Pamukkale, in Turkey, Sunday, 9th June, 2024
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| In front of what's left of the Temple of Artimis in Selçuk near Ephesus In the background the Ottoman fortress and Basilicia of St. John the apostle. It was a very hot day and we are not looking our best but we loved our visit to all the places in and around Ephesus. |
Günaydin from Turkey friends, from one of the most unique places in the world. Pamukkale is the last place on the outbound part of our road trip. We only arrived yesterday and will be visiting it tomorrow. It looks amazing.
We have now been on the road for over a month, having left Madrid on 4th May. We still don't have a return date. If you have been following this year's road trip, it is a lot slower paced than last year's. We drive much shorter distances in a day and stay longer at the places that we like or interest us most. Points in case this week have been Ephesus and now Pamukkale and Hierapolis.
We have been in Turkey for nearly a week, a country we visited last year too and which I both love and hate at the same time. I have spoken to a lot of locals while here, a taxi driver, the architect of a hotel and a bar owner. I listened carefully to the daily problems of Turkish people. Erdogan has been in power for more than 20 years and rules with an iron fist. The population was 85 million but I am told it is now nearly 100 because of immigration. I was also told Erdogan recently gave citizenship or residency status to millions of Syrians, Iraqis and Iranians who come here in their droves with no need of a visa. Of course they will then vote for him. I heard the official inflation rate is 88% but that it in real life it is much higher and bank rates so high it is impossible to get a mortgage. The average monthly salary is around 500 euros and retirement pensions a laugh. No wonder people here will do anything to get tourists' money. We have noticed how much the prices have risen since last year and also the ridiculously expensive entrance tickets everywhere with one price for Turkish people and an extortionate price for tourists. But they still come because Turkey has so much to offer. People may come for the beaches but those we saw I didn't like. We are here for the culture and the history which is very rich. But let me go back to where I left off last time.
Last Sunday saw us in Northern Greece at a lovely family run hotel in the small coastal village of Nea Iraklitsa. This was the view from our balcony at the Kavala Beach Hotel Apartments where we were so happy.
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| View from our balcony at the Kavala Beach Hotel Apartments in Nea Iraklitsa, Greece |
That morning we drove to Kavala, just 11km away along the coast of the Thracian Sea - the northern part of the Aegean. Kavala is the main seaport of Eastern Macedonia and has quite a lot to offer apart from the obvious; the beach.
We went to the old town which is dominated by a fortress we didn't walk up to as it was hot and quite a climb. We got as far as two of the town's most famous landmarks, one was the Church of St. Mary and the other, the house of Mohammed Ali. Really? No, my friends, not the boxer but Mehmet Ali (Muhammad Ali of Egypt) - Kavala 1769 - Cairo 1849 - the Ottoman ruler who was born in Kavala. This is the gentleman. Quite striking right?
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| Ottoman ruler Mehmet Ali born in Kavala who became the Governor of Egypt |
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| Panagia - the old town of Kavala on a pensinsula |
It took us a while to find it but we did and we were happy as we were at the top of the town with amazing views. Here we stopped to take photos.
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| View from the top of Kavala |
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| The statue of Mehmet Ali next to St. Mary's church |
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| View of the house of the Egyptian ruler, Mehmet Ali, from the gardens. |
This house was very different as it had men's quarters and women's quarters and I suspect the women were part of a harem. I'm not sure how long Mohammad Ali lived there but know he was involved in the tobacco trade in his home town then promoted to the army. He went on to found the dynasty which ruled Egypt until 1952 and was a major political figure of his time. He was ahead of his times too, by pursuing a secular educational system and establishment of vocational schools and universities.I was happy to read too that he was also tolerant to minority communities of Greeks, Jews, Armenians and other people living in Egypt. He really put Egypt on the map politically and improved the standard of living of the country. His name is everywhere in the town. It was interesting to learn about a new figure for us in history. When you visit these parts of the world there is so much heritage from the Ottoman Empire - fascinating. From his house and spectacular gardens we strolled across to the Orthodox Church of the Assumption of St. Mary.
I found the inside of the Church of St. Mary - Greek Orthodox - ornate as far as Orthodox churches go. But I was surprised to see pews. Normally, in the Russian Orthodox church there is no room for sitting. Everyone stands and the services are very long. Just look how ornate it is inside.
