Days 9/10 - Calis Beach Fethiye
The days in our vacation rental, we sleep in to whatever time we want to, get up, go for a swim right out of our front door and stroll down to the corner market. These are the lazy days of our vacation! We have done absolutely nothing besides eat, sleep, drink and eat some more. We have a full kitchen so we've decided to make some Turkish Krista/Dennon fusion food. Our apartment is lovely, it's brand new, has no TV but we have a view people pay to see. We are right at the end of Calis beach, it reminds me of a bigger, better and busier version of a resort on the Okanagan. It's been 40 degrees plus everyday, but we're able to cool ourselves in the sea that's about 40 steps outside our front door. We sit on our balcony, watch the sunset and the passersby. Krista's polished off 2 books and I've finally had the chance to read some Kurt Vonnegut. It doesn't get any better than this! Today we ventured a little farther south and purchased our tickets to Rhodes and our boat tour. Tonight I'm gonna smoke a fat cigar and drink some beer. Stay tuned..
Showing posts with label Efes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Efes. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Days 6 & 7 - Selcuk
Day 6 - Selcuk
We woke up in Izmir at our pensiyon, and because we already purchased our train tickets, we had a little more time for breakfast. We packed our belongings and trickled downstairs and to our surprise, found a complimentary fresh breakfast at our disposal!! We ate our fresh breaky and bounced to the train station, I still couldn't believe that we only had to pay 11 Turkish Lira!!
The train ride was pleasant and very chill, we passed through Izmir and into the countryside. Orchards, fields of corn and vegetables on either side reminded us of back home.
We arrived in Selcuk (pronounced Sell-chook) and walked up a slight incline to Hotel Bella. We've been looking forward to this hotel and were not disappointed, greeted by smiling faces and lokum, (Turkish delight) we checked in. After we settled into our room, we went upstairs to the beautiful rooftop patio and were met by Erdal, the owner. He proceeded to tell us of the town, it's people their history and offered us a ride to Ephesus, the reason why we came to Selcuk. It's the best preserved Hellenistic/Roman/Byzantine city. We graciously accepted. We spent 3.5 hours wandering the site, with the Celsus library and the terrace houses as the stand alone favorites. Ephesus has been rebuilt 5 times, so it houses a plethora of history throughout many an Empire.
With a quick phone call from the bookstore, Erdal picked us up and brought us back to our room. It was time for a power nap!
We slept with the sounds of nesting storks outside of our window, and when we woke, we ran upstairs, snaked a table and drank some Efes beer and wine. Now came dinner! The Turks really know how to prepare their meats, being a butcher by trade, this was something I can really appreciate. Meat stuffed mushrooms, eggplant, Russian salads, and bean salads danced onto our table until the coup de grace: the main dish! I had the grilled lamb and Krista had the spicy kebab. Both truculent, but mine, I have to say, was the better of the two. The best lamb I've ever tasted, we chased it down with a sugar soaked cake desert and a strong glass of Raki. Raki is the Turkish version of Ouzo or Sambuca with a twist, it doesn't get you drunk but rather stimulates you much like an Absinthe. Wow!
Day 7 - Selcuk
The night before, at approx 10pm, Erdal informed us that the PMD Tour was available, so we immediately signed up. Priene-Miletus-Didyma are some lesser known sights but are worth the excursion out of Selcuk town. After seeing most of the important artifacts already excavated and on display at the Archeological Museum in Istanbul, it was time to see the sources!
We boarded the mini van, among the other tourists, sat back and listened to our guide. A retired seventy something former archeologist, he delved into the history of the region, posed questions and made quirky jokes. The first stop was Priene! He jumped out of the van and expertly traversed his way 400 metres up the side of the mountain. With the ten of us in tow, he put most to shame and waited at the top. He told us the site was only 2% excavated and it used to be a port city the rich owned. It had a theatre, an agora, a temple. It was built up by the Byzantines until the days when the waters subsided and silt took over the land below.
Next stop was Miletus and it was amazing! Among the ruins, were remnants of the bath houses, we everything could be bought...for a price. It also had a huge Amphitheatre the held over 15,000 people! We explored inside and out, found winding corridors and even a castle that was added onto the top.
The final portion of the tour was the biggest temple of Apollo in recorded history at the site of Didyma. Still partially standing, this is a site where priests lived in and asked the advice of the oracle. The story goes, that the oracle, always a woman, lived in a room and continuously breathed in a gas that made her see the visions. These were the visions of Apollo. The site was unbelievable!
After a modest lunch, we drove back to the hotel and had a power nap, again! Being out in the middle of nowhere in 40 degree weather for hours at a time, can really knock the crap out of you!
