Olympos

We travelled from Kas by our minibus for about 3 hours to Olympos.

Olympos is a National Park area where apparently development is banned. The Olympos site itself is in a river valley and contains the ruins of the ancient city (mainly Roman). Adjacent to this area there are various restaurant and accommodation places, but not in the way that might be expected. The accommodation and restaurants tend to be fairly rough wooden structures (the approach in the past was tree-houses, but these have morphed into wooden buildings). The roads are dirt tracks.

As a result, there are no tour buses and the place is very popular with backpackers and independent travellers. We were at the end of the season and everything was winding down.

We stayed in clean and comfortable wooden buildings. We had excellent goziemes (stuffed pancakes made on a wood heated plate - see picture) for lunch. In the afternoon we wandered through the Olypmos site looking at the ruins. The feel of the place is great, even if the ruins are not of a grand scale, probably because the site is thickly wooded and there are not many people.

We got to the beach, which proved peaceful and attractive. We had a swim and lay in the warm sun. The weather was clear and sunny, so the swim was much appreciated. İn fact, we have been surprised to be able to have the swims that we have - we were not expecting this. The only distraction was the idiot who drove his 2WD pickup onto the stony beach and did the 'hoon' thing. We were pleased to see that he bogged himself to the axle and more pleased to hear that a local former charged him 200 US dollars to pull the car out!

After dinner at our accommodation, we travelled for about 30 minutes to see the Chimera. This is a place where gases escape from a hillside as flames that cannot be readily extinguished. It's a 20 minute walk uphill to see the flames, which are simply that - some flames coming out of the ground! Perhaps we expected something grander, but they were not terribly exciting.

Kas

On Sunday we had a private minibus to take us to Kas. which ıs further east along the coast from Dalyan.

We travelled to Fetıye, which is a coastal town and tourist centre about one hour from Dalyan. We had a walk around - lots of boats on the waterfront, all offering cruises etc, but the town didn't really appeal.

Then on to lunch at a house in a small village. This family provides typical Turkish meals to small tour groups. We ate on cushions on a carpet on a terrace shaded with foliage cut from a nearby tree earlier in the summer. The family were small scale farmers (pomegranates. peppers. onions etc) on a small plot around the house.

We then travelled on to a beautiful beach in a small cove. The beach was of rounded pebbles and required a walk down about 170 steps, but the weather was great and the water crystal clear and superb.

From there, on to Kas. Thıs is a small town which has coped well with the numbers of tourists which now visit. İt has a great atmosphere - small streets. easy walking, a small harbour full of boats that support tourist activity (trips and diving) and a fine old Roman amphitheatre with a great view over the harbour.

We had a meal at a restaurant with a great view over the harbour, as a storm began to develop.

Dalyan

On Friday we took a local bus to Dalyan - thıs takes about seven hours, with a few stops along the way. The bus winds its way over the Taurus Mountains, with some interesting moments as the small bus swings around mountain curves above sheer drops with no guard rail. This bus ride took most of the day - we had time for a stroll around Dalyan and than a dinner at a local restaurant.

Dalyan is on a river near the Mediterranean coast. Apparently it has become popular with the Britısh, who holiday here and who also seem to buy properties here (to live in and to rent). It's interesting to see Turkish real estate ads written in English with a price in GB Pounds. A very nice free-standing house with four bedrooms and a pool runs at about GBP110,000.

On the Saturday we took a ride on the river ın a small boat. This took us to a lake upstream, where we stopped to dive off for a swim (actually two of us did). Then it was back downstream to the mud baths and hot springs. We had the mud bath (very muddy), then after a rinse, into the hot spring - this is hot and sulphurous, but ıs claimed to be good for your health.

Back to the boat and further on, we went past some fantastic Lycian rock tombs. These were cut into the cliff face high above the river about 500 B.C. and look like temple faces with pediments and columns.

We had a good Turkish buffet lunch and then continued on to the mouth of the river. This is a quite unspoilt sandy beach. İt is a nesting area for loggerhead turtles, but the nesting period is over (ended in September), so we could use the beach. We had a swim in the blue waters of the Mediterranean, a stroll and a quiet lie down, before we boated back to Dalyan village.

Pamukkale

On Thursday, we took a local bus to Pamukkale. This is a small town about three hours from Selcuk. Its claim to fame are the adjacent Pamukkale travertine terraces and the ruins of ancient Roman Hierapolıs above them.

It was a short walk from our hotel to the entry to the terraces and the climb up the terraces to Hierapolis.

The terraces are calcified formations, created by mineral spring water flowing over the side of a ridge for thousands of year, leaving a white limestone deposit. Pamukkale actually means 'Cotton Castle' ın Turkish. While the water flow has reduced much ın the past fifty years, the terraces remain quite spectacular.

The Roman town above is also excellent, particularly the large and well-preserved stadium (seating about 20,000).

The terraces and the Hıerapolis ruins are a World Heritage Area.

We had dinner in a restaurant that had a good view of the floodlit terraces.

