Turkey tour week 2

August 26, 2023

Turkey tour week 2

Image from ANZAC Cove - Gallipoli Peninsula - visited on Saturday, the 26th of August.

Day 8 Antalya to Kas - Sunday 20th August

Our ride to Kas - red line boat trip.

In the morning, we drove to the drove coastal village of Demre for lunch. We quickly looked at the Myra Ancient City - Myra Antik Kenti.

Then, in the afternoon, we went for a trip off the coast of Turkey, sailing around Kekova Island. We had dinner on the boat. We were able to see the Sunken City Kekova and enjoyed a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. Everyone enjoyed the day of relaxation on the water with a few drinks and totally relaxing and swimming in the Mediterranean. One of the ladies on the trip, Tami - it was her first time ever going for a swim! The water was gloriously warm and clear.

Part of the Sunken City Kekova

Swim time.

Dinner time. BBQ sea bass.

Our boat for the afternoon and evening

Day 9 Kaş - Monday 21st August

In the morning, we looked around Kas, stopping at the Antiphellos Ancient City, where the amphitheater had been restored in 2008 and was still being used.

Waterfront at Kas

In the afternoon, we got a taxi and swam at Big Pebble Beach, a reasonably small beach full of beach chairs you could hire.

Our spot at Big Pebble Beach

Had dinner by the waterfront in Kas.

Day 10 Kaş to Selçuk - Tuesday 22nd August

We drove from Kas to the ancient city of Hierapolis, about a four-hour drive with a stop along the way for morning tea, and we both had yogurt with honey, which was very nice!

Jim is very happy with yogurt with honey with sesame seeds on top.

We got to Hierapolis, and it was about 1.30pm and very hot 40 plus degrees. We explored the ancient site/ruins and then looked at the Pamukkale site, which has up to 17 hot water springs, white pools, and cliffs. They were formed with calcium carbonate and running water hardening over time. They think Pamukkale has been used as a spa since the second century. Next to the pools is the Hierapolis Archeological Museum. This museum displays works of art from excavations at Hierapolis and towns in the surrounding area, such as jewelry, sarcophagi, and Bronze Age crafts. It is housed within a former Roman Bath and gymnasium.

Maree, with a trusty three-pound umbrella from the UK.

Another bloody amphitheater 😄

Reg and Mary at the white pools.

A wider view of the water springs and white pools.

Inside the Hierapolis Archeological Museum.

We then drove on to Selçuk. One of the crew got heat exhaustion and had to go to the local hospital and doctor. It was very hot. She recovered, and she and hubby caught up the next day. A reminder to us all to be careful and drink plenty when it's so hot.

Day 11 Selçuk - Wednesday 23rd August

On Tuesday morning, we visited the ancient Roman town of Ephesus. Who would have thought the Romans would have so much stuff in Turkey. There were more intact things to see, such as toilets, some houses, and even the site of an ancient brothel. There is a well-preserved theatre and a street down to the harbour. There is also a two-story library, whose façade has been carefully reconstructed from all original pieces. It was built in AD 125, and it once held nearly 12,000 scrolls.

Archaeological excavation was continuing at the site.

The toilet was still reasonably intact. Apparently, they were quite social places, and if you had a slave in the winter, you would send him / her down to warm the seat. Using the communal sponge to clean your bum wouldn't have been much fun.

This was the sign indicating the brothel was on the left. The left foot indicates left, and the love heart indicates a bit of action.

One of the main structures was the facade of the two-story library.

It wouldn't be a Roman ruin without an amphitheater.

We even got a performance. Maree, Caitlyn, Mary, and Shel.

Bloody hot 40 degrees plus - Mary and Maree's UK umbrellas were handy for a little shade.

We then looked at the Temple of Artemis that was nearby, one of the world's seven ancient wonders. There is not a lot left, but it once must have been a sight to behold. Photo below. More info.

What remains of the Temple of Artemis.

We then returned to Selcuk, and four of us did a traditional Selcuk cooking class. We created an appetizer salad, main course, and dessert.

Tammy in the Kitchen

After the cooking class, we enjoyed our meal.

Day 12 Selçuk/Ayvalık - Thursday 24th August

On the drive to Ayvalık, we stopped at a carpet weaving carpet-weaving co-op in Bergama. They did a good job of showing us the ins and outs of carpet weaving and some other fabrics that they made.

Maree getting shown how to by one of the ladies.

