Prague continued

I'll try not to repeat anything and yet pick up the rest of the details of my great week in Prague. I'm now in Brighton, England and have been to Vienna, Austria; Basel, Switzerland; Dublin and Athlone, Ireland; and Madrid, Spain since leaving Prague. As a result, things are getting a bit fuzzy in detail. Luckily I have some scribbled notes and will try to pull them all together for you.

The Prague castle, discussed in detail in my last blog, is the largest walled castle in Europe. There are several entrances and two guards stand at each one. They change guards every hour and at noon they have a larger ceremonial changing of the guard with trumpets and fanfare. I never did see the noon process because it was always packed and I had so much to do and see that I couldn't waste time standing around waiting for something else to happen. The guards have the most beautiful blue uniforms and they all look incredibly handsome in them. Of course they are all about 18 years old so they all look very young too!

I must admit that I did get a little carried away with culture in Prague but there were dozens of concerts and shows available at any point in time so it was hard not to join in. Some of the events I attended, in addition to the two concerts at the castle as described in the last blog, included the following. (You can tune out for a while now, Randy, but some of the venues are pretty darn nice so they might be worth reading about.

- A violin, viola and violoncello concert at the Church of St. Nicholas. The concert was good (Haydn and Mozart) and the Church was beautiful. It was another high vaulted ceiling, cream walls with gold decorations and ornate black railings and candelabras, two stained glass windows (the rest were just frosted), frescoes on the ceiling, arched doorways, many marble columns and dark paintings. It was very relaxing and yet very impressive at the same time. The Church of St. Nicholas is right on the old town square and you can also climb the tower of the church for a view of the city but I never made that trek.

- A soprano, saxophone and piano concert on the Best of World Musicals (the only non-classical concert I attended) in the Barogue Library Hall at St. Michael's monastery. The piano was too loud and the pianist had no emotion. She just pounded out notes and several people complained about her later. The saxophone player was absolutely excellent and should have done every song. The soloist - well, she definitely had her own style. Every song was twisted and changed enough to ruin it in my mind. Perhaps I just want the original version too much but I didn't enjoy her singing at all. The hall was beautiful with incredible frescoes on the ceiling in blue and pastel colours. The room was very relaxing even if the music wasn't - although in my mind, the saxophone player alone was well worth the admission price.


- An organ, violin and soprano concert and a different sax quartet concert both at the mirror chapel. The first concert was very enjoyable and the second was exceptional. What a talented group of sax players and the mix of classical and jazz selections was great. There are two concerts every night in this hall. Neither of the ones I attended was full - not even half full. The chapel has pink walls with marble panels and dark paintings. There are four marble columns at the front and the pipe organ is right in the centre with the large pipes at the back of the hall. There are five huge frescoes on the ceiling separated by pink arches covered in gold designs and mirrors 5-6 feet in size. There are also mirrors along the sides and in front and back. There are white statues and angels at the front. The floor is marble in a floral or a square/rectangular pattern depending on how you look at it. The windows are ordinary but indented into three foot thick walls and surrounded by gold decorations. The light coming in the windows and hitting the various mirrors creates a continually moving stream of light in the chapel. The chapel is part of the Klementinum University buildings and there are a lot of these beautiful old buildings in the area.

- An organ, violin and mezzo-soprano concert at St. Francis of Assisi Church. This was probably my favourite concert. The organ in this church has a wonderful sound and the acoustics for everything are great. You could hear a whisper from the soloist and she was up in the balcony where the organ is located. The lights gradually dimmed near the end of the concert for Franck's Panis Angelicus, which was absolutely beautiful and then Mozart's Ava Maria, which was also excellent. This church is in slate and cream colours with lots of marble. It has a high main dome and smaller domes around. There are no stained glass windows but the plain frosted ones highlight the interior colours beautifully. There are frescoes on the ceilings and arches and statues of saints all around the church. There is a high cross in gold at the front of the church with a gold starburst around it. Around that there are white angels and other statues. Below it there are dark panels and columns with gold decorations and elaborate candles and two white statues on either side. Wood and gold decorations adorn the table at the front and the side pulpit. An orange brown trim throughout the church looks almost like leather. It was a beautiful setting and a beautiful concert - all very moving.

- Two blacklight theatre shows were less than expected. "Cats in Krakow" was a sad take-off on the Broadway musical "Cats" and seemed very amateurish. I actually slept through parts of it so I probably shouldn't comment at all. It wasn't true black light theatre, which I really enjoy, so I was rather disappointed with that. "Aspects of Alice" was more traditional black light and special effects and certainly more professional. It certainly had its clever moments but I still wouldn't hurry back to see it again. Both theatres were unimpressive - just rooms converted to theatre spaces and very basic on the technical side, which may be quite appropriate for black light theatre, but I wasn't impressed.

Okay, I think that's all for concerts and shows, although I did go see the Jan Saudek photo exhibition. It was very interesting and yet very bizarre at times. He's definitely an excellent photographer but I don't think there were many of his photos that I'd want hanging in my house or office.

My gosh, I just remembered one more concert. I went to a premier of Missa Ecumenica on September 11th in the Smetana Hall of Municipal House. This was a new piece to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the World Trade Centre attacks. It was a multimedia event with visual displays on a large screen, a 100 piece orchestra and a 100 voice choir as well as 5 female soloists, 4 male soloists and 1 reader. The piece had 3 parts all of which were long and loud. I can't say that I was overly impressed but it might have been more moving had I been able to understand what they were saying and singing. As a memorial it wasn't what I was expecting but the first film "Seven Minutes Before" was good. It simply showed New Yorkers of all cultures going about their business and it certainly showed the multicultural aspects of the city, which was its intent - to prove that the attack on the World Trades Centre was an attack on people of all nationalities and nations. With speeches included, it was a very long evening but I am glad I went. The Municipal Hall is a huge facility that has several large theatres in it. The theatre we were in was beautiful. I was in the balcony. There were side boxes separated by columns and decorated with frescoes and the main ceiling area was quite ornate. Strangely enough, while we had comfortable seats up in the balcony, it appeared that the chairs down on the main floor were just plain chairs on a level floor. Perhaps that was because the facility is used for other purposes as well. I'm not sure. I was just glad that I had the opportunity to see in the facility. The event was actually a black tie invitee only event but I didn't know that. There were a lot of VIPs in attendance and it was a pretty posh event. I stood there long enough and someone eventually had an extra ticket and so I went in with my Tilly pants and T-shirt. I went in near the end and the lights were quickly dimmed so I'm sure not many people saw me. (Ha!)

So what else did I see in Prague? I climbed to the top of the old town bridge tower, which was a lot of climbing. It provided a great view of the river and castle and old town. It is at the old town end of Charles Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge over the Vitava River from old town to lesser town and the castle. I think I walked across the bridge at least a dozen times. It's a fabulous bridge with great statues along the route (about 30 of them) and construction of the bridge was started in 1357. I remember that because the dates connected to the bridge to 135797531. Charles IV wanted a symbolic date so the cornerstone was laid in 1357 the 9th of July at 5:31 a.m. The tower at the other end of the bridge in lesser town was probably just as impressive but I didn't climb it. The whole bridge is gothic in style and it really is neat. Day or night it is crowded with people and vendors and entertainers; and the views were always spectacular.

The Church of Our Lady Before Tyne is also on the old town square. It is partially hidden by buildings in front of it but its gothic towers and spires rise high above the square. Inside it is a baroque altar in dark woods and gold columns and statues and decorations. The ceiling is high and there are long high windows at the front and smaller windows at the sides. Five high arches run down each side of the church and there are statues and/or altars and/or pictures all along both sides of the Church. The walls are a beige/cream colour but the dark pictures and paneling and gold decorations make it positively gorgeous. And just to add a splash of colour, the carpet running up to and on to the front altar is a bright red. You could only look in from the back but it would have been nice to have wandered around and looked at all the individual pieces.

This blog has been on several different days and I was going to finish it off this morning. However, I've just discovered that I have with me several of the note sheets that I've already written about and not the last sheets that I was going to add. And at the moment I don't remember what those sheets said so I think my writing about Prague is now finished. I'm sure I saw lots more and I know it was all absolutely fantastic. If I remember any of it, I'll add it later.

