Tuesday 5th October – Goodbye Santorini, Hello Istanbul
U
p at 5.00am this morning for an early morning flight with Aegean Air to Athens. We have a six hour transfer before heading off to Istanbul where we will meet up with our good friends Tony and Julie for part two of our amazing journey.After a fifty minute flight it was a perfect touch down in Istanbul. As we disembarked we noticed that there was a huge number of flights arriving. As we approached the immigration counter we encountered a sea of people all trying to figure out what to do next. Alice stood in a queue while I went off to investigate if we were indeed in the correct line. When I returned there was Julie and Tony standing with Alice.
Apparently Alice heard a voice behind her and there was Julie. That was an incredible piece of luck, two couples from two continents meeting each other in the middle of a crowded airport. After purchasing our 90 day visa the four of us joined the long line for immigration. Once we were processed it was off to the baggage carousel to pick up our bags. We had spent so much time inside that the carousel had stopped.
I eventually located our driver who was transferring us to the Peninsula Hotel. We are staying in the Sultanahmet area and are very close to all the major sites. Our room is small but comfortable with the only downside being that there is no fridge to keep our beer and wine cool. Talking of cool the weather here is a lot colder and we will have to venture out in our winter warmies. A nice Turkish dinner at a corner restaurant finished off what was a long day for all of us
Wednesday 6th October – Orientation
Just after 6.00am we were woken from our pleasant sleep by loudspeakers calling the faithful to prayer. There is no escaping this cacophony of noise which somehow adds to the charm and excitement of being in another country.
After a rather nice leisurely breakfast on the rooftop which overlooks the Marmara Sea Tony and David set off to the Hassle Free Tourist agency. Our goal was to purchase onwards bus tickets to Eceabat where we will visit the Gallipoli Peninsula. Having accomplished this rather simple task we joined the girls for some local orientation.
In quick succession we saw the Aya Sofya, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. As we are returning to Istanbul in November we did not spend any time visiting these sites. We did however visit the Basilica Cistern.
This extraordinary cistern was built by the Roman Emperor Justinian in AD 532. It was used to store water for the great palace and surrounding buildings but eventually closed. The cistern is 65m wide and 143m long and it's roof is supported by 336 columns arranged in 12 rows. It was constructed using columns, capitals and plinths from ruined buildings. We took a brief interlude in the cavernous depths and played dress up Ottomans and had our pictures taken in full regalia. After all this grandeur we headed off in search of the Grand Bazaar. The boys decided that a cold Effe was in order and allowed Julie and Alice one hour to check out the bargains.
It took us a while to work out what direction to travel in order to get back to our hotel. A bottle of red, a few beers and some ruffle potato chips on the rooftop helped us wile away the afternoon. An early dinner in Kangaroo Alley (local nickname) which was again delicious was in order as we have a 5.30am wake up call in front of us.
Thursday 7th October – Gallipoli
Up nice and early for our five hour drive to Eceabat. The drive out of the city was very interesting, especially for me.
Bus nuts only should read the following text. We followed the Istanbul Busway for quite a few kilometres and I was amazed at the numbers of passengers waiting at busway stops and the numbers on board vehicles (Jam Packed).
The busway has been built by taking the two centre lanes of a major freeway. There are centre platforms which means that the buses must drive on the wrong side of the road (left) in order to pick up passengers. There did not seem to be an issue for the drivers. Bus types were rigid, articulated and bi-articulated. There are no passing lanes at stations but as in Greece it was all door boarding and prepaid fares which obviously speeds up boarding times and busway capacity. I could only see one route number which was number 34 the old Pinkenba route number.
Back again to reality! The trip out went through some interesting countryside with a mix between industrial, farming and seaside communities. We arrived at our home for the next two days, the Crowded House Hotel at around 12.30pm. The hotel asked us if we wanted to join the Gallipoli tour that was departing in 30 minutes. The weather has been a bit dicky so we decided to go just in case it turns again.
We set off in a howling wind and the temperature a miserly 15 degrees. Like many others this journey for me is a pilgrimage. My grandfather on my mother's side whom I never met, fought at Gallipoli. He survived the carnage and eventually returned to Australia at the end of the war.
Our Turkish guide was very knowledgeable and managed to fill in a few blanks of the campaign that I was not aware of. The tour started off at Brighton Beach where the Anzacs were supposed to have landed. Who knows how it would have turned out if they had gotten the landing right?
Our next stop was the Beach Cemetery which has the grave site of John Simpson who was responsible for repatriating about 300 wounded soldiers down to the beach on his donkey. We then headed up to Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu Cemetery and the ANZAC Commemorative Site.
