Breathtaking views

distracting orchids




Climbing the rocky path up to ancient Thira, it’s hard to focus on your footing, there are so many distractions for your senses: tiny green and terracotta-speckled lizards dart out of your way as you approach, watching cautiously from the safety of a rocky crevice, and huge black bees, fat flying beetles and butterflies – mostly blues – dart around as you disturb their spring feast; the air is full of the heady scent of wild thyme, sage, fenugreek and chamomile from the massed wildflowers somehow finding enough sustenance in the dry, thin soil, 45 degree slope and full sun, and the view past their colourful blooms is even more hypnotising as more is revealed with every step you climb up the hand-hewn marble track.

Lizard - NB minus half his tail



Beetle on fenugreek

Up here, close to the gods and hundreds of steep metres above the nearest flat land or source of water, it’s hard to imagine why such a spot would suggest itself as the site for a city. But it’s also hard to imagine any pirates or marauding tribes bothering to invade such a citadel, and that, I guess, is the whole point. Ancient Thira is one of the first re-settlements on Santorini, founded in about 7 BC after the island was deserted for about a thousand years following the huge volcanic explosion that buried the coastal city of Akrotiri in several metres of ash and rocks and rendered the whole island uninhabitable. Serving the homes were several temples, a gymnasium, agora, theatre and other buildings. All perched on a tiny flat space on the second-highest point of the island. A monastery now stands on the highest point, but nowadays it is served by a road.

And the ancient city was amazingly advanced for its era, with painted frescos, gold ornaments, complex two-storey buildings and a sewer system and quality pots and grinding stones. Not bad for the bronze age.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akrotiri_(Santorini)



Houses crammed on the cliffs

 Still the tradition of building on steep rocky spaces continues today with shops, cafes, apartments and hotels appearing to be competing to find the steepest, most precipitous spot to build on the gravity-defying cliff of the caldera – the steep inside cliff of the still-active volcano rim that is Santorini. The laneways and steep, winding staircases that serve these buildings are too narrow for traffic and offer the most spectacular of views of the brightly painted blue, white and pastel-rendered and dome-roofed churches and properties clinging to the black cliff above the azure-blue Aegean below, and beyond that a sea filled with endless islands punctuating the water to the horizon and disappearing into the mist. Predictably, property prices for these view-blessed buildings have sky rocketed since tourists, photographers and artists discovered and popularized the place in the past few decades, and visitors now pay a premium for enjoying a beer, meal or even a glass of water anywhere that offers caldera views.

Ironically, the views across the ‘flat’ side of the island are nearly as enchanting – although not so dramatic – and prices there are far more reasonable. Guess where we stayed?



cute shops

As explained in my last entry, we’re currently at the mercy of our Turkish travel agents re: choice of accommodation, and arrived with two other Australian couples – one paying 2-star prices and one paying 5-star. All were delivered to the same hotel, so understandably, the mum and daughter Shirley and Dee, who are paying twice what we are per day, were not impressed. Being in the hospitality industry themselves (restaurant at Maroubra) they complained long and loud and finally got transferred to a rather fancy place a bit further out of town. They were with us at the Hotel from Hell at Bodrum, so not surprised they were mad!



Our balcony and view

We were happy enough with our blue-and-white room in a blue-and-white hotel with its blue-and-white pool next to our blue-and-white balcony. Still falls short compared to some more modest backpacker joints, but nice view, good location and ok staff.

However the driver, Vasili, who kindly stayed up til nearly 2am to collect us from the late ferry and who we have since spent many hours chatting with, believes the island is too full of people putting too much importance on money instead of providing good service. Still, with 2-3 cruise ships arriving each day while we were there (rising to 10-12 a day in high season), each disgorging several thousand tourists to the island, all with pockets full of cash looking for somewhere to spend, who can blame them? After all, the island completely closes down in winter (it was only just kicking into gear when we were there; an awful lot of empty pools and streets smelling of fresh paint) and islanders are left to battle the fierce winter winds and harsh, infertile soils on their own again, so why not make hay when the sun shines? Plus it’s hard to treat travelers as individuals when they arrive in such large numbers.

