personal experience travel – Page 13

May 19, 2019

Return to Istanbul – Part 1

As I mentioned in my first post on my 2011 trip to Turkey, I have always wanted to visit Istanbul. It seemed like such an amazing, mysterious place and it did not disappoint. Too bad that, by the time we got back there after traveling around the country for a couple of weeks, I was sick as a dog. But sick or not I was determined to soak it all in and see everything I wanted to see.

We had an early morning in Bursa and, immediately after breakfast, took off for the coast to take a ferry across the Sea of Marmara to Istanbul. Although I sort of drifted in and out on the way to where we caught the ferry, once we were on the ferry I was wide away and stood at the front of the railing to take in all of Istanbul as it hove into sight.

Our first stop in Istanbul was the Hippodrome of Constantinople. This track for horse racing and chariot races was built in 203 AD when the city was called Byzantium. In about 324 AD, when Constantine the Great relocated the capitol of the Holy Roman Empire to Byzantium (it was soon renamed Constantinople), he enlarged the Hippodrome to accommodate 100,000 spectators.

The four gilded horses at St Mark’s in Venice were looted from this Hippodrome during the Crusades in 1204. It is believed that the horses originated in either Greece or Rome.

The Serpent Column in the middle of the Hippodrome was removed by Theodosius the Great from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. It was originally cast to commemorate the victory of the Greeks over the Persians in the Persian Wars of the 5^th century BC. It once had a golden bowl supported by three serpent heads at the top. All that is left now is the base.

In 390 AD, Theodosius the Great brought an obelisk from Karnak in Luxor (dating from about 1490 BC). He had the obelisk cut into three pieces when he moved it to Constantinople. Only the top section survives on a marble pedestal in the same spot where Theodosius originally placed the obelisk.

In 1453, when the Ottomans took over, they built over the Hippodrome. In the 1950s the area was excavated and where the track was has been indicated with paving. We had lunch at a café next to the Hippodrome before making a visit to the Blue Mosque.

Constructed between 1609 and 1616, the Blue Mosque is actually the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It was built on the foundations of the former Byzantine Grand Palace and got the name of the Blue Mosque because of its interior. It is decorated with thousands of ceramic tiles with the most prominent color being blue. The mosque also has six minarets. It is one of the few mosques that I have been able to visit that is still an active mosque. It is quite beautiful. Fortunately photography was allowed inside.

Next came a cruise on the Bosphorus. We started on the European side. One of the first places we saw was the 19^th century Dolmabahce Palace. This was where the Sultan and his family moved from Topkapi Palace. Topkapi was too old and not stylish enough in his opinion. The new palace was the largest in Turkey. We did not get to tour it. However, it is pretty much of a Victorian European style, so not terribly unique. The Sultan was trying to match his European counterparts.

Built in 1452 by Ottoman Sultan Mehment II, Rumelihiseri (also known as the Fortress of Europe) was originally built for an Ottoman siege on Constantinople. This fortress worked in tandem with the Anadoluhisari (Anatolian Fortress), directly across the Bosphorus (and at its more narrow point), to cut off all naval traffic on the Bosphorus. After the fall of Constantinople (which was then renamed Istanbul and made the new Ottoman capitol) this fortress was used mainly as a customs checkpoint and as a prison.

Immediately after it was built, Mehment used it to levy taxes on any ship using the Bosphorus. A Venetian ship decided to ignore the orders to stop and pay. They were immediately sunk, surviving sailors beheaded, and the captain impaled and used as a human scarecrow as a warning to all other ships.

The Anadoluhisari was built by Sultan Bayezid I in 1396-7 as part of his plan for a siege of Constantinople. The siege was interrupted by a crusade and then a period of turmoil for the Ottomans. After Mehment’s successful siege, this fortress also served as a customs house and as a military prison.

Shortly before we reached the end of the cruise, we passed by the Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. We would be spending the following day exploring these last two buildings and the Grand Bazaar.

That night, we were going out for dinner and entertainment, which included belly dancers. These were not the same type of belly dancers as in Egypt. They were the more common version that are seen in most movies and TV shows where belly dancers are featured.

Once again, I pretty much passed out for the night. I was really looking forward to seeing Haghia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. Both places were legendary and the main reasons why I wanted to visit Istanbul in the first place.

Roman mile post
Serpent Column
Obelisk
Roman marble base for obelisk
Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque arcade
Blue Mosque interior
Another view of interior
Yet another view of interior
Bosphorus cruise boat
Dolmabahce Palace
European side of Bosphorus
Fortress of Europe
Anatolian Fortress
Asian side of Bosphorus
Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia & Topkapi Palace
Belly Dancer

May 12, 2019May 12, 2019

Ankara, King Midas’ Tomb & Bursa

When leaving Cappadocia in the early, misty morning, we saw several balloons rising in the air to give tourists a balloon’s-eye-view of the area. Although I won’t hesitate to go up in a helicopter or small plane (as long as they are enclosed) I’m not a fan of going up in anything I could possibly fall out of. I won’t do outdoor observation platforms or narrow, swinging bridges across deep gorges either.

On our way to Ankara, the capitol of Turkey, we could see Hasan Mountain off in the distance. This is the second tallest mountain in Turkey, the tallest being Ararat. The photo I captured shows some snow-capped peaks roughly in the center of the photo that seem to be floating as the lower portions of the mountain are hidden by the mist.

Ankara, the second largest city in Turkey after Istanbul, became the capitol in 1923 at the end of the Turkish War of Independence. It is a very old city, however, with its origins dating back to the Bronze Age. A large number of artifacts from the area are housed at the fascinating Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The country now known as Turkey has also been known as Anatolia throughout most of its history.

There are some stone and bone tools dating back to the Palaeolithic Age (before 8000 BC). From the Neolithic Age (8000 – 5500 BC) is the oldest known cave painting in existence and a mother earth goddess figure. I have included photos of both with this post.