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| Inside the Holy Church of the Assumption of St.Mary in Panagia, Kavala, last Sunday |
But as we got there early, we had plenty of time left in the morning to enjoy the beach and the pool. And that we did. I was a bit disappointed with the beach - not really as nice as the beaches I know in Spain but pleasant. We had our first bathe of the year in the sea and it was in Greece in the Thracian Sea. Isn't that something?
After a dip in the pool we came upstairs to our room to make our lunch. That day we had ready to eat Greek food I had got at the local Lidl. I especially loved the stuffed cabbage, a dish which is Balkan and Russian and one of my favourite meals at home as a child.
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| The beach opposite our hotel in Nea Iraklitsa |
We left Nea Iraklitsa early on Monday morning, probably. We stopped first at the local Lidl to get provisions for our time in Turkey as the supermarkets here are rather lacking. We had 464km to reach our next destination, Dardanos near Çanakkale which would take us some 4 hours, except it took quite a lot longer because of crossing the border into Ipsala, Turkey. And there it was ahead of us, Turkey again, a country we really find fascinating but which also drives us mad at times.
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| Arriving in Turkey |
We then continued our journey but stopped again to fill our tank at 1.2 euros a litre. That's cheap for us but not for the Turks I was told. We also got the car washed for the first time since we left home on 4th May. It was high time I can tell you.
I had a horrible moment at the service station. I couldn't find my wallet and thought I must have left it at the border when I got the sim card. I even rang them. I was desperate as it wasn't just my credit cards and a gold bracelet I would have lost but also Eladio's hearing aids which cost at least 6000 euros. Finally I found it in the car under my seat. It must have fallen out of my bag. That was such a moment of relief I can tell you. Otherwise our trip would have really been spoiled. But our guardian angel continued to care for us.
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| Getting the car washed in Turkey when we arrived |
Very shortly afterwards, we found ourselves on the toll road that would lead us to the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge built in 2022. We had crossed it last year leaving Turkey for Greece and on Monday we crossed it in the other direction.
Crossing the Çanakkale Bridge on Monday, the longest suspension bridge in the world
Here is a video I took of that fantastic moment. So why is it so special? To start off with, it is the longest suspension bridge in the world. It crosses the Straits of the Dardanelles, near Gallipoli - remember the 1915 war that Churchill lost to Turkey where over half a million soldiers and sailors died from both sides? That is how it got its name. It is the first fixed crossing over the Dardanelles which links the Black Sea to the Mediterranean or rather Europe and Asia. Before, people had to either take a boat or drive a very, very long way.
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| The Dardanelles |
We got to the SunSan Hotel at about 2.30. It is not so far from Çanakkale and right on the Straits of the Dardanelles. It has a pool which I have now added to our accommodation requirements as it's so hot here. It was 37ºc when we arrived at the hotel that day, 10 degrees more than Madrid.
We had some ready to eat moussaka we got at Lidl, heated up on our little camping gas stove. Later when it was a bit cooler I went out to the pool and had it all to myself. Wonderful.
I then ventured a bit further to the hotel's private beach and sat and admired the view. It was cooler by then and it was wonderful to be by the Dardanelles and watch the tankers and ships cruise by. The sea itself wasn't that clean so I didn't go in. But just being there was very special.
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| The pool at our hotel near Çanakkale |
Meanwhile, Olivia, my youngest daughter who is a mother to our two grandchildren and a reporter for Spain's national broadcaster, RTVE, was arriving in Las Vegas. I must have told you last week that she was invited by the organisers of The World's 50 best restaurants, to be their MC again. I would have gone with her like a shot but the timing wasn't right.
She was treated like a star by the organisers, being upgraded on BA from London to Las Vegas, picked up at the airport and driven to her plush hotel where the event took place on Wednesday. If you didn't see it and want to, here is the link. She was spectacular. The hotel, Wynn Las Vegas, is a 5 star hotel and one of the plushest in Vegas. I don't think I have ever been anywhere like it and nor has she. Here is a video she took entering her room. Just look!
We got more photos as the week progressed. Here is just one of them.
