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| The Acropolis from the Agora |
Turkey straddles two continents and this is my excuse for a longer rambling discourse than is usual to share my adventures. Istanbul has all the hustle and bustle of Asia as well as the behaviour of people not respecting your space. I attempted to walk down the main thoroughfare from Taksim Square but was buffeted by so many people who walked straight through me. Even children walked into me along the way. Why? I ask myself. Am I so diminutive that nobody notices me? Whatever the reason, it is both frustrating and tiring.
It was lovely to be able to spend time with an old friend, Maram, in Istanbul. She showed me the other side of Istanbul with its modern elegance and quiet charm. That was such a delight. At one hotel in Tersane the pool had been designed so that it looked as if a Persian carpet was soaking in it. I was blown away. No photo could replicate how amazing this looked.
And so it was that my journey had to continue. I went back into Asia, across the narrow strait and spent a goodly time in a Hammam - escaping with most of my skin intact after a very harsh rub down. After this I set off for the bus in Dudullu to the south of Istanbul. I had to remember names spelt in a different alphabet, and ask for directions when I wasn't sure. The further away from the centre of tourist Itanbul you go, the less people can communicate. Throughout my trip, I have once again been dogged by wifi issues which means that getting around is not quite so easy. My Ryoko overheated and died on the Silk Road then I got an e-sim which would not link up with Turkish telecoms. Now I am in Greece, life is a bit easier and for now, I am connected.
The bus trip did not pass without difficulties. It arrived late, left the station even later and then on the road somewhere near Bodrum it stopped so a man with a van could take loads of stuff out of the bus storage compartment. Surely for Flixbus this must be a dodgy practice? My mind raced - a drugs drop? Black market trading? Intrigue! Worse, it took longer than I expected.
Added to my woes, I went to the wrong ferry port in Bodrum and then had to race to the correct one. I was the last on. On the upside, at least I got to see bits of Bodrum I would have otherwise missed. Herodotos was commemorated there and as they say, the rest is history!
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| Kos at sunset |
Kos was packed to the rafters with tourists supping cocktails and soaking up the sun. Surprisingly, the unofficial uniform for women of all shapes was cheap batik and crinkly cotton outfits. It was worth going to Kos just so that I don't have to go again. It is beautiful but the mass tourist industry has made it just another hot place to have a holiday - even though you do have a range of options as to which Pirate ship you might want to escape the island for a day on. It must have been quieter when Hippocrates and Alexander the Great were there even with the intermittent wars.
I set sail for Piraeus at sunset and got to Athens the following lunch time. That sunset really was a wow moment. I stayed on deck until we were well on our way. Those moments are what holidays are made of. Athens is full of Americans. I know because I can hear them! Even in the museum they share their chat with everyone in earshot. Definitely annoying.
I just loved the museum - absolutely everything about it. The archtecture, the exhibits, the stories - all so well done. I now know I should have burnt my toys in homage to Artemis so that I could grow up. Big Ted is still in Danielle's garage so no hope of my becoming grown up for a while yet. I listen to Natalie Haynes which has given me a bit of a heads up on all the goings on with the Greek Gods. Athena is practically the Godess of almost everything. Zeus ate her Mum, Metis, before she was born. Probably not the best start to a promising future and now she has a city named after her even so.
I was tempted to buy a Gorgon's head just to keep the grandchildren in check. People frequently did that back then to scare of unwanted guests - probably not just for their grandkids.
There were a couple of exhibits I would have renamed. One said; "Horse without a rider." The horse only had two front legs so it was a horse without a backside - much more accurate. There is thirteen centuries of development and the buildings of the Acropolis are just two and a half thousand years old. It has served many functions - temple, home, church, mosque, fortress. The question is, did Elgin steal the marbles through subterfuge? He certainly wasn't careful in taken the treasures and managed to destroy some on the way. However, the Ottomans used the building as a fortress and much of it was blown up through their doing. Things stolen are now exhibited in the museum as plaster cast models with the small bits remaining slotted into the casts. I think maybe it is time to hand the disputed marbles back. Greece is looking after its history extremely well. Brits should bury the hatchet as to whether it was legit or not how we came by them and be magnanimous.
My trip has a recurring theme. Police presence. Even in Athens on a Friday night there were vans and police with riot shields, padded jackets all ready for action. I found that 30th August in Turkey was a celebration -Victory Day and that explains the police. At least I missed Putin's recent visit to Bishkek.
