A flaming mountain, St Nicholas, and ancient legends.

One of the many chimera atop Mt Olympos

Another day, another sweaty hike up a mountain.  This time it was  Mt Olympos to see the chimera (fire vents)at the top.  In legend this myriad of small craters with natural gas flames erupting from them are said to be the breath of the monster, Chimera,  part lion, part goat, part snake, which roamed the hillside.  A small ruined temple is nearby,  built to offer prayers for protection from the said monster.  According to Homer, Poseidon stood on these mountains and watched Odysseus escaping on a raft.  Poseidon then invoked a massive storm which shipwrecked Odysseus on the island of Scheria.  We are finding that everywhere we go in Turkey there is something fascinating to learn!


The ruined temple on Mt Olympos




Walking amongst the chimera

It was a very hot day to start with but even hotter amongst the flaming chimera.  We picked our way cautiously across the hillside being careful not to step into a gassy cauldron.  They are not obvious until you are nearly on top of them. Apparently the flames can be seen for quite a distance at night.  Some people even make the challenging hike up in the dark to see them which must be quite an eerie experience.


Ooops!  I think it might be ice cream time!



The beach at Cirali
 

Our van had broken down just as we arrived at the mountain and was still being repaired when we returned to it, however, we were very happy to have an excuse to sit in the peaceful pine forest and eat ice creams from the tiny shop there.


 All fixed and ready to go we headed to the nearby village of Cirali to have our first swim in the Mediterranean. The water was crystal clear and warm.  I noted in my diary that it was "refreshing and delicious" and very welcome after the hike.  After the swim some of us wandered further along the stony beach to the entry to the Hellenistic ruined city of Olympos.  We didn't go in but took time to admire the well preserved Lycian tombs at the entrance.

We ate lunch at a beach restaurant, typical Turkish style with long cushioned benches, which we were invited to lounge and relax on between swims.  For lunch I had what was becoming a great favourite of mine, lentil soup with a half lemon squeezed into it.





Inside St Nicholas' Basilica

















St Nicholas statue, Demre

After lunch we travelled on to the town of Demre to see the St Nicholas Basilica.  This Byzantine (5th centuryAD) church is on the site where St Nicholas lived and worked in the 3rd Century AD.  St Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia and Greece and there were many very devout and visibly moved pilgrims from both countries visiting while we were there. He was famous as a protector of fishermen, travellers, children and the poor and was the model for Santa Claus due to his habit of leaving coins in shoes people left out side their houses. The Dutch Sinterklass, which is a corruption of 'Saint Nicholas', is the basis of the name Santa Claus. The basilica is gradually being restored and still has quite a few of the original floor mosaics and some ceiling frescoes.  I found it to be a calming and peaceful place.  We sat and had our photos taken at the statue of St Nicholas in the town square and wondered what he would think of Santa Claus and the commercialisation of Christmas.

From Demre we travelled on to Kas, arriving at this stunningly beautiful seaside town in time for a glorious sunset.



Antalya - Turkey's mediterranean coast and Termessos, a stunning mountaintop ruin.

Drinking fountain in the main street of Antalya

We knew we were going to be staying in an ancient and historic part of Antalya when our driver told us we had to walk the last part of our journey to the Hotel.  It didn't matter, though, because it was an enjoyable short walk in the balmy late afternoon sun.  My first impressions of Antalya weren't that great.  It was busy and modern and seemed to be packed with nouveau riche tourists from all over Europe but fortunately that was only my first impression and I soon realised Antalya had much to offer.




Inside the hotel

Atelya Art Hotel on the left

Atelya Art Hotel, a lovely boutique hotel crammed with Turkish art and artifacts, is in the quaint and picturesque area of Kaleici, which means "within the castle". The surrounding streets are lined with old Ottoman houses, some having been restored and some in desperate need of restoration, and plenty of craft stalls manned by friendly, pleasant stall holders accompanied by the inevitable cats and kittens.



Hadrian's Gate

Antalya was founded by Attalus II and was ceded to Rome by his nephew in 133BC. When Hadrian visited the city in 130AD a triumphal arch was built in his honour and it still stands today, in extraordinarily good condition, guarding the modern shoppers who pass backwards and forwards beneath it. Today the city is a mix of the historic and of modern seaside tourism.  Many tourists come for both and others come for one or the other.  We were here, mainly, for the historic so after a good night's sleep and breakfast in the hotel's delightful walled garden we set off for our bus and a trip to the ruined walled city of Termessos.





