Terrific Turkey
Our stop
in Turkey was an excellent surprise.
Like most other barbarians, I expected Turkey to be the least likable of
our stops. How could I, who have
personally been engaged in the War on Terror, possibly feel both comfortable
and welcome in a Muslim culture? Well, let
me be the first to admit, I was wrong about Turkey. But, let me do it casually, and I'll ease
that part into the review.
View from our balcony at breakfast. We were greeted by dancers on the dock!
When we arrived, the sky was still dark, even though Turkey
is an hour ahead of the rest of Europe (except for Greece), as one would
expect, being that is in Asia, after all.
When the sun came up, we were on our balcony having our room service
breakfast, and I was stunned that Turkey didn't look like the Middle East. Of course, Turkey actually straddles both
continents, and has a thriving European influence. Three percent of Turkey is in Europe, and that is part
where Istanbul serves as the gateway to Asia.
The rest of the country is a different continent. Turkey is heavily influenced by the Greeks,
and vice versa, as Greece was a part of the Turkish Empire for so many
years. I'll speak more about this in the
following paragraphs. Turkey had a king
back before WWII who was determined that his country would be a progressive state,
and not become consumed
with dogmatic Islamic ideology. He
determined that the women were free to dress as they wish, and to be educated
should they choose to do so. They are an
overtly Muslim culture, but they in no way suppress other religions. In fact, a sizable population of Christians (both Catholic and
Protestant) exists in Turkey without consequence. I never once felt discriminated against and I
felt welcome in every instance and with every encounter. I found the Turkish people to be warm and
engaging, and their hospitality was unparalleled in any country we visited.
We wanted to take Bahar home with us!
Our guide's name was Bahar, and she was loved from the
first moment we met her. She was very
casual and relaxed, and her demeanor told us immediately that she was very
comfortable with her job and that we were going to have a great day. A small, pretty woman; she had a way about
her that made us smile and caused us to be cheerful. She didn't take herself too seriously, and
was able to laugh at her own innocent mistakes.
For instance, when she was trying to connect with our driver, she called
him from her cell phone and when the call connected, she discovered that he was
standing immediately behind her, not more than four feet away. She laughed and commented that she was glad
she didn't say anything mean about him.
Yes, it was going to be a good day, indeed.
As soon as we got started, Bahar reviewed our plans for the
day, and then made a suggestion.
Remember, anytime your experienced guide makes a suggestion, just go
with it. They know what they're doing
and if you trust them, they will take great care of you. Trust your guide! It's a good rule to follow. Bahar suggest that we modify our day
slightly. We were planning to visit
Mary's (the mother of Jesus), house, which was on our way to Ephesus, and then
tour Ephesus, and then tour a bit of Kusadasi for a few hours, and then the
carpet factory. I will address the
carpet factory more in the next few paragraphs.
So, whatever you think about the factory, keep an open mind until you
hear me out. Bahar suggested that,
unless we had a deep religious yearning to visit Mary's house, we skip it and
tour a small, traditional Turkish village in the mountains instead. She reasoned that, "After a while, old
buildings are just more of the same.
It's all Greek and Roman, and it's all the same. Old and interesting, but still the same as
all the other old and interesting buildings.
Mary probably actually lived in that place, but the house has been
rebuilt and the original
is buried beneath the home that exists today.
So, if you'd rather experience Turkish living, I suggest we skip Mary's
house and tour Sirince." She didn't
pressure us one bit to do one or the other.
She made the suggestion and let us do as we wished. Since our rule is "trust the
guide," we told her to skip Mary's house and head for the hills. That turned out to be the best decision of
the entire trip. Our other family
member's tours went to Mary's house, and they all said they wished they could
have gone with us to the village.
By skipping Mary's house we got to Ephesus waaaay ahead of the other barbarians. We were not crowded at all for another hour! We are standing in front of the library at the center of town. Next to the library are the arches that take you to the agora, which would be similar to a market place.
