Oct 2008

You know I was thinking as I walked down the center to get internet that the Mastercard commercial fits really well with this whole adventure in Turkiye.

Cost of ferry ticket to Kusadasi: 30 euro
Gas to drive to and from Aphrodisias: 100 YTL
Having a private tour guide and solitude at Aphrodisias: Priceless

And it is so true. It was priceless. It was nice to have moments where I could just stand there and take it all in. Just me.

But back to the temple. Aphrodisias is of course named after the goddess Aphrodite. Most are familiar with Aphrodite as the goddess of love and beauty among other things. It was founded around the 1st century BC on a site that had long been considered sacred. It became and important city during Roman rule of the 1st through 6th centuries CE. Of course, as usual during Byzantine rule, the temple was converted to a church. The apse is still standing today. Much of what you see standing has been re-erected. Much of the excavations at Aphrodisias were led by an archaeologist named Kenan T. Erim, who happens to be buried on the site. He spent 30 years of his live working the site.

The temple as you see it approaching from the north....

Standing inside the temple looking west. In ancient times you would enter from the east and there would be a cella about where am standing with the cult statue (see last entry). When converted to a church during Byzantine rule, you would have entered from the west.

The apse that was added when the temple was converted to a church.

In the ancient days of the temple you would have entered through the gate that is called the tetrapylon. It too has been mostly re-erected in recent years. It has to be one of the most beautiful sanctuary gates I have seen.

Just to give you an idea about excavation, you can see the depth of debris that had built up in this photo.

We left the temple and walked over to the stadium. It happens to be one of the best preserved stadiums around. The problem with photos is you don't get a good idea of the sheer size. I'm not sure how many this one could hold, but I do know the one at Olympia could hold 45,000 so I'm sure this one is comparable if not bigger. It has not been totally excavated. Unfortunately there just isn't a lot of money out there these days for full scale excavations, especially in Turkiye. Oh, what I wouldn't give to work on an excavation there!!

You would have entered the stadium through one of two tunnels on either end. This is not how you enter it now, however. They have excavated this so you get an idea of what it might have looked like.

These are taken from on the ground looking west. You can see the other tunnel way down there. It gives you an idea of the size.

I'm still in awe of Aphrodisias. One more site in Turkiye to knock off my list!! One our way out I of course had to get a photo of the bull.

Mehmet wanted to play with my camera, so I let him. The result....I think it is a nice effect.

This face had donkey ears....

Then there were the ever present cats...

I didn't take too many photos of cats because we had planned to stop for lunch at a roadside restaurant. It was a very nice place in a beautiful setting. Mehmet had told me there was usually a man there playing the saz, a stringed Turkish/Middle Eastern instrument. What was funny was he was playing Ode to Joy! I let Mehmet order since he knows the food better than I do. We had pide, which is kind of like pizza, grilled mushrooms and cheese, and grilled meatballs. All very delicious!! As usual fruit was served for dessert.

Ok, scold me. I forgot to take photos of my food because I was so hungry! We left the Anatolia restaurant to head back to Kusadasi with a stop for gas and Turkish tea. Most gas stations in Turkey seem to serve food or at least coffee and tea. This one had fresh squeezed orange and pomegranate juice as well. Very nice!! It was quite a shock to pay 100 YTL (which stands for Yeni Türk Lirasi or New Turkish Lira by the way). That works out to be about 60USD to fill the equivalent of a Yaris or Ford Focus. No complaints when I get back to the US. Imagine what we would say if we had to pay over $6 a gallon. I had to photograph this just for kicks and giggles...and memory sake!!

So, we are driving back and Mehmet asks me if I would mind him stopping in Aydin so he can look at a car at the Toyota dealership. Of course not!! After all he took time out of his day to take me way out of the way and show me around Aphrodisias. So we stopped at the Toyota dealership and looked at a few cars. Looks pretty much the same as US dealers, but with less cars and hardly any SUVs or big trucks. Mehmet tells me that Turkiye taxes gas guzzlers so much that you have to be very well off to afford one. That is one way to get the people into economical vehicles.