Among the ruins of Termessos

We drove a long way up the mountain on narrow winding roads before tackling the

The theatre at Termessos

last kilometre on foot. It was a hot, sticky hike uphill on a rocky track but fortunately our guide stopped frequently to give us information while we slurped merrily on our water bottles.  It was well worth the climb, though.   Founded in 200AD, the time of Marcus Aurelius, Termessos is more than 1000 metres above sea level and surrounded by dense pine forests. It has not been repaired in any way and remains just as it was when it was damaged by a huge earthquake and abandoned. The city is thought to have been home to between 10,000 and 15,000 and it is really hard to imagine how on earth they built a city so high up in the mountains.  Several buildings are still recognisable ; the meeting room, a row of shops and a highly sophisticated water cistern system, but the crowning glory is the theatre, built on the very top of the mountain to seat 4,500 with spectacular views in every direction.
Alexander the Great tried to conquer Termessos three times but always failed.  he even tried to burn the residents out by setting fire to their surrounding olive orchards.  In the end it was the damage the earthquake did to the water cistern, stopping the town's water supply, which eventually drove the residents out. I think the absolute beauty of Termessos is that it has not been restored.  It has lain in the forest just as it was when abandoned many hundreds of years ago and is a peaceful and surreal place.

We wandered around for some time and then, we were back to reality and the modern world. It was, however, a gentle return, stopping for lunch at the restaurant owned by our driver's family which is set in a beautiful natural park.  We sat under fragrant trees and dined on freshly made and ridiculously inexpensive Gozlemi (Turkish filled pancakes) while our driver chatted with his family and puffed his chest out with pride.

Our evening meal in Antalya was at a restaurant high above the bay where dozens of softly lit boats lay at anchor below.  It was very romantic so some of us decided to take a walk along the sea front after dinner.  Oh dear!  There were rows and rows of touristy cruise boats bedecked with effigies of pirates and numerous touts looking for passengers, definitely not my thing.  Nevertheless, Antalya is well worth a trip, particularly to visit Termessos and to visit nearby Mt Olympus, which I will write about next time.



The beach at Antalya

Walking the Banks Peninsula - South Island, New Zealand

With my friends on the first night at Onuku Lodge

I'm leaving my Turkish tales briefly to write about a wonderful four day hike I did recently on Banks Peninsula.  I was delighted when a friend rang to ask me if I would be interested in joining him and another friend on the hike. I had heard how scenic it was and could think of no better way to spend the week before Christmas away from "shopper mayhem" in the city. This is a private 35 kilometre walk created by a group of farmers and property owners who were looking to diversify their businesses and show off the stunning scenery of the Peninsula. A limit of 12 people a day are permitted on the 4 day walk which can also be done in 2 days (maximum 4 people), although I suggest the 2 day option is more suitable for super fit or seriously time stretched people.  We chose to do it in the more leisurely 4 days and were so glad we did.  This gave us plenty of time to enjoy the views and surroundings and to hang out and relax at the end of each day's hike.


 Our group of 3 was joined by a German couple in their 50s and a family of 4 including 2 young teenagers.  Strangers to start with, by the end of the 4 days we were like family however out on the track we scarcely saw the others.


View from the trig at 699 metres - a hard climb with a heavy pack!

Starting from an overnight stay at Onuku, a short drive from the picturesque French settlement of Akaroa (I have written a previous post about Akaroa) the first day is quite challenging as the track slopes steeply up to reach a height of 699 metres and then back down to sea level on an uneven but beautiful bush track. After that everything else seems easy in comparison.  The initial climb is well worth it, though, for the gob smacking and panoramic views.


Much of the track is across farmland and on coastal paths and there are plenty of opportunities to view wildlife along the way. The land and sea are pristine and the owners pride themselves on the fact that this is an eco walk. Apart from the stunning views and prolific wildlife, which includes penguins, seals, and many native birds, another highlight is the overnight lodgings.  Each of the 4 stopovers offer unique, characterful, clean, accommodation and the ice cold beer in the fridge is a great bonus at the end of a hard day's hike. Two of the huts have well stocked stores which reduces the need to carry much food and the kitchens are kitted out with pots, pans and dishes, in fact all equipment needed to cook a meal.



I made it!!

There is also an option to have your packs carried on the 2 most challenging days.  I kind of regretted I didn't get mine carried on the first day but was later secretly pleased with myself that I had managed to haul it all the way up the longest and steepest part of the track.