We woke up, cleaned ourselves and sauntered into town looking for a genuine Turkish meal. I don't know how these restaurants stay open! Sometimes it seems as though there is more places to eat, than people to eat at them. We got asked to sit at a bakers dozen different places in 9 different ways. They say things like "Yes please" - "You look Hungry!" - "Best meatballs in town" and when you refuse... Watch out!! One guy called me gay with a Turkish gesture of the OK sign (don't use this sign in Turkey unless you wanna fight). We chose The Ejder Restaurant, under the shadow of the Roman Aquaduct, placed our order and waited for the meat and Efes parade to begin. Hours later, after eating like amSultan, we lumbered back to the hotel and fell asleep.
We woke up in Izmir at our pensiyon, and because we already purchased our train tickets, we had a little more time for breakfast. We packed our belongings and trickled downstairs and to our surprise, found a complimentary fresh breakfast at our disposal!! We ate our fresh breaky and bounced to the train station, I still couldn't believe that we only had to pay 11 Turkish Lira!!
The train ride was pleasant and very chill, we passed through Izmir and into the countryside. Orchards, fields of corn and vegetables on either side reminded us of back home.
We arrived in Selcuk (pronounced Sell-chook) and walked up a slight incline to Hotel Bella. We've been looking forward to this hotel and were not disappointed, greeted by smiling faces and lokum, (Turkish delight) we checked in. After we settled into our room, we went upstairs to the beautiful rooftop patio and were met by Erdal, the owner. He proceeded to tell us of the town, it's people their history and offered us a ride to Ephesus, the reason why we came to Selcuk. It's the best preserved Hellenistic/Roman/Byzantine city. We graciously accepted. We spent 3.5 hours wandering the site, with the Celsus library and the terrace houses as the stand alone favorites. Ephesus has been rebuilt 5 times, so it houses a plethora of history throughout many an Empire.
With a quick phone call from the bookstore, Erdal picked us up and brought us back to our room. It was time for a power nap!
We slept with the sounds of nesting storks outside of our window, and when we woke, we ran upstairs, snaked a table and drank some Efes beer and wine. Now came dinner! The Turks really know how to prepare their meats, being a butcher by trade, this was something I can really appreciate. Meat stuffed mushrooms, eggplant, Russian salads, and bean salads danced onto our table until the coup de grace: the main dish! I had the grilled lamb and Krista had the spicy kebab. Both truculent, but mine, I have to say, was the better of the two. The best lamb I've ever tasted, we chased it down with a sugar soaked cake desert and a strong glass of Raki. Raki is the Turkish version of Ouzo or Sambuca with a twist, it doesn't get you drunk but rather stimulates you much like an Absinthe. Wow!
Day 7 - Selcuk
The night before, at approx 10pm, Erdal informed us that the PMD Tour was available, so we immediately signed up. Priene-Miletus-Didyma are some lesser known sights but are worth the excursion out of Selcuk town. After seeing most of the important artifacts already excavated and on display at the Archeological Museum in Istanbul, it was time to see the sources!
We boarded the mini van, among the other tourists, sat back and listened to our guide. A retired seventy something former archeologist, he delved into the history of the region, posed questions and made quirky jokes. The first stop was Priene! He jumped out of the van and expertly traversed his way 400 metres up the side of the mountain. With the ten of us in tow, he put most to shame and waited at the top. He told us the site was only 2% excavated and it used to be a port city the rich owned. It had a theatre, an agora, a temple. It was built up by the Byzantines until the days when the waters subsided and silt took over the land below.
Next stop was Miletus and it was amazing! Among the ruins, were remnants of the bath houses, we everything could be bought...for a price. It also had a huge Amphitheatre the held over 15,000 people! We explored inside and out, found winding corridors and even a castle that was added onto the top.
The final portion of the tour was the biggest temple of Apollo in recorded history at the site of Didyma. Still partially standing, this is a site where priests lived in and asked the advice of the oracle. The story goes, that the oracle, always a woman, lived in a room and continuously breathed in a gas that made her see the visions. These were the visions of Apollo. The site was unbelievable!
After a modest lunch, we drove back to the hotel and had a power nap, again! Being out in the middle of nowhere in 40 degree weather for hours at a time, can really knock the crap out of you!