Having said that, we met some lovely locals who were very kind and delivered excellent service, so we were either lucky or came at the perfect time of year. Not too hot – we swam but the water was ‘fresh’ – and probably variable weather, but the sun shone for our two-day stay, so no complaints.

Red Beach

We hired a 125cc scooter for two days and explored the many nooks and crannies, such as the archaeological dig revealing the lost city of Akrotiri, and ancient Thira (which was, ironically, closed for the afternoon so we climbed the adjacent slope and looked down on it instead!), the various beaches (black, red and white, depending on what sort of volcanic rock makes up its hinterland) , an underground wine cellar and museum, regular farming villages and the touristy destination of Oia, which sells itself as offering the best sunsets. All very lovely, although the local wine is ‘interesting’ – due to the harsh climate the vines are pruned and shaped into low wreaths with the new shoots on the inside, to create some protection from sand-laden winds. Yields are very low but favour quite complex, sweet blends, especially the Vin Santo, for which grapes are semi dried before crushing.

Vines trained into wreaths

Found a wonderful local restaurant tho – so good we went back again. Tried liver with thyme and white wine, Santorini sausage (very herby and not too fatty), yummy haloumi, delicious grilled mushrooms, stuffed calamari, cheese croquettes and lots of other meze stuff. Got a complimentary drink each night too – raki with honey and cinnamon one night and vinsanto the next. Yum.  

Now we’re on the ferry to Paros, which sounds a quieter island, and after that we’re off to Athens, where we’re rather dreading the hotel that gets fairly poor reviews on Trip Adviser. Dee and Shirley are booked in at the same time so will blaze a trail for us!

on wall of an art studio



John on his 125cc





Roadside shrine. Lots of them.



Looking down over Fira from ancient Thira



Cheap is cheerful

We’re sitting by the pool watching the sun set and if the scrub-covered hills catching the dying rays were the only sights on our horizon it would be perfect but, as it is, we’re looking out onto a pool where the waterslide is dry, the muddy pool deck is being used as a parking lot and the garden in front of our small terrace is full of glass and weeds s, sadly, the reality of the image just falls short. 



Enjoying an Efes beer at the rootfop by Efes (Ephesus)



Such is life in middle-range hotels that charge international prices but can’t quite get their heads around international standards. So we have aircon but you have to pay extra to use it; the website offers free shuttle service but when we asked for a lift to the ferry we were told ‘you walk’; an ensuite is provided but no shower curtain so it floods with every shower; there are mini toiletries and the toilet paper is folded but there is no hot water; the beds are nicely made but only with a sheet – no blanket is provided. And the ‘village breakfast’ proved fairly meager compared to every other breakfast we’ve had – and all this at the most expensive place we’ve stayed at so far.

Until now we’ve stayed at local ‘pension’ and family-run guest houses and they’ve been great. All very individual but clean, basic, good value and reliable, often with guests sharing a family table or rooftop area for breakfast so plenty of opportunity to meet other travelers and the owners, and a ‘help yourself’ mentality when it comes to making tea and coffee or swapping books etc.

Tonight – and for the next eight days – we’ll be at slightly different accommodation that will cost a bit more but, to be frank, threatens to not be as good.

The reason is long and complex but started with some ‘suspicious’ activity on our credit cards. Our bank recommended stopping the card and, to cut a long story short, we ended up facing a long weekend in Turkey without access to cash.

So we picked an easy way to keep moving on – use my backup credit card to pay for the ferry trips and accommodation between Turkey and Athens. Simple. Only travel agents choose different sorts of accommodation to what we’d pick for ourselves, which Is why we’re looking out at a car park centred around a pool.

Antiques at Selcuk market.

