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Published: December 10th 2006
Snow in Istanbul
Falling on the Aya SofiaThe latter part of my stay in Istanbul brought me chronologically from the Byzantine era into modernity. I wrote about all of the major sites I visited last time. I pick up on Saturday morning when I had to rub my eyes when I looked out the window. Was I really seeing what I was seeing? I had to open the window and stick my hand out to make sure it wasn't some strange illusion. Yes, in fact, it was true! It was snowing! In Istanbul. Surprising to an American who thought that Turkey was always hot and tropical, the Turks were not at all impressed. Though perhaps a little early in the season, snow in winter here is no cause for alarm for the locals.
My friend from Istanbul, Sinan picked me up with hislovely girlfriend Ela, and took me on a tour of a more chic, modern quarter of Istanbul, which is located a few miles north along the West coast of the Bosphorus strait from where I was staying. This is one of the neighborhoods where the successsful, young population of Istanbul hangs out, with hip restaurants and cafes, and even (American audiences will be relieved) Starbucks.
My Gracious Hosts
Sinan, Ela and Me in a cafe overlooking the Bosphorous That evening, he invited me to join him for a big group dinner for his friend Deniz's (I hope that's right) birthday at a high end Italian restaurant near his house. The food was excellent, the cost, not dissimilar to New York. Sunday, I wandered around the Beyoglu neighborhood, which is generally modern. I climbed the Galata tower, which offers spectacular views of the waterways around Istanbul, and then walked up the once-chic Istiklal Cadessi, now listing towards the seedy side, the fancy shops having moved north towards Sinan's area. The next day, I met Sinan and Ela at a remarkable brand new mall called Kanyon, which featured the most striking architecture I've ever seen in a mall, but suffered from an open air design plan, a bizarre choice for a city which has four months of winter and a blistereing summer. And it wasn't until I sat down in the movie theater that it occured to me that the Almodovar film we chose, with Turkish subtitles, would not make any sense to me in either available language. I spent the movie trying to summon up what few scraps of Spanish could be found in my head. In the end,
View from Galata Tower
This is looking Southwest, towards the junction between the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Note the impressive mosques across the water. I had a pretty good guess at the general outline of the plot, but I had to rely on Sinan for the finer details. I bade Sinan and Eva farewell, and left towards the south the next day.
On Monday Evening, I boarded an overnight bus for Selcuk (pronounced Selchuk). If you read my discussion of Indian buses from my last voyage, I'd like to give a little comparison. Turkish buses are highly organized entreprises, which adhere faithfully to schedules, and offer services reminiscent of an airplane, for prices that put Greyhound to shame. My 10 hour trip cost $28, a fortune in India, but probably one quarter of what you'd pay in the states. And definitely a more pleasant experience.
Not that I slept that night on the bus. I rarely am able to sleep on buses or airplanes. So I stared out at a moonlit landscape and squinted to discern shadowy features. The Aegean coast of Turkey is starkly beautiful, like Sicily: a rocky landscape studded by sharp limestone mountains and ridges, with groundcover consisting of bushes and the occasional tree. Olive trees grow well here, so olive groves are common, as are citrus trees -
Sultahahmet Mosque
Thought by some to be the greatest work of the legendary architect Sinan, after whom my friend Sinan is named. tangerines, lemons, various other forms of citrus fruit.
Selcuk is a small town that serves primarily as a launching off point for visiting the renowned ruins of Ephesus, the ancient capital of Roman Asia Minor. It is a very well-preserved and extensive ruin, with a staduim seating 25,000, some phenomenal private homes, and the state of the art in modern living for a Greek / Roman colony. What I found most compelling were the terraced houses, a fantastic excavation of the homes of wealthy Ephesians on a hillside, complete with gorgeous tile mosaics, paintings of philosophers such as Socrates, and even graffiti, scraped into the walls! I love archaeological sites where you can get a glimpse of daily life that went on amid the large scale public works that are so evident in these sites. I wasn't supposed to take pictures, but I turned off my flash and took a few anyway.
Selcuk itself is pleasant, but not spectacular. And, in mid-November, it gets pretty chilly at night. I made the mistake of selecting a hotel without heated rooms, and huddled in my sleeping bag at night. For those keeping track of the Dan cheap-o-meter, the cost of
Pera Palas Bar
The Pera Palas was once the hottest place to stay in Istanbul. It's where my parents stayed when they were here some thirty years ago. I can imagine my mom and dad there now... these austere accomodations was a mere 13 New Turkish LIRA (YTL) a night, about $9, including breakfast, pretty cheap for Turkey.