The museum is quite large with several items from pretty much every other period of history from the Chalcolithic Age, Early Bronze Age, Assyrian Trade Colonies, and Hittite Period. From the Phrygian Period they have King Midas’ skull and most of the pieces found in his tomb. There really was a King Midas; in fact there were three. Not sure which one was supposed to have asked Dionysus to give him the ability to turn everything he touched into gold. But the one whose skull and belongings are displayed in the museum in Ankara is considered to be the most important of the three.

They also have items all the way through history up to the modern era. Saw loads of swords, daggers, helmets, etc. There were some really cool looking feathered owl mask-like pieces that turned out to be something that would be placed over a severed head. That took them from cool to creepy.

We went to the Ataturk Memorial. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey (from 1923 to his death in 1938). He has an enormous memorial in Ankara. When we arrived there, a private service or viewing of some sort was going on inside of the mausoleum and the attached museum. We needed to wait outside for a while. It was very cold and pretty soon began to rain torrentially.

While waiting to get inside, we took photos and videos of what we could outside, including a changing of the guard ceremony. Once it began to pour, we cowered under a covered arcade (and behind a pillar) until we could get indoors. Once inside, we could take photos within the mausoleum itself, but not the museum. They had a large number of items from his life and even recreated some rooms from his home. They had several of his cars and carriages.

From there we entered the former Kingdom of Phryge to visit Gordion. This was where Alexander the Great “cut (or unraveled) the Gordion knot”, which was the equivalent of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. There were a large number of burial mounds including the largest of them all for King Midas (this is the Midas from the 8^th century BC). We had lunch near the tomb and then visited it and the museum next to the cafe where we had lunch.

Although it wasn’t raining and wasn’t quite as cold as it had been in Ankara, by this time I was not feeling at all well. However, I behaved myself while in the tomb, unlike King David’s in Jerusalem and King Tut’s in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. I didn’t lie down on any slabs (although I desperately needed a nap) or trip over anything. To be fair, although I missed seeing the step in David’s tomb and fell headlong against the gate separating women from the coffin, I don’t think it was at all my fault that the electricity went out when I was in Tut’s tomb, leaving me alone in the dark with Tut himself.

Midas was not in his tomb any more since he was in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The tomb was built of wood surrounded by a stone tomb with loose rocks in between the two enclosures. Then a mound of dirt and grass was over the stone tomb. It was different from any other tomb I have seen. I was really glad to be able to see and photograph it.

En route to the former Ottoman capitol of Bursa, we stopped off for a break at a Turkish coffee shop. Not a coffee drinker, I was glad to see they had hot chocolate.

When we arrived in Bursa, our tour director said to meet him in the lobby in 45 minutes (after we received our luggage and got ourselves a little settled in our rooms) to go on a walking tour of the old part of the city. I told him that I was not at all well and needed to go to bed. Bless his heart, he showed up at my door right about the same time as my luggage with some cough syrup with codeine, some antibiotics, some fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a gyro. The drugs could be purchased without a prescription in Turkey.

The room was a large corner room which was rounded with windows all the way around the two exterior walls. There was a large, round column in the middle of the room. It also had a small table and chairs for me to sit and have my dinner. Just outside of my windows was a statue of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman Gazi who lived roughly from 1257 to 1326. Once I had my dinner and took my drugs (including some cold tablets I brought with me) I went to bed and slept soundly.

Next time – back to Istanbul to actually tour the place.

Balloons over Cappadocia
Hasan Mountain
Cave painting
Mother earth goddess
Hittite sculpture
King Midas’ skull
Medieval helmets
Owl “masks”
Soldier at Ataturk Memorial
View from Ataturk Memorial
Interior of mausoleum
King Midas’ Tomb
Corridor in tomb
Stone outer tomb & loose rocks
Wooden inner tomb
Turkish coffee house
Bursa hotel room
View from Bursa hotel room

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019

Cappadocia

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes from China through India and Persia and on to the Middle East and other Mediterranean locations. Its heyday was from the 3^rd century to the Middle Ages. Along the route were Caravanserais. These were essentially motels for merchants traveling along the Silk Road that included accommodations for both people and animals (horses, donkeys, camels), shops for supplies, food, drink and a mosque. At night they closed up tight like a fortress to keep the travelers safe.

One such Caravanserai is the Agzikarahan Caravanserai, which is close to the town of Askaray. It was built in the early 13^th century and was one of the last (and largest) built. It also contains a small mosque reached by narrow steps. Even narrower steps (where it was necessary to hug the wall) lead up to the roof.

The area of Cappadocia consists of hundreds (possibly thousands) of formations eroded by wind and rain from soft volcanic rock over millions of years. The Hittites lived here between 1800 and 1200 BC and began to carve out dwellings from the rock. Some of these dwellings are still lived in today.

In the 4^th century AD, Christians fled to the area to avoid persecution elsewhere. They created underground cities that were completely hidden and fortified. We toured part of one of these cities at Ozkonak. The people engineered the means to bring both fresh air and water down into their cities. At Ozkonak, they also had a communication system of pipes, which is unique among all of the underground cities in the area. 60,000 people could be housed on ten levels for up to three months when the city was sealed against their enemies. Four levels are currently open. Large round stones were used as doors.

As short as I am, I needed to practically double over to walk through the tunnels connecting the different homes and other buildings. Not being used to having to duck down when I walk, I forgot at one point and beaned myself. I really smacked my forehead hard. I was embarrassed for being such an idiot, so I kept quiet and just held my cold water bottle to my head for a bit.

By the 9^th century, the people came out from the underground cities and began carving out churches and homes from the volcanic rock in the Goreme region. We could see the remains of St Basil’s Church up above us. We visited the Tokali Church (the Church of the Buckle), which is the largest of the group. Then we went into the Barbara Church. This one was much smaller and built in the 11^th century. But the wall frescos were not in as good shape as some of the other churches. The floor was full of graves. We needed to walk across planks to get around the church.

