So it said
|
It was a hazy cloudy day
|
But there it is, snow and all; I trust the gods travel south for
the winter
|
And a 13th century crusader castle to boot: Platamonas
|
...recounts the retirement travels of Mark and Vicki Sherouse since 2008...in Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand, Europe, South America, and Africa, as well as the US and Canada. Our website, with much practical information, is: https://sites.google.com/site/theroadgoeseveron/.Contact us at mark.sherouse@gmail.com or vsherouse@gmail.com.
So it said
|
It was a hazy cloudy day
|
But there it is, snow and all; I trust the gods travel south for
the winter
|
And a 13th century crusader castle to boot: Platamonas
|
Develi restaurant in Samatya
|
A last look at the Blue Mosque
|
And the incredible Hagia Sophia
|
Hemmed-in as it is, both by its own campus
and courtyard and then city buildings all
around, it is difficult to get a picture with
even most of the mosque in it |
Interior
|
Great dome, 52m up there
|
Beautiful Islamic glass
|
More interior
|
One of the four minarets
|
Larger exterior view
|
There were only a few RVs at the "campground," a few Germans, a few French;
as you can see in the background, the wind and sea were really kicking up at this point |
Really kicking up
|
We thought about seeing the latest Harry Poppins movie, but,
alas, it was dubbed in Turkish |
In the bookstalls adjacent to the Grand Bazaar, a cat surveys
the literary crowd; what do cats think about? |
Beyazit Square and the entrance to Istanbul University
|
In the Square, what we dubbed the "old mens' market"
|
For example
|
Next afternoon, one of many BBQs going on along the sea-wall and in the park
near us; Turks will grill just about anything, anytime |
This one got out of hand: the old rail station, across the Golden Horn; it was a
gift of the Kaiser to the Sultan way back when... |
From our campsite Thursday night, near the narrowest part
of the straits
|
The great monument at Abide, near the end of the Gallipoli
peninsula
|
In the Abide memorial courtyard
|
It is a huge cemetery for Turkish soldiers killed in the
Gallipoli campaign, some 86,000 of them
|
Gallipoli was largely a matter of trench
warfare and the attendant terror, rot, and
disease; Bernieres' Birds Without Wings
captures it as well as any of us can imagine
|
With lines and trenches literally within ear-
shot of one another, the "Johnnies and
Mehmets" (Ataturk's expression) had other
relations than enmity alone
|
Vicki takes a picture for some Jandarma in the area; this must
be holy ground for them
|
I am so proud: she has gotten really good at identifying
gun emplacements, tank obstacles, pill-boxes, etc., and often
sees them before I do....
|
Actually, we did find turkeys in Turkey, and briefly considered sacrificing one to the gods at the Red Hall in Pergamon; but concluded that would be too messy in the camper |
Vicki preparing Thanksgiving dinner in our little galley at Gallipoli |
Of course, we had Trojan wine to go with the roast chicken; it was, um, epic... |
A modest but memorable Thanksgiving dinner, 2010, in turkey-less Turkey |
Entrance to the Hellespont, the narrow strait leading to the Sea of Marmure,
to Istanbul, the Bosphorus, and then the Black Sea; an historic place, as long as there has been history |
Traffic is always brisk
|
Traffic on the road to Canakkale was interesting, varied...
|
Our ferry, the Good Ferry Ezine, about to arrive in Canakkale
|
It's been more than a year since the Grey Wanderer's last boat ride, across the
English Channel; the weather this day was balmy, calm |
Farewell, Canakkale, and Asia, again
|
Our crack satnav, Tom, ever keeping track of us; we think this might have been
his first trip to Anatolian Turkey |
Hello, Eceabat, the Gallipoli Peninsula, the Dardanelles, and Europe
|
More beautiful landscape along the way
|
Most-photographed item at Troy
|
Most-photographed pose
|
Famous photo of Schliemann's wife wearing
"Priam's gold"--well, someone's gold
|
Most of the place looks like this
|
Northeast citadel, Troy VI
|
Schliemann's original trench; it says
something about the place that this would
be memorialized...
|
This, I thought, was the most compelling scene at Troy:
showing all 9 layers...
|
To wit...
|
Troy VII structure
|
Odeon--Roman Troy
|
Pillars thought to be part of Priam's palace...
|
South gate, Troy VI-VII
|
Two red squirrels, Hector of the gleaming helmet and
swift-footed Achilles, fight it out before the walls of Troy; well, actually, on the walls of Troy |