Çanakkale to Kuşadası

Overview

From a logistical and geographical trip planning point of view, we drove from Çanakkale to Kuşadası over the course of one day, stopping at Troy and the Acropolis of Pergamon along the way. It’s a long drive, around 5 – 6 hours. We stayed overnight in Kuşadası, a coastal town with a very colourful nightlife (which I will discuss later), where many Europeans have holiday homes to escape the 9 to 5. The next day we ventured to Ephesus, the Temple of Artemis and Sirince and then returned to Kuşadası for another night. I would definitely recommend at least this amount of time (2 days and 2 nights) to explore these historically significant sites. It’s quite overwhelming taking in the stories and legends as well as facts and Kuşadası is a cute little town where you could easily stay for another day to recover, relax and reinvigorate. If you are an extreme history buff, then plan for longer, but for the average tourist I would stick to 2-3 hours at each site tops. Flights from Istanbul to Kuşadası allow one to be based in Kuşadası and explore from there.

Essentials

Troy
Acropolis of Pergamon
Ephesus
> Temple of Artemis
Şirince
Kuşadası

Troy

I must admit, I disembarked from the coach into the ancient city of Troy having had done very little (aka nil) preparation or reading. I hadn’t even seen the entire Hollywood movie film to know the ins and outs of the story in which Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom depict the story from Homer’s Iliad. Turns out, there are so many stories and at least 9 or 10 ‘Troys’. Each dynasty would just build another city over the top of the last.

The most recognizable feature of the entire city was the gigantic fake horse greeting us at the admission gate. Bingo. Photo time! Alas, we were required to wait until the end of our walk for photos.

Troy is quite clearly a real site on a large mound known locally as ‘Hisarlik’, roughly 6km from the Dardanelles. It is an archaeological mystery and really quite fascinating if one has a guide to explain the history along the way. Two hours is definitely enough to traverse the one way circular-type pathway around the city/cities. The difficulty in visiting this site is separating fact from legend and over time, it appears that many of the stories and legends have become intermingled with fact, posing a real challenge to decipher the truth. Our guide was animated and attempted to explain the legendary story of the Trojan War, which began as a beauty contest and ended with a giant wooden horse unleashing death and destruction. He spoke of the characters in one of the most famous accounts within Greek mythology: the hero Achilles, valiant Hector, beautiful Helen and the powerful King Agamemnon. In current day times, archaeologists, literary detectives and military analysts are uncovering evidence such as trenches and a citadel fortress that are questioning whether this current day city of Troy, is in fact, the actual site of the Trojan War…

Nevertheless, the site is obviously not worth visiting without a tourist snapshot from within the horse itself. Sadly just as we were about to photodocument our visit, an entire busload of tourists offloaded and were swarming around the base. Alas, the frustrations of group travel. Regardless, it was fun to walk up into the wooden horse, which has two main cavities, look out on the people below and imagine oneself being wheeled in to the enemy territory waiting to attack…

Acropolis of Pergamon

Pergamon is a visually stunning site to visit and a must see if you find yourself on the east coast of Turkey, namely, the town of Bergama in Turkey’s Aegean region. Again, I’d suggest at least 2-3 hours here. We visited in early October and at the peak of the day, it was hot. From recollection around mid 30 degrees Celsius and very dry. After ascending from the base of the Bakirçay Plain up the hill via the gondola, the familiar sight of locals selling their crafts was welcome. They are quite clever folk: these vendors selling sunglasses, hats, t-shirts and ice cold freshly squeezed watermelon or pomegranate juice. After squeezing 6-7 pomegranate fruits into the blender, I was presented with my refreshing, slightly bittersweet refreshment. The pomegranate juice was indeed fresh and a great pep up for the onward journey.

The Acropolis of Pergamon was the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, founded in the 3^rd century BC and was a major centre of learning (culture, politics and science) in the ancient world. To this day, remains of the temples, theatres, stoa (portacoes), gymnasium, altar and library are visible, set into the sloping terrain of Kale Hill and surrounded by an extensive city wall.

The Acropolis crowns a landscape that contains burial mounds and remains of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires from the hill slopes and in and around the modern town of Bergama on the lower slopes.

Today, some of the incredible structures to be seen include:

• Theatre of Pergamon
• The Great Altar of Pergamon
• Temple of Dionysis
• Temple of Athena
• Library
• Trajaneum

Alas, it was time to leave this grandiose display of stonemasonry and architectural wonder and continue on our way. But not before a killer wasp surprisingly flew under and up my dress on the gondola on the way down and gave me a nasty bite on my hip! That left a mean welt!

Ephesus

As a Christian and growing up in a Christian household, Ephesus held the significance of Paul’s imprisonment here, where he was believed to have written the Biblical  books of First and Second Corinthians. He also wrote a letter to the Ephesians from Rome.

Beyond this, I had little knowledge or idea of what Ephesus would hold.

