Turkey
On day seven we crossed the border, saying goodbye to our Greek guide, Loula, and hello to our Turkish guide, Rashid. Passing fertile countryside and rolling hills, the area looked like a typical European setting, except for the minarets dotting the landscape. Then we crossed the Dardanelles Strait on a ferry from the European side of Turkey to the Asian side.
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We stopped at Ancient Troy, where the large wooden reconstruction of the Trojan Horse reminds visitors of the device used by the Greeks, and is a universal symbol of treachery today.
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Nine major periods of Ancient Troy, labeled I to IX, have been uncovered and identified. Rashid retold the story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War as we explored the excavations.
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We drove to Canakkale and the Akol Hotel, on the waterfront facing the Dardanelles Strait. On day eight, we visited the ruins of both Bergama (Ancient Pergamam) and Izmir (Ancient Smyrna), and enjoyed a great kabob lunch in between.
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Next we drove to the site of Ancient Smryna, ruins that are right in the middle of the modern city of Izmir. Surrounded on the west and north by colonnades, the Agora once had a large altar in the center dedicated to Zeus. After an earthquake destroyed Smyrna in 178 AD, the Agora was rebuilt by Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and supported by a network of vaulted underground arches, created to reduce the impact of a future earthquake. We stayed at the beautiful Ontur Izmir Hotel in downtown Izmir.
The archaeological highlight of our trip was the visit to Ephesus on the ninth day. Ephesus, once an important port city and commercial center, is the largest Greco-Roman city ever excavated. The Apostle Paul lived in Ephesus from 52–54 AD. One of the benefits of traveling off-season as we did: no crowds! Our group was the only one there.
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The Library of Celsus was truly impressive. It was built between 110-135 AD in memory of Celsus Polemeanus, who was buried in a marble tomb beneath the ground floor. The Library held 12,000 scrolls in recessed cupboards along three of its interior walls, and was the third largest library in ancient times after Alexandra and Pergamum. The four statues in the niches on the front of the building symbolize wisdom, knowledge, intelligence and virtue.
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We were taken into the showroom where we were served Turkish pizza and tea, and the history and artistry of Turkish carpet making was explained. We were given an opportunity to purchase a rug if we wished...and we did! After that we left for the airport to fly to Istanbul, where we had time to visit
the Grand Bazaar and shop, before dinner at our hotel.
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Our first stop on our tenth day was the Blue Mosque, named for the blue tiles that cover the interior of the mosque, over 20,000 of them. It was built between 1609-1616 and is distinctive for its six minarets.
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Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom, was completed in 537 AD. For almost a thousand years, it was the largest cathedral in the world with a massive dome that was an engineering feat in the 6th century. Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque in the 15th century and the minarets were added. It is now a museum.
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The Byzantine mosaics were plastered over when the church was converted into a mosque and have been restored.
We toured the Topkapi Palace, which is now a museum, but was the residence of Ottoman Sultans from 1465-1853. We saw several courtyards and buildings, including the Treasury with its extensive collection of jeweled objects, treasures, and the diamond and emerald-encrusted Topkapi Dagger.
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The Istanbul Archaeology Museum was full of marvels representing almost all of the eras and civilizations of world history.
We discovered many delightful things to eat in Turkey including baklava (above left) and Turkish Delight (above right). The vendor above is selling simit, a round sesame bread. We tried helva, which we thought was ice cream, but turned out to be a warm, dense, confection made from tahini (crushed sesame seeds). Our hotel, the Best Western President Hotel, was conveniently across the street from the Grand Bazaar, so we made a final visit to purchase a few scarves. Dinner at the hotel allowed us time to say farewell to our tour group. We said a reluctant goodbye to Turkey the next morning. We thoroughly enjoyed the leadership of Carl and Lisa, and our glimpse into the history and culture of Greece and Turkey.
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