Thursday, October 20, 2011

Our final day in Turkey was a relaxed one and provided a chance to wind down a bit after three weeks on the go.  We began with an effort to visit the mosque sometimes referred to as the “Little Hagia Sofia”, but though we arrived at the reportedly difficult-to-find site about 9:30 without a hitch, the mosque was closed, supposedly to open at 10:00.  We peeked in the windows, explored the nearby area and then, with several others, were waiting for the doors to swing open, an event that several sources then predicted might happen at a variety of times in the near, or not-so-near future.  We decided to move on to other pressing activities, like shopping.  

In one shop, we struck up a conversation with a young man who, when not serving customers, busily works at a loom weaving lovely cloth.  He is from Afghanistan and had interesting and terrifying stories to tell about life in that ever-beleaguered country.  We were touched by his personal history and left him with wishes for peace in his country – but without buying a carpet!!  It was an unexpected and memorable special moment for us.

As we headed to the waterfront, we made a stop at Sirkeci train station, the terminus for the Orient Express.  There’s a small museum there and the station is undergoing a large restoration effort; we’ll have to wait until our return to Istanbul to see the results!

We crossed the Galata Bridge to have a look at the fish market on the north side of the Golden Horn.  We stopped to sample the offerings and had balkik ekmek, fish sandwiches, for lunch.

Crossing back to the south side of the Golden Horn, we arrived at the New Mosque shortly before the Call to Prayer sounded.  We decided to remain in the beautifully-tiled mosque through the prayer service.  Male worshippers streamed through the doors and took their places on the carpet facing the mihrab, the niche facing Mecca.  Women overflowed the screened galleries at the rear of the mosque and took up places behind us.  The Imam led the service, with sung contributions from muezzin, the men who chant the call to prayer from the minarets. The numbers of participants in the service, as well as the fact that this occurs five times each day on seemingly every block in the city (and, of course, throughout the world) were amazing to us.  During our time in Istanbul, we’ve likened the number of mosques here to the number of churches in Rome, and we have sometimes joked about the “dueling calls to prayer” from closely-spaced mosques, but the level of devotion begs to be taken seriously.

One “main thoroughfare” we had not yet traveled was the Bosphorus Strait, so this afternoon we boarded a ship for a two-hour cruise north on the Asian side of the strait and south along the European shore.  The mild and sunny day was perfect and we enjoyed sitting on the open-air top deck and spotting the sights described in our guidebook as we glided past them.  It was a grand finale for our three-week Turkish vacation; now our suitcases are packed for tomorrow’s flights to New York and Phoenix and ready for the happiest ending of every trip – our safe arrival home.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Bursa to Istanbul

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

We headed back to Istanbul today, traveling along the Sea of Marmara from Bursa to Sabiha Gochen Airport, where we returned our car.  We were relieved to find that the bottom line on the broken tail light cover and smashed window was not too painful. 

We took a shuttle into town and a tram to our hotel; it felt a bit like coming home.  We were greeted warmly on our return to our first digs in Turkey, and welcomed with pomegranate juice and the ubiquitous sweet treat, Turkish Delight.  While we enjoyed our snack in the lobby, the hotel phone rang and there was a call for us from our dear friend Diane Smith – talk about timing!  Diane is on the first leg of a vacation in Turkey and will be leaving Istanbul tomorrow morning, and we’d been hoping since before we left Arizona that we’d be able to get together.  Over the course of the last day, we’d been trying to contact each other via uncertain Internet connections, Turkish hotel telephone operators and less-than-perfect Turkish cell phone reception, all to no avail.  We quickly arranged a rendezvous for late this afternoon.

We set out to visit a couple of sites nearby, one that we’d missed during our initial time here and the other a return to an irresistible favorite.  The “something new” was the mausoleum complex of the Hagia Sophia, a series of five beautiful buildings, each of which is the final resting place of a sultan or two, along with assorted wives and children.  

 

Each mausoleum is beautifully decorated, some with tiled walls, others with decorative painting and the quiet of their shared courtyard contrasts with the crowds just outside the walls.

We just had to return to the Blue Mosque, to gaze at the profusion of tiles and experience the ethereal feeling of that special place once more.  Sigh…

With a quick switch of gears and ambiance, we made a quick circuit of the Grand Bazaar again en route to the hilltop Suleyman Mosque, where Diane and her traveling companion, Trudy, were waiting for us.  