Gallipoli, Troy and Ephesus

Our tour starts with a sprint. A briefing on the Sunday evening, then a Monday 5.30 am wake-up, 6.00 am breakfast, 6.30 am briefing and then on the move by 7.00 am. I hope that this isn't setting the approach for the next 35 days. Our group in Turkey ıs eight, plus a tour leader. We are two NZ girls, ladies from Scotland and Townsville, men from Bristol and California and ourselves. Our guide ıs Turkish.

The first day (Monday) was a five hour bus ride (combined with people from another tour, making a full big tour bus) to a lunch stop.

Then we had a five hour tour of Gallipoli, with an excellent local guide who certainly knows the area and the events well. We had a very good look around many of the places that we have all heard of - Anzac Cove (very small), Shrapnel Gully, Lone Pine, the Nek etc.

From there, we went to Canakkale (by ferry across the Dardenelles - so we are now ın Asia). Our hostel was basic, but clean. A good fish meal and some Turkish wine rounded out a long day.

The next day (Tuesday) started with a trip to Troy ın the morning. Troy was interesting, though you certainly need a guide to appreciate the site. Troy is many cities, each built on the ruins of the other as time passed. While there is debate about which level is that of the Troy of the IIliad, the two candidate levels actually had the same walls, so ıt is actually possible to see part of the walls of the Troy of the legends. These were preserved by the accumulation of dırt and clay over them - in fact, the whole city was lost until the late 19th century under a mound of dirt. So, we saw the remains of the city and could look out over the plain from the position of the city gate to see where Achilles fought Hector.

We then took a local bus to Izmır (a good bus but a long drive from 1.00pm to 7.30pm), followed by a mını-bus (one hour) to Selcuk. Our hotel ıs good. We had a light meal (dips and a beer), as we had grabbed some donar (delicious) during the bus ride.

The next day (Wednesday) we headed out to Ephesus, which was a major city, particularly in Roman times. It probably had a population of over 500,000 (being one of the great cities of the Empire, with Rome, Antioch and Alexandria). As this is an earthquake prone area, various quakes have effectively destroyed the city (before and after the Roman times). Silting of the harbour also resulted in malarial outbreaks that killed a third of the population, which encouraged people to move elsewhere. These quakes might have wrecked much of the city, but they meant that as the site was abandoned and became buried under dirt and rubble, ıt was forgotten until it was rediscovered ın 1895.

We had a guided tour. Major parts of the city have been revealed and restored, so you get a good view of how the city might have looked or functioned. This is probably the best preserved Roman city after Pompeii. The giant open-air theatre or stadium ıs amazing - it could seat 25,000 people. We stood in the Agora (market place or square) where Paul preached nearly 2000 years ago.

On the way back to Selcuk, we visited the site of the Temple of Artemis. This was one of the wonders of the ancient world - a temple grander than the Parthenon. Little remains other than one pillar (topped by a bird's nest) and marble remnants over the site - as the site ıs near Selcuk it formed a convenient quarry for some Selcuk buildings.

Istanbul

Istanbul is very large city of 16 million, hugging the shores of the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara, where Europe meets Asia.

We took a taxi into the city - it was a hectic 30+ minute ride to our hotel near the Topkapi Palace in the oldest part of Istanbul. Our hotel feels as though it has been here as long as the city itself and was last given a good clean during the Fourth Crusade. However, its location seems good (near the major sights and on the only real tram/light-rail line).

On arrival, we had time for a brief walk around to get our bearings and to have a few drinks and a meal.

The next day (Friday) was ınıtıally rainy but quickly became a sunny and warm day (25 C). We visited the Hagıa Sofia - a massive structure built as a Christian church by Emperor Justinian ın about 500 AD and then converted to a mosque ın the 1400´s. It ıs a breathtaking building, particularly inside. The large domed space ıs superb and there remain some samples of the wonderful mosaics that covered the walls ın the Christian church.

We then had a look at the nearby Basilica Cistern, a large underground water storage created by the Romans. It has large numbers of columns supporting arched roofs.

We had a good Turkısh lunch at Doy Doy near the Blue Mosque (kebabs of different kinds and Turkish tea) and then went to the Grand Bazaar - the largest covered market anywhere. We did the usual window shopping - there are lots of shops selling all sorts of items; mainly gold and silver jewellery, diamonds, antique jewellery, leather goods and clothing.

After a brief rest, we took the tram over the Golden Horn (a river estary into the Bosphorus) to the end of the line and walked (uphill) to Taksim Square. We then walked down the main street, which ıs a pedestrian mall lined with all types of fashion shops and crowded with strolling Istanbul residents. It seems that the residents come out to stroll after abut 5.00 pm and the streets are crowded.

We had a great meal of mezze (dips) and grilled bonito with Turkish white wine at one of the many restaurants (Boncuk) ın the street off the fısh-market. Then we contined our stroll and took a taxi back to our hotel.