Of all these archaeological sites, Ephesus is probably the most well preserved and interesting if you have the time to spend there, exploring the Upper to Lower Agora and beyond. I would say though that Ephesus feels rushed in 3 hours and I’d suggest longer if possible. Again, if you don’t have a guide, then 3 hours to walk through is likely sufficient. It’s quite fun to do a little research for this site. By this stage of our tour we’d been to a few archaeological sites and my knowledge of dynasties and their interweaving stories was starting to become a little muddled, so we decided to spice things up a little for our guide (albeit respectfully!).

Ephesus contains some quite famous plaques and monuments. For example, there is a stone depiction of the Goddess Nike, pictured below. We just knew that this was going to be a fun fiction reveal for him and wanted to be the smarty-pants’ that could answer the question. We did! It was however, right after I got the previous carving wrong: the stone of Caduceus. It is oft thought that this is the true symbol of medicine, which it is not. In fact, it was shown in the Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research in 2014 that 94% of the 300 doctors surveyed held this view. Further to this, many doctors feature this symbol, the stone of Caduceus, prominently as a badge of prestige and honour. Unfortunately, this is incorrect. The Rod of Asclepius, a single serpent entwined rod wielded by the Greek God of healing and Medicine, Asclepius, is indeed the authentic symbol of Medicine. Asclepius is the son of Apollo, the god of light, the sun, truth and healing. Asclepius’ daughters are Hygieia, the goddess of hygiene and cleanliness and Panacea, the goddess of remedies. The Hippocratic Oath which all physicians have taken for centuries is dedicated to the same four deities: Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia and Panacea. In contrast, Hermes is the Greek god of commerce, trade, merchants and a protector of trickster and thieves. He oversees transitions and boundaries and moves freely between the mortal and divine underworlds, embodying cunning machinations and death, hardly the connotations an emblem of healing should evoke.

There are many fascinating and stunningly preserved stone carvings, buildings and structures along the way to the famed Library of Celsus and then the Great Theatre.

The map below shows the entrance at the right via the Basilica, with the direction of travel down past the Great Theatre and out to the carpark.

Ensure your list comprises:

• Temple of Artemis (Temple of Diana)
• Library of Celsus
• The Gate of Macaeus and Mithridates, dedicated to Emperor Augustus
• Temple of Hadrian
• The Odeon Theatre
• The Street of Curetes
• The Great Amphitheatre of Ephesus
• Square of Verulanus & Great Baths
• The Arkadiane

At the carpark is another local market, exclusively set up for tourists. Here you will be harassed and spruiked from every angle and can purchase all manner of items from the usual sunglasses, cold drinks, magnets and linen bags with the magic eye, to the quite amusing ‘genuine fake watches’.

The most important purchase to cap of the tour, of course: an Efes beer.

Şirince

After a long morning at Ephesus, we pulled up at a dirt parking lot for a two hour lunch break at Şirince.

Şirince is a small village of approximately 600 locals in the Izmir Province of Turkey, about 8km east of Selçuk and 8km from Ephesus. Our guide described it as the perfect synthesis of a traditional Turkish village and a traditional Greek village. It is a cute little town of souvenir shops selling handmade bars of soap and bundled herbs, cafes and restaurants, cats, fruit wine tasting and incredible hospitality, with a truly transcending old world market place vibe… and no vehicle access. It is not a place for heels. It is romantic and will have you feel transported back centuries but the streets are steep and cobblestoned and command sensible footwear. The white washed brick and stucco homes set upon on the slopes of this mountain in Anatolia are truly stunning.

To be honest I could easily have spent a morning or afternoon here, probably a day, rather than at the family owned ceramic shop we were ciphened in to earlier. Or the plausible but drab turquoise and dite shop. Or the leather goods museum (where I did buy a very expensive lightweight water repellant jacket which apparently is sold to Cavalli for double the price and can be rolled up and placed in one’s handbag). Suffice to say, there are a few ‘add ons’ to most tours which provide sponsorship incentives to the tour guides. However in a non-English speaking country like Turkey, a tour does have multiple advantages and it is on the most part, easy to break free and explore on your own.

I digress. Şirince.

What a delight. We walked for perhaps 200m downhill before stumbling upon Şirincem restaurant. Normally, I would want to know all my options. When we entered Şirincem, I didn’t need any further options. It was gorgeous: stone steps painted a light blue leading up to an outdoor seated area under all manner of trees, with decorations such as painted pomegranates and, of course, blue glass one-seeing eyes. The latter does make me feel uneasy. Also: cats. If you haven’t read one of my articles about Turkey referencing cats then this was the piece de resistance. I’d estimate we had at least 15 cats saunter up to us during our lunch. Not particularly my cup of tea (I like cats but prefer hygiene when eating). They’re incredibly human attuned and traveling with the ultimate animal magnet meant we were swarmed. To accompany the bottle of 8% mulberry fruit wine I ordered a full grilled sea bream while my friend had the Beyti kebab. It was a gorgeous atmosphere seated outside on a warm day under the shade and I’d be sad if I thought I could never see this part of the world again. For those wanting to stay in Şirince, I hear that the pension lodgings at Şirincem include a massive to-die-for breakfast…

Right. After lunch, fruit wine tasting was the priority. Şirince is renowned for its fruit wines and so off we choofed down the cobblestone ‘main street’ to explore this cute town with remarkable Greek flair. Again, it doesn’t take long to be compelled to enter a tasting house of which there are many. One could itinerise a full day of fruit wine tasting here.