The Yilanli Church (or the Snake Church) was named for a fresco of St Theodore and St George slaying a dragon that looked rather snake-like. After visiting this church, several of us climbed up some narrow, shallow (in depth), but high (in height of each step) stairs to a monastery consisting of a storage room, kitchen and dining room. There was a church above the dining hall. The stairs had no railings at all. So when I needed to come back down, I turned around and went down backwards. The steps were so much like a ladder that I treated them as such.

Up another set of steep stairs (but with a railing) was St Katharine’s Church. This was another 11^th century church. We visited a carpet maker and a jewelry maker. The carpet maker wove the rugs on the property and had several beautiful carpets – especially those made from silk, which were the most expensive. The jewelry was mainly turquoise. It was also created in the shop. That evening we had dinner at a place with folk dancing. I enjoy seeing the costumes and dances of the countries I visit.

The next day, we went to the Pasabag Valley (Monks Valley) which had mushroom caps on top of its “fairy chimneys”. The area is called Monks Valley because several monks lived at the top of the columns there. Their rooms were accessed first by steps, which became more like a ladder, which then became handholds. The space within became more and more narrow as the top became closer. This was to discourage strangers from climbing up to the rooms. Storage rooms were often at the base of the building and could serve several people.

We stopped at several other places, including the Three Graces and a camel formation. Near the camel, we encountered a wedding party who posed for photos for us. We had lunch on an outdoor terrace at Uchisar in the Pigeon Valley (or Valley of the Dovecotes). A massive rock cut castle overlooks the valley. We could clearly see and photograph this castle from where we had lunch.

Where the tour coach had been parked was next to a small shop. The shop owner’s dog relatively recently had had puppies. So we all gathered around the puppies and mother to ‘ooo’ and ‘aw’ at how adorable they all were.

Before calling it a night, we went to a Whirling Dervish ceremony. Because it was a religious expression, no filming or photography was allowed. After they were finished, a few of them came out and recreated some of what they had done so we could take our photos and video.

One of the younger women on my tour was originally from Afghanistan. She was on the trip with her parents who had taken her and her siblings to immigrate to Canada a few years earlier. She was quite friendly towards me, but her parents were not. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the language barrier or not. She sat next to me as we watched the Whirling Dervishes in their worship. She whispered to me about what they were doing and why throughout, which made the whole experience so much more magical.

The order was founded in the 13^th century in Konya, Turkey. The ceremony has four parts, starting with a solo song of praise followed by some improvisation on a reed flute. The second part involves the participants bowing to one another and then making a single file procession around the hall. Once they have all bowed and proceeded around they hall, they kneel and remove their black cloaks, leaving white gowns and tall, brown hats.

It is during the third part that the whirling takes place. As mentioned in an earlier post, they spin on their left foot with the right palm stretched towards heaven and the left hand pointing to the ground. They very much appear to be in a trance. The last part of the ceremony involves a recitation from the Qu’ran and a prayer.

Next time – Exploring Ankara (the modern Turkish capitol), King Midas’ tomb, and Bursa (the original Ottoman capitol).

Entrance to Agzikarahan Caravanserai
Within the caravanserai
Entrance to mosque in caravanserai
Ozkonak underground city
Goreme Open Air Museum
Some of the churches at Goreme
Goreme carpet factory & shop
Turkish folk dancers
Monks Valley
A grouping of monk’s dwellings
Storeroom next to steps up into dwelling
Shallow steps leading to hand holds
Camel formation
Wedding party
Uchisar rock cut castle
New friends
Staged Whirling Dervish ceremony

April 28, 2019April 28, 2019

From Aphrodisias to Konya

Aphrodisias dates to 5800 BC, but wasn’t dedicated to Aphrodite until the 2^nd century BC. As an archeological site, it’s pretty cool as quite a bit of it is relatively intact despite having been largely abandoned after a major earthquake in the 7^th century AD. The area it is in is highly earthquake prone.

The first structure we came to was the Tetrapylon (gate), built roughly 200 AD, which I thought was quite beautiful. At the center of town was a large temple. It had been dedicated to a goddess of fertility back when it was originally built in the 7^th century BC, but was later enlarged and dedicated to Aphrodite in the 2^nd century BC. By the 5^th century AD, the temple was converted into a church and remained so until the earthquake that destroyed most of the town.

The Odeon was a lecture hall that seated about 1,750 when completely intact. Now it has its first nine rows up from the stage, but the rest is in ruins. The Stadium is one of the best preserved in the Mediterranean. It was used strictly for sporting events until after the 7^th century AD earthquake when the theatre was badly damaged. Then a stage was added to the stadium so plays could be performed there. The arena was always too narrow for chariot races.

We visited several other structures including a bath house, an agora (market), and the museum containing several statues and other artifacts before heading for Pamukkale. The name Pamukkale means “cotton castle”. The white terraces of travertine are created from hot springs. At the time I was there, people were allowed to walk on portions of the travertine as long as they did so with bare feet. Currently it isn’t allowed at all as it has been decided that it causes too much damage.

Adjacent to Pamukkale is what remains of the ancient city of Hierapolis which sits on hot springs in the classical kingdom of Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia. Founded in the 2^nd century BC by King Eumenes II of Pergamon as a thermal spa center, Hierapolis quickly became a healing center. The Greek king Antiochus III the Great, relocated roughly 2,000 Jewish families from Babylon and Mesopotamia to Hierapolis (which means “Holy City”). The population grew to about 50,000 by 62 BC.

After a couple of nasty earthquakes in 17 AD and 30 AD, much of the Greek city was destroyed. It was rebuilt in the Roman style. Hierapolis had been ceded to Rome in 133 BC.

St Phillip (the disciple) was martyred there in 80 AD, during the reign of Titus. He was crucified upside down as he claimed he wasn’t worthy of being crucified in the same manner as Jesus. In 2011, a few months after my trip, his tomb was discovered just outside of Hierapolis, not too far from where he had been martyred.

After entering the site, one of the first structures we encountered was the gymnasium. The word “gymnos” actually means “naked”. This was because the early sporting events and competitions were performed in the nude.