We did test drive one. It was quite fun driving down the road in Turkiye at almost 140 kph!! Better than a taxi ride at least!

No, Mehmet did not buy a car. He tells me cars are very expensive there. But when you need one, you need one. He did invite me back to their home, where his wife and a friend fixed cheese fondue, served a variety of cheeses, some which were Turkish, fresh cukes and tomatoes and let me finally try retsina. Retsina is a Greek wine that is aged with pine resin on the corks. It gives it a distinctive flavor and no I haven't tried it in Greece! They couldn't believe it. We also had some great Turkish wine and wonderful conversation. It was the best night yet!! I am grateful for their wonderful hospitality.

I am very lucky to have friends in Turkiye. When I was here in January we had the most wonderful guide. Mehmet truly cared about sharing the wonders of his country with us and taught us so much. I think that is part of the reason why I love Turkiye so much. The people are so open and friendly. Hospitality seems to be second nature. Turkiye has my vote for most friendly country. No doubt about it.

When I decided I wanted to return I was a bit worried about traveling here alone. I expressed that worry to Jan, along with my strong desire to come back here (and if anyone understands that desire, it is Jan for certain) she was gracious enough to contact Mehmet's wife, Fisun, and ask her if she could possibly help me. Fisun went above and beyond to help make my stay here an amazing and worry free holiday. I will ever be grateful. She made most of the arrangements for me, including my hotel in Istanbul and Kusadasi, and was happy to answer any of my questions along the way. She met me at the port and walked me to my hotel. It felt like I had known her for years. Once I settled in we made plans for going to Aphrodisias the next day. We were to meet at 10 in the hotel lobby. She would drive, I would pay for the car and gas. Plans made, I decided to go find something to eat. The little cafe/bar/restaurant next to the hotel seemed good enough, if not a bit pricey. But I have to remember that 15YTL is really only about 9.5 USD. Still, it's tough to look at the price of a simple entree and see 15-20 next to it. In spite of it, I ordered the chicken kebap and tried to order an Efes or Efes dark. They only had Tubord and and Carlsburg. The tragedy. I bar in Kusadasi and it has no Efes? So close to Ephesus and no Efes? Pity. I would have loved one about them.

It is typical here that when you speak the language, the Turks respond with excitement. Sometimes that is hard to gauge. My waiter was thrilled that I was using my Turkish. I'm not quite sure what to think of some of his remarks though. For instance "what are you doing after you eat dinner here? You go out? You go to sleep?" He kept asking in some form or another. And when I told him "go to sleep" he proceeded to ask "what you do tomorrow night?" When I left he said "I see you tomorrow I hope" I will admit, I am enamoured by the broken English. Flattered by the attention somewhat. But I have to question the age of some of these men. Surely I am almost old enough to be their mother! Flattering low light or the glow of the Mediterranean sun? It's anyone's guess.

Sleep came to me that night in spite of the loud music at the bar just below me. But it came and was welcome. For some reason I felt much more at home there than on Samos, or Kalavrita, or Olympia. Don't ask me to explain, I can't. I feel at home in Turkiye. I still feel like a foreigner in Greece much of the time.

Saturday morning I had my breakfast of bread, honey, jam, olives, cukes, tomatoes and cheese all washed down with plenty of Turkish tea. I sat there waiting for Fisun to get there at 9. She had called the hotel the night before and said to meet at 9 instead of 10. An extra hour is always good. I happen to look up from my plate and guess who is walking through the door? Mehmet! Fisun had things to do at home and Mehmet happened to be free, so he was taking me to Aphrodisias. I was thrilled because I wasn't sure I would get to see him while in Kusadasi. The drive would be a long one, and I was hoping worth it. We headed out through the Meander valley and things started to look familiar to me. We had come this way in January. I'm still amazed at how much I took in back then! We stopped on the way for fresh squeezed orange (portakal) and pomegranate (nar) juice. It is like the nectar of the gods. If you have never had it, you are missing a piece of heaven.

