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| Kusadasi Evening |
Istanbul
Our first and last homes away from home for this Cosmos tour of Turkey would be the big, busy, burgeoning, boisterous city of Istanbul. The Grand Halic Hotel is part of the Halic Hotels chain, and like so many other places we've stayed during Cosmos tours, it seems clean, but old and dated and definitely short of what we're
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| Istanbul! |
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| No Longer in Kansas |
We're staying on the European side. Istanbul actually spans two continents, and many of the historical sites, such as Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, are far away, but also on the European side. But for this time through, we would only have time to take a long walk here from the hotel. We'll see
those other sites later on.
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| Istiklal Avenue |
The very busy pedestrian shopping street of Istiklal Caddesi was not too hard to find, although Lady Adventurer was in a near panic of becoming lost or not making it back in time for the meet and greet cocktail party back at the hotel. Great for people watching, this long shopping street ended at the historical Taksim Square. Becoming more adventurous in our old age, we actually sampled some street food. It was not bad.
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| Istiklal Avenue |
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| Taksim Square |
We are the only North Americans at the meet and greet. But not everyone was present. Will this trend continue?
Gallipoli
In 1915, exactly 100 years ago, one of the largest campaigns of World War I, and one of the most momentous in human history, took place in the Gallipoli peninsula of Turkey. British, French, Indian, Australian and New Zealand troops landed to try to obtain control of Istanbul and the area waterways, but they were met by Turkish forces led by Mustafa Kemal, afterwards known as Ataturk. The Turks unexpectedly won the 9-month battle, repelling the Allies, but over 500,000 men on both sides lost their lives in the bloody fighting. After the Great War, Ataturk led the war to win independence from Greece, He later became president and introduced major reforms to remove the last of the Ottomans, introduce a secular democracy, and form modern Turkey.
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| On the beach at Gallipoli |
It gives me goosebumps to experience, almost relive a place where great historical events have transpired. Izzet, our guide placed Gallipoli in the context of the more extended history in the region, linking it to other battles from the Peloponnesian War, conquests of Alexander the Great, and of course the Trojan War. This, of course, adds to the goosebumps. The Australians who were with us were clearly moved by the experience. So many of their countrymen are buried here that Gallipoli is a kind of pilgrimage for them.
From Istanbul, we traveled along the Sea of Marmara on the European side, to get to Gallipoli. After stopping at several points - the scale of the battle was huge - we cross the Dardenelles (straits) by ferry and arrive at Cannakale.
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| In the hills above the Gallipoli Peninsula |
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| Crossing the Dardenelles |
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| Sunset at Cannakale |
Troy
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| The Horse and us |
The war only ended when the Greeks pulled the old Trojan Horse trick to prove forever that one should never trust Greeks bearing gifts. It was a war that was committed to writing five-hundred years later by Homer, and it became one of mankind's earliest and most epic stories of any kind.
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| Beware of Ohioans bearing gifts |
Today, Troy is a very confusing archaeological site. The confusion is due to the fact that there were actually nine cities of Troy, each built upon and around the others. The Troy of Iliad fame was number seven; the previous six were all much older. The later ones saw the conquest of Alexander the Great and lasted until Roman times. Lady Adventurer and I had no idea how one can determine one stack of rocks from another, so it's good that some people have. Some walls still stand, and there is one road leading through a gate that was once thought to be the path of the Trojan Horse, until it was later determined that that road is from Troy VI and not Troy VII.
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| Walking between Troy VI and Troy VIII |
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| Road that once led through the Gate of Troy. Legend (but not reality) has it that the Horse was pulled through said Gate |
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| Nice vistas from the ruins of Troy |
It's all pretty amazing and overwhelming. More so because the area is still undergoing further excavation. Who knows where it will all end?
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| On top of Troy IX, looking down at the others |
Along the way after Troy, we make a brief stop in the city of Izmur, formerly Smyrna, birthplace of Homer and a now a large, modern city. Then we head over to nearby Kusadasi for a two-night stay.
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| Izmur |
Our tour guide, Izzet Conk, is also acting as the local expert at all of our sightseeing stops. He's soft spoken, but very interesting and knowledgeable.
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| Sunset from our hotel in Kusadasi, near Ephesus |
Ephesus
The largest and best preserved Roman city isn't in Rome, or even Italy; it's in Turkey, and it's called Ephesus. The size and scale of this once 500,000 resident city is fascinating. Not yet fully excavated, what is there makes up a complete city. There are excellent roads, public toilets, a brothel, an odeon (indoor theater), a large outdoor theater, a huge agora (shopping area) and of course the famous library.