The theatre (dating from some time after the 60 AD earthquake) was in pretty good shape and still seats about 15,000. We were up on the area at the top of the theatre, behind it, when a woman who had been pushing her grown daughter in a wheelchair, turned away from the wheelchair momentarily without setting the brakes. The chair took off towards the low stone wall behind the theatre. The mother and the others with her didn’t notice, but I did and I ran towards it, grabbing a hold a few feet from the wall. The mother and her friends had noticed by this time and arrived shortly after I stopped the chair and set its brakes. Whew! What possibly could have been an unpleasant accident averted!

I was out of breath (running is not something I do often – especially not uphill), so I entered the theatre and sat down for a bit to catch my breath. The photo I have included with this post was taken from that perspective.

In the 7^th century AD another destructive earthquake took place. This toppled several columns into a large, ancient thermal pool. They are still there as part of the pool. The pool has sometimes been associated with the Temple of Apollo and has often been touted as a location where Cleopatra once bathed. Some of us chose to have an afternoon break poolside.

Our hotel was in Pamakkale and it also had a thermal pool, which was very relaxing after a long, strenuous day. I slept well that night.

The next morning we set out for Konya. During our mid-morning break, we were served a thick yogurt with honey and hashish (which, in small amounts, was legal in Turkey as of 2011). It was sprinkled with hashish – not enough for getting high.

Konya was once called Iconium and has been inhabited since about 3000 BC. The name of the town was changed to Konya in about 1134 AD. It is a very strict, conservative Muslim community and is also the main home of the Whirling Dervishes. The hotel was easy walking distance from the Mevlana Museum (the Museum of the Whirling Dervish).

The Whirling Dervishes (also known as the Mevlevi or Sufi) are an order who celebrate their love of Allah by spinning around in a dance called the Sama. They spin on their left foot with their right palm facing up towards Heaven and their left hand pointing at the ground. We had not yet seen one of these ceremonies at this point.

Although I had been just fine during the rest of the tour, in Konya I appeared to stand out way too much because of my coloring. On the way into the museum (out in the courtyard area) a couple of women grabbed the braid I was wearing down the center of my back. Apparently they had the need to find out what my hair felt like. I was quite startled.

After touring the museum (which dates to 1274), I walked around outside of the building looking at the graves when I was confronted by two couples. The men were dressed very conservatively and the women were covered from head to toe in layers of black cloth – a burka. As soon as they saw me, the men placed themselves directly in my path and began to shout something at me that I could not understand. I responded that I was sorry, but did not understand and attempted to get past them. The one man and both women left, but the other man stayed and gave me a good shove (that he made certain no one else saw) before he too left. Shaken, I headed back to the hotel immediately and stayed there. Fortunately, this was the only time I was treated badly the entire trip.

Next time – Cappadocia.

Aphrodisias Tetrapylon
Temple of Aphrodite
Odeon
Stadium
Bath House
Agora
Pamukkale (location where I was standing)
Pamukkale
Entrance to Hierapolis
Gymnasium
Theatre at Hierapolis
Ancient Thermal Pool
Entrance to Museum of the Whirling Dervish
Whirling Dervish Graves

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019

Ephesus

Ephesus was originally a Greek city built around the 10^th century BC on the site of an earlier Hittite city dedicated to the worship of Cybele, the Anatolian mother goddess. Cybele (or Kybele) and the Greek goddess, Artemis, were combined to create Artemis of Ephesus. There is a statue of her in the Commercial Agora (main marketplace) next to the Library of Celsus.

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis (completed roughly 550 BC), was located just outside of Ephesus. Ephesus was destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD, rebuilt, and then partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614 AD.

What mainly exists now is the 4^th century BC city of Alexander the Great’s successor, Lysinachus. Only about 20 to 30 percent of the actual city has been excavated as of yet. For the most part, the Roman remains are in the best shape. Marc Anthony and Cleopatra visited Ephesus back in 33 BC.

The city has lots of Christian associations. The Apostle Paul lived in Ephesus from 52 to 54 AD. He lived just behind the Library of Celsus and attended a synagogue that was close by until he started a church. He wrote the book of Corinthians while he was living in Ephesus and wrote the letters to the Ephesians after he was imprisoned in Rome. He also preached in the 25,000 seat theatre, which is mostly intact.

The disciple, John, was thought to have brought Mary, the Mother of Jesus to Ephesus in 37 AD to live out the remainder of her life. The restored house is up a mountain about five miles outside of the city.

The tomb of John is located at the Basilica of Saint John which was constructed by Emperor Justinian I in the 6^th century AD. The ruins of the Basilica stand up a hill not too far from the remains of the Temple of Artemis.

At Ephesus, our tour started with the Baths of Varius. We could see the water pipes that brought water to several of the Roman baths and throughout the city. Next we visited the Odeon, which was once a roofed meeting hall.

Coming down the hill towards the main part of the city, we arrived at a square with both physician and pharmacist symbols on the gate. There too were the remains of the Temple of Domitian. Soon we had our first glimpse of the Library of Celsus shortly before reaching the Gate of Hercules and another bathhouse and privy.

The Temple of Hadrian dates from the 2^nd century and was repaired in the 4^th century. What remains of the temple is very graceful looking with a delicate curved arch in the middle. Hadrian was a busy guy, building walls, triumphal arches, aqueducts, temples and other structures all over the Roman Empire.

The remains of the Library of Celsus are gorgeous. The four statues on the façade represent Sophia (wisdom), Arete (virtue), Ennoia (intellect), and Episteme (knowledge). The library, built in 125 AD, was funded by Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, Governor of Roman Asia. His son was the one who had it built and Celsus himself was buried in a sarcophagus beneath the building. With its reading rooms facing the East to catch the early morning light, the library originally held about 12,000 scrolls.

If you exit the library to the area in front of it and go to your left, you will find the Commercial Agora (the main marketplace). There are statues in the niches. One of the most important is the statue of Artemis (the Roman goddess Diana) of Ephesus.

The street in front of the library is made of marble and leads to the theatre, which is considered to be the largest Roman Theatre in existence. Although it was mainly used for theatrical presentations, it was also used for some gladiatorial exhibitions in the later Roman period. A graveyard for gladiators has been discovered nearby.