Mehmet and I talked of politics, history, languages, religion, you name it, on our drive. It was great to just chat. We finally arrived at Aphrodisias. Mehmet kept telling me I would be amazed at this place. It's very far removed and parts of it are well preserved because of that. Aphrodisias is the site of an ancient sanctuary dedicated to Aphrodite. It is said that the site had been a shrine to the Mother Goddess of Fertility since 5800 BCE, but the actual sanctuary was not build until around 74 BCE. Aphrodite, as many may recall, is the goddess of love.

There were several tour groups there so we hit the museum first. There was a fairly new display of sculpture from the Sebasteion. Many of these looked as if they were just sculpted yesterday. Like this detail of Prometheus from a scene where Herakles releases him from bondage and torture. The details are nice.

Thankfully the cult statue from the temple has been preserved as well. I've always wanted to see a cult statue.

From the museum we walked the foot path around the entire complex. Mehmet kept telling me there were hundreds of faces carved for the theatre decor. I thought he was exaggerating, but he wasn't. There were theatre masks everywhere you turned! No two appeared to be alike.

I was lucky enough to have the theatre to myself for about 5 minutes. Mehmet had to go make a phone call and turned me lose to explore as I wished. I got ahead of a big tour group and walked down into the theatre while it was deserted. This is where solitude is a good thing. Even after all the ancient theatres I have seen, I'm still in awe of them. The perfection astounds me. I only wish we could create such wonders now.

Then the tour group showed up and my solitude was lost. So I left the theatre to head down toward the baths of Hadrian. Here again was a moment when solitude was appreciated. Call to prayer echoing over the countryside has to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. Just to stand there taking in all of the beauty while listening to the call to prayer has to be one of my best moments.

Mehmet finally caught back up to when I got down toward the baths of Hardian. The retro look was in even back then!!

See, in Turkiye you can even touch the ancient ruins!

From the bath and pool we headed over the the bouleuterion, or parliment house. This is one of the best preserved becuase nobody reclaimed the marble facing on the seats.

The chairs on the upper tier of rows were carved with dolphins....and me....

After the bouleuterion it was to the temple! I'm going to continue in a second entry, mainly because I'm tired and want to get up early tomorrow to catch breakfast and take in everything I can, but also because there is a lot to share.

I arrived safely from Izmir to İstanbul. It was a short flight but they still fed us. Turkish Airlines has props in my book, especially now a days when airlines are cutting back significantly in the US. I got to my hotel by cab around 10:45, came to my room, called home to let my husband know I made it, woke him up, then I headed out to see if I remembered how to get around. I'll go into details after I have uploaded some photos. I still have to finish my entry for Kuşadasi as well!! It is raining in İstanbul now, so I will work on my blog, possibly nap and then go out later to do more exploring. I promise to be in by a decent hour. I know better than to explore the dark streets of İstanbul at night.

I can tell you from the start that my trip to Samos and then on to Kusadasi, Turkey was a big step out of the box we call a comfort zone. I am accustomed to traveling alone within the US borders, but other than my flight to Athens I have have never traveled alone internationally. That might not seem like a big deal to some, but it was a big deal to me. It gave me a boost in my confidence, not that one was really needed, but every little bit helps. I have to say it was nerve wrecking on occasion, wondering if I would not find the right gate at the airport, not be able to get a taxi in Pythagorio, miss the ferry to Kusadasi. Other than the bumpy landing and the rocky ferry ride everything went smoothly. Here I am, in Türkiye! Given my choice I'd stay here and not go back to Athens. Don't get me wrong, I do like Athens, but Athens can frustrate me. When I stepped off the ferry here thought, I felt all frustration and stress just melt away. It felt kind of like being home. Later when I heard the call to prayer echoing off in the distance it just sealed it for me. I think it was Joanna that said this was my "spiritual place" and I believe she is right.

