Turkish Odyssey

After a great trip to Turkey eight years ago, we vowed that one day we would return. This time, rather than travel independently, we took a Grand Circle tour. It turned out to be the smartest vacation decision we ever made.

Our tour director, Serif Yenen, proved to be a wonderful teacher and leader. Serif is the author of the first guide to Turkey ("Turkish Odyssey") written by a Turk. His knowledge of Turkey's history and culture is encyclopedic, and he clearly loves his country. He was ably assisted by our driver Kamil, who somehow guided a large tour bus with astonishing precision through the nightmare of Istanbul traffic.

The Turks must be among the friendliest people in the world. Everywhere we went people were glad to see us, especially the children, who were always happy to pose for photos (although the parents might keep a watchful eye on them).

If we encountered kids playing, they would stop and pose. When we sat next to them in a stadium, they would keep us entertained. At museums we often encountered school groups, who would holler "Hello!" and "What's your name?".

One day we paid a visit to a school. After the children demonstrated for us their pledge of allegiance, the group of Americans astonished them by singing "I'm a little teapot", actions and all. The kids seemed pleased but confused. Gordon made friends by suggesting to a group of boys that they find a ball and join him in a game of football (soccer) - which left him winded but mostly uninjured.

The only exception to the general level of friendliness occurred when Gordon, on an exploratory walk, encountered a group of young toughs sneaking a cigarette. Even they became friendly when he promised to send them copies of the photo.

We did not meet a lot of wildlife during our visit - an occasional lizard, and several nests of storks along the west coast. On a walk through the woods one is likely to encounter a goat, announced by the bell round his neck.

Of course, there were always the usual collections of cats, and dogs (mostly friendly). In popular areas camels are on display as tourist attractions, although elsewhere they are used as working animals. In Capadocia one can also find an alternative version of a camel.

Istanbul lies on both sides of the Bosphorus, a place where Europe and Asia are linked by two suspension bridges. An attempt to recapture the former splendor of the Ottoman Empire can be seen in replicas of the sultan's barge that now ply the Bosphorus.

Wherever one goes it's impossible to avoid the attentions of the assertive souvenir vendors, and at places like the spice bazaar the merchants aggressively peddle their wares. By exploring the little side streets, though, it's possible to find interesting stores that seem to be patronized by real Turks.

Just watching porters lugging their heavy loads can be tiring. When exhausted by it all, we took advantage of the ubiquitous cafes and relaxed with a glass of çay.

Over 2500 years of history makes Istanbul one of the most fascinating places in the world for a visitor. Our tour of the city began at the hippodrome, a hot bed of activity during the Roman period. The glory of the Ottoman Empire is best seen at the Topkapi Museum, where modern security checks have replaced the Janissaries as guardians of this former palace. The pomp of the sultans is reflected in the beautiful tiles and calligraphy, and other luxurious decor.

A marked contrast is the Dolmabahçe palace, built in the 19th century as a replacement for the Topkapi, which the sultans came to dislike. "Overwrought"" may be the best adjective to describe the Dolmabahce. One of the favorite attractions at the palace is the immobile guard in front (shades of Buckingham palace).

Istanbul is a city of mosques. Perhaps the best known are the Blue Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque. The interior of the Blue Mosque is striking for its luminosity and sense of peace. The Süleymaniye Mosque is the masterpiece of the great architect Sinan.

The famous Hajia Sophia, originally a church, later a mosque, is now a museum, when one can admire the restored beauty of the Byzantine mosaics*.

To begin our tour of the Anatolian (or Asian) section of Turkey, we flew from Istanbul to Kayseri. This is the gateway to Capadocia, overlooked by the Erciyes Volcano, one of the three volcanoes that were largely responsible for the unreal landscape that characterizes Capadocia.

Along the way we stopped at Sari Han, a restored 13th century Caravansary. We then arrived at Pigeon Valley, which provides a sense of the remarkable scenery ahead.

The unusual combination of hard basalt and soft tufa has created bizarre patterns in the rocks, set in a kind of futuristic rock garden. When the basalt overlies the tufa, the resulting pattern of erosion creates such strange results as these "fairy chimneys".

The most beautiful fairy chimneys are found in Pasbaga, otherwise known as the Valley of the Monks, and other less polite titles.