After leaving Ephesus, we drove up a nearby mountain to visit Mary’s house. The room in which she lived is off to the side of a small chapel. There is also a baptismal pool on the property.

Coming down the mountain, at the edge of the modern town of Selcuk, we stopped off to see the remains (mainly one tall column with some scattered smaller pieces) of the Temple of Artemus. The temple took about 120 years to build and was enormous and beautiful. It was destroyed by a flood in the 7^th century BC. The area around it is still a pond.

The remains of the Basilica of St John are visible from the location of the temple. A 14^th century mosque can also be seen as well as a medieval castle fortress on the top of a nearby mountain.

That evening, about half of our group walked down to the harbor and had dinner at a very homey restaurant. We sat out in the front yard under a large canopy. I didn’t record in my journal what we ate. By the time we made it back up to the hotel, we needed to head straight to bed due to an early departure time in the morning. I do remember that we ordered several different dishes and shared them. It was mainly sea food. We had a great time and definitely worked off the dinner and the wine on the climb back up the steep road from the harbor to the hotel.

We spent the next couple of days exploring Aphrodisias, Parmukkale, Hierapolis, and Konya.

Baths of Varius
Water pipes
Odeon
Temple of Domitian
Looking down the street towards the Library of Celsus
Gate of Hercules
Temple of Hadrian
Library of Celsus
From inside the library
Artemis of Ephesus
Commercial Agora
Library from another angle
Theatre
Beneath the stage at the theatre
Mary’s House
Temple of Artemis with Basilica of St John upper left
View of Kasudasi from hotel room

April 14, 2019April 14, 2019

Troy

Troy, the site of the Trojan War back in roughly 1184 BC, was thought to have been a mythical place as portrayed by Homer in The Iliad. But it was a real city. Its location was first identified in 1822. But it wasn’t until 1868 that the first archeologist began excavations. There are nine levels. The seventh is thought to be the one from the period Homer wrote about.

We could see the walls and the remains of one of the towers. We could also walk through the corridor to the gate, which was at a hairpin turn to prevent the enemy from attacking with a battering ram. Shortly after entering the gate, we could climb to the remains (mostly just the floor) of the Temple of Athena.

The Trojan War was fought against Troy by the Greeks when Paris of Troy (son of King Priam) took Helen from her husband, Menelaus, King of Sparta. Menelaus’ brother was Agamemnon, King of Mycenae. He took the lead in the siege of Troy.

Troy is now considered to be much, much larger than what has so far been excavated. What they have uncovered is thought to be the citadel within the larger city. It is also thought that the Trojan Horse was likely taken up a ramp into the citadel and not through the gate.

We explored several of the levels, including a theatre (Roman) at the 9^th level. One of the women with whom I hung out the most and I climbed up a hill that overlooked the remains of the corridor and gate so we could get some more photos before we needed to leave the site. Under that hill is likely even more of Troy.

It was such an exciting place to be since I had heard about it all my life. Though some distance from the sea now, it was right next to it back in its day.

After leaving Troy, we drove along the Bay of Edremit, from where we could see the Greek Island of Lesbos. According to Homer, Lesbos was once part of the kingdom of Priam, the King of Troy.

We had lunch at Bergama, which was once Pergamon. The current city of Bergama is known for its carpets.

In the afternoon, we stopped off at Izmir, which is also known as Smyrna. The origins of Smyrna date to the 3^rd millennium BC, but the city was destroyed in the 7^th century BC. Then Alexander the Great came along. He wanted to restore the city after having a dream while sleeping on a nearby mountain. He founded his new city of Smyrna on the side of the mountain.

We spent the night at Kusadasi from which we explored Ephesus the next day.

Trojan Horse at Troy
Remains of tower
Corridor to gate
View from Athenian temple
1st excavation
View of some of the levels
The ramp
Another view
Roman theatre
More of Troy
A different view of Troy
The gate and corridor viewed from the opposite hill
Izmir/Smyrna

April 7, 2019April 7, 2019

Istanbul & Gallipoli

When the person behind the desk at the airport asked me where I was going, I was really tickled to be able to say “Istanbul”. It had always seemed like such an exotic, mysterious place. Partially in Europe and partially in Asia, it was once Constantinople. Before that, it was Byzantium. It has Egyptian obelisks, a Roman hippodrome, very early Christian structures, and Ottoman mosques. It also has a royal palace with a completely intact harem. Then, there is the train station for the Orient Express. Someday I would love to take the trip from Istanbul to Venice.

The hotel was on the Asian side of the Bosphorus overlooking the Golden Horn and near the Galata Bridge. A deep, natural harbor, the Golden Horn has been the main military port of Istanbul back as far as the 7^th century BC. I could see the Suleymaniye Mosque (Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent), on the other side of the Bosphorus, from my hotel room.

After taking a few photos from my hotel room window, I set out to explore the area (which was called Galata) around the hotel. It was a grey day, but the city itself was colorful.

That evening I met the Tour Director and my fellow travelers. We had 41 people on the tour. Only a couple of us were from the US. Most were from Canada, the UK and Australia.

We were returning to Istanbul later in the tour to explore the city in detail. So the next morning, we crossed the Galata Bridge to the European side, looked around a bit and then left Istanbul, driving along the Sea of Marmara on the European side of the Dardanelles. We were headed to Gallipoli.

During World War I, a large battle took place between the Ottoman Empire (supported by Germany and Austria-Hungary) and the British Empire (Australia, India, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), supported by France and Russia on the Gallipoli Peninsula. It was a major Ottoman victory and a horrible defeat for the British Empire and its Allies (302,000 casualties). It was an absolute massacre.

We started off at Anzac Cove, one of the main battlefields. Just above the cove is a rock formation called “the Sphinx”. Next was the Mehmetcik Memorial, which depicts a Turkish soldier carrying a British soldier. Then we visited the cemetery and the Lone Pine Memorial to the Australians who died at Gallipoli.

