Antalya

We enjoyed a long weekend, with no school on Monday because of the national holiday, Youth and Sports Day.  Ataturk was a big believer in exercise and often spoke of the children as Turkey's future.  So, to celebrate, we left kids and went to the southern coast of the Mediterranean to a resort to drink and relax!! 

The Kervansaray Lara Hotel.  Notice the giant flag.  They're everywhere on holidays.

Antalya, is another amazing city.  As with everywhere else in Turkey, this was a quick flight from Ankara-just 46 minutes to get there and 38 minutes to get back.  We left Friday afternoon at 4:15 and returned Monday at 7:00 PM.  In the past, we have generally left for vacations after interacting with parents and kids for an entire school year, and just liked to "chill out" and do very little but relax and read books.  Since we've been here, most of our trips have been tourist activities, trying to cram in as many sights and experiences as possible.  Antalya was a little different, as we were in an all inclusive resort, and spent Saturday and Monday on the beach or by the pool.  I read two novels and started a third (and drank a lot of their free booze)  

The pool water was very cool but refreshing, but the sea water was very comfortable.  

We left the resort on Sunday, taking a shuttle to the old town center.  On a restaurant street just before the old bazaar area, we looked up to see umbrellas---lots of umbrellas. 

We spent quite a bit of times in the shops, one of which was in a 500 year old hamam, or bath house.  The oldest multi-domed mosque is at the base of this "fluted" minaret, over 800 years old.    

In the bazaar area they were very ornate in the way they displayed their spices.

We just kept walking downhill, stopping and talking to shop owners along the way.  After a sharp left turn, we were at a small harbor.  As we were walking past, two guys invited us (for 45 TL each) to go for a quick boat tour.  A total of eight of us, a couple from Latvia, four Turks, and and Peggy and I, were out on the water for about an hour.  

The water was so very blue near all of the cliffs.  

As our resort was all sandy beaches, we were surprised by the cliffs and lack of beach in the old town 18 kilometers to the west of the resort.  We saw many "sunning" platforms with hundreds of steps from old hotels down to the water.  There were more tour boats in the water on this afternoon than anything else, but we did see a few enjoying the day fishing or sailing.  

The water was just beautiful and wonderful with small waves and a nice temperature.  The air temperature was in the mid 90's when we left on Monday.  We enjoyed being served and pampered again.  The evening shows were nice, and on Friday night after the entertainment they even had fireworks.  Unlike many Mexico vacations, this water was very clean, no smells, soft waves, and full of Europeans!  It was very relaxing and a nice break before the final push with kids.  Our last day with students is June 18, so it's now less than a month away!

Kos, Greece-Home of Hippocrates

During our time in Bodrum, we took a ferry for about an hour across the waters to Kos, Greece. It was absolutely pouring rain early in the morning, but reduced to a drizzle for the rest of the day. 

We arrived in Kos at about 9:30, and after getting through passport control, first wanted to get a hotel room.  So, dragging a suitcase behind, off we went in search of a taxi.  Taxis in Turkey are all yellow and small.  We didn't see any taxis coming off the ferry, and continued to walk into town, getting rather wet shoes.  We didn't see any taxis on the main street so finally asked for an information center, and were directed to the south.  And then west. And then north again.  We never found the information center, but we did stumble upon Hippocrates' tree.  We were told that it was extremely hard to find and directions would have to asked many times before finding it.  So, our quest to find the information center was not in vain, as we passed by the tree several times.  It is said to be 2000 years old, and has structures holding up its limbs.  On the back side, it is so hollowed out that it could not bear its own weight.  

Here is where Hippocrates taught his students.  He was the "father of western medicine," and authored the Hippocratic Oath.  Doctors still take this oath (we saw Tony swear to this at his graduation).  St. Paul was also said to have preached under this tree.  

Finally a man picked us up on the street and said "come to my mother's hotel," which seemed like a stretch, but we were wet and lost.  He drove us to his mother's hotel, Hotel Marie, and it wasn't much.  Cold, wet, soaking feet, and we still decide to trek onward in the hopes of something better.  Only about 5-6 blocks away on the bay, we found the Hotel Kostas.  Whew, it was much nicer and had great views from the balcony.  