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| Ephesus, with the Library in the background |
After our tour of this great city that lasted 1,000 years, we go to the chapel that was believed to be the place the Virgin Mary spent her last years, and then visit ruins of the Temple of Artemis. This is one of the wonders of the ancient world, and although there isn't a whole lot left standing, it was once pretty awesome. But so is everything else, even now.
Whilst staying in nearby Kusadasi, I go for a couple easy seaside runs. One of them is with Ian, a Kiwi who runs races all around the world.
Aphrodisias
Dedicated to the god, Aphrodite (and not necessarily aphrodisiacs), this archaeological site actually rivals Ephasus in size, scope, historical importance and level of preservation. It's just far enough away from the beaten path to keep most tourists clear of it. We are able to observe many of the same kinds of antiquity that we did in Ephasus. That is, more piles of rocks. Not that I'm complaining. I love this stuff. There's a museum here with gobs of statues and friezes that's really neat as well. The only thing is that I'm a bit disappointed in the statue of Aphrodite herself. It's not quite like the famous Venus one; here, she's got clothes on.
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| Temple of Aphrodite |
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| Aphrodite with Clothes |
Hieropolis
More rocks, but this time with a twist: besides the important archaeological site (yes, another one), this one is also an interesting geological location as well. There are hot springs in the area, forming calcified layers and even cliffs that are pure white. It looks like snow.
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| Babushkas soaking their feet in the water at Hieropolis |
It seems the Romans came here for the same reason people do today: for the hot mineral spring water.And now the Roman baths have become Turkish baths.
Lady Adventurer and I make the long walk along the top of the calcified cliff to the opposite end of the site, which is the location of the necropolis. Along the way we see the hot springs on one side, and the Roman ruins on the other. We have to hurry to get back to the bus on time.
The views from the top of these calcified limestone cliffs are outstanding, in spite of the air pollution. There's a fairly thick haze just about everywhere, and the air smells of smoke, especially coal smoke. It's all unfortunate, especially since there does seem to be an effort to use renewable fuel: there are wind turbines everywhere, and nearly every home has a solar hot water apparatus on the roof.
Later on, I am able to swim in a thermal swimming pool located in the basement of our Thermal Center Spa hotel. It's as big as any indoor pool, but the spring is fed into it from one end (the very hot side), and the water is a dark reddish brown.
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| Hieropolis the following morning |
We're seeing more uniformity amongst the hotels than we're used to from Cosmos trips. All the plumbing seems about the same (barely adequate), the rooms are clean but small, and the food is basic (and not as good as one would hope, especially the lack of fresh fruit in the morning). Moreover, they all have wifi that just barely works, and the beds are hard, but okay. To sum up: we're doing okay, but things could also be a little more luxurious. And although we can get coffee with breakfast, would it kill them to allow us to have it in our rooms or earlier in some way?
Konya
No, it's not Konya West; we traveled east to get here. Konya is a religious city, and it's home to the Whirling Dervishes. And to put a point on that, we visit the Whirling Dervish Museum. During the early evening walk home, and even back inside the hotel, the air pollution becomes unbearable. It's as if we're right next to a smoker, or else a coal-burning power plant.
We are getting to know some of our traveling companions even better. Some Aussies wound up with a honeymoon suite here, and invited us to have drinks with them as well as to see the round bed, jaccuzzi, etc... We have a bunch of laughs.
Cappadocia
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| Cappadicia |
Now this place is truly different. Fairy chimneys, mushroom caps, phallic rocks, alien landscapes, and that's just for starters. All in all, 'otherworldly' is the best way to describe this large area in central Turkey. We spend two days here, and need at least that much time to see a decent amount of it. We experience the various different geographical parts of this strange place, and see early Christian villages and churches, some of them entirely inside the man made caves built into the rock cliffs. We also get to see some Turkish folklore dancing, including a voluptuous (aren't they all?) belly dancer.
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| Fairy Chimneys |
Incidentally, some of the cave villages involve tight squeezes through the passageways. Lady Adventurer, a little apprehensive going in, does just fine. She says that she is surprising herself.
