Last hurrah

Well wee ones, my trip has come to an end. I used the last couple of days to see the Archaeology Museum and the Egyptian spice bazaar once more.

Sarcophagus found in Sidon, presumably an ancient copy

Color still remains on the "Alexander" sarcophagus

Gorgeous winged sphinxes

More sarcophagus detailing

Interesting Turkish pottery pitcher

Glazed tile lion from the gates of Babylon

And no trip to the banks of the Golden Horn would be complete without a walk through the sights and smells of the Egyptian spice bazaar.

English signs market to the tourists

Piles of seeds, pods, grounds and spices

As I write these few last bits of my trip I'm sitting in the Amsterdam airport waiting for my flight for Minneapolis. Talk to you all very soon...kb

Ankara to Istanbul

After our cavy digs in Goreme and Cappadocia, our travels lead us back to the otogar and a 5 hour ride later we were in the Capital of Turkey; Ankara. The city is gi-nor-mous, not unlike L.A. or NYC. Taking the Ankaray [metro rail system] the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations which had treasures to show us.

Turkish flags and Ataturk banners for Republic Day 

Hittite standard or 'sun disk'

Andalou kedi [cat] bottles

Seated woman on leopard throne 6th millennia B.C.

After a few hours of the museum we walked up the hill to the castle and tried to take pictures of Ankara in the fading light after visiting an open air market to buy dried figs.

Open air fruits and nuts market

Coal smoke blurry pic of Ankara at night over rooftops

Lit mosque across Ankara at dusk

Ankara Expresi night train pulling into the station

The day wouldn't have been complete without a 10:30 p.m. appointment with our berth on the night train from Ankara. Two fold down beds awaited us with promises of being rocked to sleep by a locomotive and waking up in Istanbul once more.

Central Anatolia

After many hours on the bus from Egirdir through Konya [8 hours]; we've now arrived in a magical part of Turkey called Goreme. Home to the tuff dwellings of Hittites, Cappadocia.

30 million years ago this region was covered in layers of ash which solidified into what is call tuff [toof], over time the tuff was worn away and has created unique rock formations called 'fairy chimneys'. Yeah I know...how appropriate is that? Homes, storage caches, dining areas, kitchens and chapels were all carved into the tuff.

 

Goreme and Cappadocia

 

Tuff housing

 

Tuff bird owner pigeon holes

Supposedly the inhabitants of this area were avid bird lovers and housed them in special rooms with carved pigeon holes.

 

Chapel exterior vantage

 

Chapel interior

 

The not-so high priestess

 *Sideline* traveling gets you in the mix of some very amazing people. People that might live so close that it seems strange to come halfway around the world to meet someone in your own back yard. This is Charlie and Linda [left] Ani and myself [right] having a great dinner in Goreme. Charlie and Linda are 5 months into a year's globe trot around the world. Wonderful travels guys, Ani and I wish you all the best. 

 

Charlie, Linda, Ani & knotty

Let's play catch up

A lot has happened since I've been out of touch. 4 different locals in just as many days. So here's a very brief overview.

First stop Selcuk and the ruins of Efes [Ephesus for the hos at home].

 

Efes long shot of colonnade

 

Townhouses and excavation

 

The library of Celcus

 

Artemis in all her glory

Next to the Roman 'waterpark' of Pamukkale. Travertine terraces of calcium carbonate dissolved from the limestone are deposited in pools along the leading edge of this natural phenomena. It is home to Hierapolis, which hit it's height at around AD 196-215.

 

Knotty walking barefoot in the pools

 

Long shot of Pamukkale [pic by Ani]

 

Pool with Roman ruins still used today

 

Child on exterior of tomb at the necropolis of Hierapolis

Finally the town of Egirdir that hugs a lake of it's namesake. After a long bus journey from Denizli we disembarked and trudged a mile out a long causeway to the island sitting off shore. We checked ourselves in at Ali's Pension and walked back into town for some groceries since this was the last day of Bayram and no restaurants were open.

 

Causeway to the island

 

A look back to Egirdir mainland

 

Ali's Pension

 

Early morning boats on Egirdir Lake

A day in Edirne

At first I didn't know why we were traveling so far away for Istanbul and so close to the Greek border, to the town of Edirne. The town is adorable; we've been rained on, almost run over twice by the same domuz [pig] on a scooter and were overcharged for our room. And yet I've got a smile on my face from the sights.

Bayezid Mosque and hospital

Selimiye and Ucserefeli mosques

Edirne mezarlik [cemetery]

Selimiye mosque

Selimiye kibla wall and prayer floor

Main dome and kibla chandelier of Selimiye

Whole lot of shakin' goin' on

About 9:15 p.m. local Istanbul time I was editing photos from my day in Topkapi when the bed began to rock back and forth. I thought it might be the person next door moving around or something. While at a friends for dinner I heard about the earthquake we had very near Istanbul.

On a minor note... I'm leaving tomorrow early for Edirne and then to other parts of Turkey. I will be gone for about a week, so it's hard to say how much internet wifi I'll have in Pamukkale and Cappadocia. If I don't write, I will miss you all.

Hugs,

kb

Topkapi Palace

Mehmet II built Topkapi Palace as his primary residence, a bit unorthodox with its complex of pavilions, gardens and harem. Not to mention it's private marble baths, armory and treasury; all to serve as home, retreat and political power house for receiving and entertaining dignitaries from all over the world.

 

The gates of Topkapi Palace

Formidable gates to walk through. I guess that was the point when holding court with foreign dignitaries.

 

Stained glass in the Palace harem

 

Intricate Islamic harem wall decoration

 

Iznik tiled fireplace

The marble can feel so cold, but think of a roaring fire in this magnificent tiled fireplace. This room was for the queen of the harem.

 

Coral & ivory inlaid Turkish pistols

And if you're going to kill someone, why not use a fabulous ivory or coral inlaid pistol? I can't remember if I have a handbag that matches the coral one.