I really enjoyed Prague and would go back anytime. It's very relaxed and you can move around at a slow pace and be very comfortable and part of the scene. At the same time the city is very alive and vibrant and there is always something to do. I liked both sides of that and had a really great time. I imagine it is beautiful in all seasons and it would be nice to see it throughout the year.

That's all for now.

Jayne

PS - I am now in Wales and just finished my work for the College. We had a very busy schedule but in two weeks covered a three-day conference in Basel, Switzerland. Because of all the sessions and meetings we really didn't seem much of Basel at all. We took a side trip to Calmar, France by train on the Sunday and the town was very beautiful. However, it would have been nicer if it hand't been pouring rain while we were walking around. We then flew to Vienna late Sunday night and had a visit with our partner school just south of Vienna on Monday. We didn't have any time to tour around Vienna as on Tuesday we flew to Dublin for a late afternoon meeting with another school. On Wednesday we took the train to Athlone for another all-day meeting and on Thursday, after a few hours of touring around Dublin, we flew to Madrid. On Thursday we visited another school but did have some touring time in the late afternoon and evening, and on the next morning. That afternoon we flew to London and took the evening train to Brighton where we stayed for three nights. Sunday we had some free time to tour around Brighton, which was very nice. Monday we took the train to St. Albans for another school visit and Tuesday we took the train to London for our last school visit. From there we travelled to Wales to visit friends and we are resting today. Gordon flies home tomorrow and who knows where I will end up. Wales is pretty nice so I might just stay here. I will keep you posted.

Prague or Praha

What can I say about Prague in one blog? I'm still on overload from all the sights but the simple summary would be that Prague is absolutely beautiful.

I spent most of my time in the old part of the city, which includes the old town, new town, Jewish Quarter, castle town and lesser town. I took one initial bus and walking tour to get acquainted with the city and one boat tour just to get the view from the water. Other than that I walked everywhere and gave the feet a real workout. Of course I was still on crutches and not walking that fast because the streets are all cobblestone and very uneven. And by the end of the day I really needed the crutches to lean on because the left foot was generally in agony. I'm hoping to have it looked at later this month while in England (where I can speak their language) just to ensure it is okay.

Okay, back to Prague. The buildings are so beautiful in pale beige, pink, yellow and brown colours with ornate decorations and statues in various locations. The churches are domed and decorated or gothic and striking in their darkness. I was getting whiplash from looking down to watch where I was stepping and looking up to see the tops of the buildings. And trying to take pictures is always a challenge on crutches but I managed hundreds of them anyway.

My hotel, The Red Chair in English, was great. I didn't have anything arranged in advance. When I arrived I simply stopped at an accommodation info desk at the train station and went to where they suggested. The hotel was quiet and comfortable and I slept well every night - partly from exhaustion after my long walks each day but also because of the cool, quiet nights. Most of the streets in the old town are pedestrian only and Liliova St. where I was staying was one of them.

The streets twist and turn throughout the old city so city blocks are not like ours. However, I'd say I was perhaps 4 blocks from Charles Bridge and 6 blocks from the old town square and from Wenceslas Square. The castle was across the river over Charles Bridge through lesser town and then up the hill by switchback path at one end or stairs at the other end - at least 2 km away from the hotel but very walkable.

I spent a couple of days at the castle. On the one tour we had a quick walk through from one end to the other. Then I went over one morning but got sidetracked along the way and didn't make it there until noon and then stayed until about 7 p.m. I had to go back the next day to try and finish it off and was there from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets to the castle and the related audio guides are good for two days and there is obviously a reason for that. The place is huge and it would take at least two days to see everything. Even after 3 visits there was much of it I didn't see but what can you do?

The most striking part of the castle is the huge old gothic Church of St. Vitus in the centre. It is a dominating feature of not just the castle but also the Prague skyline. The towers rise high above the castle walls but within the castle it is hard to get a decent picture of it because the castle walls or other buildings are so close to it.

The castle itself is huge and has four distinct courtyards all of which are large and could hold assemblies of thousands. And each courtyard is surrounded by large impressive buildings of 3-5 stories. Some of these are open to the public and some are not. The exterior fortification of the castle is beyond these buildings either close behind and forming the back wall of the building or some distance behind with a garden and pathways separating them. I didn't have much time to visit these gardens unfortunately. I hear they are beautiful.

As well as St. Vitus Cathedral there are several other churches within the castle such as St. George's Basilica, the chapel in the old royal palace and a chapel built for Maria Theresia. It is interesting how different these all are in structure and appearance, depending mainly on when they were built.

The chapel in the old royal palace is small compared to the others and has white walls, plain glass windows and dark furniture and floors. The main altar is a dark picture surrounded by gold. The choir loft is now the viewing area and the pipe organ is at the same level and off to the side. It is a beautiful organ but small when compared to the organs in other European churches.

St. George's Basilica is a separate building and it is very plain looking on the outside being brick painted a rusty pink colour and trimmed with white paint and dark windows - apparently a Romanesque style building from 900 AD. The inside is also very plain with white walls and plain windows. The altar area at the front is raised and the altar is quite nice but again quite plain when compared to other churches. The room is long and narrow with a flat wood ceiling about 30 feet high. I went to a Prague Royal Orchestra concert in here and the sound was amazing. Even the tiniest sound was heard clearly. Several Czech princes are buried in St. George's Basilica and there is a separate smaller chapel at the front, which is very beautiful where St. Ludmila is buried.

The chapel of Maria Theresia is another small chapel. It was one of the ones I saw on my first tour and I don't remember a lot about it because the group was moving quickly and I had to keep up. I believe it had frescoes on the ceiling though because I remember trying to take a picture of them. I also remember the room being very lavish and beautiful but I really can't tell you any more about it than that.

St. Vitus' Cathedral is huge and it would take a book to cover everything in it. It has a high vaulted ceiling and is long and narrow with clear windows at the top. Down the sides of the main area there are separate chapels and altars. The stained glass windows are incredible and as the sun moves from window to window the lighting changes inside the cathedral. There are huge marble columns separating the main nave from the side altars/chapels. One of the windows is a painting, not stained glass and it is great. The organ is high at the back and magnificent. Important members of the royal family and church dignitaries are buried in the Cathedral. Some have elaborate graves while others are plain. The royal crypts are beneath the Cathedral. The side chapels are all beautiful with pictures and carvings and gold decorations - all below a beautiful stained glass window. The whole church is ornately decorated with lots of gold that livens up the dark pictures and wood. The Cathedral is very peaceful and yet inspiring. I never made it up the tower to check out the view but I'm sure it is spectacular. The royals definitely had the best views in the city.

St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert are all represented in the Cathedral and sometimes it is called by any of the three names depending on who is talking. Founded in 973, it was built and rebuilt and added on to over the next 6 centuries. Part is pre-Romanesque (925) and part is Gothic (1399), but after fires and other problems the building as it is now, was completed and dedicated in 1929. St. Wenceslas Chapel is off to one side of the Cathedral and it has a lot of the original work from 1371 still preserved. The crown jewels are stored above this chapel, some dating back to the 14th century. These are not available for the public to see and the room is only accessible by 7 keys to 7 locks. Each key is kept with an important individual (President, Vice President, Bishop, etc.) and the room can't be open without all of them present. Pretty good internal control I'd say.

At the castle I toured the Old Royal Palace. The first room you enter is a hall. I don't remember its full name but I think it was Wenceslas or Vladislav Hall or something like that. The hall is huge and it was used for official ceremonies such as the election of the President. In olden days it was also used for jousting matches. The horses simply came up the low flat stairs and through the main entrance of the building. The room had a high ceiling and wooden floor but was basically quite plain in design. Other rooms in the old palace contained old documents, books, furniture and pictures. It was a pretty dreary place by current standards but I'm sure it served its purpose well and of course you had those great views to make up for any of the dreariness.

Another exhibit included the Story of Prague Castle and it was quite interesting with clothing and pottery and coins and jewels and weapons and ceremonial aspects. There were displays on everything from the food they ate and how it was served to how they were buried and how they heated the castle. The castle and its various parts have been replaced many times over the years so a lot of the display was excavated parts of old buildings. There was also a film on the history of the castle but I never did hit it when the English version was running. As a result I didn't learn much from it.

