Turkey Trip —A Day of Differences—1/14/2010

Today we turned our journeys inland, away from the seas and sites which once were ports and looked to the mountains. We drove to Sardis where we visited the 3rd largest Temple to Artemis in Turkey. Unlike temples to other Greek and Roman gods which faced east—the rising sun, a temple to Artemis faced west—symbolizing the importance of the moon to this goddess of the hunt. Lisa S. noticed that the view straight from the temple door is of a mountain outcrop that looks like the moon rising over the earth.

I noticed a shepherd herding his flock of sheep in the distance on a road separating one vineyard from another.

Behind the temple was a hill, from which when we climbed it, we watched a farmer breaking up the soil. When I turned back around to face the temple, I noticed the ruins of a small church. Hmmm, before this city was abandoned, Christians had begun to worship here.

All in all, the views here were very pastoral.

Next we drove to another part of the site that was the city of Sardis. It housed both a synagogue and a gymnasium, side by side. Now from what we read in the Old Testament and from what we read in Jewish midrash, you would think that a synagogue would never have been next door to a gymnasium, where athletes worked out in the nude. But here we have evidence that both were indeed side by side.
We wondered if perhaps the Jews in the diaspora modified and adjusted their way of living. One of the participants in our tour reminded us of how the Vatican may proclaim the official stand the Catholic church is making, but many Catholic people harbor their own (very different) views—and don’t hesitate to share those views with their non-Catholic friends and neighbors.

We also saw some beautiful geometric designs of tiles in the walls here. Having been a high school math teacher (teaching Honors Geometry for several years) in a "previous" (as in pre-seminary) life, I just had to snap these shots of some great tessellations.




Our visit to Sardis ended, we ate lunch and began a 2 hour drive to Pamukkale, a resort area where calcium in the water has left white deposits on the cliffs. The springs here are warm year-round, so naturally several of us had to wade in them. This warm springs area was jam-packed with tour buses and tourists—even though it was raining and cold.


We walked all around the cliffs until we reached Hierapolis, yet another site of Roman ruins. We took a cursory look at the theater here and then began a trek up the hill behind it to visit the ruins of the church of St. Philip.

At one point, our tour guide and his wife stopped and shared a somewhat heated exchange in Turkish. She turned and walked one way, he another. I called out to her asking where she was going. She replied she was taking a different route which would be slightly longer. Our guide replied his way was shorter but steeper. I followed her. Not only did we not have to climb the steep incline he climbed, but we also arrived at the church sooner than the group which went with him.

The church had a series of arches with different kinds of crosses etched above each doorway. It also had red marble on the floor by the front doorway. Lisa S. postulated that the red marble signified the martyred death of Philip.

Since it was getting dark, we began our trek downhill. I followed our guide’s wife on yet another different route. Unlike the others, we avoided the deep and many water puddles. By the time we arrived at the place we had agreed to meet those in our group who had not chosen to hike up to the church, it was dark. But the white cliffs area of the warm springs was well lit with street lamps, so we were able to hike back to the bus safely.

The hotel was full—a first and only for us on this trip—with other tourists. Fortunately for us, the warm springs were large enough for so many guests at once. We did not have to wait on any group to see any of the sites here. But, it did help us to appreciate how fortunate we have been elsewhere on our trip—having the run of each site.

Here are more pictures from this day in Turkey.

Turkey Trip—The Fellowship of the Ring, no-wonder-this-city-fell-to-the-Persians, and “ask the oracle” (Priene, Miletus, and Didyma)--1/13/2010

I started my day early, planning to spend my devotional time by the fire in the sitting room. When I got there, though, there was no fire. I had forgotten this fireplace burns wood logs which need to burn down and grow cold at night. It’s too early for anyone else to want a fire, so instead I sat in this lovely room, facing the marina and let the morning sky be my devotional backdrop.

Even though I waited until 7:20 to go to breakfast, I was still the first from our group. It wasn’t long, though, before others began to trickle in. As we ate breakfast, the sky clouded up, and by the time we left the hotel for our day at three sites, it was raining.

