A relaxing morning finds us sailing south along the Anatolian coast to a strip of beach at Iztuzu. Caretta sea turtles come here to lay their eggs, thus the name Turtle Beach. Turtles are currently absent.
Here, also, is the mouth of the Dalyan Stream. We change boats to travel upstream weaving a meandering path northeast through the delta. The delta banks are thick with reeds, enough to hide a thousand babies. There is the occasional resort, many summer homes, and dockside restaurants. Mountains rise in the distance. I note a noticeable lack of bird life.
My Blue Cruise along the Turkish Rivera 17-19 SEPTEMBER 2023 “Now voyager sail forth to seek and find.” Walt Whitman Did Agamemnon or Achilles pass this way and enjoy such views? I think not. Their minds were focused on more manly things like wine, women and war. While I definitely Read more
Türkiye has a very effective “chamber of commerce” assisting the tourism board. In 2022, I visited an exhibition at the Istanbul International Airport. While having the greedy nerve to charge 10€, it did an excellent job of highlighting the country’s many archaeological sites. While in Ankara, I found an equally interesting display of information boards doing the same, albeit free. The advertisements worked, I wanted to see more of Türkiye.
Today, my visit is to a second world-renowned historical site in Turkey – Ephesus. As a novice traveler, I visited this site in 1981. Docking our ship Atlas in Kusadasi, our bus drove past a Disco and deposited us at this ancient site. All I remember from that tour is learning about the toilets. Today, EFES/Ephesus undoubtedly has the grandest ruins on the Aegean coast. Excavations during the past 40 years have unearthed much more of this settlement and exemplifies more than just how the early Greeks bathed.
As I look over the Aegean and navigate the coastal region of Anatolia, I contemplate: Did my early ancestors pass this way? Did they take note of its beauty and history?
As early as 50,000 years ago, Man (and Woman) left the African Continent. They entered the Fertile Crescent, a wide strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea and moved south into Mesopotamia following the Euphrates. Approximately 12,000 years ago, Man’s adoption of agriculture as an alternative to his hunter-gatherer lifestyle altered the course of societal evolution forever. The culture that emerged formed the foundation for our world. Adjacent and to the north of this Fertile Crescent were the lands of Anatolia/Asia Minor, now modern-day Turkey.
I spend my day looking at stones. If there is one thing the Turks have a lot of it is stones. These stones reflect their many great architectural and archaeological accomplishments over the centuries. Stones are also one of the main reasons I visit Turkey for the fourth time. Archaeologists are always digging and uncovering more ancient history told by its stones. I love it!
We ferry from Aceabat across the narrow Dardanelles Strait to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of ancient Troy. In Hollywood, the Trojan War starred Brad Pitt as Achilles, Greece’s great warrior and leader of the Myrmidons. Based upon Homer’s epic poem Iliad, the movie was more action than accurate. Alternatively, the Iliad is terrific Greek theater. Think of it as an American soap opera based upon the theme of “boys will be boys.”
