Blogs from Marmara, Turkey, Middle East
May 27th 2012
The first day was V ERY busy so events in piont form. Hotel Evsen reached by public transport from airport - metro first then a change to tram - helpful men at turnstiles - get tokens 2turkish lira each- machines gives change- insert red token and you are on your way. Each stop announced in turkish and english and scrolling info rolls inside the the tram wagon. If you have a map and familiarize yourself with the name of the end station of your route you are well on your way. No time for digs at Toronto Transit! Breakfast always eaten on the roof of the hotel and selection each day can be counted on being a repition of the day before .... eggs, sausage, carrot sauce, black and yellow olives, sliced cukes and tomatoes, bread, ... read more
May 26th 2012
After arriving in Istanbul the day before, we depart early in the morning for Bursa, but unfortunately catch the early morning rush hour. Istanbul, a city of over 10 million is on its way to work and we are caught up in the rush hour scramble. We leave Europe for Asia over the Bosphorus Suspension Bridge which was designed and built by the Brits and opened in 1973 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. Our trip south involves a short ferry trip across part of the Sea of Marmara. We are on the way to Bursa, which in 1326AD became the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. We reached Bursa by noon and had lunch in the centre of the silk market followed, in the afternoon, by visits to the ... read more
May 26th 2012
Lengthy 400km drive south stopping off at the ancient Roman town of Sardis, which prior to the Roman occupation, was capital of the Lydian empire. We crawled over the ruins and remains of the Temple of Artemis, a Roman synagogue, bath, gymnasium and library. All very atsmospheric. Then on to Pamukkale, which is famous for its"cotton castle" being a dazzling white array of shaped travertine terraces. Adjoining the terraces is the remains of the ancient city of Hierapolis which was founded in the Hellenistic times. It was eventually ceded to the Romans but unfortunately the city was destroyed by an earthquake in AD60. It was eventually rebuilt but fell into decline with the fall of the Roman Empire.... read more
May 17th 2012
Five hours after leaving Istanbul (monday 14th May) I arrived in the small port town of Eceabat, which lies on the eastern edge of a long and slender peninsula that extends down from Thrace (European Turkey) and is separated from Anatolia (Asian Turkey) only by a narrow strait known as the Dardanelles. The reason for visiting this area would be instantly obvious to any Australian upon mentioning the name of the peninsula on which Eceabat sits: Gallipoli. For it was here in Gallipoli almost one hundred years ago that the Anzac legend was born. Sometime in early 1915, when the Great War was still in it's first year and Russia was doing battle with Germany over a vast front in eastern Europe, the Russians' sent a request to their British allies to gain control over the ... read more
May 16th 2012
Wednesday marked our final day in Istanbul. We took the opportunity to tick some final locations off of our list. We hopped on public transit (which is very easy to use in Istanbul) and travelled towards the water with hopes of catching a cruise on the Bosphorous. After some extended haggling, we managed to get a deal of 10 lira per person for an hour and a half cruise up and down the Bosphorous River that divides the European and Asian parts of Istanbul. The cruise provided excellent views of Istanbul from the water, as well as allowing us to see buildings and monuments we would not have otherwise been able to see. The weather proved nice for the first half of the cruise but the second half presented high winds, waves and heavy rain. Luckily, ... read more
May 15th 2012
First off, I would like to appologize for the lapse of blog entries over the last several days. Although the time at the Rixos has been fun filled and highly entertaining, a vacation at a 5 star resort does not really make for an interesting blog. However, here is a brief breakdown: The typical day consisted of Turkish Bath (steam room, sauna, Turkish Water Room, Shock pool and Relaxation Room), beach volleyball, water polo, ocean swimming and delicious food. We chartered a sail boat one afternoon to take 25 of us on a tour of the local coves and beaches. One particularly interesting night was when a smaller group of us went into Bodrum to watch the Turkish championship football (soccer) match at a bar. This game was of particularly high importance as the two team ... read more
Mosques & Minarets - Seven days in the City of Seven Hills
Published: May 22nd 2012Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul » Sultanahmet
May 14th 2012
Well what a difference seventy-two hours can make: Friday evening I'm finishing work at the Ben Mhor Hotel in Grantown-on-Spey (in the Highlands of Scotland), and by monday afternoon I'm touching down in Istanbul, the former capital of both the Byzantine (Roman) and Ottoman (Turkish) empires. And if ever my inner traveller needed some shock therapy to awaken me from my self-imposed slumber, finding myself in the centre of a city with as many mosques as my most recent home town had people (around 2000 in all) - and with a population of around sixteen million people (and at least as many stray cats) - was sure to do the trick. For those unfamiliar with Istanbul's history, legend has it that the city was founded by a Greek colonist named Byzas in 657BC - hence the ... read more
May 10th 2012
Today the UBC Mining Research Field Trip had another early start, leaving an approximately 7am. Following the 2-3 hour drive, the group arrived at Soma Coals open pit and underground operations. After a winding road to site, we received the nice surprise that we would be provided the opportunity to go underground and see their long wall operations. The tour schedule included: underground operations, open pit operations and quick overview of the wash plant. Upon entering the site, it was clear from the lack of organization and overall atmosphere that this mine paled in comparison to those visited previous. However, we did receive full safety gear from the mine for the underground portion. The underground infrastructure proved to be an interesting experience. The floor of the drifts were littered with pot holes, deep puddles, larger cobbles ... read more
May 8th 2012
The day began as most others, at around 7am for breakfast. I would have to say the Turkish tea is growing on me quite a bit. The tour planned for today was for Eldorado’s “EFEMÇUKURU” operation. The ride to the mine was fairly short, approximately 1.5 hours through the rural foothills surrounding Izmir. A wrong turn found us in a small village of approximately 700 people on top of one of the large hills and they definitely had not seen a tour bus full of white boys. After getting quick directions, we were back on our way to the mine. As we approached, it was hard to believe that there was a mine in this area. The foothills are covered in pristine Turkish Vineyards and untouched nature. As always, the rural Turkey did on disappoint. The ... read more
May 6th 2012
Day:….Day Off! Today was deemed a day off for everyone (including our driver and tour guide). With the temperature in the high 20’s and blue skies everyday so far, the majority of us decided we wanted to swim in the Mediterranean. Our tour guide suggested a nice beach in a small town approximately 1.5 hours by public transit…let the adventure begin. Public transit in Turkey, specifically Izmir, is surprisingly good. However, it only took 22 Canadians with no Turkish vocabulary and no preparation to throw the whole system off. After a volley of hand signals, maps and pointing, we figured out the system. In order to reach the beach, we had to take one public transit bus and one coach bus. About mid way through the travel, we were told by several international English teachers from ... read more
