Saturday 4th October

At 7.45a.m. we passed Cape Sounion and could see Minerva, the holy place, quite clearly.

Later as we steamed into Piraeus, we could see the Parthenon, huge and clear, from the ship.

We docked at about 10.30a.m., and at 11o’clock we went ashore for about an hour and a half.  Unfortunately our complete lack of Greek currency prevented us from going to the Parthenon, so we contented ourselves with a stroll around the shops and park.

Friday 3rd October

We arrived at Istanbul at 6a.m.  After visiting the post office, and the Grand Bazaar for presents, we caught the “Adona” for Naples at midday

Recap Akköy suffers from earthquakes every year and there are not 2 storey houses in the village, as a single storey ones stand up to the vibrations far better!

Unfortunately something went wrong with our bookings, so we had to sleep on deck until Piraeus.  Fortunately we were given quite a comfortable sofa each to sleep on, in one of the lounges, together with pillows.

We joined company with a young Canadian travelling to Greece.

Thursday 2nd October

We left our charming hotel, and caught the 10.55a.m. train for Bandirma, arriving at 9.40p.m. – a most hot and tiring, journey, although of course we soon made friends with our fellow passengers.  At Bandirma we caught the 10.30p.m. night ferry for Istanbul – another hot and tiring journey.  The third class passengers were herded together in the lower decks or hold, and when we arrived there was scarcely room to stand.

Wednesday 1st October

We collected our baggage from the Information Bureau, where it had been stored for the duration of our trip further south, and moved into a more respectable hotel – a fine room on the roof with a * balcony!


*

We spent most of the day doing souvenir shopping!

Tuesday 30th September



Turkish Farmers, near Miletus

We arose quite early, and breakfasted on hot milk (goat’s) and bread.  Adil then presented us with some delightful Greek pots and coins which he had un-covered in his field.  He would have given us some quite large pieces of marble frieze, but of course they were much too heavy to carry!  We said farewell to our hosts, after taking a group photograph, and promising to send them a copy.

Then we walked the 3 kilomtres to Miletus, passing a Greek farmer who insisted on shaking us by the hand, and when he discovered that we were English – slapped us on the back.

Just outside Miletus we visited some tombs in the hillside – many with the bones and fragments of pottery still intact in them.

In this region, unlike Istanbul, one sees many camels – whole trains of them!

Ampitheatre, Miletus

At Miletus we saw the Theatre, the Agora, the Bouleterion, the Faustina Baths, and the Temple.

After leaving Miletus we walked for about 3 hours in the scorching sun, lapping water en-route, before getting a lift in a lorry to Söke.

In Söke we cause great amusement with the girls, as a result of our shorts.  We then caught the train to Izmir, arriving about 8p.m.  During the journey we were taken under the “wings” of an elderly farmer, a young negro, and an ex-korean solider.

All Turks are intensely curious about everything, and one can amuse them for hours with maps, nail-files, torches etc. – things apparently unknown in Turkey.  At railway stations, one can buy a glass of water from small boys carrying earthenware pitchers for 5 kuruş.

During the journey we had difficulty in explaining that Greece was not communist!!

At Izmir we booked into a flea-ridden hotel.

Monday 29th September

We caught a lorry to Söke in the morning.  Here lorries carry passengers and goods quite cheaply, and come more frequently than the buses.  At Söke we booked a bus to Didima (Yenihisar) for 2p.m.  We walked out of the town and eat our picnic lunch under an olive tree – extremely pleasant and cool!

The journey to Didima was most dusty and tiring, but well worthwhile as the Temple of Apollo there is magnificent!

Temple of Apollo

Everywhere we went our shorts caused endless amusement with the Turks – who could not understand why men should wear them!

Unfortunately there was no transport out of Didima, or hotels, so we proceeded to walk to Akköy – almost 11km.  We arrived very tired about 8p.m., and went into a chai house, where after a drink we enquired after accommodation.  Soon a farmer, who had learnt English whilst a prisoner of the Chinese in Korea, arrived; and after further drinks took us to his brother’s house where we were to sleep. 

The young farmer, Adil Oval, was a charming fellow, who was most anxious to learn to write English.  He intended to go to Izmir for a few months in the winter, to study at a school, leaving his cotton fields to be tended by a neighbor.  All the people in Akköy are Turks from Bulgaria, who left their homes 20 years previously to settle in this place, and receive grants of land from the government.  The land grants were quite small so the villagers were comparatively poor.

Adil amused us, by telling us that his brother was now a bachelor, as his wife had recently “escaped” – this was most annoying as the father-in-law was going to give a portion of cotton field to Adil’s brother – as a form of dowry!

Sunday 28th September

Amphitheatre, Ephesus

We walked back to Ephesus first thing in the morning, and were lucky enough to uncover further items of pottery and glass.  We also saw the Artemision, the Stadium, the Theatre, the Arcadian Way, the Celsius Library, Temple of Suapis, The Agora, the Odeon, the Gymnasia, and the Double Church where the famous council of 431 was held.

Virgins house, Ephesus

We then proceeded to walk towards Mount Aladag (Solmissos) – 7km and 420metres high to see the home ofthe Virgin Mary.  We were fortunate enough to get a lift half way by coach – which also took us back again to Ephesus after lunch.  One of the passengers on the coach was an Englishman who we met previously aboard the Akdeniz!

Once back at Ephesus we proceeded to walk to Kusadas, on the coast.  We stopped for about an hour on the way to swim in the sea.

At various points on the road we found little shelters of stone or straw, containing earthenware jars of water, together with a cup – for the thirsty traveler.

After booking in at a hotel, we met a school gym instructor who took us to tea and with whom we spent the entire evening.  He was very charming and could speak quite good English.  He was so anxious to perfect his English, that on his free days he would go to Izmir (50 miles away) on the off chance of meeting an English tourist, with whom he could hold a conversation.  He introduced us to “udahchai” – a tea made from lavender I think!  It was pale yellow and very perfumed – served milk-less, but with plenty of sugar, as the ordinary “chai”!