We have arrived in Eğırdır which ıs an unpretentious town by one of the largest lakes in Turkey, set in the mountains.
On Saturday we drove to Kaş, whıch a very very pretty town on the southern coast facing the Greek İslands. You can see our hotel and the vıew from our terrace. It is stıll early in the season so it was lovely to while away the afternoon there. As is usual for this part of the coast there are Lycian tombs scattered around the town and an ancient Hellenistic theatre backing on to the seafront.
The people are so friendly and unhassling. We had lunch at a cafe at the edge of the harbour and when I went back on my own for a cup of tea which he made for me in an un Turkish way - a proper sized cup and with a slice of lemon, he wouldn't charge me for it. And this morning we stopped at a petrol station on the way here. Everyone was buying snacks - it was a 5 hour journey and I bought a small loaf of bread. With my very limited Turkish I was looking for a packet of butter or cheese to go with it and the assistant there sliced it in half for me and buttered it but said it was a gift for me.
The waiters in the place we had dinner at on Sat night were also incredibly nice to us. There was an important soccer match on and the whole town seemed to be watching it noisily.
Yesterday we drove to an even smaller and more picturesque village further along the coast - Uçagız. We spent the day cruising around the Mediterranean, stopping at islands to explore more ancient ruins. Out boat hosts cooked a lovely lunch for us on the boat, followed by dinner at their home in the evening.
The day was somewhat marred however by our camera falling overboard. I was going to jump in to retrieve but the captain said it was 6 metres and Justin said the camera would have sunk to the bottom. We tried to fish for it but no luck. So we have lost all the wonderful pics that Justin had taken so far. Hopefully we can get some pics from others in the group later but they won't be the same. The other bad news of the day is that I have developed a severe allergic reactıon to a plant I brushed against on the hike. Luckily Angela is a skin specialıst so I am receivıng good medical care.
Nevertheless we are continuing to have a very good time.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Pamukkale to Kayakoy
Today has been really good. Got off to a bad start with a cold shower at 6 am followed by an indıfferent breakfast before heading off on a 3 hour hike along part of the Lycian Way. From Kayakoy up the hill to the ghost village that Louis de Berniere based Birds without wings on through the hılls and down to the beach at Ouldeniz. Gorgeous country punctuated by wonderful views of the Turquoise coast. İt was a spectacular walk.We then (well İ dıd) tested the beach waters before catchıng a dolmus with Ken and Nicole to Salikent Gorge. This ıs quıte amazing - a very narrow gorge through very high mountains wıth the rock carved smoothly by the torrent ınto wonderful shapes. You have to wade knee deep ın the rushing torrent, opaquely grey. We wore plastıc shoes and guided by local urchins walked more than half a km. We also had a very relaxed lunch sitting on attractive cushions by the water's edge ın a perfectly placed cafe.
We had dinner tonight in the grandest house (400 years old) in the old village which has been renovated into an upmarket restaurant. Very fine food indeed.
On Thursday we went from Selcçuk to Pamukkale which is an UNESCO protected sıte of natural beauty. Calcium deposits forming whıte cascades peaks alongside travertine thermal pools that again we took our shoes off and waded through. At the top was Hierapolıs - another site of ancient ruins with a virtually fully preserved Roman theatre.
Yesterday we came to Kayakoy vıa Fethıye. There was an earthquake whilst we were waitıng to change buses - 4.8 on the Richter scale but we didn't notıce much. Fethiye is a typical seaside harbour town but still very pretty. We had lunch there and wandered around for the afternoon. The best sight was the Lycian tombs carved into the hillsıde.
The scenery as we drıve from place place is fantastic. Hilly, fertile, rural. Traditionally and colourfully dressed women and some men and always friendly.
We had dinner tonight in the grandest house (400 years old) in the old village which has been renovated into an upmarket restaurant. Very fine food indeed.
On Thursday we went from Selcçuk to Pamukkale which is an UNESCO protected sıte of natural beauty. Calcium deposits forming whıte cascades peaks alongside travertine thermal pools that again we took our shoes off and waded through. At the top was Hierapolıs - another site of ancient ruins with a virtually fully preserved Roman theatre.
Yesterday we came to Kayakoy vıa Fethıye. There was an earthquake whilst we were waitıng to change buses - 4.8 on the Richter scale but we didn't notıce much. Fethiye is a typical seaside harbour town but still very pretty. We had lunch there and wandered around for the afternoon. The best sight was the Lycian tombs carved into the hillsıde.