The main memorial included a statue of Ataturk (1^st President of the Republic) and some of the battle trenches. A memorial to New Zealand was near the Ataturk Memorial. There is a pretty good film about it called “Gallipoli” released in 1981. I was quite moved by the film when I saw it several years before visiting Turkey.

When we were done exploring the battlegrounds, trenches, cemetery and memorials, we took a ferry from Kilye Bay on the European side of the Dardanelles to Canakkale on the Asia Minor side. Canakkale is the nearest major town to Troy. The Trojan Horse used in the 2004 film “Troy” greets those who arrive by ferry.

We spent the night at a resort hotel on the water. There were some huge rabbits hanging out on the property. Much larger than the bunnies I usually have on my property at home.

I had what I thought was a really interesting bathtub in my room. It was quite compact and you basically sat on a seat and used a hand-held shower. It worked well for a seated shower, but wouldn’t have worked at all for a bubble bath.

We spent the next day stepping way back in time while exploring Troy!

View of Suleymaniye Mosque from hotel room
View of Golden Horn of Bosphorus from hotel room
View of Asian side of Istanbul from hotel room
A street in Galata district of Istanbul
Anzac Cove with Sphinx rock formation
Mehmetcik Memorial at Gallipoli
Statue of Ataturk on left and battle trench at right
Another battle trench
Lone Pine Memorial
Ferry across Dardanelles to Canakkale
Trojan Horse from 2004 film at Canakkale
View from hotel at Canakkale
Compact tub with seat and hand-held shower in Canakkale hotel room

March 31, 2019March 31, 2019

Back to DC

Several of us had decided to stay an extra night in DC so we could do a Hop On Hop Off sightseeing trolley and spend more time immersing ourselves in the museums and history in the US capitol city. We were back in the hotel from which we began our trip and I was back in another suite! I do love it when I get an upgrade as suites are not something I can afford on my own. It’s a fun extra!

I took a walk to the nearest grocers to get a few things for the next couple days. Had free water again, but the room that had the pastries and fruit the last time was closed this time. Probably was too late in the day. After a light dinner, I walked to Lafayette Park from which there was supposed to be a Lincoln Assassination Walking Tour departing at 7pm (meeting at the statue of Andrew Jackson). But nobody showed. So I took some photos of Blair House and other houses around the park, a fountain, and a statue before heading back to the hotel.

Blair House is actually a complex of four houses that have been melded together to be used as the President’s Guest House – usually for foreign dignitaries. This began after a visit by Winston Churchill to FDR when Churchill displeased the First Lady, Eleanor, by wandering around the White House in the middle of the night and trying to gain entry to the private apartments to talk to FDR. Not as many folks get to spend the night in the Lincoln bedroom anymore. There must not have been anybody staying at Blair House at the time I was there as I could get quite close to it without seeing any guards (or people who could have been Secret Service).

The statue I photographed was of the Comte de Rochambeau. He was heavily involved at the Battle of Yorktown with his French troops, helping George Washington to defeat the British General Cornwallis. I think it’s a cool looking statue.

As it was getting dark, I headed back to the hotel for the night. I planned to be at the first stop of the trolley tour when it began in the morning, so I could fit as much into the day as possible.

The first stop was the Willard Hotel. The hotel was founded in 1847 and has had numerous important guests during its history. Lincoln stayed there for several days before his inauguration in 1861. Martin Luther King wrote his “I Have a Dream” speech while staying there in 1963.

Once I got on the trolley, I rode it down Pennsylvania Avenue and up Louisiana Avenue to Columbus Circle and Union Station. It was raining and I had been to Union Station on a previous trip to DC, so I stayed on as we went past Union Station and the Supreme Court Building to the Library of Congress Jefferson Building. It was still raining, but I wanted to see the inside of this lovely 19^th century building so I jumped off. The interior was gorgeous.

Once I got on the trolley again, we headed for the Capitol. From there, we did a circle around the area where the American Indian Museum, the Air & Space Museum, and the Holocaust Museum resided. The rain had let up by the time I left the Jefferson Building. But something was going on in the area of those museums, so we couldn’t stop at the designated stops or anywhere near these buildings. There were lots of police and such. Never did find out what the problem was.

We snaked along for a while, and then sat in traffic for quite a while before we could circle back around. By the time we had gotten back around, the heavens had opened and we were experiencing a deluge. We had lost quite a bit of time and still couldn’t get close to the buildings I wanted to visit, so I decided to swing by again later in the day. I had some other places I wanted to make certain that I got to, torrential downpours of Biblical proportions or no.

I stayed on until the Jefferson Memorial. It had stopped again by then, so I got off of the trolley and walked to the memorial. I had been to this memorial on a previous visit at night, so was looking forward to seeing it in the daylight and the area around it. It is in a beautiful setting right on the Potomac.

After getting the photos I wanted and hanging out for a bit to take in the views from the memorial, I hiked over to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. By that time, it was raining again lightly, so I got some semi-soggy photos there. Then I headed to where I could catch the trolley again. The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial did not yet exist. That was built in 2011 (I was there a year too early).

I rode the trolley to the Lincoln Memorial to switch to the Arlington Cemetery Loop to go to the Custis-Lee Mansion (home of descendants of Martha Washington through her first husband, Daniel Park Custis). Martha’s son bought the land that is now Arlington Cemetery and his son built the house. The grandson’s daughter married Robert E. Lee. When Lee chose his state, Virginia, over his country and refused to lead the Union Army, taking command of the Confederate Army instead, his property was taken over by the Union. It was in a very strategic position overlooking important parts of the Capitol. Once the Civil War ended, the plantation was converted to a national cemetery.

It was quite a hike up the hill to the house, so I sat down once I got there to look out across the cemetery and DC itself while I caught my breath. The house was being restored while I was there, but it wasn’t too far into the restoration. I did take a couple of interior shots, but there wasn’t much to see yet and we weren’t allowed in too much of the house. It was still great to see as much of it as I could. On my previous trip to DC, I had only been able to look up at it from the eternal flame at JFK’s grave below. This time I looked down at the eternal flame from the house.

