Returning

It has been a busy few weeks since our return from Turkey and I had not planned to post as little as I have done.

However a busy time at work and a PC failure at home have taken their toll on my internet time. Thankfully the PC is sorted, even complete with an upgrade to a wireless router. As the weekend is here, I am posting a couple of photos from Turkey.

These are the ancient ruins of Heraklia on the shores of Lake Bafa. A wording of warning to anyone who ventures this way. The present day settlement at Heraklia is inhabited by some of the most pushy people in Turkey (and that's saying something !!).

On entering the village we were sold "tickets" by two men in what looked like a garden shed. The tickets were for "the site". As the remains are scattered amongst the contemporary settlement, these tickets were essentially to the modern village.

While tickets to the site were reasonable (if dubious in authenticity) it was unclear where to park. While deciding, a reddish haired fat boy emerged who could have easily passed for a German or north European. He turned out to be Turkish but in a high voice and broken English offered a "tour" of the ancient sites. A polite "maybe later" was definitely the wrong thing to say as we were quickly surrounded by a small group of children and a larger group of old women trying to sell linen, beads and even soap. One even tried to exchange Euros with me.

While a bit of enterprise is not to be denigrated, it was really too much as we were followed every step of the way by this group.

I was shown a "Roman Theatre" and then asked for money. With our son in a buggy, the smell of manure everywhere and harrassed by a group of locals at every turn we decided to beat a retreat. A French couple looked similarly fed up and also left. That was a pity as the Greek and Roman history of the site deserved more attention. If the locals were slightly less pushy I am sure they would do more business.

Lake Bafa is spectacular with a ruined monastery on an island in the lake. The rocks around the site make it almost look like another planet. I can recommend it but be careful if you drive into Heraklia !

Below are two photos that in order to take I needed to pay two liras to fob off a group of local children who were bugging me !

The locals in Heraklia were unusually pushy. It is not typical at all. Normally they politely leave you alone when it is clear you are not interested in buying anything.

All form is impermanent

These is the the remains of the Library of Celsus in Ephesus (now part of modern Turkey). Around 100 AD, Ephesus was a major port, a Roman regional capital and with up to 500,000 people then one of the largest cities in the world.

As the sea gradually moved out and after waves of attacks from Barbarians and then Arabs, the city entered a terminal decline. It was finally abandoned altogether by the Turkish population in the 15th Century.

The ruins seen are as the result of restoration work.

It is a wonderful place steeped in history both religious and political.

This abandoned city now thronged with tourists from every continent of the world which we recently visited, is a sombre reminder that history shows no civilisation lasts forever.

While London is someway off collapse and abandonment (!), the same fate of Ephesus may one day touch London.

A global financial centre that until last year seemed ever growing and invincible, now feels slightly rocked by the waves of crisis running accross the globe. I still remain confident that this can be resolved in the way other troubles have (after all the fact we are all here shows life continued after 1929).

However the ruins of Ephesus remind us that even great cities, of which London is one, do not last forever and all physical form is impermanent.

In the land of Atatürk

This will be a short post from Turkey where my family and I are spending a fortnight's holiday. An internet cafe and a Turkish keyboard are not condusive to a long note.

However I just wanted to record what a wonderful but contradictory country Turkey can seem to the visitor. Aside from the hassling street traders who shout 'yes please!' at anyone looking remotely like a visitor, the people are extremely warm and welcoming. Travelling with a baby boy seems to bring out the best in people and I have lost count of how many warm words and smiles we have received in the last week.

Turkey is 99 % muslim yet the state is strongly secular, a conflict that persists to this day. Despite being in the middle of Ramadam the cafes and restaurants on the Agean coast where we are staying are still thronged with diners, Turk and foreigner alike.

This does not seem a completely free country. The army is very strong with a visible garrison in most towns and rather bizarrely the BBC and Times websites are both censored in this internet cafe (a website with a picture of Atatürk appears when typing those web addresses). However CNN, the Telegraph and many others are freely available. I fail to understand what is going on here.

