22 September 2023
Today is “a long scenic drive”. In tour terms, this means prepare for over 300 miles in a van. There can be varying degrees of discomfort. Usually there are stops ever 2 hours. Thankfully, there is always a Magnum ice cream bar involved.
(more…)20-21 September 2023
Antalya is a charming city sitting above a gorgeous blue bay. It loses some of its charm because of its size and bustle, but once I pass through Hadrian’s Gate into the old quarter, life is really good. There is much to occupy a couple days and still avoid a beach and the Starbucks and McDonalds.
20 September 2023
Aurora was shy this morning, not peeking above the mountains until almost 8. Apollo, as is his want, continues to blast down upon us from a cloudless sky.
(more…)18-19 September 2023
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…
17 September 2023
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.
(more…)16 September 2023
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.