TravelStream™ news feed for member noalarmclocks on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/noalarmclocks en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:35:40 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1246226073/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1246226073/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1246226073/tpod.html Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:35:40 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

All of the Contest Questions For Our Trip

(You don't need to read our TravelPod to find the answers!)

1. Which early Crete society was remarkably advanced, produce unsurpassed art work, and was the centre of a maritime trading empire as early as 2000 BC?

2. Name the script, written on clay tablets and found only on Crete, that has yet to be deciphered.

3. Did you know that Crete is Greece's largest olive producer? Name 3 varieties of olives.

4. Name 5 fruits grown on Crete.

5. Chania now sits on the ancient city of Kydonia, and was fought over and controlled by Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Genoese, Turks, Egyptians and Germans. In what year did Crete unify with Greece?

6. Name the endangered mammal found only in the Samaria Gorge on Crete.

7. What beverage is often served after your Taverna meal on Crete?
BONUS POINT--What is it?

8. What is "The Law Code of Gortys"?

9. What are your thoughts after reading
these laws?

10. Name the man who had all the angles and whose statue is in the last photo of this TravelPod entry.


11. Why did/do the Dervishes Whirl?

12. Which group of ancient people, who arrived from Mesopotamia in 3600 BC, invented all of the following items: pictograph script, wheels and carts, terra-cotta cone mosaics, cylindrical seals, instrumental music (lyre), mathematical numbers, and multiplication tables.

13. Why was Alexander the Great so 'great'?

14. What prophecy would you ask of the Oracle at Delphi today?

If you wish, you may copy these questions, paste them into a document, add your answers, and submit them to gfournier@telusplanet.net by midnight on Canada Day,
July 1. We look forward to receiving your answers and will publish the
answers, contest winners and photos of the prizes. (The 'Teachers' Pet has already sent us her answers, so give her a run for her money!)

Submitted by: _________________________________________


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615943/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615943/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615943/tpod.html Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:52:17 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Athens, Attica, Greece

Athens

A quick bus ride from Delphi brought us to Athens where we had to catch a tram to the Metro link. Construction had closed the Metro station we had intended to use. When we surfaced at the 'Acropolis' station, we were surprised to see at least twenty police officers milling about in small groups of two or three. Around the corner were even more security officers. Soon, we realized that the station was in the immediate area of the new Acropolis Museum scheduled for opening the next day. Television crews with cameras on long booms, organizers, and VIPs were scattered around the plaza in front of the museum, so, clearly, something was going on.

We had hoped to get tickets to see the museum; however, our hotel owner said she thought all the free tickets for the following three days had been taken (you had to print them from your computer). After that, the tickets are only 1 Euro until September, so it will be a bargain. I guess we will just have to arrange another trip, where we fly into Athens for the day to catch the displays before heading off on our holiday!

Because we had spent time in Athens in 2005, we decided to have a leisurely last couple of days before flying home. We did manage to see a few things we had missed, previously. One was the old Turkish Bath, which is now a delightful, little museum, another was the Folk Art Museum, and the last was the changing of the guards at the Parliament Buildings. We also spent some time walking through the shady National Gardens where there is a remnant of a mosaic floor from a former Roman palace. Of course, there was the usual prowling through the Plaka area in search of the last couple of souveniers, too!

If you wish to see photos from our 2005 trip to Athens, click on this link:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/europe_2005/1131390420/tpod.html

Our flight home wasn't until 6 AM, so we paid an extra 30 Euro to keep our hotel room till the evening. That allowed us to come and go all day and have a shower after our late supper before checking out. It was a bit of a grind to get back to Canada. We caught the bus for the half-hour direct trip to the airport where we hung around listening to terrible Muzak for seven hours. Our only entertainment was three incidents where Greek people were yelling at the counter clerks or security staff!

Then we had two and a half hours to Frankfurt, a one-hour transition between planes, nine hours, two meals and two movies on great Lufthansa Airlines to Calgary, and a forty-five minute wait to clear customs. We only slept about an hour on the plane and stayed awake to visit with the Bortolins till their bedtime! Surprisingly, we zombies woke up at 6 AM the next day, ready for the three and a half hour bus to Edmonton. Nice to be back in our own beds, but a challenge to get back to cooking after two months of restaurant fair!