Another point is this is a much fought over land. What is now Turkey was once Greek or Roman. I will not attempt to summarise the history but historic sites such as Ephesus and the seven churches of the revelation are all to be found close to the Agean coast.

Overlooking all this is Atatürk who founded the modern state of Turkey in 1923. His portrait, often complete with cigarette, can be found in every cafe, shop or establishment you visit.

Superficially at least, this is first and foremost the land of Atatürk and everything else (whether Islam, commerce, terrorism, tourism,nationalism and a range of unstable neighbours) is less apparent in a host of inconsistencies.

Hopefully back with some photos of this interest country next week.

Temple of Artemis near Ephesus

Another recent holiday photo.
This was once viewed as one of the seven wonders of the world. Difficult to see now, but the Temple of Artemis still has a majestical spirit even if the stones have largely gone.

We were the only visitors at this site on the February day we saw it. When a Turkish gypsy approached to sell guidebooks, I decided a change of nationality would be wise. English are too easy and "nice" as targets for sellers so I answered "Russki" to his question of where I was from. I thought this had put him off as he disappeared only to see him reappear moments later with a Russian language guidebook ! A retreat to the car was in order shortly afterwards !

The bitter sweet taste of Turkish Delight

We recently returned from a week in Turkey.

Right from the point of landing, Turkey is a land full of contrasts that leave memories tasting both sweet and bitter.We landed at Izmir International, a gleaming new airport as good as any medium sized airport in Europe and certainly more inspirationally designed than London's Gatwick where we caught the direct flight. That was the sweet.

Then came a mild dose of bitter. Most nationalities require a Visa to enter Turkey and this include the Brits. It is a Visa on arrival and consists of a sticker exchanged for cash. There is little attempt to pretend this isabout border control rather than revenue generation. Brits must pay £10 for their sticker or 15 Euros.Mrs. Donatella has a Russian passport and the rate shown was $20 or 15 Euros. Coming from London we had neither Euros nor Dollars but I foresaw no problem. Why not pay £10 which equates to the 15 Euros that Brits can also choose to pay ? The Turkish Bureaucrat collecting the money was having none of it. Brits can pay £10 or 15 Euros, Russians can pay 15 Euros or $20 but they cannot pay £10 ! After a fruitless "discussion" a Turkish woman suggested giving him a couple of extra pounds. 2 extra Pound Coins did indeed open the Turkish border ! The bureaucrat presumably accumulates quite a lot of "extras" which from planeloads of passengers must add up into a reasonable bonus.

Then we were met by the property developer we are buying a flat from. He is a cheerful sales manager to whom everything is generally possible. We were driven to our hotel in Kusadasi on the Agean. The next morning we visited our flat which was supposed to be "finished". "Finished" obviously doesn't fully translate as balcony railings on a fifth floor appartment were not yet available. A large hole in the bathroom ceiling where an extractor fan should sit was explained in terms of "letting bad smells out". This is obviously an eco home ! Other minor points remained and we all agreed that the apartment was not yet "finished".That aside we set about enjoying a week by the Agean Sea.

The weather was gently warm, the sea clear and the sky blue. All around a friendly people worked and played. Prices for the tourist are so much cheaper than Europe at the moment. Dinner, bed and breakfast at a 4 star hotel cost £20 a night for Mrs. Donatella and I.

We hired a car and drove to a nearby National Park. Unspoilt forests roll down to the Agean. The Greek Island of Samos lies a couple of miles away in the clear sea. Yet here amongst the sweetness of a rural idyll there are twangs of bitterness. The area was largely Greek until the mid 1920s. A Greek village is preserved as a tourist attraction. The leaflets explain that it is similar to many Greek villages in the area prior to "the exchange of populations in 1924". "The exchange of populations" is a polite term for successful ethnic cleansing. Like all such acts such as that which occurred in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s or the Sunni- Shia struggle of modern Iraq there is never truly one aggressor and one victim. It is shades of grey rather than black and white. Turks suffered atrocities in what are now Greek islands just as Greeks suffered terribly in what is now the Turkish Republic. The result was partition and a grudging peace. Life continued and nothing changes the past. The sun still shines on the Aegean but while it can look like paradise, ghosts whisper of something that was once lost.