Because of the rain, we did not get to enjoy the full effects of the beautiful scenery on the way to Priene. When we arrived at the site, it was sprinkling and very cloudy, so I donned both my rain jacket and my hurricane pants. (Thank you to my outfitter, Mary Elizabeth.) We climbed to the Priene site. This is the first time we have seen a site situated in a forest. I do not know if the other sites were forested previously and the trees cut in years past, or if the trees here have grown up in the last 1,000 years. Whatever the reason for the trees here, they make this site seem different from the rest. With the clouds, the ruins, and the trees, I felt like I was in the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring when Boromir tries to take the ring from Frodo.


In the theater at this site are 5 stone chairs, evenly spaced along the front row, for the big shots of Priene to have prime viewing of the activities held here.

Just as at Ephesus, the sea is no longer as near to the site as it once was. Here the rivers have silted what was the coast. However, the view from the temple, looking out on what is now a plain, is magnificent.
Wandering around the site, we found a church, with steps to what we think was the pulpit still intact—in the middle of the church.

While we wanted to stay longer here, the loud thunder signaling nearby lightning encouraged us to head down to the bus and on to our next site for the day—Miletus.

Miletus, though situated above the plain surrounding it, is not built on a cliff, a hill, or a mountain. Consequently it would have been harder to defend, so I was not surprised to learn it had easily fallen to the Persians. For me, the most striking feature at Miletus was its theater.

Columns still stand in “the orchestra pit” part of the theater—at the front. We saw individual stone seats, evenly spaced, about mid-way up in the theater. Many of us assumed these would be the seats of Miletus’ very important people. However, both Lewie (our professor) and Tosun (our guide) said the VIPs would be seated on the front row. Among the seats in this theater are holes in which the viewers could set up poles to hold awnings—keeping the sun out of their eyes.

The seats were also marked (etched), and we wondered if these markings indicated which families sat where or was this the ancients’ way of indicating row 23, seat 15?


When we walked around to the back of the theater, we saw the ruins of the rest of the city and what had been the harbor. Usually groups run down to the harbor, but because of the rain, the slopes were slippery and full of large, deep puddles of water. We chose to enjoy our view of the city from here. In the distance, we saw a mosque with grass growing on its dome—we christened it “the chia mosque.” (Chhh Chia)

Next we drove to Didyma for lunch and to visit the oracle’s place at the Temple of Apollo there. Our entrée was a delicious fish (smelled fishy but did not taste fishy) dish, and our dessert was halvah—brown sugary tasting block with tangerine to cut the sweet taste.

Across the street from our restaurant is the Temple of Apollo from which an oracle prophesied. The size of this temple was
astounding.
Only a few columns have been restored to their full-standing height. It is mind-boggling. For most of the columns, the bottom sectios still stand. They are taller than I, and only about 1/7 the height of the columns.

One of the fallen columns is arranged so that we could see its length (since looking up at the standing ones still defies understanding how tall they were). I am supposed to be holding up this column in the picture here.


We wandered around inside the temple area, where the oracle would have been.

Unfortunately no one was here today to tell us our destiny.

See more pictures from Priene, Miletus, and Didyma here.

Turkey Trip—Turkish Carpet Experience--1/12/2010

On the way back to the hotel from our visit to the Ephesus site, we stopped in the center of Kusadasi where we were invited into a Carpet shop. There we were offered tea, Turkish coffee, and sodas and treated to a lesson about Turkish carpets.


One of the employees demonstrated how Turkish carpets are made, both the double knot (best) and single knot methods. She was working on a silk and cotton carpet, about 3 feet by 4 feet in size. We saw the pattern she was using, and the owner said it would probably take her a year to complete it.


Turkish rugs from each of several areas of Anatolia were laid out for us,

and we began to see the predominant colors for each region (natural colors from the region are used) and the differences in the kinds of patterns or designs from region to region.