We are already talking about plans for the next trip! Thanks for tagging along on
this one!
Adio,
Gail and David



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615761/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615761/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615761/tpod.html Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:49:03 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Delphi, Central Greece, Greece




Delphi

On our way back to Athens, we caught the bus to historic Delphi. The trip through the mountains was very scenic, then we climbed switchbacks up the mountain to the little town perched on the top. Our hotel had a balcony with a great view down the valley to the village on the ocean, Itea.


After settling in at the hotel, we walked about a kilometre to the site of Ancient Delphi, which is nestled into the side of the mountain overlooking the valley. Under the scorching sun, we tromped though the site with our umbrellas up for some shade. The ruins were along the Sacred Way and well-labelled, but we also had information in our book.


Delphi was famous because the ancients considered it to be the centre of the Earth. A chasm in the earth (due to an earthquake or avalanche) caused strange vapours to rise from the earth. The priestess-Oracle became frenzied and incoherent, uttering prophesies. Pilgrims travelled here from distant places to receive musings about the future. Even though we looked, we couldn't find the Oracle, so figured that she had gone off with Willi when he was here as a young man!

The following day, we visited the new museum and saw all the artifacts that had been removed from the ancient site. It was a good order in which to take in the area, as we could then imagine what the site had looked like with the stone sculptures still standing. The grandeur must have been astonishing for visitors to Apollo's Temple when they came to receive their prophecies from the Oracle!
More here

LAST CONTEST QUESTION!!!!!!

14. What prophecy would you ask of The Oracle today?

We have purchased two more prizes that will become 'first place' prizes, so start collecting all of your answers and be ready to submit them to gfournier@telusplanet.net by Canada Day, July 1. We look forward to receiving your answers and will publish the answers, contest winners and photos of the prizes.

Good luck and have fun! Gail & David


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615263/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615263/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615263/tpod.html Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:13:57 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Vergina, Macedonia Region, Greece


Vergina and Veria


A quick train trip and even quicker bus trip brought us to Vergina, a small town
about an hour and a half from Thessaloniki. This community's claim to fame is its location next to the chamber tombs of the Macedonian Royal Family, dating from 350-325 BC. In 1977, after decades of work on the site, Professor Manolis Andronikos unearthed a series of chamber tombs accepted as those of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.


They were buried beneath a mound of dirt, and, although two tombs had been
looted in antiquity, the displays were astonishing! Two tombs were intact, but could only be viewed from outside the great marble doors. The other tombs were little more than blocks of stone. The display cases contained fantastic gold items that had been buried with their occupants—jewelry for the women, and armour for the men. It was very dark under the roof holding up the earth-mound covering the area, but also nice and cool on a +37 degree day! The lighting was
exceptionally dim, making it hard to read the descriptions, but photos weren't allowed anyway.
Here are a couple of links:


CONTEST QUESTION!!!!!!

13. Why was Alexander the Great so 'great'?


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615521/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615521/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245615521/tpod.html Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:33:27 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Lamia, Central Greece, Greece


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Thessaloniki, Macedonia Region, Greece

Thessaloniki


Thessaloniki is Greece's second-largest city, and was named after Alexander-the-Great's half-sister by her husband, King Cassander of Macedonia. It was a major Macedonian port with a strategic land and sea location. In 56 AD, St. Paul wrote his two Epistles to theThessalonians here. A devastating fire in 1917 destroyed most of the old plaster houses in the Ottoman and Jewish areas, leaving half the population of 140,000 homeless. Now, it's a busy, noisy and dirty
city.


We were shocked to see PILES of garbage surrounding the huge, street-side bins, and we saw nary a sign of ANY recycling going on. At first, we thought there must have been a garbage collectors' strike, but the truck came this morning and loaded up the trash. Cardboard boxes were tossed in without being flattened, plastic and metal weren't separated, and no one gave a thought to what gets thrown 'out'. We also felt sad and surprised at the extremely-destructive, mindless scribbling written everywhere.....monuments, stores, walls, homes, historic sites.
Posters were slapped up on poles, walls and fences, and people even pasted small stickers on top of tourist information signs and the walk symbols on street lights!