The soft tufa made it easy for inhabitants of the area to dig rock houses. When Christians were harassed by Arabs in the 7th century, they found refuge by transforming the rocks into churches and monasteries. Some of the astonishing results can be seen in the Göreme Open-Air Museum, where many of the old churches have been restored.

Near Üçhisar an enormous rock was converted into an observation tower and fortress. A few hardy souls managed the climb to the summit*.

Many of these rock houses are used as occupied homes today. We met a couple who live in one of the houses in the rocks, and found out what a delightful interior can be created.

In Kaymakli, inhabitants took a different approach to security. Some time between the 6th and 10th centuries, they dug an enormous underground city, eight or ten levels deep. This, and other underground cities were discovered only recently, and can be visited by those who are immune to claustrophobia.

Probably the best way to see Capadocia is from a hot air balloon. Thus, one morning we rose at an ungodly hour so that JoAnn could join a balloon party.

Once the heater was ignited, her balloon joined others and rose to greet the sunrise. In close formation, the balloons drifted across the landscape, dropping once to say "hi" to someone meditating on top of a rock.

We took a long drive from Capadocia to Antalya. One stop along the way was at a another caravansary, this one in ruins. It may have been an omen. Our tour director learned shortly before our arrival in Antalya that the intended hotel did not have enough rooms for us all. He immediately negotiated a deal with a different hotel, the newly constructed Hotel Kervansary, a bizarre place of hyper-modern decor and exotic evening light shows. Occupied mostly by Russian tourists who seemed never to leave the confines of the hotel, it was a strange exposure to another side of tourism.

The Antalya museum contains an impressive collection of Roman and pre-Roman artifacts from the several old cities near by. One of our favorite Roman items was this rather romantic tomb.

Near Antalya are several sites of Roman or older origin. Perge gives one a sense for the splendor that was once Rome. The entrance to the city is Hellenistic, from around 200 BC. Most of the other remains are Roman (first three centuries AD). Little is left of the stadium, but with a little imagination the main street gives one a sense of life in those times. Imagine a steady stream of water flowing the length of the street to provide a sense of cool refreshment on a hot day.

Nearby the theater at Aspendos can be, and is, still used for performances. A few days after our visit, "Carmen" was to be performed, and workers were preparing the stage.

A Roman aqueduct is mostly in ruins now, but sections still give a sense for the complexity of its construction.

After leaving Antalya we stopped briefly at the charming former port of Phaselis. The Roman theater there commands a stunning view of the Taurus mountains. The ruins are part of a natural park, a great place to contemplete the scenery. The main street of the old town leads to the peaceful waters of Antalya Bay.

A further stop in the town of Demre allowed us to explore the city of Myra, where the Lycian cliff tombs date back to the 5th century BC. The more recent theater has Hellenistic and Roman origins. Carvings of theatrical masks are scattered around rather randomly.

Demre also features the 8th century church of Saint Nicholas, otherwise known as Santa Claus. Quite what the connection is with the north pole was not clear.

Our destination that day was the town of Göcek, one of the few Mediterranean towns in Turkey not yet spoiled by high rise developments. The bay contains dozens of small inlets where yachts can find a quiet place to anchor.

A long walk one day made it clear that Göcek is also a working town, boat building and repair along the coast and logging further inland.

A side trip from Göcek to Daylan provided a view of cliff tombs that are rather different from those at Myra. The Dalyan tombs were created by the Carians around 4th century BC in an area that has now become popular for those who enjoy lying in state on Iztuzu beach.

When we left Göcek for Izmir, we stopped in Didyma to explore the temple of Apollo. It's not a large site, but it is impressive all the same. It features beautifully carved heads of Medussa and other items of carved marble.

While staying in Izmir, Gordon took advantage of an optional trip to Pergamum, another old Roman city, where the Acropolis provides a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. The theater at Pergamum is one of Turkey's most impressive.

An old Roman road leads from the Acropolis to the Asclepium, a health center where the celebrated physician Galen practiced towards the end of the 2nd century. (My favorite prescription of his - a late night run, naked, covered in a mud pack).