 

What a feeling it was to be together in a truly amazing, serene space so far from home; we just kept pinching ourselves!  After leaving the mosque, we made our way through narrow alleys filled with all manner of merchandise (much of it made in China!), stopped to see the gem-like Rustem Pasa Mosque and then at Hamdi Restaurant near the Spice Market.  

 

We enjoyed lahmacun (a thin-crust Turkish pizza) and a chance to compare experiences and share Turkish travel tips. The conversation continued as we strolled across the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge, passing fish restaurants and fishermen alike, and taking in the view of the beautifully-lit Suleyman Mosque.  We bid Diane and Trudy farewell at the funicular station and returned back across the bridge to Sultanahmet and our hotel.

A day to remember!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

 

Kusadasi to Bursa

The sun was shining brightly, the Aegean was blue, and this morning’s contingent of cruise ships was at the dock as we left Kusadasi this morning.  As we were putting our luggage in the trunk, we discovered that the small stationary window on the rear passenger side had been smashed.  Evidently, someone had tried to break in (through a tiny triangular window?!?), but the glass didn’t actually break. Should make for an interesting conversation when we return the car tomorrow…

We travelled northeast today, and the sunny skies of the coast gradually darkened and we had rain en route to Bursa, our destination this afternoon. Once again, we were struck by the “thematic” roadside produce stands. 

Today, it was squash of many varieties and in great profusion – one vendor’s overflowing stand after another, for miles.  As we neared Bursa, the squash shared pride of place with candied chestnuts, a regional specialty.  The array and abundance of agricultural products we’ve encountered during our time on the road have been amazing.  On one supermarket foray, we stood staring at cauliflower the size of basketballs and heads of cabbage like beach balls.

 Bursa is a large city, with a long history as a business and financial center; it’s said to be the home of the world’s first stock exchange and the origin of the term bourse. There is little here to draw tourists, so as we explored the downtown area this afternoon, we had a sense that we were seeing another side of Turkey.   

 

We visited a mosque and a maze of covered markets and no one tried to sell us a thing! 

Several markets seemed to run into each other and into old hans, like the two-story caravanserai we saw in Anatolia. 

We wandered around the Koza Han, whose center courtyard held a small mosque surrounded by shade trees and outdoor cafes.  The second story was comprised of a succession of shops featuring all manner of items fashioned from Bursa silk.  The scarves, pillows, ties, and clothing were just exquisite and wonderful examples of the silk this area is noted for.  We’ve read that there is a thriving cottage industry in raising silkworms, with about 14,000 people buying silkworms each April, feeding them mulberry leaves at home, and then returning to the Koza Han to sell the silk after the worms have spun their cocoons.

Though the rain had stopped by the time we were out walking, it was windy and chilly, with the temperature only reaching the mid-40’s this afternoon.  All that Turkish tea drinking is starting to make sense!

Tonight’s dinner was the local specialty – Iskender kebap – delicious!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Ephesus

Our gamble on the weather paid off and our visit to Ephesus was not marred by a single drop of rain.  It was chilly, with a high in the 50’s, which is about twenty degrees cooler than it usually is this time of year and probably not a bad thing as we made the uphill climb through the spread-out ancient city.

Ephesus, with a population of 250,000, was the capital of the Roman Empire in Asia, with antecedents in a Hellenistic city.  The massive theater, wide marble streets, remains of dramatic entrance gates, agoras, legislative chamber, baths, and fountains are all impressive, but they are outshone by the Library of Celsus. 

This two-story, highly decorated façade is the trademark structure of this remarkable city; the crowds of tourists photographing it from every angle or simply gazing up at it attest to its status. 

The other standout experience for us was a visit to the Terraced Houses, where the lifestyle of the rich and famous of Ephesus is on glorious display. 

These houses were built, one above another, climbing a hillside near the library.  They are now under a roof to protect them from the elements and visitors pass through them on glass walkways and staircases, climbing the hill to view successive residences. The work of archeologists and restoration workers is ongoing and the worktables where the work of re-assembling thousands of pieces of fragmented marble slabs that will eventually be returned to walls and floors are a testament to their massive undertaking.  Think million-piece jigsaw puzzles thrown together without any pictures and you’ve got some idea of the task.  The end result of their work can be seen on the homes’ intricately patterned marble-clad walls and floors, which use different varieties and colors of stone to stunning effect.  Intricate mosaics were also used extensively to cover many floors, and they ranged from geometric patterns to representational scenes.  Walls were beautifully frescoed and their restoration is a gorgeous display of brilliant color and intricate design.  The terraced houses weren’t just beautiful, they had hot and cold running water too; we suspect that ordinary Ephesians had good reason for “house envy!”