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| Oli in Las Vegas. It really is over the top and that's not saying enough. |
But back to the Dardanelles and sitting by the sea to cool off on Tuesday afternoon. Eladio joined me later and we sat and admired the view and counted our blessings. We both agree that retirement (in good health and shape) is wonderful.
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| Cooling down on the beach belonging to the Straits of the Dardanelles |
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| Sunset by the Dardanelles |
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| Preparing dinner in our hotel! |
I didn''t hear the Fajr call to prayer on Tuesday morning so I must have slept quite well at the SunSan hotel. I loved waking up to the sight of the pool and the sea in the Straits of the Dardanelles. That day we were continuing our journey towards Ephesus and stopping for the night in a small coastal town called Dikili (funny name). On our way, we visited the ruins of the Ancient City of Troy. It was our friend Andy D who pointed out to me last year while crossing the Çanakkale Bridge that Troy was nearby. We had no idea then, so I scheduled it into our itinerary as it is a place well worth visiting. Who doesn't remember the story of the Trojan Horse from their history lessons?
Unfortunately, the replica horse from a 2004 Hollywood film that is at the entrance to the ruins is undergoing construction. I didn't really care. All I wanted was to get a feel of the place and live a bit of history even if it was among ruins. My husband was ecstatic to be there but oh my, it was so hot even though we were there early in the morning.
The funny thing about Troy that we learned that day is that it has 9 layers of buildings from all the different civilisations who have lived there. I followed a guided tour of English people and thus gathered some interesting snippets. Their guide explained that all the different inhabitants of Troy from about 3000 BC to 8AD, built on top of previous civilizations instead of side by side. Well, I don't know. What I did learn though, is that it dates back to then and ended with the Romans. Troy - being near the 2 seas, I suppose, always played an important role in commerce, and had great cultural connections. Today there is not much to be seen in terms of buildings. It's all ruins but oh my, just seeing those stones or mud bricks and realising that this ancient city goes back to the Bronze Age, made my spine tingle. I learned that the first archaeologist to find anything there was a German named Schliemann in 1871. He was 40 and had married a teenage girl, Sofia, from Greece who he adorned with some of the treasure - mostly gold he found digging at Troy. He then got in trouble with the authorities but was able to keep some. Later the Germans got their hands on it and the Russians; so most of it is in the Pushkin Museum and in Berlin but some, thankfully is still in Troy at the Museum there. These were words I heard from the Turkish guide to a group of Brits who looked like history buffs and I rather liked it. Here are some photos to remember our visit to the Archaeological Site of Troy.
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| Some snapshots from our visit to the Ancient City of Troy, or what remains of it, this week |
We then continued our journey to Dikili mostly on the main road to Izmir, Turkey's third largest city. The roads in Turkey are generally superb. Their dual carriage ways are fun as they go through a lot of towns and villages and you get to see life in Turkey away from the tourist spots.
Our "boutique" hotel (spelled with a "g"), the Reynabe near Dikili, was definitely off the tourist map, although it had a 9.2 on Booking. This is it. Our room was small but had a balcony, mini fridge and air con which was so important this week. We soon settled and in and had lunch outside - a Greek ready made meal bought at Lidl near Kavala.
Eladio, who is not really interested in the restaurant world was surprised. I told him to not be as food in Spain is so, so good. I realise that even more on this road trip where, apart from Italy and France (of course), no food anywhere else is up to scratch. The difference is enormous. We spoke to Olivia afterwards to congratulate her and she was happy but far too tired to go to the after party. She told us that as she left the stage when the event finished, people were thronging around her. She used French, Spanish and English intermittently and I was so proud to see her do so. Well done darling.
It was so hot I was perspiring and could hardly take in what I was seeing. Eladio soldiered on with a map of the area perched on his head.
Christian pilgrims come here too and people like us who are amateur history buffs.
There is a lot to see there and so much history but I won't bore you with the details. These were pagan times until after the birth of Jesus Christ and there are lots of monuments dedicated to different pagan Gods. The city must have been important if it was to become an objective of the Pauline Epistles and one of the seven churches of Asia spoken about in the Book of Revelation. St. John, the youngest apostle, it is said, apart from being entrusted by Jesus to care for his mother, was given Asia Minor as his region to spread the word of Christianity. It is even suggested that he wrote his gospel there and of course he died here. Eladio kept commenting how generations destroy what came before them and that most of Ephesus had been destroyed. It was the Goths who did it in 263 and then an earthquake. Yet, there is still a lot to see.