After drying and changing cloths we wondered the streets and followed a map, still using an umbrella, and only got lost a few times. We passed several grey cars parked, again, and finally realized they were taxis!  No light on top and no signs!  I could help them with their marketing.  

Greek odem

Orthodox Church

We had a snack and sampled Greek beer, then off for more sites.  We had a late lunch and got lost walking back to the hotel. 

They're everywhere!!

The next morning the sun was shining.  By 8:00 the fishing boats that we heard go out early in the morning darkness had returned.  They set up tables and sold the fish caught under their umbrellas.  Besides individuals buying a couple of fish, we saw guys on scooters load up bunches in coolers, which probably went to restaurants.

From our balcony 

It was a nice day and we enjoyed the sunshine after 3 days of clouds, wind, and rain.  We ate Greek gyros again at the Museum Cafe, and caught the ferry at 5:00 for our return to Bodrum.  

Bodrum from the ferry

This ends the Bodrum, Kos, Efesus, House of the Virgin Mary, Pamakkale, Hieropolis, spring break trip posts!  

   

  

Cleopatra's Fountain of Youth

As was mentioned earlier, when making plans to go to Bodrum, we definitely wanted to visit Efesus.  During the peak tourist season, daily trips are planned.  Still in early April, only two trips per week go to Efesus.  On Wednesday, you can book a trip to Efesus and back, or go to Efesus and then on to Pamakkule for an overnight stay and visit the waters and Hierapolis the next day.  Since we'd only been in Bodrum for a little while, we decide to just do the day tour to Efesus and return that night.
  

Orhan, our guide

Well, we met some nice people on the tour, were thrilled with the House of the Virgin Mary and Efesus, especially liked our tour guide, Orhan, and wished we had packed clothes and booked the extra day to Pamukkale.  Peggy asked Orhan if we could go on the bus to Pamakkule instead of returning to Efesus.  Orhan called to see about a room for us that night, and said it was OK.  We didn't have another 400 TL and asked if we could get to an ATM and a place to buy swimsuits, and he said they were right next to the hotel.  So, we jumped on the other bus and set off on another adventure.  

First item of business, tooth brush, antiperspirant, and swim suits for the hot waters.  A very small store, as in one choice of tooth brush, paste and antiperspirant, and a beautiful selection (6 choices for me) of swimsuits.  Don't worry, I didn't chose the Speedo.  We hurried and tried to get to the waters for the sunset.

Pamukkale is a series of travertines, or deposits that formed natural pools.  To safeguard the pools, no one can actually soak in them, but can "wade" after walking shoeless across rough white deposits.  These waters flow through the ancient city of Hierapolis, so one ticket allows for both sites.  

The next morning we met and started our day with a tour of Hierapolis.  

Extra columns, etc. waiting...

Hierapolis was another city that was once great.  It too it mostly still covered with earth and grasses.  Excavation by Austrians was halted a few years ago due to budget shortfalls, but work on the theatre continues.

St. Phillip was martyred and his tomb is here

The 10,000 seat theatre with a fantastic view of the valley was, for us, better than Efesus'

The south entrance gate

Egyptians were supposedly in Hieropolis and told of the healing properties of its warm waters.  They took some back to Cleopatra, who decided that they did help maintain her youthful appearance, so she travel here to soak in the waters.  So we paid the extra 25 TL to get youthful!  Our guide was also in the waters with us, (along with lots of green algae) and kept telling me to splash water on my face to get the youthful benefits.  I did as I was told, but can see no immediate benefits.  Maybe it takes awhile.  

We were in the pool for about 1.5 hours and then began our journey back to Bodrum.  We've found that all tours are at least partially sponsored by local businesses.  In Cappadocia, we visited a jewelry store as part of the tour.  Yesterday we visited a jewelry store after Efesus, and after lunch near Denizli, we visited an onyx manufacturing place, as well as a textile factory that made Turkish rugs.  We were able to watch both in action, and learned a lot about rugs, and will purchase one before we leave.  

We returned to Bodrum at about 8:30 PM, about 24 hours later than expected, but very thankful we decided to take all of the tours and excursions.  

Walking with the Romans

I was in Germany for a week with 9th grade students at a Model United Nations Conference and had hoped to catch up on some blogs.  However, instead of the usual 1st class hotels, we were booked into a youth hostel, and that meant the bathroom was down the hall, and most importantly, No internet!

