Kusadasi, Turkey.

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Monday May 13th, 2013. Kusadasi, Turkey.

Kusadasi is located on the western coast of Turkey. It is a resort town that attracts tourists from all over the world. The area was first settled by the Leleges in 3000 BC and subsequently has had a rich cultural history. Many ancient ruins can be found relatively close to the town; the most important being the famous Greek temple of Didyma, the Amphitheatre, Ephesus and Artemison which is known as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

We awoke this morning to find that it was tipping down with rain. We hadn't planned to do anything in particular today (having done all the ancient sites before) but had thought that a boat ride around the local islands would be nice - but not in this weather. We also noticed that there were 5 other cruise ships in the dock.

We went and had a posh breakfast and spent some time in the cabin hoping that the rain would subside. By noon it was obvious that the rain was not going to stop, so we decided to dress up in our fleeces and polythene rain macs and ventured ashore. We exited through the modern cruise terminal, stopping at an ATM to get some Turkish Lira. Directly opposite the cruise terminal there was a modern Tourist Information office where we picked up a map of the town. After scanning the map we found that the attractions in Kusadasi were as follows, Shopping, Shopping, Shopping, Beaches, more Shopping, Water Sports, Shopping, Boat Excursions, Shopping, Snorkeling, Shopping and a place called Pigeon Island.

We decided to head for Pigeon Island. We walked along the coast trying to avoid the puddles and splashes from the passing traffic. Pigeon Island (a.k.a. Guvercinada) is a small island, located close the the shore of Kusadasi and connected to the same by a causeway. The island is dominated by a Byzantium castle built on the sharp rocks. At the time of the Ottoman Empire it served as a forward check point against attacks during the Mora Rebellion. It is known as "Pirates Castle" by the locals because it was used to protect against attacks from pirates. The tower, which is built at the high point of the island served as accommodation for the guards. Today it serves as a tourist attraction.

We arrived at the castle entrance only to find that it was closed for renovations! We peaked through the heavy wooden gates and M spotted a couple with their brollies heading towards the exit. We waited as they passed through and tried to enter but were turned back by a workman. Another workman showed up in his car and said we could have 5 minutes as it was quite dangerous underfoot. We strolled around and took some pictures. Then we headed back towards the cruise terminal. On the way M got drenched by some bar steward who seemed to speed up and deliberately drive through the deepest part of the closest puddle to M (when he could quite easily have gone around it!).

We turned right up into the narrow Kusadasi streets following a large sign saying "BAZAAR". Big mistake! We got hassled all the way. "Come into my shop Madam/Sir" - they were selling everything from carpets and jewellery to leather goods, tourist tat and turkish delights. However by far the most prolific outlets were those selling the "genuine" fake designer watches. We braved it for a few minutes and M even had a look at some genuine fake watches. We even gave up on that when the price was revealed at over 50 quid for a really gaudy looking fake item.

We returned to the ship, had lunch, and went to the quiz (finishing second). We went to see the 6.30 pm showing of HEAT which was another production by the Noordam Singers and Dancers. It was pretty good with music and dances reflecting different cultures around the world. The African segment was a bit off the mark but the rest was OK. We dined with Karen and Alan and then after dinner we all went to the Crows Nest bar where we polished off the bottle of red wine we had been given by the ship to compensate us for the problems we had with our shower and toilet at the beginning of the cruise.

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Photos

Entrance to the Castle
Pigeon Island

D in front of the Castle Tower
Pigeon Island

Inside The Fort
Pigeon Island, Kusadasi

Forlorn, Empty, Wet Tour Boats
Kusadasi Quay

The Turkish Coast
From Pigeon Island, Kusadasi