We didn't go out again until it was slightly cooler. We drove about 3.5km to the this small and rather uninteresting coastal town. It was full of locals enjoying the beach and views but I didn't like the black beach which was full of rubbish. The whole place felt rather run down. We went in search of more damned Turkish Lira as our hotel only accepted cash, even though I reserved a room via Booking. The bloody ATMs here charge a commission of 8% and offer a very unfavourable exchange rate. Frankly we should have brought euros in notes and we wouldn't have had all this fuss. But there you are, these are the disadvantages of travelling outside the EU.
Wednesday dawned, the day of the World's 50 best restaurant event. It was starting at 8.30 pm Las Vegas time which was actually 6 am the next day for me but I wouldn't have missed it live for the world.
Wednesday was the day we would be driving to one of our main destinations, Ephesus. We were happy to leave the boutique hotel in the middle of nowhere or somewhere near Dikili. For this occasion I had booked the best hotel in town. I think we deserved it. It? the Akhantus Ephesus Hotel. It took us about 2.5h to get there and most of it was on one of Turkey's splendid motorways. But it was so hot at 28ºc as early as 8.30 am would you believe? Once we arrived, all we wanted to do was stay at the hotel in our splendid air conditioned room or be by the pool. It was too hot there even in the shade. The temperature reached 39ºc that day which is far too dangerous to be out sightseeing especially in arid surroundings such as an archaeological site like Ephesus. This, by the way, was the entrance to the hotel which I loved as soon as we stepped inside.
History and culture would have to wait.
The Akhanthus Hotel in Selçuk, Ephesus - Ah but no, I watched history most of the afternoon. The BBC had put on a magnificent programme called D Day 80 to commemorate the D Day landings and comment on the event being celebrated in Portsmouth ahead of the events in France the next day. I'm so glad I got my Express VPN so I can watch UK "telly". Thanks Michael.
The event took place in Portsmouth, where I imagine my father must have been during the war. I have a photo of him after being made a Lieutenant by his ship HMS Wells which may have been taken there. Portsmouth is the Navy centre in the UK. It was 2.5h long and hosted by none other than Dame Helen Mirren and attended by HM The King, the Queen and the Prince of Wales and a long etcetera of digniteries. But who moved me most were the veterans themselves, just 20 this year. These were men and women who must have enlisted in their teens, like the Queen and my Aunty Gloria who joined the ATS. My father enlisted in 1939 aged 20. Soon there will be none left and that is so sad. But we, their offspring, are also children of that war as it touched us so much. As the photo above says,
The D-Day 80 programme on 5th June, the evening before the landing in Normandy
"We will remember them". Thanks to them history went in the right direction and we live in peace. Imagine if they had not succeeded what our lives would be like?
It was funny to be watching this and feeling so moved, as far away as I was, here, in Turkey, over 4000km away from home. But it really moved me. I missed the official events in Normandy where there were more veterans but followed the news. I was pleased to see President Macron give the Legion of Honour to 103 year old Christine Lamb, a naval "plotter" in the war. What I wasn't happy to hear was that Rushi Sunak left the events earlier than he should have.
It moved me too on Thursday morning to watch my own daughter, Olivia Freijo Lloyd, host this year's awards for the 50 best restaurants in Las Vegas. It took place on Wednesday night at 8.30 Vegas time which was Thursday morning 630 a.m our time.Here is the link to the moment where she announces the winner. I think the organisers did well to choose a bilingual Spanish born presenter as the winner came from Spain. Disfrutar from Barcelona came first and in the top 5 there were 3 Spanish restaurants.
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| Our daughter captured on my camera while hosting this year's 50 best restaurants in the world from Las Vegas |
Only then could we concentrate on where we were. But first of all we had breakfast which was included in our hotel reservation. It was by the pool and very good for Turkish standards. Here is Eladio enjoying his. We are very different when it comes to taste. At breakfast he goes for savoury and I go for sweet.