Waterfall on the first day







Our second night's stay was at Flea Bay, so named for a type of flea which lives on penguins, not because it is infested with fleas! Our farmer host, Francis Helps,  has a passion for penguins and has created a vast sanctuary for them across his farmland.  He took us out on a dusk viewing of the penguins as they came ashore to nest for the night. He has specially erected, camouflaged  stations along the cliff which make for a marvellous wild-life watching experience.  The next morning, as we ate breakfast in the quaint old farmhouse, we watched the farmer mustering sheep on the hill behind with the help of his two trusty farm dogs, a real kiwi experience.  A kayaking option is also offered here which some of the group took up and thoroughly enjoyed.

The shower Room at Stony Bay


















The third night's accommodation, at Stony Bay, is a quirky, eccentric delight.  A small village built specially for the hikers out of all sorts of reclaimed and recycled materials...a bit like Hobbit land. There were even penguin chicks nesting under each hut, cute, rather smelly, balls of fluff. Fortunately there is gas for cooking but the candles for lighting and an outdoor bath snuggled in bush and heated by a log fire, which we all had turns soaking in, make it deliciously atmospheric.  In the evening we lit a camp fire and sat around it telling each other tales of our travels and scarcely thinking about the poor souls in the city caught up in the Christmas rush. We struck the only rain of the hike here but didn't mind at all, just passing  time playing scrabble, reading, writing our diaries and chatting until, by midday, the weather was fine again for us to continue on our way.


Otanerito Homestead

Otanerito Beach from the track

Our final stopover was at Otanerito in a beautiful old house set in pretty gardens beside  an isolated, sandy beach. The final day's hike is through the magnificent Hinewai bush reserve, beside the bubbling Narbey Stream, where you can safely drink the water straight from the stream - delicious! -  and up through the beech forest  to the saddle, at 590metres. The final leg was a steep but easy walk down hill to  sea level and Akaroa again.

 



Near the top of the saddle

From the final saddle, looking down on Akaroa

I highly recommend this hike.  It is superb.  Well designed, well organised and utterly beautiful.  Each hiker is provided with a comprehensive guide to the track, the wild life, history and points of interest along the way. Because the numbers are limited, there is a feeling that you have the track all to yourself.  It is also extremely good value - between $230 and $285 for 4 days (depending on the time of year) and between $150 and $175 for 2 days.  As I mentioned earlier, I would suggest taking four days to enjoy it as much as we did.

www.bankstrack.co.nz

The ancient city of Perge and some friendly encounters

Around 17 km east of Antalya lies the ruined city of Perge and this was to be our first visit to an ancient Anatolian city.  On the bus trip there we joked amongst ourselves that we were "old ruins visiting old ruins" but with a rich history dating back to the 3rd century BC Perge wins...none of us will last that long!  Perge owed its importance to the river of Kestros which provided easy access to the city and rich alluvial soil for crops. At its height it was home to more than 30,000 but the river gradually silted up so people moved away and the city fell into decline.  It is known that St Paul visited Perge, sailing from Cyprus and coming right up the river into the city.  There are remnants of towers and walls built during the city's Hellenistic period ( 2nd and 3rd centuries BC) but the most stunningly beautiful period for the city was during the Roman Empire (2nd and 3rd centuries AD)

The main street of Perge with remnants of the water channel

  I never fail to be amazed by the sophistication and beauty of Roman cities.  Although now little more than crumbling ruins there is enough left  of Perge to imagine what it must have been like in all its glory.  This was the period when the theatre, stadium, bath houses, fountains and agora were constructed.  It was also a period marked by beautiful and elaborately carved,  marble
sarcophagi and a main street lined with marble pillars and many large statues. (We were to view many of the sarcophagi and statues from Perge later at the Antalya Museum).


The bath house



Pillar in the main street with a  carving of
Diana, the huntress

                                         

A sarcophagus from Perge

I was impressed by the street washing system which consisted of a decorative channel of water running down the middle of the main street.  At certain points during the day hatches were opened in the sides of the channel to allow water to flow out and flush the street clean.  So simple, so attractive, so practical. And then there was the sophisticated heating and water recycling system at the bath house.  Those Romans sure knew a thing or two! Perge was a city dedicated to the cult of the Goddess Artemis.  It is known that a vast temple was built in her honour on a nearby hill but its ruins have never been found. Perge also had a Christian period in the 5th and 6th centuries AD when many churches were constructed.  The Hellenistic, Roman and Christian eras are known as Perge's "bright periods".  Interestingly Perge put up no resistance to the invasion of Alexander the Great  in 333BC and, indeed, welcomed him.  This was mainly due to the city's lack of fortifications leading the residents to believe it was better to befriend him than become embroiled in a futile battle.