But back to Samos since I have a plethora of photos to share! The airport on Samos is near Pythagorio, but silly me booked a hotel in Vathy. Either way I would have had to take a taxi, or at least a bus, but if I had stayed in Pythagorio I would have had a better opportunity to see the Temple of Hera. Legend has it that Hera, who is Zeus' mother, was born on Samos. I don't know about that, but I do know Samos, like many of the islands, has some pretty rugged terrain. Unfortunately I did not get to see a lot of it. It was really a stopping place for me on my way to Turkey. The hotel I stayed in, while not in Pythagorio, was called the Pythagorean Hotel. Are you seeing a theme here? Pythagoras, the famous mathematician who came up with the Pythagorean theorem (good thing I paid attention in math class!) was also born on Samos. Don't remember the Pythagorean Theorem? Let me refresh your memory. a² + b² = c²

But enough mathematics. Here is the famous Pythagoras Hotel in Vathy.

It's pretty basic. Nice proprietor who speaks English and was very helpful to me, including storing my luggage there while I explored Vathy. It's clean, it's fairly quiet (at least compared to Athens and my hotel here in Kusadasi). No breakfast was included, but it was only 20 euros for the night.

After a fairly good night sleep I got up and headed into Vathy to see what I could find. My intention was to take the bus to Pythagorio and get to the Temple of Hera, but alas, by the time I moseyed around to the bus station the next bus was after noon. I figured I better not risk missing my ferry. I had already bought the ticket and my guide here, Fisun, was expecting me. While I was moseying, before I found the bus stop I found some great views....

a cat...

a beautiful church.....

and the laiki....

where I bought some grapes. A much smaller laiki than the one in Athens of course, but plenty of older Greek ladies with their wheeled carts were in attendance. As I walked through I saw the tiniest little kitten just crouched in the middle of the street. This kitten was mewling as if it were hungry, looked very unwell, cold, and downright pitiful. It took everything in my power to keep from scooping it up in my arms and carrying it away.

Yet I managed to walk on by.

I did come back for grapes, and to have one more look at the kitten and see if it was OK. What else could I do? I can't save all animals....I wish I could.

It was after this that I found the bus stop and when I realized I probably missed my window of opportunity I decided to just walk. I ended up on a road that went to nowhere, out away from town. I had no idea where this road would take me but I took it anway.

Unfortunately it lead to nowhere in particular. In fact, after a while it just kind of dropped out of existence. I did find some interesting things growing along the way. Like pomegranates.

And blackberries....

I turned around and then headed up a footpath. Interesting things growing and creeping along it as well. I saw goats and beehives. Olives......and yes, I was tempted to pick on just to see what it tastes like straight off the tree. But I didn't.

I caught this lizard scurrying up the wall of an abandoned building. He was a pretty good sized lizard. Maybe a foot long or so.

I kept walking up the footpath because I wanted to get as high on the island as possible to see what sort of views I could find. I did find a few, but most were blocked by houses and such.

I did find some land for sale....

and these two little kittens basking in the sun....

I saw this hotel and wondered why I didn't stay there. Probably because it wasn't listed in my Lonely Planet guidebook to the Greek Islands. Shameless plug.

Made me a little homesick though. Solitude can be a good think, but sometimes just being so far away, so alone, having nobody that speaks the language you speak, and feeling like such a stranger can make solitude a not so good thing. Thankfully those thoughts are fleeting. There is just too much to enjoy and too many adventures to worry about being alone.

I finally made my way back down and found the archaeological museum. I was told Samos had a fine archaeological museum and am sure that is correct, however a large part of it was closed for restoration, so I wasn't able to see it in all its apparent glory. I went ahead and paid the 3 euro anyway, because I was hoping I would see the colossal kouros I had been reading about. The kouros are statues of males that were given as dedications at the sanctuaries in the Greek archaic period. This was my lucky day. The colossal kouros was actually housed in the part of the museum that was open. It is an amazing sculpture, just because of the size of it. I am use to hearing about large cult statues of gods and goddesses, but a dedication of this size must have been given by someone who was doing very well! This one was found at the Temple of Hera of course. The size is fascinating yet I'm not sure why. We have plenty of large statues and monuments hanging our these days. But here he is....

I was happy. I got to see my colossal statue. Time to check out the municipal gardens. On the way in I saw these three cats. As with most Greek cats I have met, they were pretty skittish if I tried to get too close. So I sat on the steps and and tried to convince them that I meant no harm. Thankfully these cats seemed to be and much better shape that the tiny kitten that broke my heart earlier.

