Iran to Turkey because I was Hungary

Joe and I have tried to make the most of living in Europe in terms of opportunities to travel to new places. Over Christmas and New Year we took a 2-week trip to Aegean coast of Turkey, which included a 1-week German language bus trip and one week at a seaside hotel. We plan on going back to Istanbul at some point. It's taken us awhile to get a post up, but here are some highlights of our first week.

Pamukkale and Heiropolis

I was really looking forward to the travertine deposits, but I had no idea an ancient city was built on top of them. You got nothin', Mammoth Hot Springs! Heirapolis was inhabited from the 2nd century BC to the 14th century AD. There is an extensive cemetery as the hot springs were thought to have healing powers, so lots of sick rich people came, and died. The structures in Turkey are fairly well preserved, as they used good building material for the arid climate(limestone, marble, travertine); the earthquakes have certainly taken their toll.

Bodrum

We spent Christmas in the resort town of Bodrum. It is pretty posh by Turkish standards, and building code requires that all structures are painted white. It just so happens this looks stunning against the Mediterranean backdrop. Bodrum is also the site of the world's first Mausoleum, the resting place of King Mausolus, with construction directed by his widow. It seems the concept of a mausoleum took off after that. Paul, of Bible fame, also came through what was then Halicarnassus (now Bodrum) on his travels. And, the city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 BC.

A mean, old wave attacks Joe.

Remains of the mausoleum.

Tombs near Demre, Turkey

Looking back on it now, much of the ancient structures we saw in Turkey were monuments to the dead. These tombs carved into the wall along a river in Demre were definitely the most unique. We took a boat tour to see them, and ended up on a small sand island where the river meets the sea. Our lunch that day was freshly caught crab.

Our seaworthy vessel.

Juxtaposition of ancient and modern burial practices.

Fisherman

The Sunken City at Kas

Our next stop was an ancient city that sunk following an earthquake, so the remains are under a few feet of turquoise water a boat ride away from town. Gosh, it would have been nice to see that, but it wasn't included in our tour, and our guide was always a bit sketchy and underhanded about the "extra side-trips" he was offering. So we stayed on shore and explored some un-sunken ruins. More tombs, it seems.

Church of St. Nicholas in Demre

Also in Demre, we visited St. Nicholas' church in the city formerly known as Myra. The church is in ruins, but retains the tomb of St. Nicholas, as well as some beautiful artwork. Some of the artwork depicted a Roman times when Christians met in hiding. Father Christmas seems to be pretty popular with Russians, as we saw a lot of Cyrillic.

Pere Noel's tomb.

Antalya

The final day of our bus tour was spent in Antalya, which is known primarily as the gateway to the Turkish Riviera, but actually has quite a nice old city. We went on a cheesy pirate ship tour of the harbor, and tried goat's milk ice cream. Then we had some time for shopping in the bazaar and witnessed a protest.

This guy used his long stick to whip the cone out of your hand just as you grabbed it. Getting ice cream meant "enduring" his performance, but it was fun.

Protests against President Erdogan in Antalya, Turkey.