We landed at Hayyam Mahzen, a gorgeous little wood-decorated café with an impressive line up of tastings. Being a South Australian partial to a bold Barossa red and with a bit of pride when it comes to great wine, the questions asked by the staff here are completely different and will throw you off guard. “What is your favourite fruit”? Your answer will result in a cup of joy: a fruit wine bearing this taste.  I asked the gentleman in return what his favourite was, as well as a few other locals we met, and the general opinion was that blueberry was best. However, one can sample a myriad of flavours such as raspberry, strawberry, mulberry, melon, peach, green apple, cherry, pomegranate, lemon and kiwi fruit. After trialling a (great) few, we were feeling happy enough to trek back up the cobblestone footpath to our awaiting coach.

Kuşadası

This unique town is a right gem: bustling throughout the day in the city streets, strolls along the seaside with the ambient lull of water breaking and a completely unexpected and amusing night scene. Add to that a guaranteed vibrant sunset highlighting the hill behind the city and it’s not hard to see why this is the beach resort town for European families wanting an escape. There are numerous surrounding beaches, all kitted out with sunbeds, beats and relaxation plus.

Kuşadası lies on Turkey’s western Aegean coast and is a great place to base oneself as a launching pad for exploring other nearby highlights such as Ephesus, Pergamon and Pamukkale. Hotels and restaurants line the seafront promenade and harbour and it is also a major international cruise ship port. The port itself lies adjacent the marina and Pigeon Island (Güvercinada Kalesi), the latter of which is a walled Byzantine castle that previously guarded the town and is now connected to the mainland by a causeway.

The striking El Heykeli (‘hand statue’) monument is worth visiting with the large hand reaching upwards to the sky.

We stayed at İlayda Avantgarde, a centrally-based modern hotel overlooking the Aegean Sea and in the thick of the lively restaurant and bar scene. The hotel has all amenities available from speedy wifi, to a fitness centre, free parking, a glimmering rooftop pool flanked by deck chairs, a decadent breakfast and the piece de resistance: the view. I wish we had a few extra days to enjoy this town; it’s truly worth staying longer if your timeframe permits. Each night we would find our way to the rooftop for the sunset: the roof provides an unmatched almost 360 degree view along the promenade and across to Gazibegendi (Panorama) Hill, where you can see the gigantic letters spelling the town name lit up in a beautiful display of light, as well as the impressive Atatürk statue. Even better, enjoy a drink from the pool bar at the same time. After the sun has gone down and your camera has another 300 sunset photos on its memory card, it’s a delight to head down one floor to the open air dining room with the prize tables being on the balcony terrace in an intimate setting overlooking the city at night.

Which brings me to Kuşadası nightlife. What a treat. The market place lanes form a labyrinth of streets with associated small bars filled with Westerners and reminded me somewhat of those regions in Bali filled with Australians, albeit with a slightly more European feel. It’s not a particularly classy or dressed to the nines affair by any means. Think casual sports bars, Irish karaoke bars, people (occasionally) dancing on tables and the general tomfoolery of a seaside town. If you go out armed with a smile, a relaxed attitude, no airs or graces and ready for some old school amusement, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The original ‘Bar Street’ houses some bars and dance clubs, mostly with an Irish theme, like Shamrock, Jimmy’s Irish Bar, Kitty O’Shea’s Irish Bar and Paddy’s Irish Bar, the latter of which we stopped for a margarita one evening. However at 10pm the night was but young and we were some of the only people within the place. We soon found our way to the Old Town of Kuşadası, in and around Kaleişi Market and the Kuşadası Bazaar, where some real treasures were found. This precinct is all in easy walking distance from the İlayda Avantgarde and with a few nights in this town, it didn’t take long to spot some familiar faces. Enter Tarzan (as we affectionately named him), a hyperactive individual in a singlet ready to entertain the crowds with a fresh dance at any moment. Interactive with both locals and backpackers alike, he certainly provided a memorable evening on two of our nights in Kuşadası. After searching (and failing) to find a live broadcast of my friend’s favourite EPL football team, Tottenham Hotspur, after walking up and down the Atatürk Boulevard (Kuşadası seafront promenade) amidst mostly locals who were glued to the screen watching the local Turkish league showcasing Galatasaray v Beşiktaş, we eventually gave up and headed out to the Kaleişi zone again. We were in luck! A local sports bar was airing the Hotspur game, owned by an Aussie. After this we ventured to Billy’s Place where we met some backpackers seated nearby and shared two-for-one cocktails, before it was onwards to Sean’s Karaoke Bar where Tarzan was up to the challenge once more. Never a dull moment!