But first, we were to tour Ephesus. Like most Americans, I really had no idea
what to expect. My only knowledge of Ephesus was
based on Biblical studies, and most of that was limited to theology and not
tradition or culture. Well, let me tell
you, Ephesus is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites you could possibly visit. First, the city is very well preserved, as it
wasn't really "discovered" again until the late 1800's. There are several reasons Ephesus is so preserved. First, the sea began to retreat as river sediments filled the bay, forcing the residents to relocate closer to the water. And, I seem to remember that a large portion of Ephesus was buried by
an earthquake/landslide and was never thought of again until a very serious effort was
made to unearth the city in the 1960's by the Austrian government. Because of that, most of the marble, statues,
mosaics and general wealth of the city remain for you to appreciate. Ephesus is a city you can actually enter and
walk through her streets and explore her buildings without the encroachment of
the modern developments that grew up around the ruins in Rome.
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| Men's toilets |
And I bring you back
to Ephesus. So, Bahar did everything she
could to help us close our eyes and envision what the city was like before it
was destroyed. The streets were paved
with marble, and they were wide streets, almost like a courtyard
themselves. Columns ran the length of
the streets, and each column had a statue of an important person. The arches usually came in pairs, and they were
reserved for gods and emperors. The
deeper you go into the city, the more preservation occurred, so you can stand
back and look down the main streets and see how incredible Ephesus had once
been. There are estimates that several hundred thousand people
made it their home, and it was an important shipping center for Roman
commerce. People from Europe and Asia
would meet at Ephesus, so you can envision why Paul and John chose Ephesus as a
place to plant a Christian church. As we walked past the partially restored library, and stood in front of the sizable amphitheater, we looked down the street that went to the harbor. These streets were illuminated at night, which helped prevent muggings, but it also made them very special. I can see on a moon lit night how the torches reflected off the marble pavement and columns, and how the sea below would have glistened softly in the distance. And then Bahar told us to imagine seeing Antony and Cleopatra walking up from the harbor and holding hands as then entered the city. At that moment, Ephesus became alive to me. We were walking on the exact marble streets where the Caesars walked, and the gladiators marched on their way to the amphitheater to battle, men like Pliney and Josephus were probably here, working on recording their observations, which were probably kept in the large library in the center of the town.
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| Remains of the Christian church |
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| Where Paul preached! |
A group of actors demonstrating a gladiator fight. This is the harbor road where anyone arriving by ship would enter Ephesus. Close your eyes and watch Antony and Cleopatra walking down that very road....
Another part of
Ephesus that we so loved were the terrace houses, which is still an active
archeological site. The houses had been
buried, probably by an earthquake and landslide, and were left alone until the
excavations began in the 1960s. The plastered
and marbled walls were still standing, with the frescos preserved with their
bold paints depicting incredible stories.
The floors in the houses of the rich were tiled with mosaics that told
stories that were rich with meaning. The
furnishing of the homes were often still intact, and those homes are open for
you to explore. A catwalk was built
above the houses so you can walk around and see what was happening in each of
these homes. The people who lived here were extravagantly
richly, and they left behind their signature to demonstrate just how incredible
man can be.
Following is a sampling of the rooms and their decorations. The archeologists are trying to reconstruct the marble displays on the wall in the first shot. The second is a temple inside a home. The third is our future archaeologist admiring the reconstruction process. The rest are our pitiful attempts at capturing the mosaic tile work found in the homes. Some of the mosaics were on the floor, some on the walls, but all were magnificent. The mosaics on the floor looked like carpet!
Following is a sampling of the rooms and their decorations. The archeologists are trying to reconstruct the marble displays on the wall in the first shot. The second is a temple inside a home. The third is our future archaeologist admiring the reconstruction process. The rest are our pitiful attempts at capturing the mosaic tile work found in the homes. Some of the mosaics were on the floor, some on the walls, but all were magnificent. The mosaics on the floor looked like carpet!