Today is May 1, and it is Labor Day in Turkey, so no school and most businesses are closed.  I have a little time this morning.

The settlement of Efesus was probably first inhabited about 1050 BC. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis, was here.  Efesus was first Greek, and at its peak around the 1st century BC, it was a part of the Roman Empire and had a population of 250,000.  It was built on the banks of the Aegean Sea, but silt from the river Kaistros, filled in part of the port and the sea is now a couple of kilometers from the city.  

The goddess Nike.  Supposedly the swoosh came from a shoe executive visiting this carving, who decided to name his shoe company "Nike."

Our guide, Orhan, was a history major in college, and painted a very good picture of life in the 1st century as Romans in chariots rode and walked down the marbled streets.  He asked us to try and picture this as we made our way down Curetes Street.

Columns all along the street

The Temple of Hadrian

The Terrace Houses, owned by the wealthy, had mosaic floors, and hot and cold running water!

At the end of Curetes Street was the Celus Library, one of the more complete walls of any building in Efsus.  This was two stories high.  The four female statues out front are replicas, as the original are in Austria.  Many antiquities are missing in Turkey, as the person/group who first excavated a site, most often from Austria, Italy, or England, took treasures back to his/her homeland.  Turkey is trying to get many of the historic items back, with limited success.  

Because of its size, there were many bathhouses, latrines (with water running through troughs), and living quarters further off the main streets, but one or two were located in the main city area for use by soldiers, and the wealthy. Outside the city walls were bathhouses and latrines for travelers to use and clean up prior to entering the city.

Can you guess?  A latrine on the main street.

Last on the tour, and closest to the sea, is the Grand Theatre.  It was built and rebuilt with many additions, to its final capacity of 24,000.  St. Paul preached here! The ruler of Efesus didn't like his ideas, and argued against St. Paul in the theatre as well.

Grand Theatre

Besides being a great historical place with Greek and Roman influence, to know that early Christians settled here is amazing.  This is where many lived, with apostles and disciples residing here for a time, and where St. John wrote his gospel.  With only 25% of the ruins uncovered, there are a lot of treasures yet to be found.

After Efesus, our tour was off to Pemukkale and Hierapolis.

The House of the Virgin Mary

Many posts are pretty easy to write, but still take over an hour to get the text and photos the way I like.  It's much like a reporter trying to convey the "who, what, where, when," that I learned back as a freshman in college as a journalism major.  But this post will be more difficult because it involves all of the above, but also has to include emotion to try and get the entire message to you.  

During our break, on Wednesday there was a day trip to Efesus, so we were waiting for the mini bus at 6:45 AM to pick us up.  We met up with another small bus, also going to Efesus on our tour, but it was then continuing on to Pamukkale and ours was returning to Bodrum.  More on our spontaneity in a later post.

We stopped along the way for an outdoor breakfast on the shores of Bufa Golu or Bufa Lake. It was beautiful and cool eating outdoors.  We then traveled to the modern city of Selcuk, which is about 5 kilometers from the Efesus ruins.  There, our guide asked who would like to go to Mary's House. Only half of the group chose to go and the rest toured a ceramic factory. Mary's House cost an additional 35 TL, and the entire trip was only 70 TL.

One bus drove us up the hill above Efesus for about 10 minutes and got to the shrine.  This is now a pilgrimage site for Christians, and a holy place for Muslims as well.  They believe that Jesus was a prophet, and Mary was "Meryemana" Mother Mary. So many tour buses go to this site. St. John took care of Mary at Jesus' command, and died in Efesus.   

My poor attempt at getting the entire board photographed so that it can still be read

This site was built into the side of a pretty steep hill, and as you can read above, a German Catholic nun, who was blind, kept having visions of Mary's house in Efesus.  She described an area in such specific detail that researchers found this site just like she envisioned.  The only remaining part of the house was a foundation, which is still visible about 12-24 inches above the floor, and has a line drawn where the original and reconstructed walls meet.  