The Aegean coast is truly historical on a vast scale. Ancient Greek settlements abound. The Pope visited Ephesus in 2006 following in the steps of St. Paul, 2000 years ago. The Virgin Mary is venerated by many in a small house reputed to be her final home. While the history is sketchy there is no doubtinh the scale of the history of the area. St. John is buried near to Ephesus and it was he that Jesus asked from the cross to look after his Mother. Pre-Christian sites such as the one-time world wonder, the Temple of Artemis also lay nearby.

Up the coast we drove to Izmir, a large city of 3 to 4 million people. Light Railways and tower blocks are sprouting up in the Springtime of a potential Turkish boom. This was once the Greek City of Smyrna. A scattering of mosques can be seen in this relatively secular area of muslim Turkey. Suddenly from behind a wall on a commercial road, Christian Crosses can be seen marking a Greek burial ground. In this instance the "exchange of populations" did not disturb the dead.

"The Father of all Turks", Ataturk, can be seen on the wall of almost every restaurant, office, hotel reception. He is the focus of the Turkish state. A strong army keeps unwelcome forces in check. Road blocks are relatively common either manned by the Police or the more paramilitary "Jendarma". The fear is often the Kurdish PKK rather than islamists although both have struck in Turkey in recent years. Nonetheless most of the people follow the spirit of Ataturk and extremism seems rare- certainly in comparison to muslim communities in London or Birmingham.

Shopping Malls, Starbucks, McDonalds all sprout beside main roads. On the country roads shepherds watch their sheep and donkeys are still used to transport produce. Stray cats and dogs abound. Alley cats can be seen "Top Cat style" in bins in at the back of apartment blocks. A few pampered pooches and moggies can be seen in the style of their spoiled and surgically de-gendered European cousins. However the majority of cats and dogs live and die intact in a more natural state than Europe.

Food is good and cheap and wholesome. It is quite accessible to English palates as their is little attempt to disguise good quality produce with excessive sauces or pickling.

Last but not least a visit to a men's barber is a memorable experience. Blades flash, flaming alcohol soaked sponges are used to remove an stray hairs from ears. There is much more attention to detail than a British barber and this I think is shown in the result !

Turkey is a large and interesting country. It is friendly to the visitor and is generally managing well in its traditional role as the bridge between Europe and Asia. While its history is certainly mixed, there seems much hope for its future. If their southern neighbours in Iraq could only learn a little "Turkish" the whole world would be a safer place.

The Greek island of Samos as seen from the Turkish coast. So near yet so far.........

The ruined Basilica of St. John at Selcuk, Turkey.

Bafa Golu

This is lake Bafa Golu in Turkey as seen from the ancient settlement of Heraklea. It is less than 90km from the modern resort of Bodrum but is a world away with shepherds minding their flocks and some people still using donkeys to tranport goods.

If such a large lake was in Britain, it would no doubt be drowning in B & Bs and "organic" restaurants. Turkey is still effortlessly organic and thankfully our visit to this lake involved no one else apart from two friendly (but large) local dogs (one pictured with his back turned !)

Turkey

A lack of posts recently.......

Currently in Turkey staying at the resort of Kusadasi. The weather is warm and sunny. The Agean Sea quite beautiful. The people seem friendly. Currently sharing a hotel with a huge contingent of Japanese and Chinese tourists together with a Wisconsin based "cow advisor" and his wife together with a retired couple from Leicester. The latter are staying here 7 weeks.

Nearby is the ancient city of Ephesus and a house reputedly where the Virgin Mary ended her days on earth. Pope Benedict XVI visited here last year.

If the Japanese getting ready for their daytrip doesn't wake us then it will be the call to prayer from the local mosque.

Interested and varied thıs land certainly is.

Signing off now as it is quite slow on a Turkish keyboard