Leaving the beach we headed up to the Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial. Lone Pine is the major landmark for the Australians. This area was where many Australians lost their lives in what now appears to be senseless charges against the Turks. At Johnston's Jolly we were able to walk in the trenches of the Australians and the Turks. The trenches were a mere 8 metres apart.
Next stop was the Nek which featured in the movie Gallipoli. The last stop was the Chunuk Bair Cemetery and New Zealand memorial. The kiwi Anzacs managed to take this very strategic high ground in August 1915. They managed to hold on for two days before being forced back by the Turks who were led by Mustafa Kemal who later became the first president of Turkey, known as Ataturk, or father of the Turks.
The most successful part of the entire campaign was the evacuation. Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay were evacuated in December 1915 and the Helles area was emptied of troops by 9 January 1916. Only a handful of lives were lost, an ironic end to a campaign which had cost the lives of 36000 Commonwealth, 10000 French and around 86000 Turks.
It was an emotional day and I confess to having the odd tear in my eye. It is a journey that I believe most Australians should make if the opportunity arises.
Friday 8th October – Europe to Asia and Back Again
Nothing is planned for today so we had a leisurely breakfast before deciding to head over to Asia for a day out. As soon as we stepped outside the wind which was around yesterday hit us full blast. The temperature is around 12 degrees and could freeze the you know what off a brass monkey. I have not been this cold since a winters weekend at Lamington Plateau. To reach Asia all we have to do is pay the ferryman 2TL and he will take us across the Dardanelles from Eceabat to Canakkale. The trip across takes approximately 30 minutes.
Canakkale is a hive of activity and much larger than the sleepy town we had just left.
Whilst walking along the street in search of the markets that are supposed to operate ever Friday the girls are halted in their tracks at the sight of a pastry shop. They could not resist the temptation of all the delicious cakes and biscuits that were being displayed.
They ordered Nescafe but received a cup of tea to have with their sweets. Tony who was clutching his “man bag” also ordered one but received nothing. We think that he confused the waiter and ended up paying for Alice. Back on the street the girls had no trouble finding their way to the market. Funny that!
The markets were teeming with locals who like the girls were out to snaffle a bargain. On the other hand Tony and I were looking for a spot to sit down and have a drink. No such luck as we could not see a bar anywhere.
There marketplace was covered and well laid out with plenty of space between the aisles. There were sections for fish, fruit, vegetables and clothing. In the end we were all tempted to buy something. I was so cold that I succumbed to purchasing a Lacoste jumper to ward off the chills and a pair of Levis just for show. The prices were so good that Tony bought 2 pair of jeans, Alice a jacket and jeans whilst Julie showed the most restraint with a pair of happy hippy pants.
After a late lunch we braced ourselves against the cold and went back to Europe. We decided to stay in doors and relaxed in our rooms with a few beers, scotch, a bottle of red and potato chips. Tony pulled out his traveling guitar and sang a few songs that put us all in a relaxed frame of mind. A great way to end the day.
Saturday 9th October – Selcuk
Today we have to catch the ferry along with our luggage back over to Cannakale where we will pick up a bus at 12.30pm to Selcuk. On the ferry trip three Turkish boys approached us and asked if we could help them with a vocabulary test. Alice being a TESOL teacher jumped straight in and started marking the test. Alice ranked it as a high level test and corrected all the wrong answers. The boys thanked her and went away smiling thinking that they would get an “A” for that test.
The road south took us over the mountains and followed the coast line for many miles. Adjacent to the road there were millions of olive trees with gnarled trunks and new branches bearing unripened olives. Most of the land was agricultural however there were many large towns in this part of Turkey.
Our first stop after three hours was the town of Bergama which is famous for its cottage industries and the ancient site of Pergamum. The Acropolis is the major site of the area and sits at about 350 metres. There are ruined temples to the gods Athena and the guy who always pops up Dionysus as well as the Altar of Zeus. The highlight for us was the vertigo-inducing 10,000 seat theatre which is built into the hillside to conserve space.
Our guide wanted someone from our group to sing a song to prove how good the acoustics were. Tony needed no encouragement and with me as his poor excuse for a backup singer belted a Tracey Gibbs song “The Truth About Men”. Tony received a round of applause from the packed theatre and the enthralled onlookers who were peering over the edge of the parapet. The girls said the acoustics were good.
We also had a quick look at the Red Basilica which was originally a dedicated to Egyptian gods. In his Revelation St. John wrote that this was one of the seven churches of the Apocalypse, singling it out as the throne of the devil.
Given that here are cottage industries in the area we could not escape the clutches of a carpet factory. After plying us with a very nice red they escorted us through the facility. There are no chemical dyes used and every carpet is hand woven in silk or wool. The number of knots and the time taken are large factors in the price. They rolled out more carpets that a Rugs a Million salesman. There were some beautiful carpets but everything we liked was in excess of a thousand dollars. No problem, just give us your credit card details and like radio rentals pay it off over time. They were nice but we had to decline and get on our way.
