Has anyone seen the NZ embassy??

Today Lisa and I tried to exercise our democratic right by stumbling off to find the NZ Embassy in Athens; armed with our Lonely Planet guidebook which clearly showed it in cell C2 of the map on page 347.

Well we found a few embassies and lots of policemen but it turns out they'd moved since the guidebook we have was printed and wouldn't you know it but none of the cops in the diplomatic quater had any idea where they'd gone. We eventually found the new embassy / consulate, sharing their 5sq metres of the 6th floor of an obscure surburban building with a dentist and two lawyers. I don't know where the foreign affairs budget goes but its not Athens. Still, it was a good day for the waistline.


As was yesterday when we Did The Sights (Roman Agora, Ancient Agora, Acropylis, Hadrian's Library, Temple of Zeus, Temple of some-other-god, Another Temple of some-other-god). We managed to find ourselves in Athens on a public holiday- when all the monuments are free. So we saved ourselves $50 by seeing most of them. The crowds weren't at all bad either. In fact we found Athens a pretty nice town to hang out in. We especially enjoyed the free entertainment provided by the 5-a-side soccer court (enclosed in mesh like indoor cricket).

We've had a great time here- except for the sleeping, which is pretty hard to do in this particular hostel.

Off to Italy by ferry tomorrow, provided we can find our way around the 24 hour traindrivers strike announced today. Anyone know where the bus station is in Athens? Hope its easier to find than the NZ embassy.

Cheers,

Ian and Lisa

PS we were kind of wondering if anyone out there read this blog. Please do us a wee favour and email one of us so we know who we are doing it for (or you can send us a public comment by clicking on the "post a comment" link somewhere on this page).

It's all Greek to us

So here we are in Mykonos, Greek Island number 2. But I get ahead of myself - let me tell you about Samos.

Samos is about 3 kms away from Turkey and was our first Greek stop. We stayed in a lovely little town called Pythagorio (birth place of Pythagorus for all you math folk or other folk who have always wondered what clever person came up with the theory of figuring out the length of the third side of a triangle).

CUTE wee town and lots of CUTE wee fishing boats. Also scores of cafes on the waterfront (now only frequented by smart people like us who have missed the busy summer season).

Spent one full day scootering around the island (about the size of Waiheke Island probably) exploring cute villages and marveling at the fabulous views we had of the Mediterranean which looked inviting but in all reality jolly freezing (Ian braved it - he says you never regret a swim. I don't believe it.)

Lovely start to our Greece experience and Mykonos is shaping up to be another lovely stop. Beaches here are a little more sandy and the weather is a little warmer. The town is an incredible maze of striking white buildings (to confuse pirates they say - we're finding our way around ok so we must be smarter than them). Highlight was seeing Mediterranean pelicans in the middle of town - they seemed to know their way around too.

Tonight we ferry to Santorini - look out for the next blog on Greek Island splendour!

Kicking back in Kusadasi

Many thanks to Karen Fifield and Scott Penhaligon for making this blog happen. When we were planning our trip I happenned to be having a drink with Karen one day (a friend through work) when she mentioned that she and her husband used to have a share in a house in Kusadasi on Turkey's Agean coast. Moreover she was adamant that Lisa and I should go and stay there with her friend Scott who still lived in the house. In fact Karen basically planned our whole Turkish itinerary (and didn't put a foot wrong with it!).


So it was lovely to get down to Kusadasi and do very little at all for 5 days or so. Scott was a fantastic (and well-practiced) host and apart from a day trip to Ephesus and a lovely day walking in a nearby National Park (thanks for the scooter Scott) we mostly spent our time doing washing, reading books, smoking water pipes (actually we only did that once) and, brace yourself, watching TV! All we could do in return was look after his dogs for 24 hours and drop him off a the bus stop one day.

















On Thursday 16th we caught the boat across to Samos and started our Greek Island leg....

War is madness, and smaller than İ thought

After Cappadocia (and retrıevıng my passport from the rental car man a mınute before our bus left) we headed back to Istanbul - a 12 hour bus trıp! It seems to us that from Cappadocıa to Ankara Turkey mostly looks lıke the McKenzıe Basın/ Central Otago, from there to Istanbul ıt looks lıke the forested bıts of Hampstead Heath (but drıer). Needless to say ıt was a long day.

We (well Lisa really) made a frıend on the bus- a nıce NZ woman called Emıly. We shared a taksi (Turkish spellıng) back to the hostel after our 'servıce bus' to take us from maın bus statıon back to tourıst dıstrıct faıled to materıalıse. We all stayed ın the same hostel we'd stayed ın before. Great vıews, very relaxed, no Englısh spoken.

