THINGS LEARNED IN TURKEY

1).....a crosswalk means nothing to car traffic......Pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way.

2).....when you order a Turkish coffee, ask for sugar to cut the bitterness and never stir, you will disturb the inch of mud at the bottom of your 3 inch cup.

3).....when using a public toilet in Turkey, before you take off your pants ever so carefully, and straddle the hole in the floor using every muscle you never knew you had in your legs, just check the stall next to you, it is probably a regular western toilet.

4).....Everyone you meet has a story, and some stories are more believable than others.

5).....this country is amazingly beautiful, from the sights and smells of Istanbul, to the gorgeous landscape in Cappadocia, to the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean, we have loved it all. And the people......love them too.

TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS

This one column is all that remains of the Temple of Artemis, or Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The rest of the temple was taken and used in the building of the Hagia Sophia, which we saw in Istanbul. It is nice to see the birds have found a way to repurpose the column. I have copied a picture of what the temple used to look like.

EPHESUS

Ephesus was a great city built in the 10th century BC and is the best preserved ancient city in Turkey. It truly is amazing, and walking down Main Street, you can really get a sense of the city's massive size. Archeologists are now working on uncovering the terrace homes. They figure they have uncovered less than 10% of the city so far.
The first picture is of one of the earliest backgammon boards. The fourth picture is of the goddess of victory, Nike.

THE WHIRLING DERVISHES

Sufi whirling, or spinning, is practiced by the Sufi Dervishes, as a form of physical meditation. Their aim is to reach "the source of all perfection". We were fortunate in that we were able to watch a ceremony with only about 20 spectators, which made it very intimate. The music that accompanied the ceremony was very unique, and really added to the mystical atmosphere. As the Dervishes start whirling, it is like they are in a trance, and it really is incredible the way they can go around, and around, and around, and around for as long as they do. There is one man, a sheikh, who walks slowly among them, giving signals as to their placement on stage and their spacing, although at the time, we did not notice any type of communication. We were able to talk with the sheikh after the ceremony, which was very interesting.

VIRGIN MARY'S HOUSE

This morning we drove up the hill to visit the house that Mary, mother of Jesus spent the last years of her life. It was discovered in the 19th century. There are many people who question the authenticity of it, and I suppose we can never be sure, but I looked at it as an opportunity to learn. We thought, if we are this close, why not check it out, and we were very glad we did. It was a beautiful, small brick house, and walking through it gave me a very peaceful feeling, and a chance to find out more about Mary's life. Walking away from the house, there is a wall that people can tie ribbons with messages or prayers.

SELCUK

We are now in Selcuk, a small town just a couple kilometers away from the ruins at Ephesus.
We just love this town. Fruit farming is big around here, and the farmers all drive their tractors into town. It is not unusual to see 2 or 3 tractors parked half way up the sidewalk, on busy Main Street, and a table full of men sitting drinking coffee and playing Okey, a game similar to rummy, but played with small tiles, like domino tiles.
When we arrived in town yesterday we checked into our amazing boutique hotel.....(a former prison, but the bars are gone, and the rooms are a bit bigger than the average cell) we walked up the hill to see the Basilica of St. John. We were also impressed with all the ancient columns and pillars around town, once used as a trough system for moving water...an aquaduct. The storks seem to love nesting on top of the pillars.
A wonderful thing we have observed here in all the cities and towns we have been through...the cats and dogs have not learned to hate each other. Everywhere you go, you see dogs and cats laying around, on streets, in shops, on carpets for sale in the corner markets. They seem very well cared for, you see restaurant and shop owners feeding them, and they tell us that most have owners, but everyone cares for them. The government takes care of spaying and neutering them. We have so enjoyed them, we have a few here in this hotel, and they are always so eager for a pet and a bit of sweet talk.

SIRINCE

Great little town, great wine tasting.....it's a bit scary when the best review I could find on Turkish wine was..."It's getting better."

PAMUKKALE

Pamukkale means "cotton castle" in Turkish, and when you see this area, right beside the ancient city of Hierapolis, you can see where the name comes from. At a distance, the hillside looks like it is covered with snow, but when you get closer, you can see it is travertine, terraces of carbonate minerals. It is beautiful, with shallow mineral pools that are an amazing color of blue. People have been bathing in these mineral pools for thousands of years.
The government actually allowed hotels to be built here, over the ruins of Hierapolis, and an approach road built over the terraces. When the area was declared a heritage site, the hotels and the road were demolished.

THEATRE AT HIERAPOLIS

This was where the Gladiator sports were conducted. This arena held 20,000 spectators. You can see the gates under the stage, where the gladiators would enter the arena. We were quite surprised at how small the actual arena floor was.

HIERAPOLIS

Our visit to Hierapolis, an ancient city founded in the 2nd century BC, did not disappoint. We started in the cemetery, and walked through it along a road, with tombs and grave monuments made of travertine lining both sides. We then came to the Front Gate of the city, and walked along the Main Street. The baths were among the largest in Asia Minor, holding up to 1,000 people at a time. We also saw the Latrine, which was a meeting place for the men to come and socialize as they did their business.....good time management, I guess.

ROLLING ON THE RIVER

Had an amazing day today. We boarded a local fishing boat and headed out on the Dalyan river this morning. First we hit the thermal pools and mud baths.....what a great way to start the day. From there we took a scenic boat ride past the rock tombs. We learned that the Lycians actually built them by using small caves below the tombs, tunneling up and carving them from the inside out. They were built as burial chambers for the kings and queens dating back to 400 BC.
We spent the afternoon at Iztuzu Beach, also known as Turtle beach, home to the endangered Loggerhead turtles. The beach has had a protected status since 1988. At this time of year, the beach is closed from 8pm to 8 am as it is nesting time, and the turtles are coming up on the beach to lay their eggs. We saw a lot of cages on the beach, which are placed over the nests to protect the eggs, but have an opening for the babies to head to the sea when they hatch, which is in July and August. There are no animals allowed on the beach, no motor boats within a 1 mile radius, and no sunbathers allowed near the nests. My pictures of the turtles aren't good, but give you an idea of what we saw.
This is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, the beach is a narrow spit of land, which forms a natural barrier between the fresh water delta of the Dalyan river and the Mediterranean. The river is a very busy waterway, with boats filled with tourists visiting all the beautiful spots along the way. We stopped for a feast of blue crab after our beach time, a perfect snack as we motored back up the river....stay tuned