Macedonian adventures

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Hello bloggers!

Since we last blogged we have travelled down the Turkish west coast through the Greek Islands and now up to Macendonia.

From Troy where the last chapter ended we continued south along the Turkish Mediterranean coast to Bodrim via Bergama and Selchuk. Bergama was inland somewhat and the site of a huge Roman archeological site complete with amphitheatres, arches, aquaducts and temples (all ruined) on top of a rather dramatic hill overlooking the town and surrounding valley. The countryside has been devistated by millenia of overgrazing, deforestation, and olive growing and more recently major drought. So all in all very bare and dry. Certainly not the landscape the Romans would have enjoyed with forests, elephants, bear, lion and the like! At Selchuk are the ruins of one of the greates Roman cities (Ephesus for those who know their ancient history) recorded in the Bible. The ruins there were quite spectacular with entire buildings almost intact (restored to some degree)... a whole city of streets, baths, toilets, libraries, market places, amphitheaters, homes and businesses. Quite amazing to walk around and imagine that nearly 2000 years ago people wearing funny white sheets walked the same roads! But again as with the rest of the coast very dry and bare these days.

Bodrim to the south was a nice change, a respite from the dry, with its beautiful port full of yachts and fishing vessels. Great beaches for swimming - the water turquoise, clear and cool. We took a day trip along the coast in a traditonal Turkish two masted yacht (not that they put the sails up!) and stopped for swims along the way. From there we took a ferry to Kos (a Greek island just 5km from the Turkish coast) and then across to Syros in the Cyclades. Both interesting and not so touristy islands worthy of the a day or two of our time in each. We then spent an enjoyable 4 days on Mykonos, probably the most touristy and expensive of the islands and for a reason - beautiful old town with wiggly streets (really only walkways) designed to confuse the pirates of old (and the tourists of new). We walked every evening down to the main promenade and never worked out how to get there the same way or back... sometimes it took us 5 minutes others over half and hour. We reinstated our vagrant status by being refused service at a restraunt and had to leave. No Jacqui wasn't smelly or rude - we were it seems in a rather posh place on the waterfront (not that you would pick it!) with a seafood attitude that wouldn't serve vegetables. We did,however, have a lovely little room with views of the Med and the passing yachts and a tiny little verandah. Had one day in Paradise which was very exciting for us - but cost us 12 euros (about $20) for the sun beds and umbrella!

From there we took the ferry to Ancient Athens - big, busy, polluted, dirty, crowded city with very little character apart from the obvious Acropolis on the hill. However, the site was difficult to see or enjoy as it was overrun with tourists (mostly grey nomads), scaffolding and temporary archeological study building structures. So just a day in Athens and then took the train to Thessaloniki - once the second capital of the Bzyantine empire and now the second largest city in Greece. The plan was to head to Skopje where we are now in the same day but we got to the Macedonian border only to be deported back to Greece under armed guard as Brian's vias had the wrong dates! So, at midnight we found ourselves cold and locked in a police compound with a few other unfortunate Aussies waiting for a broken down Greek train to come and get us - which it did about 2 hours later and take us back to Thessalloniki where we collapsed into a rather expensive room.

Having sorted the vias the next day we had to wait for the same train (talk about de ja vu!) at 8:00pm and undertake the trip again - this time successfully (apart for a rather drunk and abusive conductor who physically assulted the guy in our cabin for leaving a bag in the corridor of the carriage). Skopje (pronounced Skopea) does not have much to offer as it is only just emerging from a harsh communist run Yukoslavia and still trying to find it's own identity. The Greeks refuse to accept that it exists at all and on many occasions when trying to get here the Greeks told us "there is only ONE Macendonia and it is in Greece" and they "don't know of any other place called Macedonia" - despite it being their northern neighboring country! Infact they even forced trade sanctions when Macendonia peacfully became independant of Yogosavia and decided to call themselves the dreaded M word!

Anyway - from here to Lake Orhid tomorrow which we have been led to believe is a beautiful mountainous / lake region... we will let you know the reality!

Cheers
Jacqui and Brian.

P.S. Looks like we can't add photos this time... will try again soon.

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