On our first day, we walked around to view the Roman ruins in the old city centre. Unfortunately, we couldn't get in to see the Roman Forum, but could see some areas from the sidewalk. We stopped by the Arch of Galerius, built to honour the Emperor's victories over the Persians
in 297 AD, and were able to get inside the nearby Rotunda, the most striking Roman monument in the city. It was designed as an imperial mausoleum, but never used. It is undergoing major restoration, but we appreciated being allowed inside to see the marvelous mosaics on the dome.


We dropped in to view the mosaics in the Ayia Sofia, a restored eighth-century church modelled after the church of the same name in Istanbul, and built on top of an older basilica. Another church we saw was Greece's largest basilica, Ayios Dhimitrios. which had several old
mosaics and a crypt displaying carved columns and a beautiful fountain.


Our second day was “museum day”, and we really out-did ourselves, spending seven hours in the Archeological Museum, and an hour in the Byzantine Culture Museum. (Our previous record was seven hours spent in Paris' Louvre!) Much of the Archeological Museum's items were from ancient gravesites around Thessaloniki. What we really came to see were the incredible finds from the huge chamber tombs of Philip II of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great. Such gorgeous items buried with the dead! It was difficult to get photos through the glass, but
we did manage to get a few examples of the stunning jewelry.


At the end of our long days, we treated ourselves to a couple of delicious meals at the fabulous Negroponte Restaurant It is just up from the waterfront along a strip of Tavernas, off Polytechniou St. and Ladhadhika. Our Rough Guide had recommended it as an authentic taverna with reasonable prices. We were back in 'Foodie Heaven' with their tasty, flavourful meals. Too bad Matt and Judy missed this one! (We included a photo to show the what they would have enjoyed!)

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245363308/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245363308/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245363308/tpod.html Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:23:21 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Xánthi, Thrace, Greece


Xanthi

Our trek from Istanbul to Xanthi was a twelve-hour grind. We decided to take the train (we love trains) so we could sit and enjoy the scenery passing by, but also, get up and walk if we felt like it, The train to the Turkey/Greek border was a real “milk run” that stopped at EVERY town along the way! Sometimes, we only went five minutes down the track and stopped again. At the border, we had a two-hour wait for the Greek train, so it didn't matter how long they took to process our passports.


The Greek train was a bit quicker, but not much. When we got to Xanthi and asked about a taxi, the train ticket seller explained there was a free bus into the old town centre every 45 minutes. Of course, we must have just missed it! By the time we got there, found our hotel, and got
to the restaurant, it was 9:30 PM! We thought we were late for supper, but many people were heading into the restaurant to eat with kids at 10!


Xanthi was a famous tobacco-producing area, and now, several old tobacco-magnates' mansions still line the narrow, cobbled streets. Some have been restored, and some sit empty. One beautiful building is now home to the town's folk museum and is being renovated and refurbished as it
looked in the mid-nineteenth century. We walked through the old areas, admiring the architecture and enjoying the view of the town from the hillside.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245181478/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245181478/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1245181478/tpod.html Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:31:45 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Istanbul, Turkey




Istanbul

Our bus trip to Istanbul took 5 ½ hours, but Turkish buses are very nice. There was a steward on board who delivered tea, coffee (Nescafe instant—the main type available here, much to our surprise), juice, water, little cakes, and one time, ice cream! The seats were comfortable and the bus was very clean—even the windows. Greyhound could take some lessons!

The bus terminal was in a labyrinth of dark, cement levels out of the centre of Istanbul, so we had to take the tram to the Sultanahmet district where most of the old structures are located. We were met by a man with a pamphlet advertising his hotel that had been open a week, offering a room for 45 Euro, so we decided to check it out. Yes, they had been working on renovations and had made some good improvements, but, it was not quite ready and on a very noisy street. After three nights, we moved to a quieter, nicer place for 55 TL. We four were in the right place at the right time, as it was the best hotel we had since our holiday began.

Our first hotel had a great view of the harbour from its rooftop terrace, so we had a cool drink and looked out at the 80+ ships in the water! What a busy area! You could imagine the ancient ships that passed this way carrying cargoes of spices, silks, metal items, rugs, etc..

We stayed in the old section of the city, right below the famous Blue Mosque. Our friend, Emmy, had given us a super little map she had received from her hotel on a previous trip to Istanbul, and it had four different walking tours mapped out. It was the best map we saw.