We saw some fairly new rugs and many older rugs—from 30 to 50 years ago.





Weaving carpets by hand is becoming a lost art as young people leave their home villages for industrial jobs in the larger cities. I so wanted to buy a rug as a remembrance of my Turkey trip. Alas, I seem to have champagne tastes but live on a beer budget. The owner offered some great deals, but none which I could actually afford. I still enjoyed getting to see and touch so many beautiful rugs!

Turkey Trip--Ephesus--1/12/2010

I got to spend some time this morning, sitting on our balcony, enjoying the sea view of Kusadasi, and reading before it was time for us to depart for—Ephesus.


First we drove up a hill to a secluded house where, according to tradition, Mary the mother of Jesus, lived out her final days. Apparently the apostle John brought her to Ephesus when he came. This house has been made into a chapel for contemplation and is overseen by an order of nuns. We visited with one serving here now who comes from New York state. I lit a candle for my mother-in-law, a devoted Catholic who prays to the blessed mother.


We then drove down the hill, so that we could enter the site of Ephesus through the upper gate. We walked down what would have been the main street.


The covered sidewalks had mosaics, we saw “board” games etched into some of the “pavement,” and we found various kinds of crosses in lintels and posts. We visited the public baths and toilets.
We saw the odion (a small version of theater, indoors, and used by the senators) and the agora (shops).

My favorite, however, was the library!
While it held fewer volumes than the one we saw at Pergamum yesterday, its walls were doubled in order to keep out moisture, and the structure was absolutely fabulous!

Excavation and restoration work is ongoing in the “slope houses,” structures that would have been like garden homes for the rich. These houses were on the main street before the library. A roof covers the excavation/restoration site and work. Stairs and landings (built of clear plexiglass) allow visitors to walk inside and view the ongoing work from various levels. This was absolutely astounding to see: frescoes on the walls, mosaics on the floors, marble walls and ornate columns—inside the buildings.


After viewing the slope houses and the library, we continued down the main road towards what would have been the harbor. We walked among the ruins of the church of Mary. It was probably a warehouse (in the harbor district) before the Christians used it as a church. I like the idea that these early Christians needed a place to worship and used what was available—a warehouse.
It serves as precedent for my own home church, Grace Presbyterian in Round Rock. We worshiped in our pastor’s living room, the neighborhood park, a house undergoing remodeling, a funeral parlor, and a farmhouse (starting with the garage) as we were forming into a fellowship, new church development, and a chartered church.

The last ruin we visited today was the church of St. John Basilica. This was a huge church built by Emperor Justinian about the same time as the Hagia Sophia.
St. John is supposed to be buried in this church. The baptistery is shaped like a cross. Located centrally in the worship space with steps at both ends, it reminded me of the baptistery at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Round Rock. I wonder if the newly baptized members entered at one end (walked down into the waters) to signify death to the old life and exited (walked up) at the other end to signify rebirth into a new life.


We ended our time in Ephesus in the museum, taking note of the many statues and relief recovered at the site.

Here are more Ephesus site pictures.

Turkey Trip—Assos, Pergamum, and the healing center of Asclepion--1/11/2010

We left our beautiful seaside view and drove up to a village in the hills. The bus dropped us off at café (with a water closet). From here we began a steep climb on narrow cobblestone streets to the edge of the village and the site of the acropolis (high city) for ancient Assos. At the highest place on this hill, overlooking the Aegean Sea, we walked through the ruins of the temple to Athena.

Looking down towards the water, we saw a cove where the harbor of the ancient city of Assos was, the place were Paul docked. We could also see the ruins of the city—the place where Paul spoke to the people, telling them about his personal encounter with Jesus the Christ.




Leaving the hills, we drove along the coast and through olive tree country. It is the end of the harvest season, so we saw no one beating the trees or catching the olives with a sheet. We, did, however, visit an olive oil factory and olive oil museum. I bought several souvenirs there.