Part of the National Gallery is housed at the castle and I did go through that exhibit. Some of it was very interesting and some of it not so interesting. It seemed to take forever since the audio guide covered about 50 items and had stories about each. There was a section on the artist's workshop and that was very interesting as it provided a glimpse into how the art was actually made hundreds of years ago. I certainly did not realize that a painting was really about seven layers of different work. I'm quite sure that I would not have had the patience (or the talent!) to be an artist.

There was a second exhibit of the art collection of one of the Kings. It was smaller and quicker to go through - especially since it was freezing in the exhibit area and you didn't want to stop for too long. I'm sure there were probably some important artists included but I don't remember any at this stage and I guess none of them impressed me enough to make me stop and write the information down.

As I left the castle I wandered down the Golden Lane, an alley of little shops selling everything from linens to marionettes and from jewelry to books. And the shops were small - some probably only 6 X 12 feet - and they were packed with stuff. They seemed to do a brisk business and I imagine they have to just to be able to afford the rent in the area.

The only other part of the palace I made it to was Lobkowiz Palace and I went there for a concert in one of the ball rooms. The ballroom was a large blue room with large windows draped in beige and gold with dark blue trim. There were ornate white decorations around the windows and large frescoes on the ceiling. There were large dark portraits on the wall and six chandeliers around the room for light - although it was a sunny day outside so lighting wasn't really needed. It was a nice light and airy room. There was a large (probably 10' wide) fireplace at the back of the room and the floors were a beautiful wooden pattern. The concert was flute, viola and piano and it was a very light and lively selection so the hour was very enjoyable.

I have lots more to tell you about Prague so do stay tuned for the next installment as soon as I can find some spare time and an internet cafe. Right now it is almost midnight so I have to get home to let my colleague into our apartment. We are in Dublin at the moment, a great place to be if you like crowds. The Ryder Cup is on and the place is packed - especially today when the practice rounds were cancelled because of rain. However, we have survived and tomorrow we are off to Madrid. Perhaps it will be a bit drier and warmer there.

Jayne

Ephasus, Pamukkale and Final Turkish Comments

I am still in Prague but it is cooler today and I had to send an e-mail to work so I've decided to stay put and see if I can finish my report on Turkey. And I have to tell you that it's getting very confusing because I am seeing so many great sights in Prague that I want to write about but I know I should finish the Turkey trip first. Everything is getting confused in my mind so don't be surprised if Charles Bridge from Prague suddenly appears in the middle of Ephesus in Turkey. Oh well, here goes.

I took a two-day bus trip from Oludeniz to Ephesus and Pamukkale. I really didn't know much about either of them before going but they sounded interesting so I decided to check them out. Both places were fascinating so I'm very glad I went, and the sights along the way were also very enjoyable. The bus picked me up at 5:40 a.m. (which is really early for me!) and yet I managed to stay awake all day until almost 11 p.m. Since I'm one who would normally fall asleep as soon as I'm riding in a car or bus, that says a lot about the tour and the scenery and, of course, our great tour guide, Nazim. And one night's accommodation and 5 meals and all entrance fees and the bus ride were less than $150 Cdn in total.

There were only 17 of us on the tour plus the bus driver and the tour guide, and everyone was very friendly and easy to get along with. That also helped make the trip very enjoyable. Nazim was our tour guide and he filled almost every spare moment with Turkish history or geography or just whatever he could think of. He provided lots of information (a lot of which you got in my last blog) and we all learned a lot. The bus driver was very quiet and didn't speak much English. However, he was a great driver adn we all appreciated his expertise as he wound all around the countryside and through switchbacks and hair-pin turns that almost took your breath away. The views were often spectacular but the sharp drops down the side of the cliffs were also noted by everyone. Again I have to comment on how hard these people work. The bus driver and tour guide started out at 4:30 a.m. and they didn't finish the day until almost 8 p.m. The bus driver of course got to sleep and relax while we were touring places and the tour guide did occasionally sleep on the bus.

We had two families on the tour and the kids were so well behaved it was absolutely amazing. Two days on a bus tour and I don't think we heard a peep out of any of them except the littlest at the very end as they were trying to wake him up. The one family of 5 was a Muslim family originally from Pakistan but now from England. I have never seen such quiet and respectful, yet fun-loving children (perhaps 3, 5 and 7) and the mother was wonderful with them and had the most beautiful smile. She remained covered at all times but did go in swimming with the family even in her long coverings. The father was very frendly and good with the children as well. There was another family of 4 from England and they were much quieter and reserved but again the kids (perhaps 6 and 8) kept themselves entertained and they were very well behaved. There was also a family of 3 from England with a teenage child. Dad in that group was most entertaining. And there was a young couple from England who were always there to help me if the going got rough or I wanted a picture from somewhere I couldn't reach. And the last couple was from Belgium where he runs a pub and she plays violin for Andre Rieu. It was interesting talking to her about her travels, especially their recent North American tour and her impressions. It may sound like a great time to see so many different places but the schedule weemed almost unbearable to me. Anyway, the whole point of this discussion was that it was a great group to spend two days wtih.

We travelled through rugged mountans and hills with incredibly winding roads. We saw rocks and pine trees forever. I really don't know how those pine trees survive at the top of sheer rock cliffs but they seem to do well - not tall but still surviving. And then suddenly we were on flat plateaus that were rich with agricultural activities and fruit and vegetables of every type. It was another hot day and there were people in the fields bent over the cucumbers and putting stakes in the tomato plants. I was hot in my air-conditioned bus just watching them. The corn was high and had my mouth watering for a good cob of corn, which I never did find in Turkey other than BBQ'd on the street. The landscape was totally different but the mountains were always in the background and soon you were right back in them. We went through dozens of small villages and towns and several larger cities. And then we were back in the mountains enjoying incredible views at every turn and the sea was never far from our view. Parts of the trip seemed like the Okanagan - dry hills and pine forests and dry dirt and pine needles on the forest floor. Part of it seemed like the prairies with grain fields and the mountains in the background, and part of it was of course the sea coast - sometimes beautiful beaches and sometimes rugged rocky coastlines. I'm not sure where I'd put the palm trees or the cotton fields or the olive groves in Canada but other than that it all looked pretty familiar.

Do we have pine honey in Canada? They had it everywhere in Turkey and now I'm seeing it in Prague too. Despite the fact that we have lots of pine trees, I just don't remember hearing of pine honey. Supposedly it is healthier than honey from flowers and because of the process used, it never crystalizes like the kind we get. That sounds like a real plus to me. I guess I'll have to check that out when I get home. Anyway, throughout the mountainous areas there were bee boxes everywhere and the bee keepers were often out there in their white suits collecting the honey. It's definitely big business in Turkey. I even had to try a honey pancake one afternoon for a snack. They spread honey on a huge tortilla (at least that's what it looks like) and fold it a few times and then grill it. It was good but I kept wondering what the cheese one would have tasted like. I tried one somewhere else a couple days later and while I was thinking chedder cheese so a kind of toasted cheese sandwich, what I got was chunks of feta and spice. It was good, just not what I was expecting.

When I asked about logging, having seen no evidence of any clear cutting or any other form of logging but seeing cut and often peeled logs at the side of the road, I was informed that it is done by individuals in the villages. The appropriate Ministry marks the trees to be harvested and then individuals buy licenses to do the work in their area. They then cut the trees and get them to the side of the road where the appropriate people come and take them away to the mills. In other words it's pretty low tech in the forests from what I could tell. Most of the homes are cement or brick so there is not a lot of construction from wood in the areas I saw.

I should also comment that a lot of the houses had two barrels and two solar panels on the roof. Apparently power is so expensive that most people opt to go solar, and when they have almost continuous sunshine that works well. In some subdivisions and indeed some whole towns, every house had the same set-up on the roof so someone came up with a good idea there. As to the power, I should also say that it isn't always reliable. My first encounter with a black out was when I was in the shower. However, our hotel had a back-up generator which very quickly kicked into gear so I was okay, and luckily someone had warned me earlier. I wouldn't say it happened every day but certainly the power was out at least every third day - sometimes just for a few minutes and sometimes longer. With a back-up generator you were okay but some of the smaller restaurants didn't do so well when the power went out at a peak dining time.