The first walking tour took us to the impressive Aghia Sophia Mosque, which is now a museum. We spent quite some time looking at the giant calligraphy, stunning wall mosaics of glass and stone, beautiful glass windows, painted designs, and architecture. It was comissioned by Emperor Justinian to help restore the greatness of the Roman Empire and was completed in 537. Mehmet the Conqueror had it converted to a mosque in 1453, then Ataturk proclaimed it a museum in 1935. UNESCO funds some of the restoration, which is ongoing, so the inside dome was filled with scaffolding.

From there, we went next door to the Blue Mosque, which is an active mosque. Built by Sultan Ahmet between 1606 and 1616, it received its name from the tens of thousands of blue Iznik tiles that cover the walls. The original glass for the 260 windows came from Venice, but have now been replaced. The effect is still striking.

We spent five hours wandering through the three buildings comprising the Archeological Museum, where we saw some of the most incredible sarcophogi! There were many carved
marble statues, items removed from Troy, and a gorgeous building highlighting the development of the types of Iznik tiles. We were overloaded by 5 hours, so didn't even get to the basement area of items found in area near Istanbul!

One of our most interesting days took us to Constantine's Column (under scaffolding for repair), the Grand Bazaar, and the Spice Bazaar. Everyone has to spend a few hours roaming the maze of pathways around the sellers' shops in the Grand Bazaar! Of course, each merchant has his own ploy to get you to enter the store, but keeping a cheerful, polite attitude goes a long
way, and you can have fun just poking around.

There are too many jewelry shops to imagine, followed closely by carpet shops. We didn't even see half of the place, so can't even comment on the leather goods, silver shops, and clothing! The name of the game is to look for an item in several shops first, determine what you want, then have fun trying to strike a good bargain. One lamp I liked was 120 TL in one shop, but
right around the corner, an identical lamp was only 55 TL. I wonder what I would have actually paid had I got into the offer/counter-offer routine!

Thanks to Emmy's great map, we had even more fun going through the ancient area of the Hans, which is the old warehouse district. The map helped us navigate through the winding
streets down the hill from the Grand Bazaar where few tourists end up. This area was swarming with local Turks who went about doing their daily shopping, and the prices were much better, too! It was a fascinating glimpse of the local neighbourhood which took us right down to the Spice Market.

The Topkapi Palace took several hours to tour and observe the opulent lifestyle experienced by the Sultans. Of particular interest was the Harem which was lavishly decorated with gorgeous tiles, marble, fabric, and ornate ceilings. Out in the Sultan's private gardens were several beautiful kiosks with fabulous views of the water and city.

The treasury contained elaborate robes worn by different Sultans as well as numerous dazzling, jewelled objects, (sorry, no photos allowed there). When the sultans' robes became worn, they were sent to be recycled. We were told that 88.345 kg of silver and 912.64 kg of gold was extracted fro old curtains and garments! One museum treasure, the Topkapi sword, was the subject of a popular movie Matt remembered from the 60s, so we'll have to search it out!

Our seventh day was spent at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, where we saw a massive display of ancient Turkish carpets, old documents calligraphed by the Sultans and other scribes, and dioramas depicting life in rural areas of Turkey, as well as Istanbul. There was also an exhibit of works done by local calligraphers, which was a bonus!

We had stopped at a cultural workshop where lessons are given to locals who want to learn ceramics, rug-making, pottery, marbled paper making, jewelry crafting and calligraphy. Gail ended up spending 50 TL to try her hand at some Arabic calligraphy with an instructor and three regular students. Of course, it was much more difficult than it looked, as the reed pen and soot ink-soaked silk wool took some getting used to! Still, it was a good experience, and a unique opportunity.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in at a special, small, basement carpet shop where the owner explained that he had rugs from his own nomadic community in Eastern Turkey. Pictures of his sister, mother, and cousins were on the walls, and he noted that the money goes directly to the community (no middle man skimming the profits). We were impressed and wanted to support these women, so bought a small pillow cover that would fit in David's backpack. The coffee table in his shop had photos of happy customers, and David noticed a CBC business card with Anna-Maria Tremonte's name, along with Wendy Mesley's, who had bought carpets there. Then the owner showed us a framed letter from Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, expressing her delight with her new carpet!

