Europe 2014: Bergama & Canakkale

Bergama:

Bergama was our one night stop between Pamakkale and Canakkale. We took a very long bus ride.......or 2 or 3 to Bergama....arrived in the pouring rain and were greeted with...yep, you guessed it......kindness and true hospitality. The rain was pouring and we moved into our room for the night at this adorable B&B. The host offered to make us dinner so we didn't have to go out in the rain. We quickly took them up on their offer.

Dinner was incredible and their wine was nice as well. We have been trying to experience local wine wherever we go and have been very impressed with the quality of wine in all 3 countries we have travelled (Romania, Greece, and Turkey). The wine has been extremely different in each location, but all special in their own way. Turks are very proud of their wine. This country had great soil and grows amazing produce, grapes being one of those.

The next day we got up early, had an amazing breakfast at the hotel with traditional Turkish breakfast cuisine: sliced cucumber and tomatoes, cheese slices, fruit, peach juice, tea, coffee, hard-boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt, toast, homemade preserves from fig and cherries, olives, and a homemade spicy cheese and pepper dip. Their breakfast is very interesting compared to our western idea of breakfast, but it is amazing and the hospitality alone is worth the price of admission.

We headed up to see the ancient site of Pergamom. Adam and I decided to hike up to the acropolis and instead of taking the short cut......we took the long way up the mountain. It was quite the hike for 8 in the morning. We enjoyed it immensely as we walked and talked about this and that....our favorite way to pass the time. While on our walk we heard the morning call to prayer as it echoed through the foothills...absolutely beautiful. The call to prayer happens 5 times a day and is sung in Turkish from each mosque. It is loud....you couldn't miss it if you wanted too and it often wakes you up from a deep sleep at 5am when it blares from a mosque like a fog horn next to your hear. Goodmorning!

 

 

 

The ancient site was beautiful. Interesting note: the site was discovered atleast 80 years before it was actually excavated. This site is extremely extensive and spans the entire length of the mountain. We walked around the main area and then took a walking trail down the mountain, suggested by a worker at the grounds. We took his advice and set out. We saw a variety of other formations excavators have discovered including tile floor mosaics dating back to 1,800 or 1,900 years old. Wow!

We finally caught up with Gramma and headed back to the B&B. We tried to head out to the local market (bazaar) and were absolutely dumped on during our walk. We aborted the trip and came back drenched. Rain & wind.....thanks! Another wet bus ride to Canakkale.

Canakkale:

We stayed here two nights and enjoyed our time in this lovely city. It is located right on the water and is quite touristy due to the ancient site of Troy. We enjoyed some really great food during our time in this city. Our main reason for coming was to visit the famous city of Troy.

This was a much different site than some we have seen. There is very little left of this city. It has been destroyed many times by war, earthquake, and fire. This place is famous because it is the location of the Trojan War in the 13th and 14th century in which the Greeks eventually captured the city after 10 years. In Greek mythology the story told by Homer in "The Illiad" describes a beauty contest in which Paris, the son of King Priam was chosen to judge a beauty contest between Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. All three women bribed Paris and he chose the lovely Aphrodite who promised him that the fairest woman in the world would be his.

Paris then travelled to Sparta to see Helen, the fairest women in the world. Upon seeing Helen, the wife of Menelaus, Paris fell in love with her, and she with him and they eloped together for Troy. Menelaus, supposing that Helen had been abducted by Paris, set off to Troy to take her back with a huge army. The Greeks eventually designed a clever strategy where the majority of the warriors left and sailed from the coast towards Greece while some stayed back and hid in a large wooden horse. The Trojans, assuming this wooden horse was a peace offering, brought it into the city gates. While the Trojans were asleep the Greeks conquered the city with ease. It was incredible to be in the location of such a dramatic and legendary story.

The rest of our time in Canakkale we enjoyed good food and wine, desserts, and a lovely breakfast at our hotel. Adam and I also went to a local bazaar and interacted, in Turkish, with the locals. We had a great time together running through the city, enjoying the beauty of the city, and the kindness and culture of it's people.

Blessings,

Adam & Kristin

 

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