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Published: August 25th 2005
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Inspired by Fileas Fogg, I've maintained my hectic pace through Turkey and Greece, changing cities every day or two and often sleeping on trains, busses or boats so that I can see more during my precious days. Other travelers sometimes shake their heads when they hear my itinerary, but their objectives may be different. For me, this is not really a vacation. I am applying as much energy and effort as this rare opportunity deserves. Nor am I trying to see everything as though this were my last trip. I am developing a clear idea of where I would like to return and spend more time, and what I'm glad to have seen once. I do plan to slow down when I get to Italy where there is so much to see - but that’s for the next edition.
Watch my
Turkey VideoBlog !
ISTANBUL (A.K.A. CONSTANTINOPLE, BYZANTIUM) This city seems to strike just the right balances: fairly clean yet colourful, exotic yet friendly, ancient yet cosmopolitan. And few if any cities have a more interesting place historically or geographically. Straddling Asia and Europe and strategically controlling sea traffic between Black Sea and the Mediterranean, it thrived culturally and economically
as the capital of successive empires while the West slipped into medieval mediocrity.
One of Istanbul’s most impressive buildings (photos) is the AD 537 Aya Sophia Basilica. It’s ingenious dome proved to be slightly too ambitious, falling in an earthquake only 20 years later. There is no truth to the rumour that the fatal flaw was in trying to make the stone roof retractable. Emperor Justinian had a new and improved dome installed (at great public expense) a few years later and this has passed the test of time, although it’s definitely not retractable and I wonder if the citizens are still paying for it after 1500 years.
I was pleased at how well I adapted to the warm climate during the first half of my trip. On my first morning in Istanbul, I left the hostel dressed in my usual T-shirt, light trekking pants and sandals (my running shoes became toxic waste after my first week in Vietnam). But the temperature was not 42C like my first day in Cairo, nor a refreshing 32C, not even a chilly 22C. It was 12 degrees and what a shock! At least I was glad to justify lugging my warm
clothes for 2 months through the tropics.
CAPPADOCIA (I DIG YOUR APPARMENT - JUST GIVE ME A SHOVEL) What a weird and wonderful place this is, with fantastic gnome-capped houses carved out of obscene rock formations. It’s a cave-lover’s subterranean paradise, if such a thing is possible. I spent a couple days hiking around the town of Goreme where even the hotel and hostel rooms are in caves (photos galore).
These badlands were the cradle of Christianity in the first few centuries AD, a time when Christians were used as lion food back in Rome. This is where St. Paul established the first Christian communities among the Hittites and where St. Basil invented monasteries and masses, and defined the early doctrines that would become the Catholic Church.
Early Christianity was literally an underground movement here. Monasteries and churches were carved out of the porous rock, so that they would be undetected by marauding roman soldiers. Eventually, entire cities were constructed under ground as emergency refuges for thousands of Cappadocians (photos).
PAMUKALE & EPHESUS Ruins are becoming something of a theme on this trip (a reflection of my finances?) Pamukale’s Roman ruins sit atop a spectacular snow-white
calcium mountain with terrace pools of hot turquoise water. This really has to be seen to be believed (photos).
Ephesus is an ancient Roman city on the Aegean coast of Turkey where the Apostle John and the Virgin Mary lived out their final years. The ruins at Ephesus are interesting because they are of an entire city, not just temples or tombs. The Romans were obviously into durability, building marble latrines to last millennia (photos).
IMPRESSIONS OF TURKEY I did not expect Turkey to be this enjoyable or this varied. In fact I know almost nothing about the country except for the history of Istanbul, so I suppose I was bound to be surprised. I saw fascinating cities like Istanbul, incredible geology in Cappadocia and Pamukale, palm trees along the turquoise Aegean Sea and tangible history everywhere. The people are as friendly as anywhere I’ve visited and, although there are hustlers trying to sell things in the street, they always respect a polite “No, thank you”. Turkey has been one of the highlights of my trip so far and at the top of my list of places to revisit.
GREECE Watch my
Greece VideoBlog !
Can you spot the price?
"duck" tape I bought to fix a tent pole. I have not come close to doing justice to this country, racing though it in only 3 days. My sea route from Kusadasi, Turkey to Athens, Greece took me to the Greek islands of Samos and Mykonos, with just a few hours on each (photos). If beaches and quaint villages are your thing, then this is the place.
I had heard from other travelers that large and polluted Athens did not merit more than one day, so I limited my short visit to the pleasant Plaka district and the adjacent Acropolis. This may be why I was not as disappointed as some others seem to have been. The Acropolis is striking as much for its dominant location above the city as for the ruins themselves (photos). I am admittedly becoming a ruin snob, with all that I’ve seen.
L’INCROYABLE MONDE RAPPETISSANT Mon voyage entre le Caire et Istanbul avait une escale de plusieurs heures à Paris, assez de temps pour me promener en ville. Par hasard, j’ai rencontré un étranger québécois sur le train RER de l’aéroport au centre-ville.
Etranger : "Qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ?"
Moi : "Ingénieur en télécom."
Etranger
Turkish Money
5 million is a small bill! (peu fasciné) : "Ah, c’est fascinant! Il y en a deux dans mon club de canôt, peut-être tu les connais."
Moi (peu intéressé) : "Ah, c’est intéressant, mais il y en a beaucoup dans la région de Montréal, je serais étonné."
Etranger (pas découragé) : "Il y en a un qui s’appelle Paul Gratton"
Moi (étonné) : "C’est drôle, je le connais !"
Etranger (encouragé) : "L’autre c’est une femme mais je ne me souviens pas de son nom."
Moi (inspiré) : "Michèle Pelletier?" (une abonnée du Odyssey Update)
Etranger (encore plus étonné que moi) : "OUI, c’est elle !"
Ayant une amie en commun, on est allé prendre une bière ensemble à Paris.
THE CURRENT CURRENCY Won, Dong, Kip, Riel, Baht and Ringget are my friends now, not to mention Singapore, US and Canadian Dollars, Egyptian Pounds, Turkish Lira and the new kid on the block, Euro. I guess I can be excused for being confused sometimes. Turkish Lira edges out the Lao Kip for having the most zeros. See photos of the expensive duct tape I bought to fix my tent.
NEXT I’m in Italy now and I already have some death-defying adventures
to report for Odyssey Update 6.
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Leyla
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Great photos!
Just came back from Turkey this summer. Travelled all of Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus with my fiance and absolutely LOVED IT!!! Your photos are inspiring me to visit Greece next!