Matt and Judy left the morning before we did, as their holiday was winding down. They caught a flight to Athens for three days, and we decided to check out northern Greece. We missed them at supper that night!


CONTEST QUESTION!!!!!!

11. Which group of ancient people, who arrived from Mesopotamia in 3600 BC, invented all of the following items: the wheel and carts, pictograph script, terra-cotta cone mosaics, cylinder seals, mathematical numbers and multiplication tables, and the musical instrument (lyre)?

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1244174400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1244174400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1244174400/tpod.html Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:58:40 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Canakkale, Turkish Aegean Coast, Turkey


Canakkale (Gallipoli and Troy)


Another bus ride took us to Canakkale, which we used as a base to explore
some nearby sites. Canakkale is a seaside city of 87,000, which has
a long, wide, sidewalk along the waterfront. Many hotels and
restaurants line the frontage, so numerous locals and tourists went
strolling in the evening.


After settling into our small hotel, we found a restaurant with a view of
the Dardanelles strait and had a nice meal. The next day, we checked
out the grounds around the military museum, where we saw three
sections of an old, WW I submarine that was unearthed on shore after
being hidden. We Canadians were swarmed by a group of teenage
students on a field trip, who were anxious to chat and try our their
English. Judy was especially-popular, and had flash cameras going
off in her face like a major celebrity!


On the grounds, we chatted with a sculptor who was completing his 12
months of military service with the Turkish army. He was digging out
the grass from between the sidewalk bricks with a small hand tool.
The irony of this was not lost on any of us......sculpting wood,
stone, metal, and now, wild weeds!


The following day, we booked a tour to the nearby ancient city of Troy.
There was a large, wooden horse on display, but the one from the
movie, with Brad Pitt, is on display in Canakkale Apparently, the
movie has done quite a good job of encouraging tourists to visit the
area! There isn't too much to see of Troy's once-glorious city, as
it was rebuilt on top of the site many times over. Troy I, dates
from the Bronze Age (3000-1700 BC), and Troy IX stood from 85 BC to
AD 500. Still, it was interesting to visit and have a sense of the
city's past.


Our largest tour and longest day was the tour of Gallipoli. We rode in a
van with a group of tourists, some of whom were Australian. Many
come here to celebrate ANZAC Day on April 25, when the place is
swarmed! www.anzacsite.gov.au Taking the tour was a good idea, as the southern third of the
peninsula is now a park, and the memorials are spread over a large
area. Particularly interesting, were the original trenches where the
Turks and their enemies were only 8 metres apart! We learned a lot
about the 1915, WW I battle that occurred here, but couldn't help think about the tremendous loss during the nine-month period. More than half a million were injured,
and 130,000 of those young men died. www.gallipoli-association.org


On the tour to Gallipoli, we met a delightful, young couple from Vancouver who had decided to sell everything, pack up, head out, and tour the world for a year! We chatted about the places they had seen, and planned to visit during the last half of their grand adventure. Tara and Martin ended up at our Yellow Rose Pension and joined us for supper. Before we left the
next day, we exchanged travel blog sites, then wished them well on their trip.









]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1244141578/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1244141578/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/noalarmclocks/4/1244141578/tpod.html Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:41:04 -0400 Greece-ing Our Way To Turkey

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Bursa, Turkey

Pamukkale (cotton castle) is famous for its two-kilometre long mineral springs
of calcium carbonate spilling over the top of the cliff to form pools
and shelves. The Romans established a large spa city above the cliff
called Hierapolis, to take advantage of the healing mineral waters.
The centre of Hierapolis may have been the sacred pool which is now
the antique swimming pool with old columns and bits of marble resting
on the bottom. It is a popular stop for tourists.


Hierapolis was founded around 190 BC by Eumenes II, king of Pergamum, as a cure
centre, and prospered until 1334 , when it was toppled by an
earthquake. The whole area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and
offers some wonderful glimpses into the lives of these ancient
people. Only about 5% of the ruins have been excavated since the
1970s, so the city must have been massive! We spent several hours
wandering through the ruins with very few other tourists, so the
opportunities for unobstructed photos was great.