This is Bodrum, a three-hour bus ride south of Selcuk, which is a lovely, colourful town with heaps to see. The Saturday market was full of cheap clothes, touristy stuff, some wonderful antique bric a brac and piles of fresh vegetables, all brought in by farmers on their tractors. Most of Selcuk’s streets are lined with orange trees, so the air is full of the most amazing perfume, too.

Fruit stalls at Selcuk market.

Bodrum, by contrast, is a total tourist-ville.



Bodrum from the mediaeval castle.



It’s very pretty, all set around a gorgeous bay with white houses right down to the waterfront and featuring a massive castle that was built by the Knights of St John (and used as a base for their piracy) before they were run out of town by the Ottomans. There’s a Roman amphitheatre and Don Quixote-style windmills on the hills, too, but the quaint, narrow lanes of the old town are packed with tourist shops now – trendy clothing shops, pricey restaurants, souvenir rubbish and bars. Lots of bars. Our hotel alone had three. And lots of boisterous young Brits, French and Scandinavians, all pink from rushed sun-worship and baring way too much flesh for most of the locals’ comfort. Or mine, for that matter.



Mediaeval glassware recovered from shipwrecks at Bodrum



Apparently a lot of foreigners – especially English – buy homes in Bodrum and the seafront is packed with expensive boats, but most of them look Turkish, so the local cruise trade must be fairly healthy. It was actually relatively quiet when we were there (apparently – seemed hectic to us) and certainly all the venues seemed to be gearing up for a huge increase in numbers, so it must be heaving in summer.



Amphorae at Bodrum castle museum



Anyway, we enjoyed the sights, explored some back streets, toured the castle (which is now a museum holding underwater artefacts, most discovered by sponge divers), had dinner at a waterfront restaurant, and were happy to leave on the 9.30am ferry to Kos.



Fisherman mending his nets, Kos



Bodrum proved to be a good introduction to Kos, which relies heavily on the tourist industry as well, but with a slightly more laid-back approach. (Bodrum also has heaps of blue and white buildings and both have been enjoyed alternating Greek and Turkish/Ottoman rule over the eras). The restaurant touts are slightly less aggressive in Kos and more locals are out enjoying the sun and getting on with their fishing or other businesses, not all tourist-related. Despite hearing such dire reports about the Greek economy, Kos at least seems fairly immune. Business appeared good in Turkey, but there are more signs of wealth in Greece: most taxis in Kos are Mercedes (not sure we saw a single Merc in Turkey), there are some very expensive motorbikes being driven around town, the locals seem more part of the holiday lifestyle than observers, and we didn’t see any beggars. The cats, however are ever-present and just as grubby.



Tourist 'road train' around Kos town.



Dropping off our bags at the ferry terminal, we decided to join the hedonists for the day and, after a quick tour of the town on a tiny ‘train’ that drives a circuit of the main ruins and sights, we ate, drank, sat on the beach and relaxed. Even went for a swim in the chilly but enticingly blue Aegean – the first time the water’s looked clean enough to go in.

Kos is very picturesque with the blue and white buildings, cute fishing boats along the harbor and flowering trees and pot plants everywhere. The air is full of the scent of honeysuckle and a type of frangipani, and the sound of a dozen different languages.

Despite the hour’s ferry ride from Turkey, from Kos you can still see the individual houses on the Turkish mainland, which is probably less than 1km away.

Leaving on the 8.30pm ferry to Santorini tonight, we finally bade farewell to our last views of Turkey and it seems appropriate that a crescent moon and single evening star were hanging in the sky,

Town lights as we leave Kos on the ferry.

Things we will remember from Turkey

Merhaba (hello – about the only word we truly mastered).

Bus journeys are much better when you have a ‘host’ serving free drinks and snacks.

Poppies make any collection of wildflowers look magical.

Honking can be a form of communication, not a sign of road rage.

High petrol prices deliver great public transport.

Cats will eat Muesli bars if they are hungry enough.

No Euro means cheaper prices.

When someone appears to pour washing up liquid on your hands, they’re being polite; it’s handwash.

Turkish people wash their hands an awful lot.

Turkish coffee is not nearly as popular as Turkish tea.