Our visit to Perge was fascinating and enlightening but sometimes simple encounters with locals are just as memorable.  Earlier in the day our trip to Antalya took us up over the beautiful Taurus mountain range.  The scenery was stunning, how I imagine the Canadian Rockies to be.

Taurus Mountains Anatolia




 

 

Grandmother and her daughter, 3rd and 2nd from right,
fruit stall holders in the Taurus mountains

  High in the mountains we met a mother her daughter and tiny grandson at a roadside fruit stall where we stopped to buy fruit.  They were warm lovely, friendly and full of smiles.  They spend all of every day, in the stifling heat, selling grapes, plums, pomegranates, figs, lemons, tomatoes and large jars of glorious amber coloured honey.We chatted, posed for photos, laughed, joked, admired their sleeping child and waved our farewells.



  Later in the day, on the way to Perge, we came across fields of cotton with groups of women picking.  When we stopped to look they made their way across the field to present us with freshly picked branches.  This was fascinating for us having never seen raw cotton before.  They too were friendly, happy and smiling.  We found the Turkish people to be absolutely delightful and their open, friendly nature reminded us of our own fellow country men and women.





Ballooning over Cappadocia

I hadn't planned to go ballooning in Cappadocia.  Yes, I knew it was the thing to do and that there were dozens of ballooning companies operating in the area and therein lies the rub, up to 100 balloons can be in the air on any given day. Too many opportunities for collisions, I thought, and with recent publicity about a balloon fatality in the area, and a nervous friend telling me how scared she was when she took a flight there, I have to admit I was not particularly enthusiastic. In the end, though, I thought "What the hell" and signed up for a flight, with the rest of my group and, boy, am I glad I did. It was just the most wonderful, memorable, once in a lifetime, experience and certainly a highlight of my 3 weeks in Turkey.





Setting off, feeling slightly nervous

Ballooning always means a very early morning start so by 5am we were on the bus heading through the magical, surreal landscape, lights gleaming from the dwellings in the fairy chimney rock formations along the way.  We watched fascinated as our balloon was inflated with great bursts of gas and slowly rose up ready to fly.  Then it was all aboard ready for lift off.  Our balloon had a very large basket with four compartments each holding four people and with a central area for the pilot and the enormous gas bottles.  Take off happened almost imperceptibly as we rose slowly and silently into the air with just the occasional woosh when the pilot turned the gas jets on to keep the balloon inflated.





Goreme from the balloon

 

It was stunning floating over the amazing landscape, watching the sun rise, admiring the other 83 balloons which were up that day. Mustafa, our pilot, was excellent, he kept his distance from the other balloons and lowered us right down into the Pigeon Valley and then raised the balloon again to float over the town of Goreme. There was no feeling of fear, just absolute enchantment and our one hour flight passed all too quickly.







Relief and elation at the end of the flight, with Mustafa, our pilot

 Ballooning is a big money spinner for Cappadocia and there are dozens of ballooning companies.
Some are better than others so if you are planning to go ballooning, do your research. The company we flew with was Kapadokya Balloons and they run a very slick and professional operation. Some of the pilots are so skilled they even land the balloons right on the back of the trailer that transports them. Our pilot didn't because he was taking a second group up after us but I would suggest you make sure you are on an early flight, if possible, because watching the sun rise over the landscape is stunning. When we landed we were all thrilled, excited, relieved and fizzing as much as the sparkling wine waiting to greet us. I don't think I will ever do another balloon flight. I can't imagine any flight being as good as this one was nor any landscape quite so magical. A balloon flight over Cappadocia gets a big fat tick on my bucket list!

www.kapadokyaballoons.com



Cappadocia - a Magical, Ancient Land

Salt lake -Toz Golu

Whenever I mentioned I was going to Turkey to someone who had been there, their first question was always "Are you going to Cappadocia?" It was obvious that this was a special place so not only were my expectations high but a buzz of excitement was building in our whole group as we journeyed there from Ankara.   Most of the four hour trip was through flat, brown, dusty countryside which looked barren but nevertheless boasted extensive crops of sunflowers, squash and grapes interspersed with very occasional small herds of cows and even smaller flocks of goats and sheep.  We had a brief stop for lunch at the vast salt lake, Tuz Golu, dazzling in the sun,  where you can dig a small hole and bathe your feet in damp salt.  It is thought to be highly therapeutic. Then it was on to Cappadocia arriving  late in the day.