After visiting the museum near the site, we walked back down to the village
and had a good Turkish meal at a small cafe run by a family. The
husband sat with us after our meal and chatted about life in the
community, Turkey, and tourism. They have not had huge benefits from
tourism in the town, as most visitors come on tour buses and are only
there for the day. Once his three girls have finished university, he
wants to go back to being a sheep farmer in the hills. One of the
things we most enjoy about travelling on our own, rather than part of
a tour group, is that you can meet local people and come and go as
you wish.

Another bus trip took us further east to the beautiful lake setting of
Egirdir (eh-YEER-deer). It is nestled at the bottom of a small
mountain that extends into a causeway joining two islands, so we had
a lovely view of Lake Egirdir from our Lale Pension window. After
arriving, we walked up the peninsula, where most hotels are situated,
and stopped for Turkish tea in the garden of Canada! It is the name
given to the former Soul Island, so we felt quite at home!

The next day, Matt, Gail and David rented mountain bikes from the pension
and spent the day peddling a 55 km return bike trip to Lake Kovada
National Park. (Judy doesn't ride bikes.) It was a pleasant, easy
ride through the many apple, cherry, and peach orchards along the
way. Egirdir is famous for its apples. We stopped at a small gas
station along the way to see about more water, when a young man came
from the front, welcomed us in English and invited us for tea. Of
course, we couldn't refuse, so spent 30 minutes drinking tea and
chatting with Hakki Akin about life's experiences! Very nice

After a small walk along a trail in the park, we headed back, looking for a
place to grab some lunch. Five minutes down the road, we saw a sign
with pictures of food so stopped and gestured to a man cutting his
grass with a short-handled scythe. He immediately stopped and
invited us in to the garden table, and then the fun began. He spoke
little English,so we weren't sure he understood that we only wanted a
small bite to eat. At one point, he phoned a friend in Seattle and
handed the phone to Gail! Even after that exchange, we became
concerned when our food took about 30 minutes to prepare.

What arrived was a huge feast! We had salad, eggplant, a gigantic pan of
tomato bulgar wheat, and cold buttermilk (an acquired taste, we
think!). The three of us decided that it was just going to be our
big meal of the day! He was very friendly and we learned that he had
once been a caretaker in the park, giving many hours to its
maintenance and upgrading until a careless smoker caused a fire that
destroyed his wooden house. We were surprised no other people were
in the park, even though it was Saturday. Apparently, tourism has
really taken a plunge since 9-11, which is really unfortunate, as it
is a beautiful area with man opportunities for hiking, biking, and
water sports.

Judy had expressed an interest in visiting the Hamam, or Turkish Bath, so,
surprisingly, the guys agreed to join us! It is one of those
experiences you should have when the opportunity presents itself.
Ours was in an old, original building with tiled floors and walls,
and a domed ceiling with round vent holes. The men were in one side,
and women in the other. A tiny, cute, old woman in traditional dress
guided us women down the stairs into a dark, tiled, barrel-roofed
area, indicating we should remove our clothes. Somehow, I think she
enjoyed our discomfort in not knowing what to expect, as she kept
looking at us and smiling!

We were ushered into the domed room and instructed to lie down on the
warm marble slab. After several minutes, a woman entered, wearing
red briefs and motioned for us to sit up so she could douse us with
warm water. One at a time, she shampooed our hair, rubbed our whole
bodies down with a loofa mitt, then filled a cloth bag with soap,and
air, squeezing bubbles all over us and giving us a bit of a massage
while washing us off. After the final rinse with warm water, we felt
all fluffy and new! The treatment cost us $20 each! Now, that's an
experience we won't forget

We spent 5 hours on the bus from Egirdir to Konya, which is a prime
agricultural area. Although the land is very arid, drip irrigation
allows small plots of farmland to be cultivated with various grains,
poppies, and vegetables. There were also areas planted with
evergreens. Farmers were out working in the fields , bent over with
small tools, working the ground. Women wore traditional clothes
consisting of the low-crotched, baggy bloomer-pants, blouses,
sweaters, and scarves. We thought they must have been terribly hot
in the noon-day sun! Many farmers had small tractors, but some still
used a little cart and donkey to get to their fields. David noticed
that the plots of land went high up the side of the foothills. Crete
had sheep and goats; here, we saw cattle.