I'll share a side
story about our day in Ephesus. At the
port, before we joined with Bahar for the day, the kids noticed several cats
roaming the streets. They were very
friendly, but my kids are banned from petting unknown animals. Once in Ephesus, the kids focused on the cats
once again. Soon, we started counting
them. By the time we concluded our tour
at the bathroom on the way out of the ancient city, we counted 37 different
cats, but by the time we left Turkey, the count was 42.
This is the last cat we saw at Ephesus.
I was not prepared
for what we would find in Ephesus, and all of us so enjoyed and appreciated our
tour. Perhaps it was Bahar who made it
special, but we connected with Ephesus in a real way, and it became one of our
favorite stops for the entire cruise.
By this point, Bahar
had connected with our family and we had developed a great rapport with
her. She was laughing and telling us
funny stories from the days when she worked as a photographer on the Disney
cruise lines. She reaffirmed to us that
our decision to visit the village of Sirince rather than see Mary's house was a
good decision. By the time we loaded
into the van to leave, large hoards of barbarians were arriving via bus tours,
but our early morning private tour was a very peaceful time. Skipping Mary's house launched us forward
into Ephesus quicker than the hoards.
We drove up the
hills over Ephesus for about 15 minutes and had a commanding view of the ruins,
Kusadasi, and the sea (of which we never took a picture). We arrived at the
village and we knew immediately that we had made the right choice. This small village was peaceful and simple,
and it was not catering to tourists, even though a few barbarians meandered
about. Bahar stopped the driver on the
edge of town and we got out of the van in front of some fruit stands. She bought us a sack of freshly picked
tangerines and we walked the market, which was actually a local fruit,
vegetable, meat, and clothing market, and snacked on those wonderful
tangerines. And then she found a vender
selling figs that were as large as tennis balls and she bought us a bag of
those to snack on while we walked. It
was incredible. And we were sticky. So, she took us to a fountain where we washed
our hands.
Those tangerines and figs were incredible!
Sirince was a wonderful village to visit. What a great day!
Those tangerines and figs were incredible!
Sirince was a wonderful village to visit. What a great day!
A celebrity of sorts
lives in this village. His name is Demetrius
and he was the artist who designed all the jewelry worn by the actors in the
movie Troy, starring Brad Pitt. He was a
jolly man and very welcoming, and he enjoyed Bahar fussing over his status. He even gave Caitie a set of imitation
zultanite ear rings, just because he liked her.
His nephew ran the jewelry store where he worked and when he saw that we
were with Bahar, he showed us his selection of zultanite jewelry.
Demetrius and his jewelry shop
Let me back up just
a bit and explain zultanite, which is a gem that is only mined in Turkey. On the hardness scale, it is a 9.7 or
something like that, (diamonds being 10) and it is valuable and rare. The stone has an incredible property that
makes it change colors depending on lighting and temperature. We were very interested in buying zultanite
when in Turkey, but every internet article I read warned me not to buy it from
any local stores. Scores of tourists were
buying fake gems that looked real. But,
once you see the real thing, there is no way to be fooled by the fake. We wanted some, but we were afraid to buy
it. But, Demetrius' nephew showed us his dealer
certificate and showed us that he sells directly to the cruise ships
themselves. And his prices reflected
small village life rather than touristy manhandling.
Looks like the negotiations are almost complete.
He handed us two
rather large 3 carat zultanite rings and told us to go walk around outside and
watch it change colors. So, we did. We walked out into the sunlight and over to the
shade trees, and then back around by the fruit stand, and then back to the
store. In that short tour, the stone
went from emerald green to turquoise, to violet, and then to hot pink. We tried to return them to him and he said
for us to take them to the carpet store next door and check out the lighting in
there. He met us on the other side of
the wall and demonstrated how incredible that gemstone is.
