Blogs from Selçuk, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East
Ancient Ruins, Purple Rain and the Fattest Cat in Turkey
Published: May 27th 2012Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Selçuk
May 24th 2012
Having seen all of the major sites at Gallipoli on my guided tour on tuesday, I then re-visited them all with my new German roommate Daniel on wednesday (16th May), so as to see everything at my own pace and in doing so hopefully gain a greater appreciation of each place - which we did by taking a minibus to Kabatepe and then walking from site to site; followed by the fifteen kilometre trek back to the hostel in Eceabat. Thursday morning I took a ferry across the Dardanelles strait to Çanakkale, followed by a bus five hours south to the city of Izmir; and then finally a smaller bus one hour further south to the town of Selçuk - the site of both the Roman ruins of Ephesus and one of the seven ancient wonders ... read more
October 4th 2011
Got up, packed up, had brekky, checked out and were dropped off up the road at the Pamukkale bus company's office. The man here was very friendly and chatty with us. Quite a few people waiting for the bus. Also chatted with an Australian Turkish couple who were here for holidays. He did his military service in Pamukkale about 30 years ago. At 9:30 the bus arrived and we all loaded up and away we went. This bus went all the way to Selcuk without having to change bur did still stop in Denizli and various other places along the way to pick up and drop off passengers. When we got to Selcuk otogar we disembarked and grabbed our luggage. A guy from the bus company asked us where we were staying. We said Hotel Bella ... read more
August 10th 2011
I went to Turkey to live there. For a long time. Maybe even a lifetime. And that didn't work out. I'm back in Kuwait now, teaching at the same international school I worked in from 2006-2008. More about that in the future. But some people have asked me to write about my life in Selçuk, near Izmir on the Aegean Sea, even though it wasn't technically a holiday. But, I wasn't working, so it sort of ended up being a holiday after all. Originally I wanted to open a business there, but after a few months, I figured out that wasn't at all what I wanted. So in December I decided to go back to teaching internationally and started looking for jobs, knowing that a couple more years of teaching is all I can handle. I ... read more
July 18th 2011
We’ve had another day visiting building rubble. We visited the PMD ruins, properly known as Priene, Miletus and Didyma. These were 3 large cities close to Ephesus that existed at the same time as Ephesus. However, unlike Ephesus they don’t get much tourist traffic and so it is possible to have a reasonable wander around them without tripping over other people. They haven’t been excavated to the same extent as Ephesus and I think that the amount we were quoted was something like 2%. The first stop was at Priene which lies partly up a fairly steep and craggy hill. The main features of interest at Priene are the Temple of Athena and a theatre. The Temple of Athena sits in a position on the hill with good views out over the surrounding plain. There ... read more
July 17th 2011
Well, we’ve just “done” Ephesus and so I thought that I would write up the last few days before I become too confused. Our trip from Pamakkule was uneventful to the extent that we both spent parts of it asleep. We were in a minibus and while they are air-conditioned they still seem a bit warmer than big coaches. The bus trip itself was less interesting, travelling along a major highway with little in the line of interesting scenery. On arrival we found our hotel easily, but our check-in didn’t go as smoothly as previously - the hotel owners did not have a record of our booking. Luckily, Deb was able to show them a copy on her laptop and so all turned out OK in the end. It was about lunchtime when we arrived, but ... read more
July 17th 2011
Day 13: Today we were off to see the ruins that lie in Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. Before you read the little bit of history I can offer I would like to inform you that it was so ridiculously hot that I wasn't really listening to the little guide but was instead more focused on finding what little shade there was. If I miss some information and you would like to know a little more once again you can do a little research on your own. Priene was our first stop. Strategically, this was one of the most fortified sites used to fend of the Persians around 350 BC. The entire town was designed to face the south so it received more sun in the winter time and less sun during the summer months. To the ... read more
July 16th 2011
Day 12: Today was a day of relaxation. We got up and went for a little boat ride; I like boats. We had a minor setback where the tour voucher was left in the hotel room; but, that was easily fixed by our tour company vouching for us at the docks. When we first got on the boat we didn't know what to expect because our original tour to Paragum was cancelled and this trip to Samos was our replacement option. It was about an hour before the boat left port and Terri and I both had no trouble drifting off into our little dream worlds while waiting for the boat to begin moving. Once the boat was underway I decided to go up and order some tea. What I haven't mentioned is that we are ... read more
May 3rd 2011
Yesterday we were shown round properties, mostly from the outside and were pleasantly surprised by the view from party roof house. Not an uninterrupted picture postcard, no sea view (it is 7Km away) but you can see the castle, the street, some mountains and plenty of sky. It is a varied view. Couldn't get inside though as owner in Bodrum. In the afternoon we went to Kirazli where we were made very welcome and given good advice from people who live there and write blogs. On the way back I got a haircut and Ashley got a shave. I badly needed a haircut and I am happy with the result. We ate in again and took a few beers in Deniz bar which is where we usually go when we are here. Today I went and ... read more
May 1st 2011
We have arrived safely in Selcuk. The first night in Istanbul we had a few beers in Just Bar and at in Oceans 11. In the mornng we went to the Harley dealership where we discovered the prices of new Harleys in Turkey - unaffordable - even with the tax break. Second hand remains possible though, naturally, the dealerr was not so keen. We spent a very pleasant afternoon with Hassan - he will send us a carpet in Selcuk when we have an address. We spent another pleasant evening but did not eat in Oceans 11 as the portions are so huge. Took the bus to Izmir yesterday, travelling with Varan. We left Istanbul at 09:30, crossed the Marmara by ferry and arrived in Izmir at 18:30. We were offered drinks about every hour - ... read more
April 22nd 2011
A short 5 hour drive up the coast to Selcuk and Atillas - our home for the next two nights. It was warm enough for tents so back to camping. Atillas is a great place run by Aussie-Turks and includes cocktails, good barbaques, and pool table. We're ten mins from Ephesus where we went for a wander today to see lots more ruins. In Selcuk town there's St Johns basicalla where John of John's gospel is buried. Also near by are the remains of two of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World - the Temple of Artemis in Selcuk, and the Mausoleum of Mausolus in Bodrum (originally Halicarnassus), both of which we didn't see :(... read more