Buying simit rolls at Selcuk market.



Turks don’t eat (what we call) Turkish Bread. But simit sesame rolls are yum.

The pink gunk that (UK confectioner) Fry covers in chocolate does not deserve to be called Turkish Delight.

More people should adopt cucumbers as a snack food.

The sewerage system might not have advanced much since the Roman times but you get used to anything.

 



Roman latrines. Modern ones have walls but lack views.



Hi-rise housing for storks on Selcuk aquaduct

Dinner by the water, Bodrum

Mediaeval graffiti at Bodrum castle, in the English tower.

Greek cats eat pepperoni. Turkish ones eat Muesli bars.



Rock-hopping over the millennia

Dolphins escorted our ferry as we sailed from Eceabat to Canakkale, then they veered off to herd up a school of fish. It’s only a 25-minute ride, and lots of school children and teachers appear to commute.

canakkale

Canakkale is an elegant port with a wide, paved esplanade running along the seafront and lots of outdoor cafes and bars – yes, the drinking laws are pretty relaxed and you’d barely know you were in a Muslim country, apart from the headscarves on many women aged over 40 (and most of those aged 60+) and the many mosques with daily calls to prayers echoing around the streets several times a day.

We stayed at a quiet pension run by a single woman. Since leaving Istanbul, we’re payed on average 70 Turkish Lira for a double room including breakfast, which is generally yogurt, sometimes fruit, but always cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh bread (sliced vienna-style loaves or round ‘simit’ pretzels with sesame seeds on top) and jams (quince, cherry, apricot, strawberry are the most common, but we’ve had fig and rose and orange as well). But we have heard of hostels charging as little as 17 lira ($10) with dinner included as well.

Tea and coffee are often free as part of a meal, but the coffee is most often Nescafe and the tea is usually strong black, although apple is also popular. In the spice market they had sage, jasmine, linden, and rose teas, as well as herbal mixes that claimed to help stomachs (specifically what I’m not sure) sleeping, stress etc.

Black apricot

Nuts and dried fruits are sold everywhere too. We bought black apricots yesterday – apparently that’s the natural state when they’re dried. They certainly taste heaps better than the orange-coloured ones.

So in Canakkale we just wandered around and soaked up the street sights, which was fun but unremarkable – except for the giant Trojan horse on the seafront. It’s the fibre-glass replica that was built for filming the Hollywood version of Troy, and will one day be part of a Troy museum. However, we decided not to go out to Troy itself, as no-one could tell us much good about it. Apparently there’s only a couple of city walls still standing – the rest was removed by an early German archaeologist and from there snaffled to Russia, where it’s the subject of a legal dispute. Between Germany and Russia, mind you – Turkey doesn’t get a look-in.

From Canakkale we took a bus south to Bergama (35 Lira/$20 and four hours). Only we think it was running late cos it dropped us on the main road at the Bergama turn-off! Luckily a cab (taksi!) came by almost immediately and we shared a ride with two Canadian girls out to a lovely guest house where they had a booking and we found a room.



under the stormy skies at Bergama



The girls, Katisse and Steph, proved a real find in themselves and we toured around the Akropolis with them the next day, too – great company. While they’re both only 18, they were amazingly mature for their age and have travelled heaps with school exchanges to NZ, band tours of China, volunteering in Cambodia and Ethiopia, and family holidays. They are both originally from Yukon and will be travelling for two /one years respectively before returning to study – Steph to do Astrophysics and Katisse either medicine or law. Although Katisse would probably enjoy design more or becoming a buyer for a clothing company or store – but felt it would be too commercial and not philanthropic enough. Ahem. Nothing pedestrian about those two. But wonderfully down to earth and fun with all their serious, respectful views of the world. Quite refreshing and names to watch out for, I feel; they will go far.

As usual, the people we’ve been meeting are equally as interesting as the places we’re going. Many Aussies, Americans, Canadians, and some Brits. Bus-loads of Japanese and Korean at the better-know places, but conversation is out, both cos of language barriers and the ‘big group’ phenomenon.