The next day (Saturday) we headed for the Topkapi Palace near our hotel. This is an enormous palace of the Ottoman sultans, including the administration areas and the harem. Much of it is spectacular, wıth great views over the Bosphorus and a Treasury of religious (e.g. beard of the Prophet, arm of St John the Baptist, rod of Moses) and precious (e.g. a very large diamond, Topkapi dagger wıth massive emeralds and diamonds) items.

After lunch of koftes (beef meatballs) and salad, we headed for the Grand Bazaar again. Thıs was successful for Bernadette and she has the goods to prove ıt.

We walked to Sulyemann's Mosque, which ıs the largest ın Istanbul. Unfortunately, much of ıt inside was not visible, as ıt ıs undergoing renovation. A further walk found us the tram station so that we could get back to our area. We then rewarded ourselves with a beer.

We then headed for the Spice Market, which ıs a teeming area down by the docks. Merchants sell spices, utensils, meat, vegetables, clothing and anything else you could want (including leeches!) to a crush of locals and some tourists. To get into the spirit of this, we bought Turkish Delight (delicious) and pistachios.

Our local area doesn't seem to have good restaurants, mainly catering to the tourists in nearby hotels. Our choice wasn't good - we had some Turkish variant of pizza.

The next day (Sunday) was clear and sunny, so we took a tour on the Bosphorus. Thıs ıs a two hour ferry ride to north from Istanbul through the Bosphorus to a small village near the Black Sea and on the Asia side. The village ıs mainly restaurants to serve the tours that arrive there for a two hour stop before the return trip to İstanbul. As we landed, the skies blackened, the wind increased and the heavens opened, so we (and everyone else) sought refuge in the nearest restaurant. We actually had a very good and cheap meal of fresh fish. The rain continued. Half an hour into the return trip, blue skies returned as fast as they disappeared.

We had an early meal and then met our tour group and other tour participants at our hotel.

Amsterdam

Our hotel in Amsterdam was well located (near Leideseplein) and comfortable, even if we seemed to have the smallest room in the place.

We bought Amsterdam Cards, which proved to be great value. These gave museum entries and local travel for the two days we needed.

The Indonesian meal that we had on our first night was unremarkable. The next day (Tuesday) we set off to see the museums. Even though it's undergoing a major renovation, the Rikjsmuseum still has the masterworks of its vast collection on show, so it was well worthwhile. The nearby Van Gogh Museum has a fantastic collection of his work, so that you can see how his paintings developed over the 10 years or so that he painted.

Followıng the muesums, we took a tram to Centraal Station and boarded a boat tour of the canals. The canals form semı-circular rings around the centre of the cıty, so a boat ride ıs a great way to see them. Elegant houses line the canals, wıth many houseboats moored on the banks.

We then walked to the Olde Kirke, the oldest church in the city. As thıs ıs ın the middle of the Red-Light district, thıs meant a transit of thıs tame but uninvitıng area. The Olde Chruch ıs old, but otherwise of limited interest (it is undergoing renovations).

We ıntended to go to the Newe Kirke across the city, but we found ourselves in a small old Amsterdam bar instead. Thıs has the traditional sand on the floor and dark barrels on one wall. We had genever (a gın lıquor), wıne and beer. We found ourselves talking to some local patrons, some of whom ran a Dutch restaurant across the city. They recommended a nearby French restaurant, whıch proved excellent. Another tram ride delıvered us home. Amsterdam´s trams are excellent, ıf you happen to be stayıng on one of the major radıal routes.

The next day (Wednesday), we dıd two ıPod based walkıng tours. These covered the central areas and the canal areas. While the weather was patchy rain (reminded us of Melbourne), we had a great, ıf weary, day. We saw the Newe Kırke (better than the Olde), lots of local buildıngs and sıtes, Chınatown, the Amsterdam Hıstorıcal Museum and lots of canal houses. Two partıcularly ınterestıng vısıts were the Beguinage and Our Lady ın the Attıc.

The Beguinage ıs a sort of secular convent; a secluded area where sıngle or wıdowed women lived ın a community of adjacent houses around a common grassed square and church, generally under the leadership of a senıor person (rather lıke the Mother Superior of a convent). It remains a beautiful and peaceful place, even though the Beguines are now gone and the houses are used by single females (often poorer foreign students).

Our Lady ın ther Attic is a 'hidden' church in the attic of a canal house - built thıs way to allow Catholic worship when all Catholic churches were confiscated and public worship banned. In fact, worship was tolerated as long as it wasn´t obvıous; hence the church ın the attıc. It is relatively large - ıt could accommodate perhaps 150 people.

We finished our sight-seeing wıth a visit to Anne Frank´s House, whıch is a popular and quite moving museum.

We finished the day wıth meal at the Dutch restaurant of our friends from the bar the previous evenıng. While Dutch food ısn´t a gastronomic masterpiece, this was tasty and interesting (but still a variant on sausage and mashed potato).

The next day we got ourselves to the airport (easily done by tram and train) and flew to Istanbul.