Next we drove to Pergamum for lunch and then to the ruins of the ancient city. We saw the city walls, the cistern, the arsenal, and the library complex (which housed over 120,000 parchment scrolls). It was at Pergamum that parchment was invented. We also saw a most impressive theater. Built into the side of the hill (as were most all Greek theaters), its width and depth was mind-boggling to me.



After leaving the acropolis, we drove toward Pergamum where the ruins of the ancient healing center of Asclepion is. Here we saw the patients slept and reported their dreams (an integral part of diagnosing and treating illnesses here), the hospital where they were administered medicines, the courtyard where they heard lectures on how to stay healthy once they left, an altar, and sarcophagi (evidence that not everyone who came here was cured).


After leaving the Asclepion we stopped at a gas station/market to fortify ourselves for the 3 your bus ride to Kusadasi. I chose Turkish chocolate candy and chocolate candies—go figure. One of the sitting areas in our hotel in Kusadasi has a fireplace and a view of the marina. How relaxing!

Click here to see more pictures of this part of our trip.

Turkey Trip—Buffeted by the winds at the Dardanelles and introduced to Troy--1/10/2010

Our day began very early as we had lots of driving to do to get us from Istanbul to Canakkale. Having spent all our time in European Istanbul—the old city, it was interesting to cross the Bosporus into Asian Istanbul and drive through the newer parts of the city. After leaving Istanbul, we drove through hilly areas and flat plains. We got our first view of the Aegean Sea, and then the highway went back inland some. Finally at lunchtime, we arrived at Gelibolu (Gallipoli) where we were treated to a great Turkish buffet. My favorite food was the cooked cabbage. (What a surprise for me!) We drove along the peninsula which had seen so much fighting and death during World War I. It was his success here, at the Battle of Gallipoli, that made it possible for Mustafa Kemal (later to be called “Ataturk” the father of Turkey) to bring the peoples of Anatolia together when Turkey was partitioned (after World War I) by the Allies.





We drove southwest from Gelibolu and boarded a ferry to cross the Dardanelles to Canakkale. This ferry was 3-story and bigger than any I have ridden in Galveston. Good thing since the wind was fierce which resulted in extremely choppy waves. Such conditions provided us with a memorable and exciting crossing! I loved watching the waves splash onto the ferry, completely covering some of the cars. I enjoyed the wind whipping against me. It was even kind of fun navigating my way across the ferry to the water closet through wind and waves.


After crossing the Dardanelles, we drove for about half an hour before arriving at the site of Troy. While not restored, much has been excavated at Troy. It appears to have about 9 layers of cities from the first inhabitants about 3,000 BC to the Roman inhabitants. In his haste, Schleimann destroyed many of the original stones of buildings and walls.


I had to visualize where the sea was during Homer’s Troy as the coast has moved since, but we located the south gate—where the famous Trojan horse would have been rolled.


Leaving Troy, we drove to Canakkale to spend the night. We had a spectacular view of the harbor from our room.

Tosun, our guide, took us for a stroll around the harbor, and we ended up in his favorite dessert shop where we sampled something like a sweet buttermilk pie—consistency less creamy and more grainy, and much sweeter tasting.


After supper, Kristi and I went looking for Trojan horse souvenirs. Having seen 2 Trojan horses today—one at Troy site

and one near our hotel (the one from Brad Pitt’s movie “Troy”),
we felt assured we’d find a selection.

Want to see more pictures of this day?

Turkey Trip--in which I get separated from the group and get (a little) panicked--1/9/2010

After another breakfast with the breathtaking view of the skyline of old Istanbul, we walked to the hippodrome. Back in the days of the Roman emperors, it was a stadium hosting events such as chariot racing. Although it has not been excavated, so we do not see the seats nor are we at the original ground level, you can see the indentations and the general perimeter. Inside the perimeter are some monuments from those days, including an obelisk from Egypt. I’ll bet it stands 3 stories tall, and I saw no indications it had been cut and reassembled. How on earth did the ancients manage to move it, intact, from Egypt to Constantinople?