I thought about
buying some loose stones to use for trade once the zombie apocalypse starts,
but Sarah had a better idea. She bought
a solitaire ring, matching earring studs, and a necklace stud as well. We had such a phenomenal price from that
store that I almost started to worry that he was selling hot merchandise. We were simply fortunate enough to have Bahar
with us, who was a friend to everyone in the village. Everywhere we went with her, we were
welcomed, and it was clear that she spent large amounts of her time amongst
these people.
Random shots of the market area
The village streets
were very similar to the style of narrow streets common to medieval European
construction, but these people used tents and stands more than quaint
shops. None of the venders chased us
down the street and badgered us into buying something. We were largely ignored except for a polite
greeting. If we entered a shop, the
vender would pay full attention to us, but if we walked past, they didn't press
us to come back. We had a wonderful time
walking in those streets and getting a feel for what a true Turkish experience
would be.
I don't remember what the bee hive looking thing is, but we were impressed enough to take a photo. And another shot of the countryside.
From there it was
lunch time, even though we'd eaten many tangerines and figs, and we were
cautiously optimistic about the meal we would receive. Bahar chatted with us on the way down the
mountain and explained to us how the traditions of the Turkish people had not
changed much since their early days. For
instance, the girls were expected to make a rug/carpet as part of her dowry,
and the boys were to make clay pots as part of his gift to his bride on their
wedding day. Bahar laughed and told us
her rug already had three holes in it, so she had to buy a new one! The rugs the girls made were supposed to
remain in her family for the following generations. Rug making was a significant part of their
culture. It was more than a business. It was an identity. And for them, it was an honor for you to tour
their rug factory so they can demonstrate a very important aspect of their
cultural identity. We were honored that
they wanted to share that with us, even though we were very clear upfront that
we were not in a position to buy any rugs from them.
All that remains of the former wonder of the ancient world, Temple of Artemis
On our way to our
lunch, the driver paused briefly on the road and we glanced at a column
standing off in the near distance and Bahar told us that was the site of the
Temple of Artemis, also known as the Temple of Diana, which was once one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world. The
temple was first destroyed by a flood in the 7th century BC, and was rebuilt on
three separate occasions. And now only
one column remains.
The meals were prepared on the grill, and our table was under a covered pavilion near the grill.
Bahar then took us
to small family cafe where we would eat lunch.
It was a traditional style of grill and it served only one type of food,
grilled beef and lamb meatballs, and grilled chicken. And it was good. We started off with appetizers that were
traditional offerings. Yogurt and
cucumbers, carrot salad, yogurt and peppers, and things like that. They were all tasty, but we were not
pressured to eat anything we didn't want.
And there was nothing scary that would not be edible. Sarah and I had a local beer, Efes, and it
was good pale ale, and the kids had cokes, Seth drinking a Fanta and Caitie
having Lipton Tea.
Seth freaks out with potato salad. Whatever he just ate didn't go down...
Seth is our picky
eater, and he promised to try most of the dishes, and he did. But he didn't care for most of the
appetizers. The one with peppers made
him gag and he ran to the grass and spit it out. Bahar felt bad for encouraging him to try it,
but he needs a good push every once in a while.
The meat was very tasty and the quality of the food was top notch. We were all relieved that our meal was not a
disaster. We listened to Bahar telling
funny stories about life in Turkey and encounters with other tourists. We had a great and relaxing meal.
This meal was delicious! And Bahar ate with us, hence the extra plate.
Once the meal was
over, we paid for our drinks and were offered a chance to tour the carpet
factory. It was optional, and we could
freely decline. But, we were there, and
the tour was still young, so we decided to see it. They showed us how the silk is collected from
the worms, and I had no idea such a process existed. And it is the same method used for centuries. They showed us how the silk is processed into
threads and strings for use in the carpets, and how the Turkish women still use
those fabrics to weave a carpet, which take about 8 months to produce. Caitie even got the chance to try her hand at
weaving. From that point, our guide
asked us if we would care to see any of their products. We had the choice of declining or
viewing. At first we declined, but Bahar
explained that we should see the presentation because they would serve us hot
Turkish apple tea and that lively and rich Turkish coffee, and they would even
throw in some Raki for good measure.
