Day 28 - Izmir to Canakkale

Today we have a big drive 350km to Canakkale. Along the way we drive to Pergamon (modern Bergama). The site is the oldest medical school in the world. Here the mainly focused on mental healing with dream therapy, water therapy and musical therapy. If you didn't look like you would live they put you outside of the city as this meant you had a bad sole. One way to get 100% success rate I suppose. This is also were you can see the first use of snakes as a symbol of medicine. They say that one man was deemed not to make it so he was banished from the city, he did not want to suffer and after seeing 2 snakes fighting he decided to commit suicide and drink the toxic snake milk to which in the end did not kill him but cured him.

After lunch we did the spectacular drive through the mountains along the coast to Troy. You could see both Greek and Turkish Islands along the way. The drive was slow in parts as it is a 9 day holiday in Turkey the roads are busy and we had a accident to pass which put us behind schedule but thank goodness everyone was ok.

Once we got to Troy we saw the ruins of the 9 cities built on top of each other and the reconstruction of the famous wooden horse. I was disappointed I did not see Achilles, Hector or Paris anywhere. I did however find this guy.

We are spending the night on the sea front in Canakkale before we head to Anzac Cove in the morning. Early start tomorrow to get the 8.00am ferry so 6.00am wakeup call.

Iyi aksamiar J&N

Day 27 - Kusadasi to Izmir (Ephesus)

After a wonderful stay in Kusadasi we first visited a leather factory. In Turkey they use lamb leather which is very soft. They first put on a fashion show were they got a couple of our group up to participate and then lead you to the show room. This place was very expensive. They pride themselves on having a very thin leather which we thought looks a lot more like vinyl. A few got sucked in to buying jackets but as we got our last night it really was a waste of time we could have spent somewhere else.

 

Finally we hit the road to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus, the largest Roman ruin in the world and one of the worlds finest archaeological sites and the reason Noel and I came to Turkey in the first place. To date only 10% of the city has been unearthed. The city extends back into the third millennium before Christ and was one of the most important centres of antiquity. It acted as a gateway between east and west and was the point of departure for the famous royal highway that led through Sardis into Lydia. We saw the Odeon, Curates Street. Trajan Fountain, basilica, Brothel, Latrines, Pyrtaneion, Domination Street, Kouretes Street, Fountain of Trajan, Temple of Hadian, the façade of the Library of Celsius and the Amphitheatre which they still use for concerts. But the most impressive and the place that truly gives you the insight into how a Roman City looked is the Terrace Houses. Only the four of us did this section as it is an extra but so worth it and should not be missed. It is a shame they don't take the tour here instead of the leather shop.

 

The terrace houses are located in the centre of the city and suggest that important figures once lived here. Excavations uncovered valuable marble, ivory and bronze objects as well as a large number of statues, furniture, decorative objects, candleholders and kitchen utensils. The houses all had running water and some individual cisterns. Every house had a heating system, bathrooms and kitchens. As you climb through the houses you can still see the beautiful mosaic floors and painted Frescoes, all original. They have been preserved so well as they were all covered in volcanic ash. The area is protected by a huge canopy.

 

After Ephesus we had lunch then headed to the House of Mary which is believed to be the last home of the Virgin Mary and is a world famous place of pilgrimage. After this we visited the Church and Tomb of Saint John which in the Byzantine period was the most impressive house of worship in Ephesus. It is said that John was expelled from Jerusalem and supposedly took the Virgin Mary under his care and came to Ephesus about five-ten years after the crucifixion of Jesus. From here you could also see the Temple of Artemis which is one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world and the Fortress on the upper slopes of Ausuluk which dates back to the Byzantine period.

We then did the 115km drive to Izmir which is the 3rd largest city in Turkey with about 3 million people and has the largest port on the Aegean. Today starts the beginning of a 9 day holiday in Turkey so the roads and the hotels are very busy. Next week unfortunately there will be a sacrifice ceremony and they say around 2 million sheep will be sacrificed. I guess we kill plenty of animals for our consumption but as it is already in the shop packaged you don't think about it. This also means it will be very busy in Istanbul when we return so shopping in the Grand Bazaar could be fun.

Tomorrow we will visit Troy, wonder if Brad, Orlando and Eric will be there. Can only hope. J&N

Day 26 - Pamukkale to Kusadasi

This morning after breakfast we headed to the temple of Aphrodite at amazing Aphrodisias after following the Meander River Valley full of twists and turns which gives us the word meander.

The site is another Roman City 5000AD and has the best preserved Roman  Stadium in the world. The stadium has had little excavation as it has always  been visible. At one stage the locals used it as a stock yard. We spent a good hour here exploring the city and museum before driving 270 km to Kusadasi. 