Once I spent some time at the house and in the Civil War portion of the cemetery, I took the trolley back to the Lincoln Memorial and switched to the main trolley to go to the World War II Memorial to see it in daylight. I had planned to go to the National Museum of American History, but was tired and in need of food. So I decided to put that one off until later too and headed back to Ford’s Theatre as I knew there were several places to choose from to have lunch in that neighborhood.

After lunch, I switched to the National Cathedral Loop where I photographed the Cathedral, Dumbarton Oaks, and several locations in Georgetown. Dumbarton Oaks was originally built in 1801 and has been enlarged several times. The gardens and portions of the house are open to the public. It is mainly a research facility however.

After leaving Georgetown, we headed back towards the White House and my hotel. The house where James and Dolly Madison lived after the White House was set on fire during the War of 1812 was bordering the other end of the park. I had actually been past it several times without realizing what it was. It looked like a great house.

I caught a photo of the entrance to Chinatown and then left the trolley at the White House gift shop. After scouring the gift shop, I realized I was running low on time and energy. So I walked back to the hotel (picking up something for dinner on the way) and got ready for my flight home the next day.

The shuttle I was on to Reagan National had a traffic accident. It was minor enough that I wasn’t hurt, but we still need to wait for the police. A replacement was sent out by the shuttle company. By the time the replacement arrived and got us to the airport, I had missed my flight. So I re-booked a flight leaving from Dulles and needed to take a taxi there. Ended up in a long cab ride in a very heavy rainstorm. Although I made it to the airport in time and got my luggage checked in, I couldn’t get through security fast enough to make the flight. Fortunately there was another plane from Dulles in just an hour. When I finally got to Minneapolis, my luggage (which arrived on the earlier flight) was waiting for me.

Next time – I head to Turkey for a two week tour.

Blair House
Statue of Rochambeau
Willard Hotel
Union Station
Supreme Court
Library of Congress Jefferson Buildinh
Interior of Jefferson Building
Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson’s Statue
FDR Memorial
View from Custis-Lee Mansion
Custis-Lee Mansion
Inside Custis-Lee Mansion
Eternal Flame at JFK Grave
National Cathedral
Dumbarton Oaks
House where Madisons stayed
Entrance to Chinatown

March 24, 2019March 24, 2019

Valley Forge, Philadelphia & Baltimore

After the British captured Philadelphia in 1777 and the Continental Army failed to retake it, George Washington set up camp at Valley Forge for the winter. Log huts were constructed to house the roughly 12,000 people who would be there for about six months. During the time in encampment there, nearly 2,000 died from disease (typhoid, influenza, small pox, typhus, dysentery) and malnutrition (as supplies were inconsistent).

The encampment included soldiers from all thirteen colonies. English was not necessarily the first language of all of them. The group was also racially mixed as the soldiers included free blacks and Native Americans. The Continental Army was the most racially mixed ever in the US until after World War II.

The time was spent drilling and training in order to make the army a better disciplined, efficient group. These were not professional soldiers, but farmers, shopkeepers, etc. One of the biggest myths about Valley Forge was that it was freezing and buried in snow all winter. This wasn’t quite true although it definitely wasn’t a day at the beach.

The Marquis de Lafayette had joined Washington by this point. He and other officers, such as Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton and Captain Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, were housed in local stone buildings. The log buildings there now are all reproductions, but the stone buildings (including Washington’s headquarters) are original.

In Philadelphia, our first stop was the Art Museum where Rocky ran up the steps as part of his boxing training. Some of our group attempted to run up the steps themselves. Knowing that I wouldn’t get far with running, I chose to walk up at a steady pace. I ended up passing up several of the others who had started out running and ran out of air.

From the museum steps, we got a good view of the back end of another equestrian statue of George Washington. Off in the distance was City Hall with a statue of William Penn on top.

Next came a stop at the Liberty Bell. At the time I was there in 2010, excavations were taking place on the foundations of the house where George Washington lived as President. John Adams also lived there until the White House in Washington, DC was built. A memorial to the President’s house was under construction at the same time. Not much to take photos of at the time as what was there was behind fences and scaffolding. It looked like it was going to be pretty cool once completed.

We had special tickets to see the inside of Independence Hall with times on them. We just had to be at the entrance by the time stamped on the ticket. So, in addition to saying “hi” to the Liberty Bell and checking out what I could of the President’s House, I took a walk to the Graff House where Thomas Jefferson stayed and wrote the Declaration of Independence. I didn’t have time for the film, but dashed up the stairs to the two rooms Jefferson rented.

This time at Independence Hall, we weren’t herded around like the prior visit and I was able to see everything I wanted to see. I could take my time getting photos. The famous painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence was not exactly accurate as the whole process took several days and not all of the men were in the same room at the same time. But they did have their special chairs at the various tables in the room just like the arrangement that can be seen there now.

After I left Independence Hall, I went by Congress Hall, which was the first location of the US Congress when the capitol was in Philadelphia. The Old City Hall was where the Supreme Court met in those days. Library Hall has a cool statue of Benjamin Franklin as part of the façade.

I checked out those buildings while on my way to Christ Church Burial Ground to see Franklin’s grave. The burial ground was begun in 1719 for the church which had been there since 1695. Franklin died in 1790. The grave was easy to find as it is near the fence not too far from the entrance. It is a very simple slab with just his name and his wife, Deborah’s name. Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration, is also buried in that cemetery. He has a fairly simple slab, near one of the walls with a memorial next to it that was added later.

Baltimore, Maryland was our lunch stop before heading back to Washington, DC. Prior to colonization, the area that is now Baltimore was mainly a hunting ground for Native Americans. Once colonized, it grew fast due to its tobacco and sugar cane plantations. We were let loose in the Inner Harbor at a shopping center next to the USS Constellation, which is the only Civil War era tall ship still afloat.