Around 8.00pm we reached the town of Izmir which has a population in excess of 3 million and is Turkey's third biggest city.
After a rather good and cheap meal we hit the highway and sped off to Selcuk. At 10.00pm we arrived at the ANZ guest house. Unfortunately our booked rooms were not available until the next day so we were given a downgrade. It doesn't matter as we are tired and will soon be a sleep.
Sunday 10th October – Day Off in Selcuk
After a good lazy breakfast we are given the keys to our new rooms. Tony and Julie have the impressive honeymoon room, complete with jacuzzi whilst we have to make do with the Ottoman room. The rooms are good so we headed down the street to the Ephesus Museum to have a look at the striking artefacts that have been recovered from the ancient city.
The first gallery contains finds from the Terrace Houses of Ephesus – scales, jewelery, cosmetic boxes etc. You can also see the famous effigy of Priapus, the Phallic God. He is kept in the dark but just push a button to illuminate him in all his rampart glory. The other display areas which includes an outdoor courtyard hold collections of coins, grave goods, statuary and representations of Eros. There is also an enormous head and arm of the Emperor Domitian which once formed part of a 7 metre high statue.
After lunch we had a look at the Byzantine Aqueduct that runs intermittently through the centre of town. The top of the aqueduct is a nesting place for storks. We also had a quick look at the outside of the Basilica of St John. He is said to have come to Ephesus twice: once between AD 37 and AD 48 with the Virgin Mary, and again in AD 95 towards the end of his life, when he wrote his gospel on Ayasuluk Hill. A 4th century tomb was believed to house his remains, so in the 6th century the Emperor Justinian erected a magnificent church on top of his tomb.
After all this culture we returned to our guest house for a rest before the evening barbecue on the rooftop. The barbie was an outstanding success, lots of chicken and salad and we were allowed to BYO. Tony pulled out the guitar and we sang a few songs with the other guests. An American, Mike could also play guitar and he strummed out a couple of Beatles and Stones numbers.
Monday 11th October – Ephesus
Our tour today was to the ancient city of Ephesus. We went through the gates at around 10.00am with hordes of other people. Apparently there were a couple of cruise ships in. The site has been excavated and restored for about 100 years and as a result there is plenty to see. Just outside the main entrance is the tomb of Luke the Evangelist.
Inside the gates is the Odeon which was basically a Council Hall where political issues were discussed. There are so many aspects to Ephesus that it would take ages to write about. In summary we saw the temple of Hadrian, Fountain of Trajan, Gymnasium Baths, Library of Celsus and The Great Theatre.
One interesting aspect was the Roman men's toilets. Nice little slots cut into the marble and once the business was done it was taken away by running water. Apparently the wealthy Romans would bring along a slave to warm up the cold marble so that they could enjoy a comfortable sitting.
The 10,000 seat theatre has been host to great singers including Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Sting and Tony Aitchinson.
After a fantastic lunch it was off to a leather factory where they put on a fashion show in an attempt to lure some Turkish Lira from the hip pockets of gullible tourists. I sat out in the car park and when Alice returned with the news that she had purchased a beautiful red jacket I could not have been happier.
Our next stop was the home of the Virgin Mary. There is no definite proof that she spent her last days here but there are strong indicators that she did.
The Catholics and Muslim faiths however do recognize the site and as a result many pilgrims travel here. A baptismal pool was discovered in 1961 which is not far from the church which has been reconstructed on this site.
There were many people at the site and our guide had to restrain the many pensioners who caused a stampede when they saw the church. You would have thought they were going to expire before they could get inside.
Outside the church there is a fresh water spring that is supposed to have been blessed and once again there was a mad crush to get to this potent elixir. I managed to fill my water bottle and will see if it has an impact on my receding hair line.
There is also a wishing wall. You write a note on a piece of paper and stuff it into the wall amongst the thousands of other notes. It is like a miniature version of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
Next stop was the Temple of Artemis which was recognized as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. These days there is a big hole, a few building blocks and a column where this great temple once stood. You just have to use your imagination.
A riot nearly occurred as our mini van made the turn into a carpet factory. It was a unanimous decision and our driver who also did not wish to go in quickly turned around and took us back into town. He joined the majority of us in the consumption of a few beers in the local cafe/park.
After 100 TL of beers we adjoined to the terrace of his hotel for further relaxation. It was an impromptu event which we all enjoyed over more beer, wind and some take away Turkish Pide (pizza).
To make it a memorable evening we also had a small earthquake that registered about 3.5 on the Richter scale.
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