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Turkey and Greece (1996)

a travel blog by shoshtrvls




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Day 13 (Continued)

Marmaris, Turkey


Five hours of traveling again, but the scenery was much better . . . first rather agrarian, with the now-familiar donkey carts and millet women, then mountainous with pine trees and beautiful pink flowers which filled the gorges as though they were rivers.

It was all a sham, however, as Marmaris was the pits. The Tijuana of Turkey, no question about it. The first hotel we tried seemed deserted, so we opted for something a bit more upscale. This didn't last long, however, as no sooner had I ducked into the shower when, apparently, fire broke out in a room three doors away. How did we know this? Not because any smoke alarm went off; not because any fire alarm sounded; not because anyone knocked on our door. No, while I was in the shower, guests at the hotel next door rushed onto their patios yelling and screaming. It took Mark a while to figure out what they were saying, but he eventually got the message and got me out of the shower. We grabbed some of our stuff (hey, I was not going to leave that rug behind[g>) and headed into the hallway where hotel staff members were running our way with fire extinguishers. We could smell the smoke and thus looked in earnest for the fire exits but could find none. Meanwhile, the staff completely ignored the actual guests . . . no one knocked on doors or pointed out the exits. Mark and I headed toward the elevators (the only exit we knew), knocking on doors as we went along, as did an Israeli couple staying in the room next door. We were surprised to find that they were still working--aren't they supposed to shut off so you don't get trapped? In any event, seeing no other way down, we took one. In the lobby, everything seemed normal, and when we asked for our money back, the staff was surprised. "Why? The fire will be put out soon." Sure . . . so it could smolder overnight and begin afresh, with no fire protection in the hotel at all? Not for me. And although the fire was put out within a half-hour, when we returned to our room to get the rest of our belongings, it was clear that the fire was a tad more serious than they let on . . . not only was everything smoke-filled, but you could see the black soot on the walls near the room that was ablaze.

At this point, rather desperate and tired, we cabbed it to a "resort" somewhat further up the coast, thinking that it had to be a decent place. Well, not quite. The room was small and dingy, the price exorbitant; what we got for our $2.00 in Yusufeli was far superior. In any event, after showings and eating the dinner which was included in the room rate, we walked down the boardwalk back into the main section of Marmaris. As I said, it was like being in Tijuana . . . loud music, touts that wouldn't leave you alone, boat trip salesmen that followed you, ugh! The truly sad thing, however, is that most people who come to Marmaris do it as a day or two trip from Rhodes because it is only a 45 minute hydrofoil ride. I shudder to think that Marmaris is their only impression of Turkey . . .


permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 14, 1996 from Marmaris, Turkey
from the travel blog: Turkey and Greece (1996)
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Day 14

Marmaris, Turkey


This was a leisure day. Mark and I took advantage of what we were paying for at our resort . . . a pool with a beautiful view, a clean beach, and men in white shorts and tee-shirts catering to our every need for towels, drinks, food, etc. I finished my third book of the trip and began another. Even got some "color" in my skin. But by 3 p.m. it was clearly time to say good-bye to Marmaris so we headed to the ferry dock to catch the hydrofoil to our last destination, Rhodes.

There weren't many people waiting for the ferry, so it was easy to spot the three twenty-something USC students doing the "take a semester off and backpack through Europe" thing. And thus it finally happened--the inevitable "small world" meeting that is required for every overseas trip. After talking briefly, I discovered that one of these students was Cantor L.'s son! Who is Cantor L, you might ask. Well, he performed my confirmation and the bar mitzvahs of all four of my brothers. His son Adam seemed cool and the hydrofoil ride was made pleasant by the conversation.

permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 15, 1996 from Marmaris, Turkey
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Day 14 (Continued)

Rodos, Greece


We arrived in Rhodes at about 6:30. If you've never been there before, it is impressive. The old city is surrounded by massive fortifications and sailing into the Harbor through the two pillars where the Colossus once stood is really a sight to see. When we arrived, we realized that not only did we not have any place to stay, we also didn't have a guidebook for Greece or any clue as to where to look for decent lodgings. Fortunately, as luck would have it, two Australian women who were heading out on a ferry for Crete told us about a wonderful little pension about five minutes walk from the old city.

After settling into the pension, we walked about a block to a small neighborhood restaurant recommended by the pension owner, a wonderful woman, and had a great meal -- my first real tzatziki in three years. I love tzatziki, and could live on it if given a chance. Then it was a stroll through the old city of Rhodes window shopping . . . a tourist destination to be sure, but somehow less aggressive and offensive than most. In fact, it reminded me somewhat of the old part of Santa Fe . . . many, many shops and cafes that somehow didn't ruin the experience.


permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 15, 1996 from Rodos, Greece
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Day 15

Rodos, Greece


This morning began with yet another walk into the old city of Rhodes, touring it more carefully this time. First we visited the museum within the city's castle. And, frankly, it is the castle itself, with its massive stone rooms and high vaulted ceilings, which is more impressive than the actual collection, which consists of the by now all-too-familiar pieces of pottery, roman coins, statuary, mosaics and the like. We then walked along the Harbor and through a bit of the new city (pretty much a city like any other) before catching a bus to the town of Lindos, 1-1/2 hours away

permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 16, 1996 from Rodos, Greece
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Day 15 (Continued)

