Sunday, July 5, 2009

Historical sites of Troy and Pergama

Canakkale is a favorite overnight stop for tourist visiting Troy since it is less than half an hour's drive from Canakkale and also a half-way point for traveller going from Istanbul to Kusadasi/Ephesus.

So after breakfast, we set off for the ancient ruins of Troy. Among the major ancient sites on this tour, Troy is the least interesting visually though it may be the most historical and it is good that we visited it first, to be followed by Pergama and finally Ephesus. As it is, this is also the order of visual appeal and things looked better and better as we progressed. BTW, this tour covers the major Turkish attractions in an anticlockwise direction while there are other tours that cover the same itinerary in the opposite direction i.e. in a clockwise direction. If you have a choice, pick the one in the anticlockwise direction, for in the opposite direction you may have lost your appetite for ancient sites by the time you come to Troy last!

OK, back to Troy. What is Troy without the Trojan Horse? (Unfortunaely, there was no Helen.)




Our next stop was another ancient site, this time it was Pergama. The location is more spectacular as it is located on top of a hill overlooking the present town.



The ruins are also more interesting visually compared to Troy and they remind you of those in Greece.






We continue our drive to the seaside resort of Kusadasi. I have been to Kusadasi last year during my cruise in Greece as it was one of the stops among the Greek islands tour because of its proximity. At that time we stopped at the harbour and visited the Bazaar for some shopping. I did not opt for the tour to Ephesus that was offerd then since Turkey was on my next holiday destination.
The Hotel we stayed, the Tatlises, is on a coastal hill overlooking the Kusadasi harbour and I could see cruise ships docking there and it brought back sweet memories of my last visit.
We had our dinner outdoor next to the swimming pool and we also had a nice view of the sunset while enjoying our food.


There is also a supermarket 5 minutes down the road where you can stock up your snacks and essentials. Bottled water was the cheapest that I found in Turkey, about .80 lira for 1.5 litre compared to 1 or 1 and a half lira elsewhere. Good value and goodnight.
Ronald Kwok

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