After having to stand in line, I remember being surprised that hardly anyone was still in the room when we entered. I have to admit that my attitude going into the house was basically that I was going to see a historic site, much like St. Peter's Basilica or the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. It would be cool to see, but no other expectations.  At the far end of the one room house is an alter, with two kneelers on each side along the walls, and candles and low lighting with the alter fully illuminated   Pope Paul VI visited here in 1967 and a glass box with mementos is located to the left of the alter, with letters from Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI also in glass boxes to the right of the alter.  

I think we were in the room for about 10 or 15 seconds, when I realized that I was having trouble breathing.  I don't know if I was holding my breath or what, but even trying to take in deep breaths didn't seem to work.  It wasn't a panicky or bad sensation, but was certainly very different. I didn't feel the need to rush out into the fresh air, but there was an overwhelming presence that I just couldn't exhale and remove.  I did exit out the side door, after only being in the room for maybe 30 seconds, and felt a little light headed.  I didn't feel like I rushed, but kept thinking that I should stay longer. But it felt right to leave, and I was breathing normally.  Peggy was right behind me.  I felt weird and looked at my shirt, and the static electricity was clinging my shirt to me tighter than I can ever remember.  It was like it was vacuum packed to my skin. Neither of us said anything, as we walked about 20 paces to the spring water that flows from beneath the house. By then the shirt began to loosen, and Peggy told me that out of no where she almost started crying in the house.  I showed her my shirt and told her my experience.  We didn't say a whole lot more, trying to just take in what had taken place. The spring comes out of a wall and we washed in the water and filled a water bottle.  

Next to the fountains was a prayer wall.  People write down their prayers and tie them to ribbons.  After the past couple of minutes, Peggy of course found a piece of paper and we both wrote down our intentions and tied them to the wall.  

We had a total of 30 minutes here, and it seemed to be only about 10.  The bus was waiting, but we still stopped and bought some things before leaving.  Once in the bus, and later visiting Efesus, the episode was always in the back of our minds, even when seeing the magnificent ruins. We continued to talk about it on the bus, later that night, and have tried to explain it to others back home with whom we've visited.  

I suppose there very well may be a physiological explanation for what happened to both of us, but we are choosing to believe the holy spirit, through the intersession of Mary, came to us. Whew!

Bodrum

The Bodrum Peninsula is in the southwest part of Turkey, along the Aegean Sea (Ege Denizi).  The Knights of Hospitaller built the Castle of St. Peter in the 1400s, and it is the "land mark" of the city of Bodrum now. 

The Castle of St. Peter

The city is old, with some areas dating to the 11th century BC.  We stayed at the Manastir Hotel, which is on the grounds of an old monastery.  

The original entrance to the monastery

Happy Hour at the Manastir

The castle is now open to the public and houses the Museum of Underwater Archaeology.  Many ship wrecks have been found in this area, and many of the treasures are housed in this museum.  

Amphoras held wine in the ship's hold, as water could not always be found and stored

The castle had several towers and rooms, each dedicated to different articles found in the wreckage of ships.  Besides the towers, there were eating areas, sleeping quarters, a dungeon, chapel, gardens, moats, stables and more. They now keep glass, coins, clothing, pots, gold, etc. separately in different parts of the castle that were found under the Aegean. 

During WWI the Germans decided that Castle looked like it could "hide" enemy artillery so it shelled the place (and the Turks sided with Germany in WWI), and it didn't get refurbished until the 1960's and later made into the museum.

As with any tourist area, there are lots of shops, many similar to those we saw in Istanbul.  There were also many, many bars and restaurants, but only a few Mosques, as this is a "liberal" party town.  

Enough purses?

Afternoon cocktails

Although we slept in Bodrum 4 of our 7 nights of break, we really were only in town for 2 1/2 days.  From Bodrum we traveled by ferry to Kos, Greece for one night, and spent one night in Pomukkale for a total of 4 days away.  We were told we traveled over 700 kilometers from Bodrum to Efesus to Pamukkale on Wednesday and Thursday.   

We returned to Bodrum late Thursday night and then had a relaxing day Friday, after all our running around.

Drinks before dinner Friday night

Sunset from the same spot as above

The tourist season really doesn't start in Bodrum until May, so we hit it with lower prices and less people, as many businesses opened up again while we were there.  Plus, the summer gets pretty hot and very humid!  So, this is one trip we hope to take again, and next time stay in Bodrum a little more travel less.