The other thing that was noticable during our travels was that there were very clearly labelled water stations. At these stations there were simply water taps that obviously tapped into the underground streams and people then had access to fresh water. Sometimes in the smaller villages you would see people walking for some distance and queued up to get the water. I don't know whether that meant they had no water at all in their homes or just no fresh stream water for drinking.

Most restaurants and stores were not air conditioned - at least not as we know it. Most of the restaurants we stopped at were used extensively by tour operators and would seat 100s of people. They were just open-air settings and the breeze was the main air conditioning although a couple of them did have misters about 6 feet overhead and if it got too hot they would simply turn the misters on and that was quite refreshing. The food was alwasy buffet style on this bus trip and it was excellent. All of the food in Turkey was great but much of it seemed very similar to what we eat. I wonder if it wouldn't have been different in a less touristy destination. They certainly eat more lamb and less beef, and they eat watermelon at every meal and aubergine in dozens of different ways. I didn't even know what it was so had to ask. If they had said eggplant I would have understood. Olives were also prevalent at every meal and lots of fish.

One other thing I noticed on the trip was the big white patches in the side of the green / brown hillsides. What they turned out to be was sections of marble that was being manufactured or mined - whatever you do with marble. They definitely had a lot of marble around as even washrooms in the middle of nowhere had the most beautiful marble floors and counters. Little restaurants and shops the same. It was obviously a very common and supposedly inexpensive building material. And judging by some of the ruins that I will eventually get around to telling you about, it has been a popular building material for hundreds of years.

Alright, let's get on to Ephesus trip. Just before we went to Ephesus proper we up to Panaya-Kapulu, 9 km up a very winding road to a beautiful green secluded area at the top of Nightingale Mountain (at least it was all green before the fire, which I spoke about in my last blog). This is where the virgin Mary supposedly came with St. John to live after Jesus was crucified, and where she died. The House of St. Mary has been restored and it is now a church that was dedicated to St. Mary in the 9th century. It is very small but beautiful. There are fountains below the church and lovely gardens all around. It is a very peaceful and secluded area and certainly would have been a great place for the Christians to hide away when needed. There is a Church of St. Mary at Emphesus itself but I did not see it so this is the one I will remember.

Ephesus proper is several miles from this mountaintop. Ephesus was a city of about 250,000 people and had an outdoor theatre for 25,000. It was built and rebuilt several times and controlled by many different groups - the Amazons warriors of Greek mythology about 2000 BC, the Ionians in the 11th century BC, the Athenians in 400 BC, the Persians in 300 BC and the the Romans in 200 BC, to name a few. At one time Ephasus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and later Asia Minor. Some of the names tied to the city over the years include King Croesus, King Androclos, the philosopher Heraclitus and Alexander the Great. I'm afraid that other than the last one, they don't mean much to me! In early AD, figures from Christianity appear as well. Excavations have been taking place in the area for over 100 years and will continue for many more years as there is so much to uncover and classify.

The ruins are huge and you could spend days trying to cover the whole site. Harbour Street, Marble Road and Curetes Street are the main thoroughfares. These lead to the huge theatre where they do still have concerts with no amplification required because the accoustics are so good from centre stage. The theatre is built into the side of the hill and from the port or Harbour Street lt is the dominating feature of the city. The stage area is large and could accommodate both people and animals when required. While the young couple climbed to the top row of the theatre, the Belgium guy from our tour carried on a conversation with them and he was barely talking loud enough for the rest of us standing on stage to hear.

The Celsus Library, or at least the facade that exists, is very impressive with two stories of marbled columns with each story at least 12 feet high, and four statues on the front. You can almost imagine how beautiful it was in its time - 135 AD. Not much remains of Artemis Temple, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, but the area is marked out. Much of the entrance to the Temple of Hadrian still exists with its columns and orate ddecorations.

The brothel was obvioulsy a very popular place as it is in a prominent location and had large bath areas for cleanliness. There are also bath houses with several pools in them for differing temperatures. Oh yes, there were thermal streams in the area so there was lots of readily available hot water. And you had both private and public bath areas. Even the latrine which were made of marble have survived. For those rich or important folks, someone would heat the marlbe for you before you had to sit down. For other less fortunate people, you had to sit on the cold marble. But they did have entertainment for you while you were doing your business so that was a nice feature. And apparently back then the latrine was a very popular place for doing business or commerce transactions, as strange as that might sound now.

There is a marble relief of Nike and I have to confess that I didn't realize that Nike shoes had any connection with mythology, or if I knew it I had forgotten. The Nike symbol definitely showed up anywhere her statue appeared. Many houses have been uncovered both large and small for the important and less important people of the city. Most were off limits when we were there so we really couldn't see much of the detail. There were lots of faint frescoes but not many were totally intact.

The small theatre would seat 1,500 people and was auite intact. One source told us it was for smaller plays or concerts. Another said it was where the governing body met. Perhaps it served both purposes. There were market areas and churches and fountains and monuments and lots of gates. As you walked through the site it was hard to visualize how it all fit together so it was a good thing we had our trusty guide with us to tell us what was what. We only had about 2.5 hours here and stayed on the main route. You could easily spend an entire day or more if you were to wanter to all the various spots uncovered throughout the area. The currently excavated site goes for miles and miles. Who knows what else they will find and how big it really was. All I know is that it is definitely impressive with all the marble and stone and carvings. It's hard to believe that parts of it could be 4000 years old.

The only thing that could have made the visit to Ephasus better would have been some cooler weather. It was about 38* C when we were there so it was hot and there is not much shade. We went straight to our hotel after Ephasus but it was still a drive of several hours and we arrived at sunset. We were all looking forward to cooling off in the pool. So what did we do? We all met in the thermal pool and got even hotter!!! Actually the pool was quite relaxing so it was okay. And we were at a 4 star hotel so there was good air conditioning when we returned to our rooms. Following our dip in the pool we all went down to dinner and had a quick evening before we all collapsed from exhaustion. There were 5 pools to enjoy (2 thermal/3 regular and 2 indoor/3 outdoor) and lots of entertainment in the evening but I don't think anyone had energy for any of that.

The next day we got to sleep in until 7:30 and then we were up for breakfast and an 8:30 departure. It was that morning that we went to the Mosque, which I have already described. Then we went directly to Pamukkale, which was only a few minutes away and we spent several hours there. I wanted to see Pamukkale because of hte limestone deposits and the beautiful landscape. I had no idea that I was in for another archeological tour as well as the ruins of Hierapolis are in the same place.

Pamukkale is sometimes called the cotton castle and I can certainly see why. It is like piles and piles of white. It looks like snow or ice or a glacier and it's huge. There are beautiful blue / white waters and pools all over that you can wade through on hundred of terraces. The hot springs that flow through this area contain limestone particles and a high level of carbon dioxide. This water has turned the rocks white and created pools and terraces that go on for great distances. It's absolutely beautiful but almost impossible to describe. The terraces are very slippery so they suggested I not go too far out on them. Instead I wandered around the point and looked at the deposits on both sides flowing down into the valley and it was incredibly beautiful. Again I took way too many pictures but hopefully some of them will turn out well so you'll be able to know what I'm talking about.

The city of Hierapolis was founded by Eumenes II, king of Pergamum around 200 BC. They have been excavating the ruins for over 50 years and what they are finding is quite impressive. I took time to go into the museum which is housed in the old bath house which is huge. There are statues and sarcophagi from late BC and early AD years. There are also coins and pottery and jewelry. There are faded frescos from some of the buildings, especially from the theatre building, which had some very old scenes on them. Everything that has been uncovered was ornately decorated and very beautiful.

Again the area is huge. The theatre was about 2 km up the hilll from the pools and museum so I did not make it up there. It was large enough to seat 12,500 people and the population of the city was around 125,000. It will be interesting to see what this area is like after another 50 years of excavation because there is so much that has yet to be uncovered.