Turning our attention from the hippodrome, we walked across the street to visit the Blue Mosque, the most beautiful mosque we saw. Grace and symmetry best describe the exterior of this structure. Inside are walls of white tiles with beautiful blue designs. Still used as a mosque, it has soft carpets and restored ornate woodwork inside. Perhaps because it is smaller than the Hagia Sophia, its 200 + windows seem to allow more light into it than the 1000 + windows do for the Hagia Sophia. It seemed lighter here and more reverential. But, it is still used as a mosque, so that could account for the reverential atmosphere.


We drove to another part of old Istanbul to visit another mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, known for its beautiful İznik tiles with floral and geometric designs. It, too, is still used for prayer and worship, and the women in our group were asked to cover our heads during our visit.


We walked through narrow, winding streets filled with shops and vendors to the Spice Market, opposite the ferries. Our guide took us to her favorite candy shop where we were treated to samples of apple and jasmine tea and various kinds of Turkish delight. Of course, I had to buy some of each to bring home to Kevin! While the group waited on the last of us to finish her purchases, I walked to a nearby shop with scarves. I was there only briefly, but when I left, the group was gone from the front of the candy shop! We had been given a meeting place and time before we entered the Spice Market, but since we had stayed together at the candy shop, I had assumed we would stay together the whole time. I was a little concerned to see no one I knew, so I walked out of the Spice Market to the square—the meeting place. Although it was 15 minutes early, I thought our guide would be there. She wasn’t. Neither was anyone else from our group. The square was a busy place—people walking by, but no one seemed to realize I was a panicked foreigner! As I waited, I got more and more concerned. Before going into the Spice Market, our guide had pointed at a building and said that was where we would eat lunch. I wondered if they had all gone there already. Did they know I was “missing?” I did not know which building she had meant when she had talked about lunch—there was more than one building in the direction she had pointed. I could not even get a taxi to the hotel as I could not remember the hotel name! Now, don’t laugh, but I remembered a book I read to the girls when they were little—Ernie Gets Lost. It’s about staying in one place when you get lost, so that you can be found. I kept thinking of how Ernie almost wasn’t found because he did not stay in one place but wandered around the department store. Finally, at 12:05—5 minutes after our meeting time, I saw 3 of my group emerge from the Spice Market! Within the next 10 minutes, everyone else joined us. The group had disbanded about the time I had gone to the scarf shop, and now they were all rendezvousing at the given place. I think I have some empathy now for people who visit the US and don’t know English well. It can be frightening to be unable to communicate and to think you are lost.

Lunch was eaten atop a nearby hotel which commanded a great view of the Bosphorous. Again we had a multi-course meal. Today, the dessert was assorted fruit (good thing) and Turkish coffee—very strong, but sweet.


Next we visited the The Church of St. Savior in Chora (Kariye Müzesi), a beautiful Byzantine church, before being converted to a mosque. It has been restored and serves as a museum. The ceilings in the halls and the rooms are filled with beautiful, detailed, gold-inlaid mosaics depicting mostly New Testament stories. There is one area in which the mosaics were never finished, and the walls are frescoes of what would have been filled in. In my opinion, the best way to have seen this museum would have been to spend the night here, looking up at the ceilings from a sleeping bag, moving your bag a little every 30 minutes or so. There is just so much to view and ponder here.


We then drove to the Greek Patriarchate—a Greek Orthodox church. A wedding had just ended, and the bride and groom were greeting guests in the courtyard. We were allowed to enter the church anyway. It has a wall filled with gold-framed portraits of saints and relics in gilt boxes. During our visit, a service began—canting, singing, incense, and movement characterized the service. Our guide beckoned us to leave before it was over.

On our own for supper again tonight, I dined with a different group from last night. We found an indoor restaurant where we had lots of fresh bread while we waited for our entrees and complimentary apple tea at the end of the meal. We returned to the hotel to pack, as tomorrow we hit the road—heading towards our first ruins.

More pictures of this day in Istanbul are here.