We woke up, cleaned ourselves and sauntered into town looking for a genuine Turkish meal. I don't know how these restaurants stay open! Sometimes it seems as though there is more places to eat, than people to eat at them. We got asked to sit at a bakers dozen different places in 9 different ways. They say things like "Yes please" - "You look Hungry!" - "Best meatballs in town" and when you refuse... Watch out!! One guy called me gay with a Turkish gesture of the OK sign (don't use this sign in Turkey unless you wanna fight). We chose The Ejder Restaurant, under the shadow of the Roman Aquaduct, placed our order and waited for the meat and Efes parade to begin. Hours later, after eating like amSultan, we lumbered back to the hotel and fell asleep.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Day 5 - Izmir
Our original plan was to take the IDO ferry from Yenikapi terminal to Bandirma, where it connects to an express train to Izmir. All in all, it was supposed to take a total of 9 hours. We would have cruised the Marmara Sea and saw a lot of the Turkish countryside, but alas, the travel agent we spoke to was a douche. He told us the we would be able to just walk on to the ferry with no problems...when we checked the day of departure, it was full. My mistake for taking the word of someone else. Lesson learned. Instead, we purchased 2 tickets to Izmir courtesy of Turkish Airlines. What a great flight! A quick trip, a fresh healthy in flight meal and enough room to stretch my 6'3" frame. Air Canada has nothing on Turkish Air.
We arrived at Adnan Menderes Airport and were whisked away in a Taksi (Turkish) to our Pensiyon called the Vatan Otel. When we pulled up to the first Vatan Otel, my pulse drastically increased!! Thank the travel gods, it was the wrong one! A few blocks down the road our driver decried that this was the proper hostel. There we were met by a parrot named Vatan and his owner, who looked similarly like his 30 year old feathered friend, right down to the hair!!
We checked in and traipsed upstairs. Our room was clean and comfortable, but definitely not
the 4 Seasons, who wants that pampering anyways?! After cleaning up we decided to check out the vast building, complete with 2 restaurants, a computer room and a lovely garden terrace located in the back away from the scorching 35 degree sun. We enjoyed some complimentary refreshments and reflected on our stay in Istanbul.
Izmir, though beautiful, was a place we expected to pass through, but we decided to seek out Efes at a local eatery. After meandering down a beautiful back street surrounded by merchants, fresh fruit vendors and Ivy covered corner shops, we popped out beside Basmane Gir (station). I remembered that the reason I picked the pensiyon was it's proximity to the train station. Having learned my lesson, we ducked inside and purchased 2 tickets to Selcuk, our next destination, for a mere 11 Turkish lira ($6)!! We were set for the next day, so we decided to celebrate with some mezes at the pensiyon's annexed eatery. After struggling with our poor Turkish, they understood what we wanted and smiles immediately flashed across their faces.Triumphantly they paraded dish after dish of Turkish salads and Russian breads to our table, followed by Efes after Efes (the best Turkish beer!). We thanked them in Turkish and told them how full we were and how delicious it was, the cook even came out to receive his accolades!! We paid the bill and promptly retired to our room, bellies full and the sounds of the late night festivities filtering through our window. Ahhhh the Turks...
We arrived at Adnan Menderes Airport and were whisked away in a Taksi (Turkish) to our Pensiyon called the Vatan Otel. When we pulled up to the first Vatan Otel, my pulse drastically increased!! Thank the travel gods, it was the wrong one! A few blocks down the road our driver decried that this was the proper hostel. There we were met by a parrot named Vatan and his owner, who looked similarly like his 30 year old feathered friend, right down to the hair!!
We checked in and traipsed upstairs. Our room was clean and comfortable, but definitely not
the 4 Seasons, who wants that pampering anyways?! After cleaning up we decided to check out the vast building, complete with 2 restaurants, a computer room and a lovely garden terrace located in the back away from the scorching 35 degree sun. We enjoyed some complimentary refreshments and reflected on our stay in Istanbul.
Izmir, though beautiful, was a place we expected to pass through, but we decided to seek out Efes at a local eatery. After meandering down a beautiful back street surrounded by merchants, fresh fruit vendors and Ivy covered corner shops, we popped out beside Basmane Gir (station). I remembered that the reason I picked the pensiyon was it's proximity to the train station. Having learned my lesson, we ducked inside and purchased 2 tickets to Selcuk, our next destination, for a mere 11 Turkish lira ($6)!! We were set for the next day, so we decided to celebrate with some mezes at the pensiyon's annexed eatery. After struggling with our poor Turkish, they understood what we wanted and smiles immediately flashed across their faces.Triumphantly they paraded dish after dish of Turkish salads and Russian breads to our table, followed by Efes after Efes (the best Turkish beer!). We thanked them in Turkish and told them how full we were and how delicious it was, the cook even came out to receive his accolades!! We paid the bill and promptly retired to our room, bellies full and the sounds of the late night festivities filtering through our window. Ahhhh the Turks...
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