Raki is the traditional liqueur that is flavored like licorice, and is
really good when mixed with the coffee.
The coffee alone is a force to be contended with, and it was
impressive. While we sipped our
beverages, they demonstrated the different types of carpets between the wool
and silk, and they different designs and motifs. At the end of the presentation, we were
offered a chance to bargain with them for a rug, but we declined. We could have walked out with a very nice rug
for less than 1,000 dollars if we were in the market for one, and it would have
been a great deal.
The cocoons were the silk is extracted. Caitie tries her had at weaving. Don't hold your breath, she never got the hang of it.
One of dozens of rugs they demonstrated for us. You definitely didn't want that coffee to be any bigger. HOLY COW! Strong coffee!
With that over,
Bahar asked if there was anything else we wanted to do or see. Of course, we had no idea, so she suggested
that we could tour the leather factory outlet, where they would give us a tour
and a no pressure demonstration of their products. She said it would be fun, and asked who wants
to have some fun. Well, who doesn't want
to have fun, right? Let's roll!
The leather sold at
this company is incredible. It is
durable and very thin. In fact, an
entire leather jacket is rolled up into a bag that is the size of a small
umbrella case, and the leather is wrinkle free.
But the leather is not free. It
was pricey. Some of the pieces were
marked for several thousand Euros, but the factory discount is 50% off, plus whatever
else you negotiate down. You could buy
some incredibly high quality and very fashionable coats for a few hundred
dollars if you wished. I regretted not
buying one of the leather belts I found.
I really wanted it, but for some reason I just didn't do it. Next time!
We were treated to a show complete with runway models...
We arrived at the
leather shop and we went in to a small theater, which was actually a model
runway, where the lights dimmed and the music started. Suddenly, the walkway was alive with gorgeous
women and a few young men strutting up and down demonstrating their incredible
leather products. They were putting on a
full show, and there were only the five of us to witness it.
And then it
happened.
Bahar was watching
us with a clever smile and she glanced at me like the cat that ate the
canary. The next thing I know, the
taller of the Barbie doll models grabbed me by the hand and pulled me onto the
stage, and drug both me and Seth behind the curtain. They outfitted us into some rather amazing
leather gear and then we were marched out on the runway and strutting our
stuff. The Barbie doll then grabbed
Caitie by the hand and pulled her backstage, where she went through the same
transformation. The kids were having a
blast, and it was fun to watch them enjoying being part of the program. I was indifferent, but in order to preserve
my man card, I had to feign offense.
Truth be told, I once applied for a job as a model back when I was 50
pounds lighter, and I would have been hired had Sarah and I not had an
emergency medical problem that caused me to miss my final interview. I never rescheduled and that was that. And you could care less about the paragraph I
just wrote, right? ANYWAY, the kids and
I spent several minutes modeling the leather products and walking the
runway. It was fun, but I'll never admit
to it.
Sorry these shots are blurry. Sarah was laughing too hard to take good, clear photos.
Sorry these shots are blurry. Sarah was laughing too hard to take good, clear photos.
Then we were given
more hot apple tea, which is wonderful, by the way, and allowed to shop for as
long as we wished. The manager was a
very agreeable man and he insisted that we were his guests, and that we could
stay as long as we liked, and there was no obligation or expectation of our
buying anything from him. We spent just
less than an hour while the girls tried on several outfits, including Bahar,
who was having fun shopping with Caitie, showing her the latest fashions in
Turkey and Europe. I thought Bahar would
buy a coat she liked, but she finally set it back on the rack with a sigh. She said she bought a similar jacket 8 years
ago and it is still in wonderful condition.
When we return to Turkey, we will return to this shop and buy some cool
products, and even a rug at the factory.
