July 20, 2002

Istanbul, Turkey

Dear Family and Friends,

Turkey. What a wonderful country!  Beautiful rivers and mountains and valleys.  Excellent sites.

Istanbul.  What a wonderful city!  Elegant mosques and palaces.  Hospitable and enthusiastic people.

In Istanbul, the most pleasurable moment of the day was to stop for a while, take a coffee and just watch and listen.

 

Istanbul, Turkey

13 October 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Fortunately, I chose to be in Istanbul on Sunday.

Fortunately, my hotel was a ten minute walk to the Sultanahmet area and the Blue Mosque and The Haghia Sophia – two of Istanbul's most historic and most visited sites.

On Sunday, the visitors included hundreds of residents of Istanbul and other Turkish tourists and their families who swarmed around the grand mosques, picnicked on the grounds, and entered the halls for prayer. It was Sunday in the Park and I was happy to meander among the multi-colored crowd as I admired once again the lofty minarets, the colossal domes - the superb architectural achievements of mighty Istanbul.

{C}

Lake Van
Southeastern Anatolia
Turkey
19 October 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

The Lonely Planet "Turkey" is 732 pages thick. When I got to the last chapter on page 597, Southeastern Anatolia, I decided to begin my travels out there and work my way backwards in the book, traveling from east to west in southern Turkey. I flew from Istanbul to Van (1642 km…1020 mi).

Out here, Turkey's neighbors are Georgia and Armenia. West of Van lies Iran (only 100 km), and to the south, Iraq and Syria. Even though they were very close, and tempting, I decided not to visit any of these countries, at least not on this trip, since there is so much to see here.

{C}

Mardin
Southeastern Anatolia
Turkey
21 October 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Talk about last minute decision making:

On the bus from Tatvan, I re-read my guidebook for the entry for Diyarbakir (pop 665,000): mostly city walls and gates. Haven't I seen enough of them for the moment? Besides, I am avoiding the big cities. I looked at my map and explained to the bus driver's assistant (yes, there is always extra staff on an intercity bus - they serve drinks and snacks and help with luggage and tickets) -- I explained that I want to go to Mardin.

Şanlıurfa

Turkey

October 24, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

The bus ride form Mardin to Şanlıurfa (178 km - 110 mi) was a straight shot from east to west across the agricultural plain of Upper Mesopotamia. Olive trees, pistachio trees, apricot trees, cotton and corn fields are all irrigated with the river waters of the Tigris and Euphrates. As I travel across "the land between the waters," my university course, Ancient History 101, comes alive.

The area around the city of Urfa (pop 463,000) has been a battleground for more than three thousand years: first the Hittites in c.1370 BCE, then the Assyrians, Alexander and the Macedonians, Aramaeans, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Armenians, Byzantines, Crusaders, Seljuk Turks, Saladin and the Kurdish Ayyubids, Mamluks, and finally the Ottoman Turks. Urfa was renamed Şanlıurfa (glorious Urfa) in 1984.

Şanlıurfa is a place of history and legend:

Antalya

Antalya Province

The Turquoise Coast

Republic of Turkey

26 October 2009

12:30 pm

Mehmet: Please come in.  Please have a tea with me.

Jan: Thank you. I was just admiring your carpets. 

I am thinking: Tea sounds good. I am tired wandering around the cobbled streets of this hilly old town. Actually, Antalya is quite lovely, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Mehmet: Are you interested in hand woven carpets?

Jan: Yes. But I am not considering buying one now. 

Stay strong, Jan. This guy's a Turkish carpet dealer.

Mehmet: Please let me show you a few. Do you prefer hot tea?

Jan: Yes. It's chilly and I'm a bit wet from the rain.  

My water absorbent Old Navy jacket is not helping at all.

Mehmet: Since it's now the end of the season, I can give you a special price and ship the carpets at no additional cost.

Standard sales techniqe.

Jan: Thank you Mehmet. Your carpets are beautiful. Please let me think about it. 

They really are. I am tempted, but....

Mehmet. Perhaps you will come back after lunch?

Jan: I am thinking about visiting the mountain ruins of Termessos this afternoon. Do you know a reliable driver?

Jan deftly changes the subject to the Termessians, a Pisidian people who were fierce warriors. They fought off Alexander in 330 BCE. The Romans accepted Termessos as an independent ally in 70 BCE.

Mehmet: I will call Nezi. He is known as "the doctor." But Jan, I recommend that you visit Termessos tomorrow morning. It will rain this afternoon. You will be miserable walking in the rain on the mountain.

Jan: I am optimistic. I will have lunch now. Please ask Nezi to pick me up here at 2:00pm. 

I know I am being stubborn but I want to be time sensitive in this town. I need to keep moving west.  And I noticed a charming patio-restaurant down the street.

Mehmet. Will you return to my shop tomorrow morning?

Jan: Inshallah, I will return. 

Everybody knows what that means.

..........................................................................................

Termessos     2:30 pm

Nezi: I will walk with you to the ruins.

Jan: Thank you. There are a few "older" folks on the trail so I suppose we can follow them.

If they can do it, I can do it.

Nezi: I can hold your umbrella over you.

Jan: No problem. I can hold my umbrella in my left hand and hold my camera in my right. 

How the hell do I keep my lens dry?

Nezi: You are getting wet. Let me help you with the umbrella.

Jan: The rocky trail looks very steep. 

Steep and filled with loose rocks. The trees block the views. A wilderness. A wet wilderness. Maybe Mehmet was right and this was not such a good idea after all. Didn't the guidebook say something about a massive city hidden high and deep in a rugged mountain valley?

Nezi: The ruins are not very far. You can make it.

Jan: I am getting tired. Let's turn back. 

I packed very carefully for his trip. How did I forget my poncho? And my walking stick is still in my luggage.

Nezi: The ruins are just up ahead. Just a few more minutes.

Jan: I have seen enough.  

The ruins are interesting, shiny and black -- hidden away in the glistening forest. I am glad I came. But I am wet. I am cold. I am miserable. I feel like a drowned loon on Lake Winnipausaukee. Can we go back now?

Nezi: The main temple and the theatre are up the hill just a little way.

Jan: Finally we are here. Nezi, this is a great spot! The theatre is beautiful. Thank you for encouraging me. Now I know why they call you "the doctor." 

The views are invigorating. Majestic. Can we stay a little longer? I see a break in the clouds. Maybe it will stop raining.

Nezi: We can take a different route down the mountain.

Jan: Sounds good. No rush. I don't want to miss anything. Nezi, you are the best guide in Turkey.

The mountain trail is littered with the broken remains of marble columns and capitals. Two thousand years ago, somebody actually took the trouble to carve them. Now, sadly, they lie, miserably, in the mud or beneath a pile of twigs and leaves. Still, they are on display for me, and for other travelers who are willing to come to see them.

I am so happy to be here in the ancient city of Termessos. Where else should I be? I lived in Miami for ten years and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I went to the beach.

This is where I belong...trudging up a mountain...in the rain... looking for age-old ruins.

Why do they always put the theatre at the top?