Ephesus is among the best-preserved classical cities in the world, and easily makes our favorites list.

Less than two miles from Ephesus is the site of the Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  There is very little of this massive structure left, some building stones and column segments on the ground, and most of one column remaining – with a stork’s nest on top!  Especially when compared with the visible remains/reconstruction at the Temple of Athena at Pirene and the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, appreciating it was a challenge for us.  It was even difficult to locate in the town of Selcuk and, when we were there, the visitors were outnumbered by the postcard hawkers.

We drove through the pretty village of Sirence, whose congestion testifies to the fact that its quaintness has been discovered; we escaped quickly and spent the last part of the afternoon walking out to the castle on Pigeon Island in the bay at Kusadasi.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

If you’re not into the ruins of ancient cities, you might want to consider waiting until Tuesday’s post, as today and tomorrow’s entries will both be focused on going back in time.  Before and after breakfast, we spent some time looking at weather forecasts online, as it was cloudy and there was surely rain headed our way.  We were trying to decide whether today or tomorrow would be the better for our trip to Ephesus, but looking at five different weather forecast sites just became increasingly confusing.  As we watched one massive cruise ship after another approach the docks across the street and disgorge their passengers onto scores of buses for their day trip to Ephesus, we decided to wait in the hope that there might one less mega ship in port tomorrow.

So, we set off one a circuit through three ancient cities along the Aegean coast south of our base in Kusadasi.  First up was Pirene, a hilltop city, with Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine ruins.  Most notable was the Temple of Athena, five of whose soaring columns have been re-erected.  The segments of the others, along with their capitals and bases, lay nearby, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle just waiting to be put back together.

Then, it was on to Miletus, where the most impressive structure is the 15,000-seat theater built by the Greeks, rebuilt by the Romans, and later topped with a Byzantine castle.  The castle ramparts afforded a great view over the old city plan and the remaining structures.

We did have some light rain off and on during our visit to Didyma this afternoon, but that did little to dilute our awe at seeing what remains of the Temple of Apollo.  The scale of this structure, which once had 127 columns, was jaw-dropping.  Though only three columns have been reconstructed, their soaring height and enormous mass, along with the massive and beautifully carved bases of other pillars, leave no doubt as to the importance of this place.  Once again, the grounds are full of sections of fallen columns, bases and capitals.  The temple also encompasses an enormous inner room where the oracle handed down prophesies after drinking from a sacred spring.  Didyma was a WOW!

By the time we returned to Kusadasi, the cruise ships were pulling out of port; we’ll see how many arrive tomorrow morning AND whether or not they’ll be greeted by rain!

A few more random notes:

•  As we travelled through a region full of cotton fields today, we saw farmers picking their crop – by hand! 
•  So many times, as we’ve driven or walked through towns, villages, and cities, we’ve noticed groups of men – only men – sitting around talking, playing cards or other games, smoking and drinking Turkish tea at all hours of day or night. I’ll refrain from speculating about what the women are doing, but one does wonder who’s getting the job done!

•  We continue to see more sleeping dogs in Turkey than you could imagine. Must be something in the water.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

After yet another great Turkish breakfast (How will we wean ourselves off olives?!?), served  on the patio of our gorgeous hotel, we headed off for the ancient city of Aphrodisias.  A Turkish-born professor at NYU spent thirty years supervising and securing funding for the excavations of the site and the results are remarkable, indeed. Though there were prehistoric inhabitants 5,000 years ago, the evidence of their lives remain buried under mounds near the remarkable structures left by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and mediaeval inhabitants.  An enormous 30,000-seat arena, 

beautiful marble city council chamber that was constructed by a mini-theater, Roman bath complex, two agoras, 7,000-seat amphitheater, and remarkable Sebastion (pantheon to Roman emperors and mythological gods and goddesses) made it easy for us to imagine life in this city.  The fabulous gateway arch and Temple of Aphrodite were standouts.  Just trying to envision how the temple was converted to a Christian church in the early sixth century (requiring rearranging and moving the pillars!), was mind-boggling.  With the excellent museum containing first-class displays of some of the finds from the site, Aphrodisias  is an easy addition to our favorite ancient cities list.