The next day, I visited an adorable little town recommended by my cousin Lily, called Sirince (pronounced Siringie). The name means pleasantness, having been changed from the name chosen by its inhabitants to deter visitors, Cirkince, meaning "ugliness". The new name definitely fits - Sirince is an almost-too-quaint-to believe rustic village on a hill, with stone paved streets too narrow and rugged for cars cut into the hillside, and goats and dogs wandering around. The main thing that reminds you that the place is real are the legions of stands in the center of town aggressively pushing tourist wares.
A 20 minute bus ride back to Selcuk, and I was headed south again, this time, to the seaside resort of Bodrum, near the Southwest corner of Turkey. It took three hours to get there, and when I stepped out at 8:00 at night, the weather was already noticeably warmer than Selcuk.
Bodrum is a seaside resort town, with bars and night clubs and a marina where people can moor their yachts. It's got two major sights:
Cooold
This cherry red coal-fired stove was a welcome addition to the center of Yeni Yeldiz, the kebab shop that I patronized. the Castle of St Peter, a fortress built by the conqueror Tamerlane around 1402, and the Mausoleum. The former is an expansive complex which served as an important military establishment in the Mongol invader's conquest of Turkey. The latter, from which the English word for a funerary structure is taken, was a dramatic classical greek building comemmorating King Mausolus of Halicarnassus, as ancient Bodrum was known. Alas, there is next to nothing left of it, as most of its building blocks were removed and incorporated into the afformentioned castle, or other buildings in Halicarnassus/Bodrum. The city was fairly empty and shut down, save a few British pensioners, who come there to retire and gaze out at the aquamarine waters of the Aegean Sea.
After Bodrum was Kas (pronounced "Kash") another, smaller beach resort town. It was more scenic and relaxed, with a pleasant town center and promenade, and a small marina. In the cliffs that squeeze Kas against the ocean can be seen the deeply mysterious and evocative rock cut Lycian tombs. However, checking them out takes all of half an hour, after which, there is little to entertain somebody as antsy as myself, so I decided to do
Greasy spoon, Turkish Style
This griddle shop was surrounded by throngs of locals, the best indicator of good food. Here, the chef whips up my egg, cheese and sausage sandwich. a little hike. I followed a steep trail up the hills that overlook the city to the cave that had been taunting me to visit it since I got to the town (18 hours ago). It was a fantastic hike, even in spite of the rain that started as I got near the top (fortunately, I came prepared). When I reached the top of the trail, I was surprised to see that on the other side was not a valley, but a flat plain, then more mountains rising still higher in the near distance. This was a fascinating geography lesson for me: the seaside towns in this region cling to the thin border of rock and soil that slough off the edges of the mountain range that rises out of the ocean in this area, while most of the land is much higher, more hilly and rugged.
After Kas, I went a few hours east to Olympos, a quirky and delightful little getaway, the kind that I think the world needs more of. It all started when a quirky Turk by the name of Kadir threw up a few treehouses in the forest of the town of Olympus, which
Selcuk
This aqueduct graces the central square of Selcuk. In the off season, old men played dominoes in the tables on the plaza. was little more than a road going to an ancient ruin. People came, and he put up more treehouses. Before he knew it, he had a bustling resort destination on his hands, with accomoations for 230 in rustic bungalows or bonafide treehouses. Dining is buffet style vegetarian served in the log-built lodge, quite delicious. Guests at Kadirs can choose from a wide variety of adventure sports to entertain themselves: rock climbing (what I did), scuba diving, trekking, snorkeling, plus many others which I have forgotten. A fifteen minute walk away lie the spectacular ruins of a Lycian city amid the dramatic, almost jungle-like pine forests next to the sandy Olympos beach. A short drive away from Olympos is Chimaera, a site where flaming gas jets shoot out of vents in the ground, a phenomenon which led the local inhabitants to believe that the Chimaera, set aflame by Zeus, was buried beneath the mountain there. Sadly, I didn't get to see this.
After a delightful two days in Olympos, I took another 12 hour night bus to Istanbul, where I prepared for my flight to Bangkok, Thailand, where I was going to continue my travels. I shall post my first
Ephesus Staduim
Behind me is the remarkable 25,000 person stadium of ancient Ephesus. Thailand entry shortly. Until then, I wish you all the best.
Dan
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Jessica
non-member comment
Hi Dan, Great news! I'm glad that you sent some stories - I was beginning to think that you had been taken hostage or something. Good luck with the Turkish toilets! Best, Jessica