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).
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).
Marble lined streets! Those Greeks know how to live. I remember seeing a backgammon board etched into the pavement outside an old shopkeepers place and pictured him betting the days' profits against another merchant to pass the time on slow business days....
ReplyDeleteCan't beleive you got into the silk carpets they do feel so smooth and lovely...
The 'sultan's eye' sounds like a new magic item...usable only by m-u's it can determine the alignment of people gazed at through it...
cheers,
davy