I'm back ...
Well, I've been back for about two days now, but after catching up on some much needed sleep, I'm posting with my gallant tales of conquering the Aegean and the Turks.
The trip was amazing and I will post a day-by-day account of what happened over the weekend. (Because really, you have nothing better to do than read about the two times I as lost in Istanbul, went swimming in the Aegean and got freaked out because I thought a stingray was going to get me for making fun of Steve Irwin and the Goddamn nightclub that was so conveniently located next to my hotel room making it impossible for me to sleep before 2 a.m.
It was a group trip through ancient sites near the northwest portion of the Aegean sea. The tour was in Turkish (meh!) but fortunately, there were enough kind English speakers in the group to translate for me when needed.
Here's a brief daily rundown of where I went:
Day 1, Friday, October 20:
Left Izmit for Istanbul, found the bus and loaded up. Once the bus started going, I sat there for 9 hours while we made way too many stops.
Day 2, Saturday, October 21:
Alibey Island.
From the island we went on a boat tour and I ate the best fish I've had here.
Then it was back to the hotel room for a nice quite night, a little sleep, and ... where the hell is that music coming from. You've got to be fucking kidding me.
Day 3, Sunday, October 22: The busiest days.
The Acropolis of Pergamon, a set of ancient Greek ruins from two cities of Pergamon. One of the most impressive sites I saw. Complete with the ruins of a temple, a theatre and water canals that still stand.
I also met a cat who I named Templeton. She was the sweetest thing and followed my group on the whole tour.
From there we went to Asklepion, an ancient Greek healing center that had what was believed to be a sacred water - which was later discovered to be radioactive. Who knew?
After the ruins, it was a stop at a Turkish Onyx shop with a pretty impressive display of jewelry and decorations all carved from stone.
Then a tour of a Turkish carpet factory, where I saw a small carpet (about the size of a welcome mat) priced around $50,000. It was gorgeous though.
We capped off the day with a view of sunset (I know, it sounds gay and it kind of was) at a mountain called, "The Devil's Foot."
Day 4:
I needed a break so I ditched the tour group and went swimming in the ocean. What a relief.
But not all was lost as I learned how to play backgammon! (Finally, a new way to gamble.)
Day 5:
Assos, an ancient city with hilltop ruins that have a spectacular view. Plus, plenty of Gypsies.
After Assos, the most anticipated moment of the tour. TROY. A Trojan 8,000 miles from his Alma Mater sees where the name came from. Troy was both magical and strangely disappointing.
Day 6:
Galipoli, the BEST cemetery I have EVER seen (and I've seen a lot of them), walking in World War I trenches, but most importantly, I came to terms with something that has been bothering me for a while.
Day 6 ends the trip with a special additional post about the longest night I have ever had.
It was a spectacular trip and I had a blast. More importantly, I met more wonderful Turkish people who were warm and inviting.
until I get around to all these posts, (I'm shooting for one a day) take a look at some of the photos on a web page I set up. The address is: http://picasaweb.google.com/jamesloughrie
The trip was amazing and I will post a day-by-day account of what happened over the weekend. (Because really, you have nothing better to do than read about the two times I as lost in Istanbul, went swimming in the Aegean and got freaked out because I thought a stingray was going to get me for making fun of Steve Irwin and the Goddamn nightclub that was so conveniently located next to my hotel room making it impossible for me to sleep before 2 a.m.
It was a group trip through ancient sites near the northwest portion of the Aegean sea. The tour was in Turkish (meh!) but fortunately, there were enough kind English speakers in the group to translate for me when needed.
Here's a brief daily rundown of where I went:
Day 1, Friday, October 20:
Left Izmit for Istanbul, found the bus and loaded up. Once the bus started going, I sat there for 9 hours while we made way too many stops.
Day 2, Saturday, October 21:
Alibey Island.
From the island we went on a boat tour and I ate the best fish I've had here.
Then it was back to the hotel room for a nice quite night, a little sleep, and ... where the hell is that music coming from. You've got to be fucking kidding me.
Day 3, Sunday, October 22: The busiest days.
The Acropolis of Pergamon, a set of ancient Greek ruins from two cities of Pergamon. One of the most impressive sites I saw. Complete with the ruins of a temple, a theatre and water canals that still stand.
I also met a cat who I named Templeton. She was the sweetest thing and followed my group on the whole tour.
From there we went to Asklepion, an ancient Greek healing center that had what was believed to be a sacred water - which was later discovered to be radioactive. Who knew?
After the ruins, it was a stop at a Turkish Onyx shop with a pretty impressive display of jewelry and decorations all carved from stone.
Then a tour of a Turkish carpet factory, where I saw a small carpet (about the size of a welcome mat) priced around $50,000. It was gorgeous though.
We capped off the day with a view of sunset (I know, it sounds gay and it kind of was) at a mountain called, "The Devil's Foot."
Day 4:
I needed a break so I ditched the tour group and went swimming in the ocean. What a relief.
But not all was lost as I learned how to play backgammon! (Finally, a new way to gamble.)
Day 5:
Assos, an ancient city with hilltop ruins that have a spectacular view. Plus, plenty of Gypsies.
After Assos, the most anticipated moment of the tour. TROY. A Trojan 8,000 miles from his Alma Mater sees where the name came from. Troy was both magical and strangely disappointing.
Day 6:
Galipoli, the BEST cemetery I have EVER seen (and I've seen a lot of them), walking in World War I trenches, but most importantly, I came to terms with something that has been bothering me for a while.
Day 6 ends the trip with a special additional post about the longest night I have ever had.
It was a spectacular trip and I had a blast. More importantly, I met more wonderful Turkish people who were warm and inviting.
until I get around to all these posts, (I'm shooting for one a day) take a look at some of the photos on a web page I set up. The address is: http://picasaweb.google.com/jamesloughrie
posted by James at 7:47 AM
5 Comments:
Those cats wouldn't last a day in China (the south, at least). On the other hand, the Turks seem far friendlier (if less attractive) than the Chinese.
I head about the floods in Turkey...I hope you are okay. You're short and precious, so don't be a hero.
Chris,
I focused taking pictures of the ugliest Turks possible. Who wants to see fake beautiful people when they can see real ugly ones?
Jeff,
Don't worry, the floods are very far away from me. So we can all laugh at the misfortunes of others.
Thank God....death is funny, but not if it happend to somebody as beautiful as you. Stupid drowning Turks.
Actually, the city where the floods happened is a big Kurdish city. So no one here really cares either.
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