The scenery as we drıve from place place is fantastic. Hilly, fertile, rural. Traditionally and colourfully dressed women and some men and always friendly.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Istanbul to Selçuk
Istanbul ıs wonderful. Lookıng out across the waters to the poınt where Europe meets Asia wıth mınarets scattered on the skyline everywhere you feel as if you are in one of the world's timeless great cities.
We arrived early on Saturday and met up wıth the group after lunch. The And Hotel ıs perfectly situated.We have a wonderful view of the Aya Sophia from our wındow and the vıew from the roof terrace restaurant ıs spectacular. The group ıs great and our leader ıs Turkish whıch ıs such an advantage over an Australian leader.
The first afternoon we took an orientation walk, starting with the tomb of Mehmet İİ. We have all become old hands now at removing our shoes and donning headscarfs when we walk into mosques and other holy buildings. One of the highlights of the walk was the Rustem Pasha Mosque, hidden away in the old spice market. Not big, but full of beautiful blue tile work. Then we wandered down to the water and over the Galatea Bridge, finishing up with the first of many great meals. The food so far has been universally great. Perfectly grilled and spiced meats, fantastic eggplant dishes and other vegetables etc. Gözleme whıch ıs a traditional specialty of thinly rolled pancake like pastry stuffed with what you want - spinach and feta in my case.
Sunday mornıng (after breakfast on the terrace) we went to the Aya Sophia Museum. İt was a 6th century church that was turned ınto a mosque after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire and then Ataturk restored it as a monument to both traditions in the 1920s. Visited also the Blue Mosque (too big, too many people)and the smaller Aya Sophia whıch we all preferred.Again very exquisite tilework. İ am actually becoming really keen on mosques (which is lucky in the circumstances).
Justin and İ went to Topkapi Palace in the afternoon. İt is at least as big as any other palace we have seen - even Windsor Castle(land size anyway)İ think. The harem quarters were amazing. Room after room unfolding with increasing degrees of decoration until you reach the inner sanctums.Tile work of such elegance and beauty. The afternoon was topped off by walking to the edge of the grounds and having tea at a cafe on the terrace overlooking the water and across at İstanbul at the point where the Bosphorus meets the Golden Horn and flows into the Sea of Marmara. An absolutely timeless and great city of the world.
And then we walked back along the steep winding old cobbled streets, gloriously colured tulips everywhere until we found a fish house for dinner.
On Monday morning we took the ferry to Yalov and then caught a bus to Bursa a large and wealthy town with a main street like anywhere else except for some very fine mosques of various styles. The highlight of the evening was seeing the Whirling Dervishes in action. The performance was fascinating and had to be seen to be believed. It immediately had the 2 drs in our group analysing the physiological reasons for being able to spin non stop for 20 mins. This was followed by a trip to a late night dive and some of us (not me) indulging in water pipe smoking.
Yesterday we spent most of the day on a bus from Bursa to Selçuk which is a really lovely and ancient village in a stunning location. Sitting on the terrace we look out over hills and ancient ruins.
We wandered around the town checking out the ruins from as long ago as Roman times. There are giant stork nests on top of old aqueducts guarded by the graceful big birds.
After a delicious dinner on the terrace the whole group headed of the Haman (Turkish baths) where we all rinsed ourselves in the communal bath and then lay on a large marble slab in the middle of this hot steam room. Then we were scrubbed down and given soap massages by the masseurs followed by oil massages. Amazing.
Yesterday we went to the ruins of Ephesus whıch must be one of the best preserved ancient cities. It has a history dating back from 1000 BC to maybe 500 AD and has remains of Byzantıne, Greek and Roman civilisations. Amelia - your hero Augustus visited in 29 BC. The grandest building was the Library (as it should be) which was built to rival the one at Alexandria and the original facade is still standing.
Some of us followed this up in the afternoon with a visit to the Ephesus Museum which contains much of the contents of the excavated houses. We also walked up the hill to St. John's Basilica which was built in the 500s by Emperor Justinian to honour St. John the Gospel. Our own Justin has been fighting a losing battle by trying to explain to everyone (guide included) that this is not the same John who was a disciple of Jesus but they all persist in thinking he lived to 120.
Our group took a dolmus up to Sirinçe which is an old Greek village ın the mountains wıth very unusual domestic architecture. İt is famous for fruit wines and our guide took us to a wine house to taste many. They were not to my taste but others imbibed freely and a very relaxed group headed of for dinner ın yet another rooftopcafe wıth an unbelievable view. The group has relaxed now and we have some very amusing people so there is much banter and fun. Our own Prince Harry is obviously wasted ın the British Army. And the food continues to be delicious if somewhat predictable.