Lindos, Greece


Well, what can one say about Lindos except that what we had been told was dead-on accurate. Yes, Lindos is a picturesque little town above a crystal clear blue bay, white-washed buildings tumbling down a mountainside dominated by a huge fortress. And yes, more tourists squeezed into narrow cobblestone streets than are usually found at Disneyworld on a Sunday in June. And the shops (pretty much the only things in Lindos besides the restaurants) lacked any sense of "authenticity" -- tee shirt shops, souvenir shops with ashtrays emblazoned with the words "Lindos, Rhodos" on them, "handicrafts" made in Taiwan. Welcome to tourism run amok. As a result, Mark and I stayed just long enough to (1) run into our USC boys, seriously hung over from a night of raucous drinking; (2) climb to the fortress, and (3) spend exorbitant amounts of money on a late, mediocre lunch. But hey, the view from the restaurant was great, watching the sailboats from the city of Rhodes make their way in and out of the bay. Now, if we just could have gotten those obnoxious Texans at the next table to talk a little softer . . .

permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 16, 1996 from Lindos, Greece
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Day 15 (Continued)

Rodos, Greece


Our return from Lindos was somewhat delayed by having gotten on the wrong bus to go home (and you should see the way people cram into the buses in the afternoon, like a Tokyo subway at quitting time), but eventually we found our way back to the city of Rhodes for yet another evening of strolling and shopping (my final purchase, a beautiful hand-painted gold-lief icon, perfect for a good Jewish girl like myself) and dining before returning to our little hotel

permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 16, 1996 from Rodos, Greece
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Day 16

Rodos, Greece


My last full day of vacation. Originally, it was to be spent on the ferry to Athens, but rough seas forced the cancellation of the hydrofoil and thus I was lucky to have gotten one of the last seats on tomorrow's early morning plane flight to Athens which arrives there just in time to get me on my plane home to the states. So, taking advantage of the extra day, Mark and I rented a little Suzuki Samurai and went exploring. Our first stop was Faliraki beach -- lots of people, warm water, and lots of activities ("no Mark, I see no reason to do that crane bungee jumping; remember, I jumped out of a real plane"). Despite the crowds, it certainly was not a bad spot. We stayed for 2-1/2 hours baking in the sun and splashing in the non-surf (nary a wavelet in sight) before heading on to Cape Vagia for lunch at a tiny little beach, fairly unspoiled and uncrowded. Then it was down the coast past Lindos where the tourists thinned out and goats were the far more prevalent mammals. We finally selected a nearly deserted beach in a secluded cove near the town of Lardos for the last hour or two of sunning.

On the way back to Rhodes proper we made one final sight-seeing stop, to Tsampika Monastery. The monastery (a small one to be sure) is set atop what appears to be the highest promontory on the coast, visible from the road as only a tiny white dot at the top of a craggy peak. To get there one must first drive a few kilometers of a steep, narrow switchback road which ends roughly 1 km below the monastery. The last little bit on foot, while a short distance, is a good little hike up -- seriously *up*, the paved "trail" even having handrails to keep one from being blown off the mountain and onto the rocks below. And the reward for all of this? Not the monastery actually but the view . . . an incredible panorama of the entire east coast of the island from Lindos to Ladiko.

Our final dinner is at a small taverna near our pension, recommended by the pension owners, with excellent fish and even reasonable prices. We then made good use of the Suzuki, driving around the walls of the old city at night, beautifully lit with flickering lanterns (and some help from modern spotlights strategically placed).


permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 17, 1996 from Rodos, Greece
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Day 17

Rodos, Greece


Not one to waste a minute of vacation, the last night in Rhodes night didn't really start until midnight when we met the pension owners and their two daughters at a small club for three hours of traditional Greek music and dancing -- not a tourist in sight, this was "the real thing." The music was wonderful, played on traditional instruments such as the lute, and as the wine and liquor flowed so did the clientele's inhibitions (if they ever had any). Women got up and really belly-danced, sans the costumes (like I said, this was not a show for tourists) -- which is incredibly difficult to do if you've ever tried it (which I can now say that I have). Men did the hands-on-shoulders, stomping and kicking, knee and heel slapping numbers, and everyone joined in the Israeli-like line dancing. (The pension owners were surprised at how quickly I picked up the steps; I refrained from telling them that the hora is the hora is the hora, whether it be at a bar mitzvah or a Greek nightclub). We didn't crawl out of there until almost 4 a.m., a mere two hours before I had to be at the airport. So, rather than even attempting to sleep, I spent my last hours of vacation repacking my luggage, filling out the details in my (hand written) journal, and desperately wishing that all of life were a vacation . . .

permalink written by  shoshtrvls on June 18, 1996 from Rodos, Greece
from the travel blog: Turkey and Greece (1996)
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Welcome to my travels. On this site you'll find recent trips and some very old trips. You'll note that for some trips I wrote very detailed reports (at least in the beginning), for others, I didn't even take notes of where I was on what dates. Nevertheless, I've done my best to document, to...

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