They have thermal pools here so I also managed to go in for a swim. The pool is actually over an old main street that was destroyed in an earthquake so as you swim around you have to climb over marble columns and ornately decorated pieces of marble. This area and the thermal pools have been used continually since Roman times and probably before so it's another piece of ancient history that I had never heard of. The city as they think it was laid out is quite impressive on a rectangular grid street system. The baths and pool were in the centre of the town with markets and homes around in other areas. On the outskirts of town (or where I imagined the outskirts to be) there was a huge cemetery with lots of old tombs and sarcophagi.

Pamukkale / Hierapolis was very impressive and I thought 2.5 hours was more than enough time for what I would see. However, I was wrong. I just wandered around the pools and didn't actually go out into them. I went through the museum very quickly but toured none of the actual ruins, and I only had a few minutes for a quick dip in the pool. You definitely need more time to see this place too. It was fascinating and certainly worth the visit no matter how short.

In case you are wondering why we didn't spend more time at these places and what we did with the rest of our days, well we travelled. Ephesus is a long way from Oludeniz and Pamukkale is several hours from Ephesus and Ephesus is even further from Oludeniz. The drive was broken up well with meals and breaks and other smaller tours though. We went to a leather outlet, an onyx factory and a carpet factory and they were all interesting and enjoyable although I never would have believed them to be.

The leather factory was first and they started with a fashion show with three models and some pretty upbeat music to show off their products. They had some beautiful stuff and this was a great way to get us interested. However, I have to confess that I was the only sucker who actually bought anything. I bought a light-weight, silk leather bomber jacket in a wine colour and it is quite lovely if I do say so myself. I certainly didn't need it in Turkey but I have worn it several times since leaving Turkey. And it rolls up into a little ball for packing and still looks great after so I think it was a great bargain.

The onyx factory was interesting because they showed us some raw onyx and then took it through a simple grinding (?) process to shape it into an egg and then polished it for us. The quality and colour of their onyx is superb, not that I'm an expert or anything, but it was gorgeous is blues and greens and other colours. The light would shine clearly through the pieces and the patterns and detail were exquisite. They had one that combined onyx and petrified wood and it was really interesting. You could have wine goblets that looked like wood but rang like fine china and were very sturdy. They also had some with shells and little insects in it and that was also very unique. I didn't buy anything here because it was all too heavy for me to carry around!

The carpet factory was also very interesting as they had several ladies in the shop working on various projects. Carpets are big business in Turkey and this particular company has several outlets and employs over 5,000 workers. The lady at the wool spinning wheel was so serene and relaxed looking that it was amazing. She was old but had the most beautiful soft face and gentle eyes and smile. The other workers were generally younger. They can stay at a station for half an hour only because of the way they have to sit so have to take regular breaks. They work 4 hour shifts maximum and can come in any time they wish so sometimes there are lots of ladies working and sometimes there are very few. They get paid monthly according to the number of rows they finish on their assigned job and I have a feeling that they don't make a lot. Some of them were working on small tapestries and others were working on huge carpets. I have no idea how they keep track of what they are doing. Of course they were doing a Turkish double knot because that's what Turkey is known for.

The carpets are cotton or silk or a mix thereof. They showed us the silk worms and the phases they go through. We actually got to hold a silk worm but most people dropped it immediately when it was placed in their hand because it is vibrating and feels very strange. I did not drop the poor thing but I must admit that it was a weird sensation. It was white and looked like a large jelly bean but it was softer feeling nad it vibrated. They showed us how they reached in with a special brush and gathered the threads and draped them over a spool to start gathering the silk threads. It was quite amazing. This factory had 60 rooms and they all appeared to be busy. They showed us at least 50 carpets as we were all together and then, if you express an interest in a particular size or type, they take you off to another one of the rooms that has just that type of carpet. It was quite a process but I don't think they made any sales from our group. If I ever want to buy a carpet in the future I would certianly keep them in mind though because they had some incredibly beautiful items.

Oh my, this is taking a long time. However, I think I am now done my two-day tour. Thus we only have one more tour to do and that is the Dalyan River Cruise. It had two different parts to it as well as the usual bus ride to and fro and lunch part way though. The first part was a boat ride up to the mud baths where we spent several hours. The mud baths were actually quite fun but also rather embarassing. We left all our stuff with our tour guide and wandered off to a literal pool of mud. It was very slippery so hard to get into, and even harder to get out of when you were totally covered from head to toe with mud. The mud was very thick and gooey and there was no way you could sink in the pool. You just floated around in it. In fact, it was hard to get your feet back down to the bottom and actually stand up again when you wanted to. Anyway, we rolled around until we were totally muddy and then got out. I have to thank another nice young couple for helping me with this process because it really was slippery and I would never have made it without their help.

You do get to wash your feet off but that is all, and I think that is just because it is so slippery that it's safer for everyone if your feet aren't muddy. Then you go stand around like a bunch of zombies for 20-30 minutes until the mud has totally dried. After that you get to go to the showers - just cold water coming from pipes, probably about 5 holes per pipe and 10 pipes in total so there were lots of people all washing off at once. Now let me tell you that this was not an easy task. The mud went everywhere and somehow you had to get it out. It took forever, especially if you were wearing a one-piece suit with any kind of lining in it. I must have had 20 pounds of mud shoved into the lining of my suit and it just did not want to come out. Luckily everyone was laughing and having a really good time so no one really cared that you were looking like a fool trying to get mud from places that were literally unreachable. Now you might ask why one would want to go through this whole process and that is a very good question. Apparently the mud is very good for your skin and your system in general. I don't know about the internal side of things but I must admit that my skin did feel very nice following the process.

The second half of the excursion was to go by boat to the mouth of the Dalyan River. The boat ride took you through reeds that were sometimes low and then sometimes very high. At times you could see nothing but reeds on both sides of the boat. It is an interesting river with lots of channels through the reeds. Along the river there are stone cliffs and in the cliffs there are Lycian tombs that were carved out back in 400 BC. There are different types of tombs: some with columns out front were for the rich and those with windows were for families, etc. They were very large and impressive and would be totally unexpected (if you weren't expecting them) because there is nothing around them to explain their existence. They just seem to be there with nothing else around them and they look very out of place. I guess that's what makes them so unique.

At the mouth of the river there is a beautiful sandy penninsula and we stopped there for some swimming. The sand was incredibly hot and the sea side looked quite rough so I decided to stay on the "inside" or bay side. It was very calm and clear and I had several great swims. The area was beautiful and I took lots of pictures. The end of the sandbar is where the river actually joins the sea and it is too dangerous for swimming because of the currents. You can actually see by the colour of the water just how quickly it drops off in places. the sand was fine and white and the water was warm and there was a beautiful sea breeze blowing so it was perfect. The only thing that would have made it better would have been some turtles but none of them came out for a visit.

While the mud bath was a fun and unique experience and the swim was nice, this was my least favourite tour. The 12 Island was my favourite for relaxation and a meditteranean experience and the Ephesus / Pamukkale was best from a new and historical perspective. Dalyan was only a couple hours in each place and yet took up a good 12 hours from beginning to end. It also probably didn't help that the boats were small and crowded and noisy where everything else had been so peaceful. I find I'm definitely turning into someone who likes peace and quiet. I think it has a lot to do with my hearing. The left ear may be totally useless for picking up and discerning sounds and conversations but it certainly isn't totally dead and it seems to just amplify other sounds so much that they become really distorted and annoying. Hence the peace and quiet really is enjoyable.

Now how on earth did I get off on that discussion. I really do jump around don't I? Well you'll be pleased to know that I now think I'm finished with my discussion of Turkey. All I can say at this point is that it was wonderful and I'd go back again any time. I only saw one small part of the country and I'm sure the rest is just as beautiful and interesting. I'd highly recommend this area to anyone.

Okay, that's it for now. Next time Prague and then perhaps a couple weeks rest as I actually have to work from the 12th to the 28th and will be with Okanagan College folks in Vienna, Bern, London, Athlone, Madrid, Hatfield and Brighton. It will be a hectic schedule so I and may not be sending many e-mails or blogs.

Cheers!

Jayne

I am now in Prague and it appears to beautiful. I will be here for about a week and will write more at the end of that visit. Today's blog has to be about Turkey and I hope I get it done this time.