Galen was a pioneer in such procedures as dream analysis. A small theater may have provided spiritual comfort to the patients. Walks through a vaulted gallery were used in conjunction with strange behavioral rituals to restore Romans to full mental and physical health.

Our trip to Ephesus, which is the most complete and perhaps most spectacular of the restored Roman cities, was rather different from our visit eight years ago. Much of it we had seen before, such as the theater, which is still used for performances.

One difference was the crowds of tourists, giving us a sense of what the city was like when its population was some quarter of a million. The other difference was the rain, almost the only rain we saw on our trip. We tried in vain to seek shelter in the glorious but not very rainproof library of Celsus, and we watched as the celebrated Curetes Way was turned into a cascade.

May 19 is National Youth Day in Turkey. It commemorates the war of independence in 1919, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk created the modern state of Turkey.

Serif used his talents to find us prime seating at the festivities in Nevsehir, where we sat behind the provincial governor and other dignitaries as they reviewed the parade of local youth. The parade was followed by precision drills, first by the boys, then by the girls. Finally, folk dancers filled the stadium and treated us to a great display of traditional dances. The best part of the show - it was not something put on for tourists.

It's hard to visit Turkey without buying a carpet. Nevertheless, the carpet center we visited provided an experience that was worthwhile. The manager of the center provided an interesting explanation of the art of carpet weaving. We saw how silk was obtained from the silkworms and then spun into a yarn. A rich variety of colors is produced by natural wool dyes. Finally, women weave the carpets from classic patterns. And yes, we did buy a carpet.

Large cities such as Istanbul are, of course, densely packed. One of the features that was most noticeable was the ubiquitous TV satellite receiver.

Smaller towns, such as Bergama, the modern Pergamum, often contain interesting older districts, featuring typical Aegian style architecture. Simple houses are made more interesting when set against a background of the Roman Acropolis.

One of the most unusual city sights is the old town of Gore, formerly occupied by Greeks. After the tragic population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923, Gore, unlike most other Greek towns, was left unoccupied. It remains today as a ghostly reminder of the trauma.

By way of contrast, a stroll through modern Izmir one evening brought us to the most lively of spectacles, a folk music concert cum fashion show cum dance performance (we never did find out exactly what it was). We opted out of the entertainment by the belly dancer*, though other members of the group enjoyed it.

One of the favorite urban pastimes for Turks is wrestling, especially the "oil wresting" contests* where large men smothered in olive oil spend a hot afternoon grappling with each other. Serif and Kamil found this contest for us in the town of Edremit. The large crowd included a wedding party (!) and two men perched on a fork lift for a better view (see inset).

To see a different side of Turkish life one must get off the beaten track and visit remote villages set into the hills. Old farm houses remain unchanged for centuries.

In the village of Ibrahim Pasha we visited the village mosque. Compare it's simplicity with the grandeur of the Blue Mosque and the Süleymaniye

Modes of transportation may be quite simple. Cattle are often found in the fields outside a town, and in villages they may be kept close to the home. This rustic scene was found a few kilometers out of Göcek. Even in Capadocia the home garden may be used for grazing lambs.

A Home Lunch

In the village of Demircidere, arrangements had been made for small groups of us to lunch with individual families. Our group was met by Gulsön, who had prepared a most satisfying meal. She and her husband were delighted to show us their house and garden. Even though they spoke no English, and we spoke little Turkish, a wonderful time was enjoyed by all.

It was obvious that the whole village was delighted at the chance to meet all these strange Americans, and we left on the best of terms.

A brief stop at the site of ancient Troy* was a reminder of how many groups have moved through Anatolia and made it their home. At least nine levels of remains have been discovered, dating from 3000 BC to 400 AD. The classic conflict described by Homer* is probably associated with level 7.

Of all the conflicts that have occurred in this land over the millennia, perhaps the best known in the West is the Gallipoli campaign. Thousands of lives were lost on both sides in what now seems to have been a pointless exercise. On the return trip to Istanbul we stopped at the Gallipoli memorial park, a sobering and touching experience. Ataturk's message to former enemies* is an especially poignant comment on the outcome of war.

And so it was time to deal once again with the complexities of 21st century air travel. It was hard to leave, and we said farewell to Turkey with many fond memories. We hope it will be less than eight years before we return.

* Photos by Bob Ball

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