We just didn't budget for it on this trip.
Sadly, that
concluded our tour of Turkey, except for the last details of the day. She had promised to take us to the best
Turkish delight in Kusadasi. And it was
in a shop just a hundred yards from the port.
Was it good? Oh my lands, was it
good! The man behind the counter was so
accommodating and he gave us a sample of anything we wanted to try. Seth's favorite was the rose flavor. Caitie's was the blackberry. Sarah and I had trouble landing on a
favorite. Maybe the apple, maybe the
lemon. No, the tangerine. Well, in the end, it didn't matter. We bought some of each flavor and it was very
affordable. In fact, I'm snacking on a
piece of the rose flavor right now, and it might be the best. The shop was a fun place to stop. We bought a bottle of Turkish wine, some
Raki, some of the apple tea, and the candy.
What a great store! And the
workers were so grateful for our business.
By the way, there is no issue with buying Turkish delight and bringing
it home through customs.
Oh my, this was good stuff! Just don't make the same mistake we did. If you get either banana or mint flavors, segregate them. Or your apple delights will taste like bananas.
Sadly, this did end
our day with Bahar. The kids were sad
because they enjoyed her so much, and we immediately identified her as our
favorite guide of the entire cruise. I
promise you this, when we go back to Turkey, we will request Bahar. You should, too. As we said good bye to her, I wanted to give
her a gift along with her tip. I always
travel with complimentary copies of my books, and I wanted to give her one as a
thank you for giving us such a wonderful day.
When I handed her the book she was excited and demanded an autograph. When the store workers saw the event, they
immediately pressed in around us, which drew in the people on the street. Before I knew it, I was conducting a book
signing in the presence of at least 20 people, maybe 30. And they all assumed I was a celebrity, which
Bahar shouted to her friend across the room.
I dearly wished I had more copies to give away. It does an author's heart good to be clamored
over like that! We then returned to our
ship very sad that our tour in Kusadasi was finished.
Some final notes
about our Turkey tour. You have a driver
as well as the guide. We asked Bahar if we should tip him at the end of the
tour and she said he would surely appreciate it. I couldn't get Bahar to tell
me what an acceptable tip would be, so we gave him 15 Euros. I don't know if
that was good or bad, but he was grateful. ALSO, concerning Turkish coffee...well. I like coffee. I was in the Army, and I know what motor oil
coffee generally tastes like. This
Turkish coffee was in my blood stream for 7 or 8 days! It was thick and rich, and it had a wonderful
flavor, but it would float a horse shoe.
It came in a one ounce espresso cup, and the bottom third of the cup was
coffee residue that was too thick to drink.
And talk about a buzz! Yee
haw! I liked it. Sarah preferred the apple tea.
Next: Athens
Turkey will always be a fond memory. I'm SOOO glad we visited Kusadasi.
Part I Getting there
Part II Barcelona
Part III Barcelona Continued
Part IV France
Part V Livorno, Pisa, and Florence, Italy
Part VI Rome
Part VII Sea Day
Part VIII Turkey
Part IX Athens
Part X Santorini
Part XI Sea Day
Part XII Italy: Positano, Sorento, Amalfi Coast, and Pompeii
Part XIII Sea Day
Part XIV Back to Barcelona
Part XV The Journey Home and Final Thoughts
Next: Athens
Turkey will always be a fond memory. I'm SOOO glad we visited Kusadasi.
Part I Getting there
Part II Barcelona
Part III Barcelona Continued
Part IV France
Part V Livorno, Pisa, and Florence, Italy
Part VI Rome
Part VII Sea Day
Part VIII Turkey
Part IX Athens
Part X Santorini
Part XI Sea Day
Part XII Italy: Positano, Sorento, Amalfi Coast, and Pompeii
Part XIII Sea Day
Part XIV Back to Barcelona
Part XV The Journey Home and Final Thoughts
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