The first thing I want to say deals with those showers. When I was packing to leave I came across some papers I brought from home so knew they would be 8.5 x 11" so I decided to use them as my measuring stick. The shower I had for most of the week was indeed just 14" and that means that the first show must have been only 11" because it was 3" smaller. That makes me feel better (and skinnier) already.

Okay, now let's get back to all the stuff I wrote but lost in the last blog. I started to go through the two weeks by day so I guess I'll continue in that manner. On Tuesday morning I was picked up by the bus and went off to an orientation session for our tour group. Compared to other groups that just met in a hotel and went over the details, we actually went to the harbour in Fethiye and got on a boat and sailed out to sea. We went past some beautiful islands and finally anchored in a beautiful bay. While sitting there they explained all the possible day tours for us. Well, actually they explained them to everyone else because it was all in Polish. I just sat and enjoyed the scenery and knew that I'd have my private orientation later. It was another hot, sunny day so the breeze from the boat trip and the fantastic scenery were very enjoyable. Some people went in swimming but I obviously missed that part of the Polish discussion from the day before and didn't have my swimsuit with me. However, it was still a very enjoyable trip and I signed up for three tours which you will read about shortly.

On Wednesday I stayed at the hotel most of the day relaxing and enjoying the pool. in the afternoon I did wander to the resort next door for a Turkish bath and massage, which resulted in several very relaxing hours. I'm sure I won't do this process justice but I'll try to describe the Turkish bath to you. The whole process took place in a round, marble, domed-ceiling room. Around the outer edge was a marble bench and spread out on it were about 8 marble urns or bowls at water taps. In the centre of the room was a large round marble pedestal perhaps 12' in diameter and 3-4' high. To start with and in your bathing suit, you simply laid on the centre piece, which was very warm and comfortable and wet. It was like a sauna and it was very relaxing.

Once the sweating portion was complete you had to lay down at the edge of the centre pedestal and then one of the masseurs (I don't know what they are called but my guy was as good as a masseur so I think I'll go with that) rubbed you down with a sponge mit to get rid of all the old, dead skin. After that sometimes you had to move to the side for a quick rinse, which simply meant that they dumped bowls of water all over you. Other times you just moved into the sudsy part of the bath, which again involved lying at the edge of the pedestal again and being smothered in wonderful, luxuriously thick suds. I don't know what kind of soap they use or how they get all the suds but it sure was nice and the soap was very soft. They simply had a basin of soap and water and then they dipped what looked like a pillow case in it, blew into it lightly, and then rubbed it over you and you were completely covered in soft sudsy bubbles. Then they washed you from head to toe front and back in what was more of a massage motion than anything. Even though you were lying on hard marble it was heavenly. After each bath, they throw bowls of water on the main central pedestal to get the suds off and all the water splashing around in the room makes it a true "wet" sauna at the beginning as opposed to a dry sauna. It was wonderful!


Following that you moved to the side and once again were rinsed clean with bowls of water poured over your head. Oh yes, you also got your hair washed at this stage and they were also very good at that. The aromatherapy message was the same as usual so very relaxing but nothing special to report on that. It was the Turkish bath that was a really new experience and uniquely Turkish. I highly recommend it to anyone and because I liked it so much I had another one the day I left. What made it really special the first day was when the masseur was singing Turkish songs. The sound was incredible because of the resonance in the domed marble room and the music was very Turkish. There were a lot more people around when I went back the second time and no one was singing so it was not quite as impressive in atmosphere. The bath was still great though. And the hot apple tea you get to drink after your finished is pretty good too.

On Thursday I went on my first tour. It was a 12 Island Cruise and it was really great. As it was another hot, humid day, a boat trip and a few swims were perfect. We left the hotel arond 8 a.m. and spent quite a while picking people up at various hotels. On the way back we did the same in reverse so it was almost 8 p.m. before I got back. However, that still left us from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. just cruising around the islands and bays of the Mediterranean. We stopped 5 or 6 times and went swimming each time for about 45 minutes and the swimming was great for those of us who really don't swim at all. The water is so salty that you are very buoyant and it takes little effort to stay afloat. I was in the water every time we stopped and it was wonderful - warm to get in and yet very cool and refreshing at the same time. I took so many photographs it's ridiculous but everything looked so beautiful that I just couldn't stop. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue and the sky was a beautiful bright blue and the islands were rocky and yet green and in so many different combinations. Ahhh!

We had lunch on board and had to order in advance. I chose the fish and it was delicious. It was the whole fish (trout I think) and it was done perfectly. Those who chose chicken were very disappointed. All in all it was a great day and well worth the $30 all-inclusive price. I'm sure I didn't drink my share of the alcohol available but there were a couple folks who made up for me so all was well. If I'd had time I would have done this one again as it was my favourite trip. However, time and scheduling just didn't allow it. I should also mention that one of our stops was achoring in a bay that had a sunken city beneath it. A village on the hillside was destroyed in the earthquake in the '50s and some of the ruins are still on the shore. Some are partially in the water and some of the buildings and gardens are quite intact under the water. It would have been a great place for snorkelling but they did not provide the gear and I didn't have any with me. Oh well, maybe next time.

Thursday night at the hotel was Turkish Folklore night and I joined D, C and L once again for dinner and the show. The folk dances were quite interesting and not exactly what I was expecting. The male dances were very fast and almost acrobatic in parts, but at other times they were slow. The female dances all seemed more slow and involved arm motions and simple foot work. That is of course until they got to the part that was basically belly dancing and then almost every part of the body was in motion. They invited people to join them on stage at that point and D and C gave it a try while L and I stayed behind and laughed at the process (sorry D and C) and tried to get some pictures.

Following the folk dancers they had a belly dancer and she was fantastic. Her costume was gorgeous and she had the body to match it. She was so in synch with the music that at times you would have sworn that she was making the music and there was nothing playing in the background. It was quite amazing to watch and by far the best belly dancing I have ever seen - not that I've seen a lot. D volunteered to go up and learn from her but I can't say that he ever mastered the moves. I really think that he just went up so he could be closer to the dancer, and I certainly can't blame him for that. She was spectacular.

And following that the staff came out to entertain us with some dances. They weren't quite as polished as the first two acts but it was sure fun to see them up there and even more fun to tease them about it the next day. They did some Turkish dances and then gradually moved to more audience participation songs which ended in things like the Macarena. It was fun seeing the little kids up there belly dancing and doing the macarena as they were pretty cute. I of course couldn't go up and dance since my foot injuries wouldn't allow it. At least that was my excuse!

On Friday I simply stayed around the pool all day and relaxed. On Saturday I went down to the lagoon and spent the entire day there. I guess I should explain the layout of Oludeniz first. The town is simply in a low area between two hills and it is quite small. There is a large sandy beach between the two hills and at the west end there is a sandbar that goes out almost to the next bit of land and that sandbar forms the eastern edge of the lagoon. I never actually made it into the water on the main Belcegiz beach. You had to cross a lot of sand to get to the water and the water dropped off quickly and was quite rough so I wasn't sure I could make it with my feet not yet being in perfect condition. And someone told me it was hard getting back to the beach from the water because of the tide so I just ignored it. The lagoon; however, was a different story.

The lagoon had walkways right out to the point and several branches off in different directions. It was a long walk to the point, perhaps 2 km, but it was worth it. I chose a lounge chair and umbrella right at the edge of the water. It was so close that if I had fallen off the end of my chair I would have been in the water. That made it easy on the feet to get in. The lagoon is protected so there were no waves to worry about and still it was a struggle for me to get out of the water - just getting up the slight slope to the edge. From the air the water of the lagoon is an incredible turquoise blue. From ground level it's just plain clear water with beautiful scenery around it and it was a very relaxing day. The lagoon is a protected area so no motor boats are allow, which made it very quiet. D, C and L joined me for a couple of hours and let me borrow their snorkel gear. There wasn't much to see in the swimming area we were in and since none of us were strong swimmers, we didn't venture beyond the roped off area. Others did and I heard stories of some better views at other parts of the lagoon. I left when they closed the park that night. It seemed like a very long walk home that night but I made it and the trip was well worth it.