 

 

Our destination tonight was the Aegean coast at Kusadasi, and our room faces the harbor in the very lively downtown area. This city is the port used by cruise ships with tourists headed to Ephesus.  The city sprawls, with high rise apartments and houses covering every bit of land on the approaches to the old town.  On the outskirts, there were scores of unfinished apartment towers – a testament, I suppose, to the economic downturn that has affected European holiday visitors, with whom this area is very popular.  We walked along the waterfront after our arrival, and then relaxed on our seafront balcony before going out to dinner in the old town.  We enjoyed pide (Turkish pizza) in a popular family-run restaurant, where most of the diners seemed to be local and know each other.  A walk around town after dinner, which seems to be one endless bazaar/bar, gave us the impression that this is a town that never sleeps.

With less than a week left on our trip, it feels like time for a few random observations

• All over the country, homes, hotels, commercial buildings, and high-rise apartments are all topped by hot water tanks attached to solar panels.  So, how come it works here and we’re not doing it on any great scale in the Great American Southwest??
• The country is served by an extensive network of buses and dolmuses (vans) that connect towns, small and large.  Each town has an otogar, or bus station, and it’s not uncommon to see people waiting by the roadside in the middle of nowhere for their transport into and between towns.
•  On toll roads, if you don’t have the local equivalent of an electronic Easy Pass, it’s possible to use a smart card, which can be purchased at banks and gas stations and pre-loaded with funds.  Just tap the card at the freeway entry and exit and the appropriate toll is deducted. There are no tool booths that take cash and to get on the road you have to prove you have an Easy Pass or Smart Card.
• Turkish roads are, for the most part, very good; Turkish drivers – not so much.  Posted speed limits, STOP (DUR) signs, and red lights are purely ornamental; they seem to have no effect on drivers’ behavior, whatsoever! Well they usually stop for red lights but not always and never for stop signs. In addition to the precipitous cutting in and out of lanes that is the norm, making left turns from right lanes and vice versa is an all-too-common practice.  The fact that Turkey has one of the world’s highest rates of traffic accidents comes as no surprise to us!

Friday, October 14, 2011

As we prepared to leave Kas this morning, Deniz, our guardian angel there, announced that he’d checked out our tires and that everything looked ready to go!  He said that his father had been a taxi driver and that the first thing he’d taught him when he was learning to drive was to check inspect everything before setting off.  We were thankful for Dad’s advice!

Today’s destination was Pamukkale, so we soon turned off the gorgeous coastal road and headed inland, passing through small villages and rural countryside.  At one point, road construction necessitated a poorly defined detour and we found ourselves lost, but hardly friendless.  When we asked a(nother) gentleman for directions, he said, “Follow me!”and hopped into his car to lead us on our way.  Unfortunately, he didn’t know about the road construction project, so we had to double back.  As we drove back he called a teacher who knew the area and spoke English very well. As we drove up to the school, she came out with her class to greet us and tell us how to get back to the correct road. 

 

The beautiful young teacher’s middle-school students were an excited and smiling group, eager to greet us in English and giggle at our fractured Turkish.  What a delightful interlude!

At Pamukkale, after fending off guidebook salesmen on motor scooters, we went to the Greek-Roman-Byzantine city of Hierapolis, on a plateau above the town.  

 The ruins are extensive and cover a wide area and, after finally making sense of the poor-excuse-for-a-sitemap, we found much to explore.  It was a very warm afternoon and there were visitors who were wearing bathing suits before or after enjoying the pool, which featured sunken pillars and building stones.  

 

The ruins of ancient cities may be a dime a dozen in this part of the world, but Pamukkale’s other big draw is certainly not.  The travertine pools that cover the hillside between Hierapolis and the town are a sight to see, to wade in, or to immerse tired bodies in.  Warm water flows down terraces, forming nature’s own turquoise-colored negative edge pools and leaving the hillside looking like a snow field.  We enjoyed wading in the bathtub-warm water and, equally, the human spectacle all around us.  There were Japanese, who didn’t think the shoes-off rule applied to them, and an enormous range of bather-to-bathing apparel ratio on view.   

 

At one end of the spectrum was the woman in Turkish peasant dress (head scarf, long-sleeved blouse, vest and baggy ankle-length skirt) completely immersed in a pool and, at the other, way too-much-Frenchman sporting way-too-little Speedo!  Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed our wade, with pants’ legs rolled up.

We were hot, tired and ready for a cold brew on our balcony by afternoon’s end.  Tonight, we had dinner at a low table seated on a divan that ran around the perimeter of the dining room of our hotel.  Great food, great atmosphere!