Konya is a huge, metropolitan, modern city in the middle of this dry area.
We passed a small dam on the way to the city, but its reservoir
didn't seem adequate for a city of 800,000 and all the farmland!
Konya is the home of the famous Whirling Dirvishes, so retains much
tradition and culture. Its Mevlana Museum is the former lodge of the
Dirvishes and the inside has a fantastic display of Persian
calligraphy! The walls and ceilings are covered with script in gold,
blue and black and house the tombs of 75 former Sultans.


Another room contains numerous display cases with ancient books of Koran,
text and other forms of beautiful, illuminated calligraphy. It was
spectacular! Gail was desperately wanting to take photos of so many
pieces, but photography was forbidden. Ouch! Here are a couple of
links we found on the web, that will give you some idea of the beauty
we saw, but no pictures can really do it.


On our second day, we took a taxi, local area bus, and another taxi to
get out of town to visit the 9000 year-old neolithic village of
Catalhoyuk (chat-a-lew-yewk). This 20 metre high mound on the plain
is one of the largest neolithic villages in the world, and comprises
13 levels of buildings, each containing 1000 structures. It was
discovered in 1961 and continues to be excavated. Most of the finds
are in the museum in Ankara, but, a small museum, video, an
reconstructed house gave a good example of what the lifestyle was at
that time.

The people of Konya are extremely out-going, friendly, and helpful. Most
tourists are part of a tour, though we saw very few, so we tended to
stand out as we walked around. Judy, who was born in Canada, but had
Chinese parents, received the most interest, but calls of, "Hello!",
were heard over and over. Frequently, people would approach us and
start speaking English, just for the opportunity to chat. We felt
very welcomed here.


One young man, Osman, saw us on a couple of our trips up and down the
street, and was eager to help and offer information. He did have a
small carpet shop, but didn't push them when he found out we didn't
need/want one. Instead, he took us around the corner to see a
felting shop, where workers were creating large mats of felt, cutting
pieces and using them to create scarves, runners and hangings. It is
an old, traditional art form, from this area.

When Osman discovered we hadn't seen the Dirvishes because our hotel told
us we missed their Saturday performance, he took us to a friend's
travel agency, where we were able to purchase tickets for a private
showing! (about $20 each) We were thrilled to have the opportunity
to witness such a moving and amazing display. Now, the Dirvishes are
part of a group to maintain the culture, not the spiritual group they
had once been. There were only 20 of us in the basement of a
restaurant, so the live musicians and four performers provided an
intimate experience.


We were amazed by their Whirling Dirvishes and their abilities. As Gail
watched, she could only think about how amazed her mom would have
been to know she was actually in Turkey watching the Dirvishes whirl
before her eyes! As a young girl, she heard her mom complain that
she and her sisters were racing around the place like Whirling
Dirvishes, not knowing what they were! What a wonderful remembrance
of Konya!

A long, eight-hour bus ride took us to Bursa, where we found a budget
hotel next to the one suggested in our Lonely Planet guide, that
didn't have any rooms. We did meet a friend of the hotel owner, who
was a vice-principal. Amhe is a great promoter of his city and
invited us to join a group from his friend's hotel who were going to
see the Whirling Dirvishes at a 800-year-old, recently-refurbished
Cultural Centre. There was no cost, as it is the city's way of
promoting cultural.


It was a treat to hear the three strong singers, five talented
musicians, and five skilled dancers in such a beautiful old building,
even if the women had to sit upstairs! (It was quite nice to see the
dancers from above, with their flowing skirts in a circle.) How
fortunate to be able to see them two nights in a row! As they say in
Vietnam, "Same, same, only different!".

On the way back to the hotel, Ahmed showed us some of the buildings that
were being refurbished in the Ottoman style. Then, he took us down
to the basement workshop where another friend spends the night hours
creating beautiful, traditional, five-stringed Sas instruments. He
is a well-known craftsman who designs unusual instruments from his
imagination, and will soon be joined by his daughter who just
completed university.

CONTEST QUESTION!!

11. Why did/do the Dirvishes whirl?

(We picked up something in the Konya market for another prize, so keep looking for those
answers!)


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