Sunday I spent at poolside again and in the evening after dinner we had a Salsa and Break dancing show. I personally would never have put those two together but they did indeed provide variety in the show and probably a much needed break for each of the groups. Both groups were good. I can't imagine doing some of the things they were doing. They didn't invite any audience participation and I think that was probably a good decision since many of the moves could be dangerous to say the least. I certainly wouldn't want to be trying them. I joined D, C and L again that night and it was great of them to invite me since it was their last night at the resort and they headed back to England the next morning. Thanks again for your hospitality, guys. I really appreciated it and I hope I didn't interfere with your holiday too much.

Monday I went back down to the lagoon for the day. Tuesday I spent at the pool and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was off on tours. Saturday and Sunday were basically just at the poolside again and of course writing blogs that never materialized and having another Turkish bath and massage on the final day. Aside from some impressions of Turkey in general, I am just about at the point where I was last Sunday before I lost all of this. I think I'll try and save this some how before I lose it again. Hopefully I'll be back in a couple minutes.

I'm back and I bet you didn't even miss me. One other thing that I wanted to talk about was that all tour guides in Turkey must be Turkish and must be licensed as tour guides. In some cases that means that you have two tour guides with you, the one with your tour company from Poland or England or wherever, and the Turkish guide. To be a tour guide in Turkey you must do 4 years of university training (history, geography, tourism, hospitality management, culture, languages, etc.) and you must speak another EU language other than Turkish although I later heard someone say their second language was Japanese so perhaps it is just a second language, not necessarily an EU language. Following the 4 years they have to write Ministry exams and when they pass those they are licensed. The tour guide I had for three days of my touring was excellent and I can see why it's a benefit for them to do things this way. You may get a slightly biased Turkish view of things but you sure get a thorough background in the history, geography, economics and culture of the country as well as information on what you are touring. I was quite impressed with the calibre of the guides I met and I'm sure I learned a lot more about Turkey than I would have learned with other guides.

I have to confess that I did not enjoy History when I was in school and I dropped it the first chance I had. Now I think it would be interesting to go back and learn the history of Poland and Turkey and other countries and try and put it all in perspective - as long as no one is testing me on dates and names and events.

I did remember that Istanbul used to be Constantinople but that was about all the history I could come up with for Turkey. It was interesting to hear all the details that I didn't know anything about and I'm sure I'll not remember all of it now.
- the city of Troy, Helen of Troy, the Trojan War and the Trojan Horse were all part of Turkish history
- the Silk Road from China and the Far East ended in Asia Minor in Turkey
- the Royal Road from the Africa and the Middle East also ended there
- the same place was the gateway to Europe (I don't remember any special road)
- Constantinople was a thriving centre of trade that brought people from all areas together
- because of the people from different countries they developed the first coins and currency for trading, the first "travellers cheques", the first alphabet and writing (2000 BC)
- the Ottoman empire was here
- Istanbul/Constantinople was the last stop on the Orient Express
- the first international peace treaty, the Treaty of Kadesh, was signed in the 13th centure BC between the Hittites and Egypt and found in Turkey in 1906
- two of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World are in Turkey - Epheusus and Halicarnasus
- the oldest human settlement yet discovered is in Turkey (Cattahoyuk?)
- people like Homer and Midas lived in Turkey and this is supposedly where Julius Ceasar made his famous "Veni Vidi Vici" speech although I still have trouble placing that in this area

I also had no idea that Turkey had so many biblical connections. I think of Isreal and Jordan as the biblical places but in fact a lot of them involve Turkey. Supposedly:
- Noah's Ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat which is in Turkey
- Abraham and Sarah lived in Turkey
- The Tigres and Euphrates, two streams supposedly flowing from the Garden of Eden flow through Turkey
- places like Samaria and Macedonia and Lycia were in Turkey
- the first Christians escaped to Cappadocia in Turkey to avoid persecution
- St. John took Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to live in a place near Ephesus
- several other disciples came to Turkey and the first Christian church, St. Peter's, was built here
- Ephasus itself (which I'll talk about later) was where the Ephesians lived
- Turkey, specifically Nicaea or Ephesus, was the home of the first Ecumenical Council in 325 AD (Nicene Creed) and several other Councils as well

And speaking of religion, Turkey is not officially a Muslim country. Certainly the majority of Turkish people are Muslim (over 95%) but the country itself does not declare itself to be Muslim. All cultures and religions are welcome and Saturday and Sunday are the offical weekend. I believe Friday is the most important day in the Muslim week but it is not a special holiday. Employers are encouraged to let people practice their faith and on Fridays the Muslims are allowed to go to the Mosque to pray five times during the day. I was on a tour the one Friday and we were near mosques a couple of times and the praying/chanting could certainly be well heard throughout the area. At one point I decided there were as many mosques in Turkey as there were churches in Poland. They are everywhere and easily seen in any town.

Our tour guide took us inside one mosque and it was beautiful. Everything on the inside (carpets, walls, ceiling, etc.) was in blue to signify the water of life or eternal life or something (I don't exactly remember their term). the stain glass windows were beautiful and I think I actually got a decent picture of them. This mosque had one minaret or spire but some had two and apparently six is the maximum on some of the bigger more important mosques. The one minaret is a spire to God. A second would be to the prophet Mohammad. I'm not sure who others would be to. The main section of the mosque is simply a large open square area with a high domed ceiling and a carpeted floor with a rectangle design with each rectangle being a prayer position. Only the men are allowed in this area for prayer as all thoughts must be on prayer and having members of the opposite sex might be too distracting. Women often pray in their homes but if they want to come to the mosque they can do so and there is a balcony that is curtained off for them. He described their prayer beads adn the process but I'm not sure I remember the details. There are three parts to the beads and each prayer is repeated nine times and it has to be in the original Arabic. The positions of praying also all had meaning such as prepare me to hear you with hands on ears, open my mind and let me understand you with head on floor - and all of that is definitely my interpretation and not the exact meaning. There was no big area for the altar at the front but rather a staircase from which the leader led the prayers and read from the Koran.

The mosque was very quiet and spiritual even with us tourists walking around and taking pictures of it. It was interesting to see inside the mosque and normally tourists are not allowed in such places. I think more such visits would do a lot of good in helping people understand the Islam faith. I certainly don't understand all of it and I hope my comments above haven't offended anyone. I definitely like their philosophy on respecting their elders and going to them first for advice on any and all topics since they had the life experiences to draw upon. It seemed, when described verbally and in practice with families I witnessed, that the family unit was very strong and the elders were definitely an important and respected part of that unit.

My gosh, I can't believe how the time flies once I start typing. Are you sleeping yet? Have I bored you totally or have you just moved on to other things? Oh well, it appears that I will have to come back with yet another blog on Turkey so I can tell you about my three days of touring. Hopefully I'll get that done soon.

Bye for now.

Jayne

It is now Monday and I am sitting in Krakow at the train station and just have a little time before I head to Prague. Since I've literally been up all night I'm not sure how coherent any of this will be. Yesterday I spent three of my last hours in Turkey sitting in the internet cafe writing a long blog that covered 11 days of my two-week visit. I only had 3 more days to go, so I thought. I apparently lost everything from yesterday so if any of you were wondering about that totally blank blog, all I can say is that it was actually written and it's obviously off in cyberspace somewhere. A pop-up box appeared on the screen and it was long and in Turkish so I had to get the guy in charge to come over. He got rid of hte box but it appears he also got rid of everything else.

The bus ride to the airport, the flight to Poland, and the bus ride to Krakow were all great. It's certainly cooler here now and I'm definitely not dressed for the occasion. Oh well, what can you do?

I will try to get back on the internet in Prague as soon as possible because I really do have to tell you about all the wonderful sights in Turkey. It was fantastic!

Until next time.

Jayne

My two-week vısıt to Turkey ıs almost over and I wıll be sorry to see ıt end late tomorrow nıght when I head to the aırport. It has been very enjoyable - fun. relaxıng. educatıonal, etc. - everythıng a holıday should be. Now I just have to fıgure out how to descrıbe ıt to you.

