Blogs from Didyma, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East

Geo: 37.3756, 27.2678 GÜN 04 GÜNLERDEN PAZAR: Uçağımız saatinde indi Bodrum'a .. Turhan hocam bizi DAF'ın Kurtlar Vadisi modeli ile karşıladı .. Doğru Didim'e … Biraz alışveriş ve nihayet Judith Hanım ( teknenin adı ) kollarındayız . Biraz toparlandık… Hava trışka .. ( terminolojide böyle demiyorlar ama ben böyle diyorum ) Yakıt alıp yola çıktık . Pompacı 200 liralık mazot almamıza çok bozuldu Bu paraya hortumu uzatmaya değmez. durup dururken iş çıkarttık çocuklara.. Hangi bidona dolduracaksınız ? falan dediler Anlayın ki buraya yanaşıp yakıt alan tekneler arasında esamemiz dahi okunmaz. Bizim bir seyahatte yakacağımızı, herifçioğlu liman dışına çıkana kadar harcıyor..... read more

That's Priene, Miletus, and Didyma for the uninitiated. These are 3 more ancient Greek sites not nearly as famous, crowded, or expensive to visit as the renowned Ephesus to the north. Accommodation and food Even though most people visit PMD from Kuşadası or Selçuk, I decided to stay in Didim as I thought it would be convenient to see the sites and continue south to Fethiye. I unexpectedly ended up in Altınkum which is the beach resort of Didim located about 6 kms from the ruins at Didyma. It didn't really matter as I barely spent any time awake at the hotel. I arrived in the early evening from Bergama, toured the ruins the next day, and took an early morning bus to Aydın where I would connect to Fethiye. Booking.com had a good deal for ... read more

Today we visited Priene, the first planned city in the ancient world. From the parking lot, it was quite a hike straight up before we finally reached the ruins. The first site we went to was the theater. Once again, the drama teacher in the group put on a little performance and he did not disappoint. The next location was the Sanctuary of Athena. Several columns have been rebuilt, but scattered all around are the remaining sections and it almost looks like an overgrown, oversized pumpkin patch. One of the most impressive qualities about the Sanctuary of Athena has nothing to do with the actual remains or the size of the temple, but with the natural location of this site. It is high up and it overlooks the most fertile land in Turkey. Behind the Sanctuary, ... read more

Today we headed for Priene and Miletus. Once important seaports, they’re both several kilometers from the Aegean because the river Menderes has been depositing silt and building up the shoreline. Note my referral of the Harbour Monument in Miletus. On the way we drove past Kusudasi and saw the beautiful vacation homes and cruise ships docked in the harbor. The Aegean looked wonderful, with islands just offshore. Priene is south of Selcuk, located on the craggy slopes of Mt Mykale. It was important around 300 BC. There we climbed a lot of steep paths and stairs. I forgot to mention that in earlier times the folks must have been very tall. The rise of these stairs is unbelievable! It was sunny and hot especially after all the climbing but so worth it. Hope you’re not bored ... read more

Today has been fantastic. We went out riding. There were some great roads, wide and winding through mountains, able to go fast enough to stay cool. I got stung by a wasp through my t-shirt, my leather was open, but that is no big deal. We managed to visit 4 ancient sites. Magnesia which we came to by chance, and the three planned for, Didim because of the fantastic Apollo oracle, Miletus because it is there and interesting, and Pirene to take in the stunning views and position, and the proper theatre. Needless to say we took lots of pictures. More words on each below. Magnesia: We didn't know it was there but when we saw it flash past we decided to visit. The man on the gate promised to watch the jackets and helmets so ... read more