 

 

Aphrodisias was a artistic centre and so it has many different styles of carvings, columns  and structures as the stone mansions used this to demonstrate their skills. the mosaics at the roman bath were unfortunately covered by carpet to preserve them but they are meant to be great examples of art work for the era as well. At one of the sites we went to earlier in the week true had covered the mosaics with dirt and gravel where you walked to preserve them which is a shame, hopefully one day they can uncover them and then cover the with glass so you can see them.

One thing I must mention is the cats, both Greece and Turkey have and abundance of cats. The cats are the ones who beg here and not the dogs. They are quite forward and come up to you where ever you go. You do see dogs but they mostly seem t o keep their distance, most of the are in really good condition as well as the cats. The street dogs are tagged which means they are disease free and people feed them and look after them quite well. 

 

 Once we arrive and check-in to our seaside rooms we headed of the local bazaar. Noel and Donna both bought leather jackets after Donna's tough negotiation skills from the shop we had gone to on our cruise and promised we would be back. They loved us so much they gave us wine after our purchases while we waited for some minor adjustments to the sleeves on Donnas jacket. We must have paid too much.

 

Donna's tough negotiation skills come on handy later as I was after a Turkish lamp and one shop wanted $150aus and in the end we got one for $150try which is half the price at another shop. Now however I need another suitcase to get this breakable stuff home so after purchasing that we headed back to the hotel to enjoy the view from our balcony with a couple of gins and beers before dinner.

 

I managed to be good and have chicken yiros with salad until we hit the most amazing dessert buffet you have ever seen. I only did one side, there was another side but I decided not to look. The good thing here is they have very small portions so you can try a few and not feel so guilty.

 

It is a very mild night so we enjoyed sitting and relaxing blogging and catching up on emails in the room over looking the lights of Aegean sea. Until to tomorrow J&N 

Day 25 - Antalya to Pamukkale

We woke up to a beautiful day for our drive over the Taurus Mountains 260km to Pumukkale. On the way we stopped for lunch at the Maria Tennis Club. Lunch was outside on the lawn and was very good. We had the spicy skewers and spicy yogurt and it was one of the best meals we have had.

After lunch we went to Pumukkale which means cotton castle in Turkish which is a natural site in Denizli Provence. Denizli is famous for its roosters which are also the symbol of Denizli province. They are well known all over Turkey with their colour and body building, harmonious long and beautiful crowing. According to some rumours, Berat roosters having long crowing were brought to Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire from Albania and then brought to Denizli and crossbred with domestic local chicken and thus Denizli Rooster species were originated. Apparently some of them crow for so long they run out of air and pass out.

The city contains hot springs and travertine's, terraces of carbonate minerals left by flowing water. There are 17 hot water springs in which the temperature ranges from 35 - 100 Celsius. The place is very popular with the Russians and they are every where, bus loads of them.

The site is also the location of the Roman City of Hierapolis (sacred city) and excavations are going on to restore much if the site which once was full of hotels. The government had them removed and the site is now a national park. Unfortunately due to floral warming there is not enough water anymore so they have to rotate the water flow weekly to keep the white colour. It would have been magnificent to see it when the water covered all of it.

We spent 1.5hours at the terraces and city ruins before heading to our hotel for a swim in the hot pool, thermal pool and Turkish Bath. The water in the red thermal pool was 40 and we could only stay in it for a few minutes.

After dinner I had a sensational massage, this woman wood give the Thai ladies a run for their money. Tomorrow we head 270km to Kusadasi. Feeling relaxed J&N

Day 24 - Antayla

Today we have a free day so first it's a sleep in until 8.30, pure luxury. We all met at 10.00 and headed for the harbour for our Mediterranean cruise. The water is blue and flat and the sun is shining  brightly.

The cruise was very relaxing as we cruised along the cliff face passing a number of water falls. Donna and I basked in the sun trying to get back some of the mild tan from Greece. the sun is not as strong as at home or I would be glowing red with the amount of time i have spent in the sun. 

This area is the Turkish version of the Riviera. A number of people were swimming and the water did look inviting. We stopped after about and hour and a few people including Noel went for a swim. I noticed the waterfall was vey close and decided it would be cold. Yes it was but they all enjoyed themselves whilst us chickens watched them drinking our apple tea.

When we got back to the harbour we all went our separate ways doing a bit of shopping in the labyrinth of shops on the hill. We had lunch on a little side street on the way to Hadrian's Gate which had hundreds of umbrellas hanging above the street.