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| Breakfast at our hotel in Selçuc |
It was going to be a scorcher with the temperature reaching 39ºc which was nearly unbearable for sightseeing. I had declined all offers of guided tours which are a money trap so we set off on foot to the nearest attraction. That was the Basilica of St. John in the same compound as the Ottoman fortress in Selçuk. We had a bit of a kerfuffle at the entrance when I learned there was a price for Turks and a price, three times higher for non Turks. Honestly this country is a rip off when it comes to how they treat tourists. But in we went because of the importance of the now ruined Basilica. St. John was supposed to have come to Ephesus with the mother of Jesus. There are various theories that seem to make this true although I have my doubts that the Virgin Mary could have travelled all the way from Jerusalem in those times. In any case the Basilica is supposed to be where St. John's tomb is and Christian pilgrims come from all over the world to see it. So in we went to see what was left of it.
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| Above the entrance to the Basilicia of St. John and the fortress. |
The next item on our itinerary was to go to the Ancient City of Ephesus itself, about 3.3km away. Not wanting to move our car from its precious space, a young Turkish bar owner called a taxi for us. The taxi driver, Tufo, then offered his driving services for the day which after long negotiations we accepted. He would take us to the House of the Virgin Mary - 16km away, then to Ephesus, then to the pretty old Greek town of Sirince and finally the Temple of Artemis on the outskirts of the town. And that is what we did and it worked out a lot cheaper than if we had hired a guide. Who needs a guide when you have Eladio with you and Google?
So the first stop was the house of the Virgin Mary. The house was restored in the 7th century and I think in the 50's. There is not much to see but there is a very solemn and spiritual feeling about the place.
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| The House of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus |
From there, Tufo drove us to the entrance of the main site in the area, the Archaeological Park of Ephesus which is very large. Many of the buildings there are quite intact, compared to Troy or Pompei in my opinion.
So why is Ephesus so important? It was a city in Ancient Greece built in the 10th century BC. During Classical Greek times it was one of the twelve cities that were members of the Ionian league. The city later came under control of the Romans in 129 BC. Eladio was in his element telling me this and seeing the various buildings such as the small theater, the large theater, even a brothel and perhaps the most famous building is the Library of Celcius. Here are some snapshots of our visit.
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| At the archaeological site of Ephesus |
We rushed a bit as it was damned hot and as soon as we were out, we bought more water, some of which I poured over my head. We had two more stops to go, the little Greek town of Sirince with just a few hundred inhabitants. Its main claim to fame is wine making but I think today it is just full of tourist shops and restaurants. It reminded me a bit of some of the villages inland from Alicante - on a hill, with houses clinging to them, narrow cobbled streets and all sorts of fruit trees and olive trees as the main vegetation of the area. All we wanted to do was to eat as it was well past our lunchtime . We found a wonderful place serving quite good Turkish food - the best so far. I only ate half my plate of lamb kebab but I did finish the humus which was delicious.
Our last stop was perhaps the most important of the day. It was to see the remains of the Temple of Artemis (for Greeks) and Diana (for Romans). In its day it was considered one of the 7 wonders of the world. Unfortunately today, of the over 100 columns only 1 is left. Some of them are in the British Museum. Artemis was the goddess of hunting and nature. She is also linked to childbirth and single mothers. She was the daughter of Zeus and Leo and her twin brother was Apollo, so one of the most important pagan Goddesses of her times. Built in 550 BC it was burned down by some mad man called Herostratus in 356BC. It was rebuilt years later but again destroyed, this time by the Goths in 262. This is what it looked like then.
This is what it looks like today.
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| The temple of Artemis/Diana in its day |
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| The temple of Artemis today- just one column left |
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| Touching the top of the only column left from the original Temple of Artemis |
All we wanted to do after visiting the column of the Temple of Artemis was to return to our hotel. The owner had fixed internet in our room (tesekkur ederim) and soon I was having a cool shower. I took my clothes of the day inside the shower and gave them a good wash too. We haven't had access to a washing machine since Skopje.
Friday 7th June would have been my mother's birthday. Oh how proud she would have been to read the press that day about Olivia's performance in Las Vegas. This is quite an accolade from The Eater. Just read what they said about my daughter who is anything but full of herself. She only focuses on the mistakes she might have made. She should be proud too.