Prior to the Civil War, the Constellation was involved in efforts to end the slave trade as part of the African Slave Trade Patrol. Once the war began, the ship remained in African seas for a while before being sent to patrol the Mediterranean. Eventually the ship returned to the Colonies as part of a blockade of Confederate ports.

Next time – back in Washington, DC to spend a day hopping on and off a sight seeing trolley.

Valley Forge
More of Valley Forge
Washington’s Headquarters at Valley Forge
Philadelphia Art Museum
Rear of statue of George Washington in Philadelphia
Statue of William Penn atop City Hall
Liberty Bell
Graff House
Where Jefferson wrote Declaration of Independence
Independence Hall
Inside Independence Hall
More of inside of Independence Hall
Still more of inside of Independence Hall
Library Hall with statue of Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin’s Grave
USS Constellation in Baltimore

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019

Harper’s Ferry & Gettysburg

In 1859, a raid was led by abolitionist John Brown on the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. He had 21 men with him – 16 white, three free black, one freed slave, and one fugitive slave. They were armed with steel pikes. They were soon pinned down by locals and some of the militia and took refuge in the engine house. Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart led 86 soldiers to capture Brown’s raiders. Brown himself was hanged for treason. His goal had been to inspire a slave revolt.

Back in 1747, a fella named Robert Harper bought the rights to the ferry at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers from Peter Stephens, a squatter who was running the ferry on land actually owned by Lord Fairfax, a Scotsman. Harper then bought about 126 acres of land from Lord Fairfax, which included the land that became the town of Harper’s Ferry (originally called “Shenandoah Falls at Mister Harper’s Ferry”). Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington visited the site at different times. When Washington arrived, he decided it would be a great place for a US armory and arsenal. Meriwether Lewis obtained the weapons and hardware for the Lewis & Clark Expedition from the armory.

When our tour group arrived, we found that Harper’s Ferry was still a very small town – only 286 people. The old part of town had been declared a National Historic Park and preserved as it would have been back in 1859. We left our tour coach at the visitor’s center and boarded a shuttle bus to take us down to the Lower Town. There we could wander around, in and out of buildings, until it was time to head back to the visitor’s center.

Some of the buildings I visited contained the A Place in Time Museum (the history of Harper’s Ferry), Frankel’s Clothing Store, the Provost Marshall Office, Stipes Boarding House, Arsenal Square (where the arsenal once stood), John Brown’s Fort (the engine house), the memorial on the original site of John’s Brown’s Fort (and where he was captured), the John Brown Museum, the museum to the 1862 Battle of Harper’s Ferry, the Confectionary, and the Civil War Museum. I had lunch at a café in the midst of all of these preserved buildings and museums.

Other than the café, restaurants, and the restrooms, it was like stepping back in time. Cars were not allowed (other than the shuttle bus), so it really seemed like we were back in 1859, except for the clothing and equipment of all of the tourists.

I got back to the visitor’s center a little early so I could browse in the gift shop. I found a large portrait photo of Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad, which now hangs on the wall of the bedroom I use as a library.

The bloodiest battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1^st to 3^rd in 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The casualties were estimated from 46,000 to 51,000 in total. Major General George Meade was commander of the Army of the Potomac (Union) while General Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederates).

Other than memorials (and the growth of trees and shrubbery), the battlefield doesn’t look that much different than it did then. This makes it really easy to imagine the whole thing in your mind, especially while being described by an expert guide. Having the guide join you in your car and show you around is definitely worthwhile. That is what my brothers did when they took a day trip from DC. Our tour had one come aboard the tour coach.

We had about four hours at the battlefield, starting at the visitor’s center with a film, followed by the cyclorama and museum. After that, we were joined by our guide and toured the battlefield. We began at the statue of General Lee, which stands close to the starting point of Pickett’s Charge. This was a portion of the battle on the third day where about 12,500 Confederates marched across to what is known as the “high water mark” on Cemetery Ridge. The Confederates were pretty much mowed down, although there were a few who made it all the way to the Union line and hand-to-hand combat.

On our circuitous route to Cemetery Ridge (and the statue of General Meade), we stopped at several battle sites including Plum Run, the Peach Orchard, the Wheat Field, the Devil’s Den, and Little Round Top (which included a Union Reenactor). We got off of the tour coach and walked around at most of these locations.

The movie “Gettysburg” (based on the book The Killer Angels) used thousands of reenactors and filmed many of the battle scenes at Gettysburg on the actual battlefield. When I watched the movie, in addition to Pickett’s Charge, it was the 20^th Maine’s adventures on Little Round Top that made a big impression. Their attempt to defend their position on the second day of the battle culminated in a downhill bayonet charge led by their school teacher commander, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels in the movie) when they ran out of ammunition. Standing on Little Round Top and looking down the slope makes their charge all the more impressive as it was fairly steep. If it had been me, I likely would have tripped, fallen, and become impaled on either my own or someone else’s bayonet.

The failed Pickett’s Charge is quite dramatic also. The movie footage was filmed in the actual location where it took place. Standing at either end (where it began or where it ended) it seems impossible that it would have been successful. In the book and movie, after the charge fails, Lee tells Pickett to “look to your division”. Pickett responds, “I have no division.”

The 1^st Minnesota was heavily involved in the Battle of Gettysburg as well. They have three monuments there as roughly 82% were killed, mainly on the second day at Plum Run.

That night we were staying in the Gettysburg Hotel, which dates from 1797. It is on the main square of the town, across the street from the David Willis House, where Lincoln stayed when he came to deliver the Gettysburg Address. The hotel was used as a hospital during the battle and is reputed to be haunted. I spent some time before dinner walking around in the neighborhood, which was very historic.

We had dinner at the Dobbin House Tavern, which dates to 1776 and was a hiding place for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. After a tasty dinner of flounder stuffed with crab meat, a baked potato, and a slice of cherry pie, we were given a short tour of the rooms where the runaways were hidden. The conditions were very cramped, but they would have had to have been in order not to be found.

Back at the hotel, I ended up sleeping with the lamp next to my bed on. I was pretty sure I wasn’t alone in the room.

Next time –Valley Forge, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.