pair of rabbits owned by a gypsy! Lisa’s indicated that she was clear of heart and that things would come easily for her. Christos’ fortune was a bit darker and indicated that obstacles would ultimately be overcome but the tasks would not be easy. Now we are back at our hotel on the deck drinking Turkish white wine (passable), listening to Christos’ “Turkish Delight” mix and enjoying the lovely evening air.

Turkey - Day Five

Today started with a long drive from Antalya to Pamukkale with a stop in Denizli on the way for lunch. Lunch was amazing; a plate of lamb on bread with tomatoes, onions and hot peppers. The meal was eaten with our hands and involved combining all three as though it were a sandwich. Christos calls it the "ancestor of souvlaki". The restaurant we ate at was a hole in the wall that had been run by the same family for three generations (or more?); we were thankful to have Kemal as we could never have found it ourselves. After lunch we continued the drive to Pamukkale with a stop on the way at an onyx factory where we bought some lovely candle holders for the third floor; we hope to buy some rugs for the third floor tomorrow near Ephesus as we work on converting it into our middle eastern den.
Pamukkale was simply amazing. Over millions of years a natural spring has deposited calcium in a series of terraced pools and one can walk and bathe in them! We lounged for a good half an hour in the pools and would have stayed longer but all good things must come to an end. One final note, today it was HOT! At one point it was 40 degrees celsius! So the joy of relaxing in the pools was enhanced; not only do they have healing powers but they certainly have cooling powers! An addendum ... We decided to try out the hotel's spa after writing the initial post above. Lisa had a full rub down on a heated marble slab (the hamam) while Christos went for a sauna and jacuzzi. It was wonderful and it seems Lisa may be convinced to try a hamam in Istanbul.

Turkey Day Four

Today we visited the ruined cities of Perga and Aspendos as well as taking a walking tour of the old town of Antalya, where we are staying. The stadium of Perga has been overrun with tortoises! We saw four in all and it was a bit funny to watch them "hustle" away from us, as turtles are not exactly the swiftest of foot (claw?). The highlight of Aspendos was the theatre but we also enjoyed a tour of the acropolis as it was ignored by most of the tourists owing to the trek up a hill in the (36 degree) heat. After the tour of ruins, we had a wonderful lunch of fresh trout by riverside and then it was off to the archeological museum in Antalya which had quite a few nice pieces including the sarcophagus side pictured herein. We finished at the museum around 5pm and took an hour walking tour of the old city before dinner with Kemal at a local kebab place where we feasted on all sorts of different Turkish kebabs. Now we are watching the Eurocup Poland vs Russia game in our hotel room but will soon be off to bed (the heat takes it out of you!) before our trip to Pamukkale tomorrow and its famed thermal springs.

Turkey - Day Three

Had a nice breakfast overlooking the Aegean sea and then of to Antalya with a few stops on the way. Our first stop was an abandoned Greek village. The place had once housed around 5000 people but after the Turkish-Greek war and Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 the entire Greek population left Turkey with whatever they could carry on their backs to go to Greece or the wider world. Quite sad and made Christos very emotional. We wandered amongst the ruins and met a local Turkish hippy who was making jewelry from olive pits. After he found out Christos' grandfather had been one of the Greeks who had left Asia Minor around 1923, he gave us both gifts; small pieces of pottery from dishes that had been abandoned almost 90 years ago! He also gave us a CD of local music with both Turkish and Greek influences. We then drove to a beautiful gorge carved through the mountains where we stopped to dip our toes in the cool natural spring water bursting from underground! Scenic place but a bit busy for our tastes. Then it was a long drive through the ancient country of Lycia on the way to Antalya. Saw quite a few ruins from the 6th to 7th centuries BC including the Xanthian Obelisk (pictured) that had Greek one one side and two Lycian languages on the other sides as a grave marker for a famous wrestler. It is of significant historical importance as it served as a translating device similar to the Rosetta Stone! We then continued the drive to Antalya with a short stop for some excellent fresh crab by the seaside, finally arriving around 7:30pm. While enjoying the crab feast we noticed that we had a guest in our booth (or perhaps we were guests in its booth); a mantis! Now its off to dinner before a good night's sleep.

Day 2 - Daylan and Fethiye

Before one talks about the day, one must discuss the prior evening. We had a wonderful dinner of swordfish with an Aegean sun setting in the background; all good, and then the siren's call of Bodrum's nightlife filled our ears. What started as a short walk along the waterfront ended up being more than two hours of people watching fun and beer. In itself not a bad thing but it resulted in us returning to our hotel around 1:30am ... and our next day started at 8:30am ... so we were groggy. Fortunately, we managed to grab some sleep in the car and by the time we arrived at Daylan we were much refreshed. Daylan was simply amazing! We lunched on the riverbank looking at ancient tombs carved in the cliff face and were blessed with not one but two huge turtle sightings! After lunch we explored the ancient ruined city nearby before heading to the mud baths for a spa type treatment (at a cost of $3 each). The "spa" involved immersing ourselves in sulphurous spring water and then covering ourselves head to toe in mud! While we may have looked like some sort of cannibals from the jungle, we didn't care as it really did wonders for the way our bodies felt! After our day at Daylan it was off to Fethiye for a yummy dinner of local Turkish food (think Greek with minor changes) and then a well deserved rest at a nice hotel. If this is only day two, what will the rest of the trip bring?! One other oddity, while we were on the river boat there was an earthquake that we didn't even notice (being on water) but later at Fethiye we felt an aftershock as we relaxed in bed. A little freaky but no damage done.

Turkey Day 1 -- Didyma

The start of our Turkey travels was a late arrival in Istanbul which, much to our dismay, caused us to miss our original flight to Bodrum. We managed to get on a a later flight and of course it ended up being delayed! We eventually landed in Bodrum around 11pm (we had originally been scheduled to arrive around 7pm) and even though it was Friday night and Bodrum is a party town, our first evening was a light meal and then off to bed as the flights had worn us both out. Saturday morning started with a yummy breakfast including fresh OJ, fresh eggs and all sorts of odd Turkish offerings. We then met our guide/driver Kemal and it was off to the Temple of Apollo at Didyma with a couple stops (Milas, Lake Bafa) on the way. The ruins at Didyma are really cool; a massive pagan temple with columns as thick as Christos is tall! After the tour we had a light lunch and then a drive by of the ruins of Miletus (our guide informed us that if we exited the car we would have to pay and there is not too much to see). We then drove back to Bodrum, all the while chatting with Kemal about history, religion, culture, food, where to buy carpets (not in Istanbul) and other tidbits of Turkish information. We are off to dinner at a fish place in a couple hours and hope that our maritime proximity means fresh and yummy seafood.