Cappadocia

Well, once I was there I knew what those previous visitors had been talking about.  This magical and surreal landscape is the result of major volcanic activity 30 million years ago.  The vast deposits of ash covered 4000square kilometres and formed into tufa, a soft rock, which has gradually eroded  to create strange, sometimes phallic, shapes which are more politely called "fairy chimneys".  Over the centuries people have carved and shaped them into dwellings, churches and even underground cities.   Cappadocia is, quite simply, spectacular,  the stuff of fairy tales and legends and I was thrilled by it and looking forward to exploring it.

Drinks on the terrace overlooked by cave dwellings

Our accommodation was in Surban Hotel, a lovely stone building, lavishly decorated with Turkish rugs and antique artifacts  in the village of Urgup.  Pre-dinner drinks on the roof terrace in a golden setting sun, overlooked by cave dwellings and interesting rock formations was spell-binding.

 Breakfast was memorable too.  Served in the cave-like basement of the hotel the buffet boasted large bowls of thick syrupy plums, cherries, liquid golden honey and yogurt.  Absolutely delicious - so good that now just writing about it makes me drool.

Koray - guide par excellence

 After breakfast we met Koray, our guide for the next couple of days,  a flamboyant, happy, hippy character with flaming red hair.  He was brilliant, full of knowledge, passion, enthusiasm and bubbling with joie de vivre.  He took us off to explore the wonders of Cappadocia, stopping at vantage points and climbing up one of the highest formations known as The Castle to get panoramic views of the whole region.

Cappadocia - view from The Castle, the highest rock formation

  A leisurely stroll down through the nearby village took us to the Pigeon Valley for a hike along the valley floor. It is a narrow chasm winding between dramatic cliffs with cave dwellings and pigeon houses carved into them. It is also lush and fertile with abundant crops of fruit and nut trees and vegetables growing in every nook and cranny. 

Hasan makes tea for us, Pigeon Valley

About half way through the walk we came upon a humble tea house belonging to Hasan an extroverted, and welcoming elderly man who offered us tea  for a tip.  He entertained us with a quiz and awarded everyone a prize, giving the best prize to my friend Hilary who guessed his age as 24....he looked to be mid 70s.  Fun, laughter and a pleasant respite from the heat.

A comical looking cave dwelling

In the Pigeon Valley

Lunch in Goreme at a 400 year old family run restaurant (it has belonged to the same family all that time) was healthy, tasty  mezze and then it was on to the Outdoor Museum.

Mezze for lunch

Inside a Byzantine cave church at the Outdoor Museum

Byzantine frescoes

This was an important Byzantine monastic settlement carved into the tufa and reaching up the side of a hill. Although there are scores of refectory monasteries in the region the Outdoor Museum contains eleven dating from the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. The cool cave dwellings contain long tables and seats carved from the tufa and adjoin the chapels, some of which still bear their original frescoes.  The two best, and most complete, examples are the Dark Chapel and the Blue Chapel. It is interesting to note that St Paul set up the first Christian colony in Cappadocia after his expulsion from Jerusalem.  The Outdoor Museum is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is fascinating and  deserving of  a 2 hour visit, at least.

View from a cave church - Outdoor Museum

With my rug purchase

 It was a big day but there was more to come.  Firstly we visited a carpet studio where we saw a demonstration of Turkish dyeing and weaving techniques and had the opportunity to buy rugs woven there.  I had decided I would not buy a rug in Turkey but when I saw them my resolve crumbled and I came away with a small but beautiful rug, a perfect souvenir of Cappadocia .

Whirling Dervish dance

In the evening we were taken to a very touristy dance performance.  This is the type of thing I hate - bus loads of tourists packed into a venue, great platters of food placed in front of you and self conscious "traditional dances" performed before the hordes troop back to their buses and home. All far too contrived and commercial for my liking and this was precisely that but it had two redeeming features.  Firstly we got to see the Whirling Dervish performance.  This was interesting in that the whirling is actually only a small part of the ritual.  Most of the time is taken up with slow meditative walking and much bowing to one another.  The whirling, though, was really something to see.  The other good part of the night was unseen by most of the guests but something I was lucky enough to participate in.  The dancers performed a mock wedding ceremony and as part of that led a congo line of guests, a la the Pied Piper of Hamlin,  me included, right out of the restaurant and into a courtyard where there was a huge bonfire.  There they performed traditional village dances around the  blazing fire while we joined in.  It was joyous and I loved it.  Eventually we returned to the restaurant to re-join all the other rather bemused guests who had been wondering where we had gone. 

So what did I think of Cappadocia so far?  It was everything that I'd hoped for and more.  This ancient, unique, biblical land is indeed magical.

www.hotelsurban.com

www.goreme.com/goreme-open-air-museum.php