After a visit to Hadrian's Gate built in 130 AD as the first entrance to the city we stopped for the best ice-coffee in Turkey and so it should be for $8. We ran into Mark and Donna who joined us. Turkey does not do coffee well and after the frappes in Greece we were happy to finally have something decent. They do however to tea really well and I have come to love the apple tea. Turkish coffee has more to do with arranged marriages. When a potential mother-in-law visits your house if you can make a good cup of coffee the you will make a good daughter in law. If the coffee you make for her has sugar you would be happy to marry her son if no sugar then you're not interested. Most marriages in Turkey are still arranged.

 

It was then time to head to the meeting point for the bus ride back to the hotel for a nice lazy afternoon which is a real treat when you are on a bus tour.

A few gins before dinner then back to the room for a movie. We head off at 8.30 am tomorrow so until our next destination J&N

Day 23 - Konya to Antalya

This the morning we started our 340km drive to Antalya with sunny blue sky's but it was still only 4 degrees. on the way we drove through some spectacular scenery in the Taurus Mountains.

 

We stopped at the highest point we would be going at 1825 meters above sea level. We stopped for a photo and it was a sunny day with magnificent blue sky but it was only 4 degrees outside, the wind chill factor made it feel like -6.

Once we crossed over the other side of the mountains the temperature went up 20 degrees to a lovely 24. We stopped at a roadside fruit shop were our guide bought us a huge bunch of bananas. These are the first bananas I have seen in Turkey. We also had a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice.

When we arrived at the Aspendos Roman Theatre it had gone up to 29, we are now in the Mediterranean. Yah. The Roman Theatre is the best preserved in the world mainly due to it being used as a Caravanserai. While we were there a gentleman who could sing sang a bit of a song and it was great as it showed how good the acoustics are. We explored The site for a while and enjoyed being warm again.

From here we went to extensive ruins of the Hellenistic/Roman city of Perge. We saw the great theatre, the stadium, the gate towers, the shopping mall but the most impressive was the main road leading to the city on top of the hill. What a magnificent city this would have been in its hay day. The main road was lined with shops, a pedestrian path and a huge wide street with a canal running down the middle. You could see the rut marks in the stone from the chariots. We also saw the very impressive roman baths which used hot springs to warm the building and bath water. They have only excavated 10% so far so when they finish this place will be even more magnificent. 

We then headed for Antalya which is on the coast to our hotel on the sea front. The view is superb with the blue sea and spectacular Olympia Mountains. They say these are the original Olympia Mountains of Apollo and that there is natural flame burning in the mountains so I think they want to claim the Olympic flame.

We have a free day tomorrow however our guide has organised a boat trip for us who want to so we will do that before an afternoon by the pool I think. Until then J&N

BTW saw the smallest Maccas ever
 

Day 22 - Cappadocia to Konya

After a disappointing start to the day we left Cappadocia for Konya but first we had some more sight seeing to do. We were meant to go ballooning today and even though one of the other companies did go up ours decided it was too dangerous with the wind. Better to be safe than sorry but we were all very disappointed.  When the sun came up there was snow on the mountains around Cappadocia so it had been a cold night so not only would we have missed the sunrise due to the late take off but it would have also been very cold and cloudy so best to save our money for another time.

Last night we went to the night club to see the folk dancing and belly dancing. It was a very sleazy place, the folk dancers looked bored and the belly dancer was more like a booby dancer, the boys enjoyed it. I have seen better belly dancing in Australia, this girl made it into almost strip club show. Lucky the drinks were included so after a couple of the local Arak's which is 45% proof we got through the show.

We started our trip to Konya with  a couple of stops first, we went to our guides village and saw where he lived in a rock house as a boy that his cousin has now converted into a boutique hotel. We then visited a hand made Turkish carpet centre and saw the whole process. Such intricate time consuming work which was also apparent in the price.  No shopping today which made Noel and Mark happy.

We then started our 340km drive to Konya with a lunch stop at Askaray on the way. We visited the Caravanaseri of Sultanhani on the way. Our drive today actually follows the silk road.  There used to be one of these every ten miles as that was about the limit the camels could carry the heavy loads in one day. 

When we got to Konya we visited the tomb of the founder of the Whirling Dervish Rumi sect, Mevlana. This was under renovation so we only got to see the main tomb and the school buildings. The inside of the tomb is beautiful and there were many Muslims there visiting and most of them would kiss the glass display cabinet that has a mother of pearl box inside that is said to contain a beard hair from Mohammad. 

We arrived at the hotel around 4.30 so time for a rest before dinner. It will be an early night I think as I have been up since 5.30am. We start heading towards the Mediterranean tomorrow so we should get some warmer weather.  Cheers J&N