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| Cave Dweller |
And then there is the balloon ride. This is an experience to remember! Twenty of us (now all close friends) squeezed into the small basket, as the operator/pilot asks if it is our first balloon trip. As most of us say 'yes', he says, 'me too'. It is serene, quiet (when the flame wasn't blowing), scary (but only when the balloon is up between 500 and 1,000 meters), but mostly it is unbelievably and indescribably beautiful. The sunrise is beautiful, as are the dozens of other balloons in the air. The scenery is actually much more spectacular when we're lower, and it's good that we spend most of the time well under 500m. When we come down directly into the trailer, we're all disappointed that the hour went by so quickly.
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| Balloon Ride at Sunrise |
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| Just after sunrise we could really enjoy the balloon colors as well as the landscape |
Ankara
This is Turkey's busy capital of about 4.5 million people, all of whom seem to be driving in the couple blocks surrounding our (quite nice) Radisson Hotel. We visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilization. It has won some awards for its great displays of Turkey's antiquities. Lady Adventurer and I are extremely impressed. Also impressive is Antikabar (Ataturk Mausoleum), but in a totally different way. It's big and in your face. But good ole' atta-boy Turk is worth celebrating - he's the George Washington (and also Jefferson and Lincoln) of this country.
Bursa
En route from Ankara to Bursa, we stop at King Midas' tomb in Gorion. King Midas was a historical figure who ruled here around 800 BC. Whether he was truly successful in turning everything he touched to gold isn't quite so well established.
Bursa was a capital of Turkey during the Ottoman Empire. We stop by the green mosque, the covered bazaar and the silk market.
Istanbul
We're back, but the tour is not over...
Istanbul is wildly exotic and frantically alive. It's 15 million people, crowded as they are, make the place buzz with activity; there's always something going on. And I'm loving every minute of it.
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| Blue Mosque |
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| Cruising the Bosphorus |
And we take in a cruise of the Bosphorus. This body of water connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, and it passes through the thick of Istanbul. Boats of all shapes and sizes go any which way, and palaces new and ancient line the shores. It's as stunning as it gets, and this proves to be another major highlight of the trip.
The east meets west aspects of Istanbul come alive at our folklore sing and belly dancing dinner and entertainment show. Besides the countries represented by our small group (U.K, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Canada and the U.S.), there were folks from Argentina, Japan, Azerbaijan and Iran in the small nightclub. The entertainer tried to sing a song for each country! And of course Debbie and I are on stage at different times, singing along as well.
We see the famous Hagia Sophia, the ancient and huge Christian Church, turned Mosque, turned museum. And we see the more famous Topkapi Palace where, with the Harem and the lavish palace, it's good to be the Sultan.
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| Tile in Topkapi Palace |
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| Hagia Sophia |
Lady Adventurer and I venture to the top of Galata tower to see the sunset, and then have some fun with the rest of the gang, saying goodbye to all our new friends.
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| Sunset over Istanbul from Galata Tower |
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| Galata tower at night |
There is certainly much more to Turkey than we ever could have expected, even after reading tour books, doing web searches and reviewing the Cosmos tour information. Our trip to Greece has always been the standard by which we measure all of our coach tours, and this Turkey tour stacks up quite well indeed.
For our entire trip, the weather was wonderful. The food, not quite so much. I completely cracked Lady Adventurer up one night as we were heading to the typical buffet dinner and I asked, 'I wonder what type of slop it will be this time?' Nothing was all that awful, but also not always outstanding,
Turkey held their national election the day we arrived, and the results were not encouraging for those who want to keep the country secular and to maintain the separation of mosque and state. In fact, it's possible that this may be one of the final Cosmos tours, at least for a while. We're all concerned, although we had no inkling of any unrest or any personal threats for our entire trip. We can only hope for the best for this great country.
As always with these types of trips, the true highlights are meeting and interacting with the local people and especially moving through time and space with a great bunch of fellow travelers of varied backgrounds.
The Turkish people could be frustratingly inefficient at times. Traffic laws, especially right-of-way ones, are a mere suggestion. And Debbie and I were extremely frustrated when our return flights were delayed, causing a missed connection - almost no one at the airport was able to help, or even comprehend the problem. In spite of all this I must say that everyone we met was outgoing and friendly, helpful and gracious. We never felt threatened in any way. Izzet was the best of the best. What a great tour director he was.
I've already noted how our travelling companions were from all over the world; about as diverse as a group can get. And we all got along swimmingly well. I think that to a person, we all thoroughly enjoyed one another's company, and will now consider ourselves all lifelong friends.
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| Our Gang |
On the whole, this trip is better than we imagined, maybe better than we could have imagined.
Here's a link to my running blog post about my running in Turkey.
2 comments:
Wow! What an adventure!
That it was!
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