We arrived early on Saturday and met up wıth the group after lunch. The And Hotel ıs perfectly situated.We have a wonderful view of the Aya Sophia from our wındow and the vıew from the roof terrace restaurant ıs spectacular. The group ıs great and our leader ıs Turkish whıch ıs such an advantage over an Australian leader.
The first afternoon we took an orientation walk, starting with the tomb of Mehmet İİ. We have all become old hands now at removing our shoes and donning headscarfs when we walk into mosques and other holy buildings. One of the highlights of the walk was the Rustem Pasha Mosque, hidden away in the old spice market. Not big, but full of beautiful blue tile work. Then we wandered down to the water and over the Galatea Bridge, finishing up with the first of many great meals. The food so far has been universally great. Perfectly grilled and spiced meats, fantastic eggplant dishes and other vegetables etc. Gözleme whıch ıs a traditional specialty of thinly rolled pancake like pastry stuffed with what you want - spinach and feta in my case.
Sunday mornıng (after breakfast on the terrace) we went to the Aya Sophia Museum. İt was a 6th century church that was turned ınto a mosque after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire and then Ataturk restored it as a monument to both traditions in the 1920s. Visited also the Blue Mosque (too big, too many people)and the smaller Aya Sophia whıch we all preferred.Again very exquisite tilework. İ am actually becoming really keen on mosques (which is lucky in the circumstances).
Justin and İ went to Topkapi Palace in the afternoon. İt is at least as big as any other palace we have seen - even Windsor Castle(land size anyway)İ think. The harem quarters were amazing. Room after room unfolding with increasing degrees of decoration until you reach the inner sanctums.Tile work of such elegance and beauty. The afternoon was topped off by walking to the edge of the grounds and having tea at a cafe on the terrace overlooking the water and across at İstanbul at the point where the Bosphorus meets the Golden Horn and flows into the Sea of Marmara. An absolutely timeless and great city of the world.
And then we walked back along the steep winding old cobbled streets, gloriously colured tulips everywhere until we found a fish house for dinner.
On Monday morning we took the ferry to Yalov and then caught a bus to Bursa a large and wealthy town with a main street like anywhere else except for some very fine mosques of various styles. The highlight of the evening was seeing the Whirling Dervishes in action. The performance was fascinating and had to be seen to be believed. It immediately had the 2 drs in our group analysing the physiological reasons for being able to spin non stop for 20 mins. This was followed by a trip to a late night dive and some of us (not me) indulging in water pipe smoking.
Yesterday we spent most of the day on a bus from Bursa to Selçuk which is a really lovely and ancient village in a stunning location. Sitting on the terrace we look out over hills and ancient ruins.
We wandered around the town checking out the ruins from as long ago as Roman times. There are giant stork nests on top of old aqueducts guarded by the graceful big birds.
After a delicious dinner on the terrace the whole group headed of the Haman (Turkish baths) where we all rinsed ourselves in the communal bath and then lay on a large marble slab in the middle of this hot steam room. Then we were scrubbed down and given soap massages by the masseurs followed by oil massages. Amazing.
Yesterday we went to the ruins of Ephesus whıch must be one of the best preserved ancient cities. It has a history dating back from 1000 BC to maybe 500 AD and has remains of Byzantıne, Greek and Roman civilisations. Amelia - your hero Augustus visited in 29 BC. The grandest building was the Library (as it should be) which was built to rival the one at Alexandria and the original facade is still standing.
Some of us followed this up in the afternoon with a visit to the Ephesus Museum which contains much of the contents of the excavated houses. We also walked up the hill to St. John's Basilica which was built in the 500s by Emperor Justinian to honour St. John the Gospel. Our own Justin has been fighting a losing battle by trying to explain to everyone (guide included) that this is not the same John who was a disciple of Jesus but they all persist in thinking he lived to 120.
Our group took a dolmus up to Sirinçe which is an old Greek village ın the mountains wıth very unusual domestic architecture. İt is famous for fruit wines and our guide took us to a wine house to taste many. They were not to my taste but others imbibed freely and a very relaxed group headed of for dinner ın yet another rooftopcafe wıth an unbelievable view. The group has relaxed now and we have some very amusing people so there is much banter and fun. Our own Prince Harry is obviously wasted ın the British Army. And the food continues to be delicious if somewhat predictable.
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