traveltalk turkey: asklepion & troy

Our Traveltalk tour of Turkey continued over the next couple of days on our way back towards the north to Gallipoli. We visited some more historical sites and relaxed by the beach.

Poppies and ancient ruins

Asklepion is the first psychiatric hospital. You can still see the individual surgery rooms, and the area where patients were taken with peaceful water flowing through to help with their recovery. The water still flows today as it has for hundreds of years.

In the hospital

Poppies!

The road to the hospital

Old surgery rooms and our awesome guide Onur

Water flowing to calm patients

We stopped by a place where locals produce carpets in the traditional Turkish way. It is a co-operative where the women who work on the carpets all have a share of the business. They also provided us with a delicious lunch of pide, sort of like pizza bread, and apple tea.

"Helping" a local woman make a carpet

Also known as probably messing it up

Delicious pide bread for lunch at the carpet place

And delicious apple tea

Our hotel that night was next to the sea so we spent the afternoon relaxing there and around the pool. Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy! But still warm enough to lie out on the loungers.

Hanging out at the hotel

View over the sea

Paddling...not quite warm enough to swim!

Beer by the pool... holiday bliss!

Did someone say dessert buffet?

And even more...

Being moderate...

The following morning was the start of our trip to Gallipoli, but we got up extra early to stop by Troy on the way. Most people know the story of Helen of Troy, the face that launched 1000 ships, particularly after the Troy movie with Brad Pitt. In highschool I was in a musical called Paris, and since then I have loved this story and the characters. While there is debate over whether Helen existed, it is accepted that Hector, Paris and Achilles did, and the city of Troy as well.

Old houses in Troy, some of the oldest in existence

Walls of Troy

Genuine Fake horse at Troy...

Troy was actually built 9 times. Much of it was destroyed in excavations as people searched for treasure rather than trying to preserve the ruins, but you can get an idea of what it was like and see the different layers in various places. After seeing Ephesus it is a bit of a let down in terms of the preservation of the site, but it's still worth a visit to see where the events that are now so famous unfolded.

The ramp up to the city where it is believed Achilles was killed

Looking down on what would have been a courtyard

Different layers labelled. Due to earth movement it isn't always the oldest at the lowest point

Part of the city walls

Looking out from where Apollos Temple was on the hill

Turkey is full of ancient sites that I didn't realise where there. There are so many things you could see, even if the tiny area that we went to, and we didn't even go to everything. Going to Troy was a definite bonus for me and still strange to think about the people who lived there and what their lives would have been like, and that you can walk around the area still today.

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