I must have taken 3 dozen photos of just these cats because they were so photogenic! I think they were finally glad when I packed up and walked away.

The municipal gardens of Vathy is a nice quite green space to sit and do nothing. There is a cafe there if one chooses to have a frappe or a snack. They have done a good job of planting flowering and green plants. It was a wonder respite from cityscapes. I think maybe this is why those cats seemed more content. What a great space!

By this time I still had several hours to waste before my ferry left, so I walked through a small street that runs parallel to the main street in Vathy. It was full of various shops, people shopping, cafes, and tavernas. I was hoping to find some shops that sold goods that were unique to the island, but didn't. OK, I suppose I could have bought some wine, retsina, ouzo or something, but there is only so much alcohol I can carry back to the states with me. I don't want to look like a lush. So I settled for having some lunch at a small cafe that was on the main street. The waiter spoke English but was thrilled when he found out I spoke Greek. Maybe it was flattery, but he said he couldn't believe I was from the states because my Greek was good. Ok, so it was flattery, my Greek isn't that good. But it gave me a smile. So did the saganaki.

Saganaki is fried cheese in all its artery clogging glory. I don't recommend trying to eat all of this if you are by yourself. Share it. Along with your clogged arteries.

I rolled out of the taverna and took a walk to Plateia Pythagorou, or Pythagoras Square. It's really different from the plateia seen in Athens. Wide open and clean, but still full of pigeons. Pigeons are everywhere in Greece. I think the multiply like Gremlins thrown in a pool of water.

The view from the dock was particular nice and unobstructed. Very Greek....

I walked along a little pebble beach on my way back to my hotel and found a wonderful spot that I wish I had found earlier. I could have sat here for hours listening to the waves and enjoying the scenery....

I retrieved my luggage from the hotel and then headed to the port to wait for them to open customs and passport control so I could board my ferry. I really could not believe that I was headed to Turkiye!! But there it was, a ferry bearing the beautiful Turkish flag...waiting to take me to my land of dreams. Ok, I know I wax nostalgic about Turkiye way to often. Don't expect it to end any time soon. It has more than met my expectations the second time around. Goodness, I sound like I'm talking about a lover don't I? Maybe I lived in a harem in an Ottoman palace at one time. Not sure why I would think of that as a positive thing though. Enough of that, back to the ferry.

In typical Greek fashion, passport control opens after it was suppose to, but only by 5 minutes. I got in line, got my boarding pass, gave my passport to the guy at the counter after having made it didn't automatically fall open to my Greek visa page. Too late, he found it. "Are you coming back in?" he asks. "No," I reply. He then goes on to ask me why I needed this visa for such a short visit, to which I calmly and coolly reply "I changed my travel plans", thinking I'm doing good under pressure. Of course he had to get in the last dig by saying "just wanted to make sure you know, one entry, one exit"...sure thing!! Does it stop me? No...Turkiye is waiting and I have a date with some Turkish tea, lamacun, Aphrodite, and who knows what other culinary delights and ancient ruins!! So I boarded and across some wavy seas I headed to my beloved Turkiye. Thank goodness this fishing vessel finally got out of our way, but not after many honks of the horn!

Turkiye or bust!! (all the while praying to the gods that they will let me back into Greece)

The sun was setting as we pulled into Kusadasi...how beautiful. Right then and there all that tension and worry about visas and borders and school and everything melted away.....

Just a quick update. I made it safely to Kuşadasi via the ferry from Samos. It was a bit of a bumpy ride as well. The wind was up a bit again this afternoon and made for some choppy seas at times, but nothing too awful other than getting sprayed on the top deck. But I'm back in my beloved Türkiye and as giddy as ever. I've been uploading photos and chatting with Tim but am about to venture out to find food. I have to go from Greek mode to Turkish mode now and I don't remember if they eat as late as the Greeks. If not, I may end up snacking for dinner since it is already past 9. Then again, it's Friday and this is a port town, surely there is something open!

Stay tuned for photos from my stay on Samos!