a week of tourism around Anatolia

Back from my short 'holiday' in Turkey, which didn't work out quite as planned, but was still worthwhile.  First stop was Bergama, which didn't start well as the bus station turned out to be 6km outside of town, with no local buses that I could see, nor taxis if I had wanted to splurge.  So I walked it.  Not far in normal terms, but when you have a 16kg rucksack on your back, and another smaller but nearly as heavy (with laptop, etc inside) on your front, then it's a long way.  I was exhausted by the time I reached the hotel, although with my room beside a busy road, I still didn't sleep all that well.

But the next morning I filled up at the hotel buffet breakfast and set off for the Roman ruins of Pergamum.  6km in the other direction, but at least this time I wasn't carrying all of my luggage!  Not as well-known as some of the other Roman ruins in Turkey, but a great site and with apparently the steepest-sided amphitheatre in the whole of the Roman Empire.  It took most of the day to get there, wander around, and get back to the hotel - to try the pool, but as I'd expected, the water was too cold.

The next morning I woke knowing that I had to get back to that same bus station.  The lady at reception didn't know anything about local buses, so I set off hoping that some kind soul driving along the road would take pity on me, as my neck and shoulder muscles were aching so much from the walk the other way that I didn't think I'd make it back.  Happy days!  I'd walked only about a dozen steps from the hotel door, when the receptionist ran after me ... the big tour bus picking up its passengers from the hotel was heading past the bus station and they'd agreed to give me a lift!

When I got to the bus station, an hour before the departure time of my bus, I found it deserted apart from one little office - selling ticket for the afternoon bus.  The office of the company with the 10:15 departure was locked up, with a note stuck to the door written in Turkish.  The whole bus station, although modern, looked to be almost abandoned, with no cafes or shops, evident storm damage with a few large pieces of the roof lying on the floor while the wind whistled through the holes,   But what could I do, other than to sit and wait, and hope?

Then just after 10am, a bus pulled in.  I rushed outside to see if it was the Denizli bus.  "Bilet?" the driver demanded, and I gesticulated to the locked up office, hoping he would understand that I could not buy a ticket from there.  But thankfully this was the Denizli bus, and the driver was able to work out the fare online and take my money, allowing me on the bus.  Then with only a 2km walk to my guest house at the other end I was set up.  A strange guest house where the other guests all appeared to be Syrian refugees (I finally found out that they were Turkish Roma - gypsies), but where there was a much-needed washing machine.

Then the next morning I walked back to the bus station to find a local minibus going to Pamukkale.  This a place I had visited in 1986, but I had few memories and no photographs, so had decided to come back.  I have the distinct feeling that it was more beautiful back in 1986, with blue water cascading over the travertines, but the maintenance of the site now involves much of the water going through artificial channels.  Still, what I didn't recall at all from my earlier visit - perhaps I missed this bit?? - were the extensive Roman ruins of Hierapolis at the top of the hill.  I walked and walked, and with very few of the other tourists bothering to go beyond the travertines, it was very rewarding.

Ready then for the final part of my trip, which involved a 5-hour train journey from Denizli to Izmir, from where I'd planned a day trip to the ruins of Ephesus, somewhere else I'd been in 1986 but largely forgotten.  However, when I got to Izmir and checked into the hostel with its garden, its extensive library of books, its socialising area (full of chatty European travellers) and its family of purring cats, I knew that I wasn't going to make the effort of the 80km trip to Ephesus.  I was missing human contact - and could happily have stayed in this place for a week.  I did go out for a few hours in the afternoon, to visit the Roman agora, the medieval hilltop castle, the central square and the bazaar (in part to replace the fleece which I had STUPIDLY left in my guesthouse in Denizli), but much of my time was spent enjoying the company of the other travellers there, before reluctantly making my way back to Istanbul.

It has been interesting for me to find out how much I need company (not on a daily basis, but with some regularity).  Preferably the company of people with whom I have something in common, much as I enjoy spending some of my time with local people so as to learn about their culture.