Should write a column about this

As for Akropolis, even the 2-3 downpours that left us soaked couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm. It is a marvel of engineering craft, landscaping, archaeological exploration and beauty. To see such millennia-old antiquities just lying around on the hillside where they once formed such a magnificent city is awe-inspiring. And humbling. And I love the casual way the remains are displayed, with minimal fencing (or signage) so you can literally go rock hopping across Doric and Ionian columns and carved marble blocks that date back to 3,000BC.

Amazingly fine pottery statues

To escape the rain yesterday afternoon, we spent an hour or so in the museum, which holds all the finer pieces from the many local sites (the Akropolis is the biggest and best known but there are about 6 others). It was, again, quite remarkable in the quality of the pieces on display – and the way you could touch all but the smallest, most precious jewellery and pottery, which was kept in glass cases.

NB Snake motif on pillar

 Today we explored an ancient healing centre, originally built in the pre-Roman, Hellenic era, but extended in Roman times, especially Hadrian’s rule. Legend has it that the idea for using snake ‘milk’ to cure snake bites was conceived at this hospital, and that the use of a snake as a symbol for medical services dates from that.

Interestingly, much of the treatment centred around warm baths, herbal teas, massage, sunbathing and interpretation of dreams. But a sign above the main entry read “Death Shall not Enter Here’ – so terminally ill patients and pregnant women were not allowed to enter! Not sure what that says about the prognosis for pregnancy.

wildflowers - campanulas?

I’m typing this on a bus down to Selcuk (via Izmir, site of much fighting in the most recent Turkish-Greek wars), where we’ll visit the ruins of Ephesus, and possibly take a ferry across to Samos. The road is suddenly lined with Eucalyptus trees, so not sure of the reason for that – we’ve not seem them before, although I’ve been loving the spring meadows around the ruins filled with chamomile daisies, peas, geraniums, mallows, poppies, anemones, rosemary, sage, parsley-type plants, wild celery (or angelica?), fennel, wild brassicas and a zillion other colour plants that I can’t name but are familiar as weeds in Australia!

Now in Selcuk – and ‘stuck’ here for a few days while the bank sorts out some issues with our Visa card (which has been stopped due to some irregular activity – great that they picked it up but now we cannot access our accounts. Bring back travelers cheques, I say…)

Mehmet the cool carpet salesman

Ephesus was as amazing as we’d been told. The marble roads especially were amazingly well preserved and the huge library built on a scale that suggests the whole town must have been incredibly grandiose.

Sat in the shade to rest for a minute and started picking through the bits of rock on the ground only to discover most of the terracotta shards were fragments of pottery, probably anything from 1500-5000 years old. Reminded me of picking up opals shards in the main street in Coober Pedy.

Weaver choosing colours for a new carpet

It’s a very laid-back town. Even the carpet salesmen are easy going. We had a look around the local carpet-making co-op yesterday (the government provides free training to women who want to learn the craft, and adds incentive by offering free health insurance to their families while they’re studying or weaving) – love the natural wool dyes they use.

The ‘teacher’ was making a silk rug and it was amazing watching her deft fingers flying between the tightly packed strings – impossible to see how she could tell which strings were right for which colour, and then work out the pattern in her head, too. Incredible.

But we said we didn’t want to buy a carpet and sales man was happy to give us a lift the 3km up to Ephesus instead. For free. Wonder how many Australian salesman would do that?

 Right – we’re off to the Saturday market.

More pix to follow…..

Marble road with library building below

I want one in my garden. Plus chamomile lawn.

Poppies and daisies

Temple of Zeus site - building is in Berlin. Robbed!

NS child-friendly roof overlooking Red Basilica, Bergama

Amphitheatre, Bergama Akropolis

King of the Dumpster, Bergama

Palace area, Akropolis. John throwing coin for luck

Lounge room, Bergama guest house

Looking down to temple site, Bergama Akropolis

Roman fresco, Bergama museum