I mıght as well start at the begınnıng. We arrıved around 9 a.m. and the fırst ımpressıon you get ıs 'hot'. They were havıng a bıt of a heat wave so ıt was close to 40 degrees Celsıus wıth 90%+ humıdıty. Sweat very quıckly became an accepted part of the Turkısh vısıt although pool and sea and steady breezes worked wonders. Aır condıtıonıng was ıffy ın most places, especıally on the buses, but everyone seemed to cope quıte well.

Despıte the fact that we arrıved at 9 a.m., by the tıme we all got vısas and our luggage and cleared customs and then delıvered everyone to theır dıfferent hotels ıt was almost 2 p.m. when I actually arrıved at my hotel and even then my room was not ready. After travellıng all nıght, eatıng very lıttle and beıng really hot, I was really not ın a great mood. However, the food at the outdoor restaurant helped so I was feelıng much better when I fınally went to my room.

The room wasn't quıte what I expected. It was hot and damp and musty smellıng and ıt was ın the basement. I had a small balcony (perhaps 3' x 6') but ıt was surrounded by a brıck wall about 4 feet hıgh. whıch took ıt to ground level. Then just past that there was the property wall whıch went about 6' above ground. It was a pretty dark and dreary place so I wasn't too ımpressed and wasn't sure how I was goıng to survıve for two weeks ın such a place.

And I really do have to comment on the shower because ıt was just too demoralızıng not to mentıon. It was rıght ın the corner of the small bathroom and was 2' x 2' at most. It was square and had two slıdıng doors on each sıde, the other sıdes beıng walls. Now the furthest you could get the slıdıng doors open was of course half way to the back edge, actually less than half way just by the desıgn of the doors. So here I am hot and tıred and sweaty and wantıng a shower and I can't even fıt ınto the shower!!! How bad ıs that? That old Pythagoreum(?) Theory came back and I was quıckly calculatıng the approxımate 14" gap and wonderıng what skınny person ınvented such a set up. However, I dıd suck the old belly ın and dıd manage to have a shower so felt a bıt better after that.

I aksed receptıon ıf they had a dıfferent room and the next day I swıtched to a dıfferent one whıch was on the thırd floor. It smelled much better and actually had a vıew and you could get a breeze ocassıonally. It also had a shower wıth a 3-4' edge to ıt before the doors so I was able to get ın and out wıth no dıffıcultıes, or at least fewer dıffıcultıes. You stıll dıdn't want to try and bend over to pıck up the soap or anythıng. Anyway. I was much happıer. Stıll hot and sweaty and obvıously fat, but much happıer.

Sometımes I can just ımagıne who ıs readıng thıs and I'm sure many of you must wonder why I wrıte half of what I wrıte. Well, don't ask me because I don't really know. I just wrıte whatever comes to mınd so that's what you get. Sometımes ıt mıght be ınterestıng and sometımes not. I'm sure you all feel free to read what you want and ıgnore the rest and that's the way ıt should be. At the very least, by the tıme thıs process ıs completed. I should have a pretty good record of "what I dıd on my summer vacatıon" or ın thıs case, on my year away.

The rest of the fırst day was spent walkıng to the beach and lookıng for a towel sınce I dıdn't exactly pack one ın my backpack. I obvıously went shoppıng ın the wrong dırectıon because ıt took too long and I ended up wıth an expensıve bath towel, the type you'd buy ın Canada. However, at least I could now go for a swım. That nıght after dınner I found the real town and the maın shoppıng street. I dıdn't check towel prıces but the towels were much more approprıate for the beach. Oh well, c'est la vıe!

I am on a breakfast and dınner plan at the hotel and the food has been great. It's always a buffet and there are lots of choıces. I must thank D, C and L for lettıng me joın them that fırst nıght at dınner and on several other occasıons. It was great to have someone to sıt wıth and talk to. And yes, I do mean talk to. 90% of the tourısts ın thıs area of Turkey are from England so there were actually people I could talk wıth. It was wonderful. And ıt was equally wonderful to have a famıly to joın occasıonally at meal tıme. show tıme or pool/beach tıme. Thanks guys. You were fun to be wıth and I just hope I wasn't too much of a pest!

The Turkısh people are very frıendly and almost everyone speaks Englısh. The thıng I notıce most about them ıs theır eyes. They have very expressıve eyes that just seem to sparkle when they talk to you. They seem very happy and content wıth theır lıves and always greet you wıth a smıle. I never heard any complaınts from any of them (except about the heat!) and they work long hours every day durıng tourıst season whıch lasts about 6 months of the year. The kıtchen and restaurant staff often work 18 hour days and they never seem to have a day off. The tour guıdes and store operators appear to do the same.

The Turkısh lyre ıs about .75 Canadıan dollars and one shop worker saıd she earned 25 lıras a day workıng from 8 a.m. to mıdnıght. The boy wıth her made 20 lıras a day. She thought they were the lucky ones because they got paıd each day. Others who were weekly or monthly dıdn't always get theır pay. Our tour guıde on one trıp saıd he made 500 lıras a month and waıtresses/waıters made about 300 lıras a month. There was no one beggıng on the street or no lıttle chıldren tryıng to get you to buy somethıng as ıs the case ın other places. The tour guıde saıd ıt was hard to get through the wınter on what he made but he loved the country and loved hıs work so ıt was okay wıth hım. I can't compare prıces here because I'm not sure the places I've been frequentıng would be the same as where they would shop so ıt mıght be an unfaır comparıson, and I have no ıdea about housıng costs or taxes or anythıng else. I just know that I've enjoyed the people I've met and they seem very happy, whıch helps make for a great holıday.

The country ıs beautıful and even just the small sectıon I've seen ıs lıke Canada all rolled ınto a smaller scale. There are hıgh mountaıns and wonderful valleys. There are flat and rollıng farmlands, and there are rugged sea shores and sandy beaches. The grow fruıts and vegetables and graıns, and they have conıferous and decıduous trees. (I can't belıeve I actually remembered those two words and actually used them ın asentence. I don't thınk I had any thıng that ımpressıve ın my PhD dıssertatıon!) The amazıng thıng about the vegetatıon ıs that ıt exısts at all. It ıs ıncredıbly hot and they get no raın whatsoever throughout the summer and then the land ıs so rocky and dry. Apparently there are all kınds of underground streams and that ıs why the vegetatıon survıves. And despıte the fact that ıt looks dry and the rıver beds are huge but empty, they appear to have no water shortage and ın fact they have water runnıng everywhere for theır domestıc and commercıal use. The forests remınd me of a dry summer ın the Okanagan but there ıs certaınly no water ratıonıng here.

Speakıng of a dry summer ın the Okanagan, I hope all ıs well wıth the forest fıre sıtuatıon. They had a forest fıre here when I fırst arrıved and ıt ıs certaınly easy to see how quıckly ıt could spread. Unfortunately, thıs fıre was delıberately set by the radıcal Turkısh group that has also been settıng off bombs. They started the fıre ın sıx dıfferent locatıons on a hıllsıde leadıng up to a tourıst attractıon so everyone had to be quıckly evacuated. I was up that road thıs week and there certaınly was a bıg area burned all up the one sıde of the mountaın. It ıs a long wındıng road wıth lots of swıtchbacks and there must have been 20 buses up there the day we were up so I can't ımagıne how they got everyone loaded up and off the mountaın ın tıme. They had 3 helıcopters and 2 planes workıng the fıre and they obvıously protected maınly the area around the sıght. The fıre was rıght up to the edge but dıd not touch the ımmedıate tourıst area ıtself. Throughout my vısıt at any tourıst sıght there were lots of armed guards around. I don't know ıf that ıs normal or ıf ıt was especıally because of the current attacks. In any case, I felt very safe and secure at all tımes and encountered no problems.

Wow! I can't belıeve what tıme ıt ıs. I must leave thıs and go back to the hotel for dınner or I won't be gettıng anythıng. I wıll try to come back tomorrow and wrıte some more about Turkey because there ıs so much to tell you. If I don't get ıt fınıshed today I wıll complete ıt ın Krakow between my plane arrıval and traın departure on Monday. You stıll have to hear about Ölüdenız and my 12 Island cruıse and Ephesus and Pamukkale and my mud bath and my Turkısh bath and all sorts of wonderful thıngs. I guess you'll just have to waıt.

Untıl next tıme ...

Jayne