The sales pitch by one of the locals.

Liar and James trying to decide which one.

In the afternoon, we drove on to Ayvalik, a town that blends Ottoman architecture, cobblestoned streets, and an attractive harbour. Once at the hotel, we got a taxi to the beach of Sarimsakli, had a swim, and then went out for dinner. We then had a bit of a drama getting home. No taxi would take us very strange!We waited at the taxi stop. Taxis came and went, but none would give us a ride. With the help of some young locals, we got a very crowded bus most of the way home and then walked.

We spend the night in a converted Ottoman mansion, Bonjour Ayvalik Guesthouse. Photo below.

In the guesthouse, Jim got dripped on in the men's dorm during the night by an old AC unit and had to go looking for a place to sleep at about 1 a.m. He ended up sleeping on one of the balconies. Another thing was the number of cats. They seemed to be everywhere and all communally fed in the street.

Day 13 Ayvalık/Çanakkale - Friday 25th August.

Map for the day and site of Troy.

In the morning, we visited the G-adventures-supported handicraft workshop and did an orientation walk of Ayvalik. We then set off for Troy, stopping at a small mountain village for refreshments called Yesilyurt. It was a very scenic spot with some cool places to visit for coffee and soft drinks.

Reg and Jim having a yarn at a cafe in Yesilyurt.

We then drove on to Troy, made famous by the Trojan Horse and, more recently, the movie that stars Brad Pitt. The city was regarded as just a myth until its ruins were found in the mid-19th century. Troy was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt during its 4000 years of occupation. As a result, the site is divided into nine archaeological layers, each corresponding to a city built on the ruins of the previous. We wandered around the ruins and had the site explained to us by a local guide. More info about Troy here

Photos of the Troy ruins.

Something we didn't know and found very interesting is that you can see the Gallipoli war monuments from Troy across the Dardanelles Strait.

After our visit to Troy, we drove on to the city of Canakkale and our hotel. Canakkale is a seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles. We went for a walk in the city where we saw the Trojan Horse from the Brad Pitt movie. Photo below.

Day 14 Çanakkale - Gallipoli Peninsula - Istanbul - Saturday 26th August.

Route for the day.

In the morning, we took the ferry from Çanakkale to Kilitbahir and then in our minivan to the Gallipoli Battlefields, where Gonsa gave us a guided tour.

On the early morning ferry.

We toured the grounds at ANZAC Cove and visited the war memorials and cemeteries. The landings on the Gallipoli peninsula occurred in April 1915, and in January 1916, after eight months of fighting, with approximately 250,000 casualties on each side, the land campaign was abandoned and the invasion force withdrawn. The Allied forces were forced to withdraw after nine months of struggle and bloodshed. This battle is significant for Australians and New Zealanders, as both nations lost many soldiers. There are lots of photos below, and more info here.

ANZAC Cove where the New Zealanders and Australians landed in April 1915

The New Zealand memorial.

Looking up from ANZAC Cove at the cliffs that the soldiers had to fight their way up.

Looking back at ANZAC cove from the beach, once again, a view of the rugged terrain.

The Lone Pine memorial and cemetery.

One of the many ANZAC graveyards.

A speech made by Ataturk, the Turkish leader after WW1 in 1934.
He was also a battlefield commander at Gallipoli.

Some of the trenches at the top of the ridge. The Turkish and ANZAC trenches were very close.

The Turkish memorial.

We then traveled to Istanbul for the last two nights of our stay in Turkey at the Golden Horn Sirkeci Hotel.

Day 15 Istanbul - Sunday - 27th August

Most of the crew left Istanbul, apart from a few of us, on Sunday. We visited the Hagia Sophia Mosque early to beat the crowds. A mosque that was a museum and now a mosque again. It is one of the ancient Byzantine Empire's most important icons. The domes and buttresses of the mosque punctuate the skyline of Istanbul. Two photos of the mosque are below.

We also visited the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, which opened in 1891. The museum is one of the best opportunities to catch a glimpse into the life of ancient Turks and the empires before.

One of the many exhibits at the Museum is Alexander Sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was originally discovered in Lebanon, in the ancient city of Sidon. It was originally believed to hold the body of Alexander the Great but has since been identified as the final resting place of Abdalonymus, a king of Sidon.

We then wandered through the spice market and down to the waterfront for a final look. We had dinner with James and Leia that night overlooking the Hagia Sophia Mosque.