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| High praise fro Olivia from the media |
That day we ventured into the past again, walking in antiquity, to quote my dear friend Sandra. Our stay in Selçuk was not only to include Ephesus but also Miletus and while were in the area, Priene too - both of them Ancient Classical Greek towns but now in ruins. Miletus, the cradle of Western Philosophy, was on our bucket list last year, as were Ephesus and Pammukale but we had to rush home from Armenia to be home on time for Oli's wedding. This year we were even more keen to visit these unique places. It does seem as if we have gone from ruin to ruin but I love history and love imagining what life was like for the people living in these cities erected thousands of years before Christ.
These cities were all part of Ancient Greece. On our drive that morning to Miletus we stopped at Priene first. It reached 39ºc that day, so imagine climbing steep stone steps to get to the ruins. But they were well worth it. The moost important were the theatre and the Temple of Athena funded by Alexander the Great - he got everywhere, didn't he? While there I spied a British guide who must have been an archaeologist. I listened as he explained that Priene is one of the best conserved ancient cities in Turkey with the finest example of urban planning using the grid system. However, it was in Miletus that it was first used, although today there is very little left to see. The architect, if that is what you can call him, was Hippodamus of Miletus. This was adopted by the Romans and is still in use today. Here are a couple of pictures of the ruins of Priene to remember that very special visit to ancient times.
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| A visit to the ancient Greek city of Priene |
We then drove onto Miletus which gets far less mass tourism than Ephesus so we had it nearly to ourselves except for a group of Germans and some local schoolchildren.
Here Eladio was in his element as he studied and taught philosophy. In the air conditioned car he explained who the wise men - philosophers of Miletus were and why Thales, was important. He was the first one to question our existence and he was hailed by Aristotle as the first philosopher. He was also a mathematician, astronomer and statesman. His answer to the question of existence was water and he explained the world by natural theories rather than through mythology. This was Thales of Miletus (624-548 BC), thought to be Phoenician.
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| Thales of Miletus, the western world's first philosopher, according to Aristotle. |
The city itself was first conquered and governed by the Greeks and then the Romans. Sadly, today, only the theatre is partially intact. It suffered ruin, by later inhabitants as all these ancient cities did. Again there was a lot of climbing involved to see the ruins but we were both in our element, if a bit hot. That day, however, we brought a brolly for the sun and took lots of water.
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| Eladio in his element in Ancient Miletus |
We had no plans for lunch and not much food in the cupboard, so picked the first place we saw on the road approaching Selçuk, a town we will remember because of Ephesus but also because of our wonderful hotel, the most luxurious of our stay. The lunch was a tourist type buffet, not very appetising but our stomachs were grateful for the intake, whatever it was.
Yesterday, Saturday, we left the hotel at a leisurely pace and drove leisurely too to our final destination on this outbound part of our road trip. It was only 200km to Pamukkale and we stopped for coffee and petrol and not much else. By midday we were at our current hotel, The Hal-Tur, right opposite the famous white travertines which I will write about next week. It is fine, not as luxurious or pretty and quaint as the Akanthus in Ephesus but ticks all the boxes (parking, wifi, balcony, pool) and is within reach of the "white cotton castle" as Pamukkale is also known. It was stifling at 40ºc!
Lunch was not here. We took one look at the dining room and were put off by the heat, the lack of people and I'm sorry to say it but the B.O. of the owner. So I did a quick search and we ended up at the supposed best place in town according to Trip Advisor. I honestly don't think there is anything better here. Once again I had lamb shish kebab. There is never much more on offer. It's take it or leave it but Eladio had some beans he liked which honestly looked just like Heinz Baked Beans which I ate as a child but can no longer stomach.
Anyway, it was cool in there and we filled our stomachs. We spent the rest of the day chilling out and looking up all the places to see and go in the area.
Today is Sunday and one young Spaniard in Paris may make history today if he wins the men's singles final of Roland Garros, the French tennis grand slam. He did well to beat his equal, J. Sinner in a 5 set match this week. Today he plays the German, Zverev. May Carlos Alcaraz from Murcia win.
As for us, Pamukkale awaits us although I am a bit worried about walking on the slippery surface of this limestone and calcium white rock.
Cheers for now and thanks for following.
Masha
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