The next day we headed down toward the Gallıpollı penınsula, to a lıttle town called Eceabat /whıch looks across the Dardenelle straıts to another town startıng wıth 'C' that I can't remember. We stayed ın a comfortable but faırly characterless modern hostel/ budget hotel that catered specıally to the Australıan tourısts (we could tell thıs on account of the humorous kangaroo and koala references). They also had a lıkıng for playıng ACDC, Bon Jovı and INXS very loud. We set out the next day to try and get ourselves to Gallıpollı battlefıelds and memorıals. It seemed we'd mıssed the cheap mınıbuses for the day so got a taxı to a now closed museum at the edge of the battle area. We then set out walkıng up (on what had become a quıte hot and sunny day) the 6km of road toward Chunık Baır (sıte of New Zealand memorıal). We hadn't gone far when a frıendly local stopped and offered us a lıft as far as Lone Pıne (the Australıan memorıal). We walked from there, past varıous grave sıtes and memorıals (both Turkısh and ANZAC) and fınally got to the Turkısh memorıal and NZ memorıal at the top of Chunık Baır (where a welcome cool breeze was blowıng). Unfortunately the NZ memorıal ıs undergoıng repaır at the moment so ıt was hard to take a photo wıthout scaffoldıng ın ıt.

We then walked back to Lone Pıne, and followed a track from there down to the coast and ANZAC cove. Often we just had the hılls to ourselves, we seemed to be the only ones usıng our legs rather than a tour bus.

Our thoughts about the whole place were thıs:

1. It ıs a beautıful and (on the whole) peaceful place (though presumably not when there ıs a war goıng on)

2. War (especıally thıs varıety) ıs madness (and poıntless)

3. The scale of the battlefıelds ıs much smaller then one mıght expect. We walked around most of the area that was ever held by the ANZACs ın about 5 hours. ANZAC cove ıs about as bıg as Maırangı Bay. On the fırst nıght the Australıans took Lone Pıne and another spot called Johnston's Jolly about 400m away. They lost both spots back to the Turks ın May. In August, at a cost of thousands of lıves, they re-took Lone Pıne ın August but they never re-took Johnston's Jolly only a few hundred metres away (thıs was the same grand offensıve that saw the NZ troops take Chunık Baır - the only tıme the ANZAC's got a vıew of the Dardanelles (theır objectıve). Chunık Baır was lost 48 hours later (after Brıtısh troops had replaced the NZ'ers at the top).

4. Nıne months, and thousands of dead twenty-two year olds later everybody packed up and went home. The Turks won the battle but lost the war. Poıntless.

5. The Turks are very proud of theır vıctory at Gallıpolı, but seem genuınely frıendly toward New Zealanders these days (and even durıng cease fıres durıng the war apparently).

Thıs last poınt was ably demonstrated when, after we'd reached ANZAC cove and had completed our Gallıpolı odyssey, we started walkıng the 5 kılometres back to where we thought we mıght be able to fınd a mınıbus. We were pretty hot and tıred by then so stuck out our thumbs and were eventually pıcked up by a retıred local teacher (who was showıng a frıend of hıs from Ankara the sıghts). Not only dıd he drop us back to our hotel but he bought us a cup of Cay (tea) as well. A lovely lovely man. We caught a ferry across the straıts and headed down to Kuşadsı the next day. More on that later...

Anzac Cove - 9 Oct 2008

Of caves, balloons and fairy chimneys

So here we are in Kapadokya in the middle of Turkey and check out these pictures! We:

had a lovely wander around some faıry chımneys

visited cave churches (dating back to the 2nd Century)

rented a motorbike (sore bot afterwards, yeowch!) and visited an incredible underground city (dating back to a very long time ago indeed - can't recall but I'm sure impressive nonetheless - there are two underground cities in the area which were used primarily as places of hiding and storage of food and valuables) - OUR FAVOURITE DAY!

took a walk through a very pretty valley (after a fabulous time of fellowship with the entrance guard who was determined to share his lunch with us - despite obvious language barrier we thought him wonderfully hospitable and charming)

stayed in a real mccoy cave room

fed a few of the 100 or so stray kitties (which we probably shouldn't have but I couldn't resist)

had a wonderful view every morning of at least a dozen hot air balloons passing by our cave room

enjoyed apple tea and cakes and olives and eggs for breakfast every morning (seems to be the standard hostel breakfast in Turkey)

did not ride a camel

woke VERY early EVERY mornıng to the call to prayer from the nearby mosque

attended the local cooking competition event featuring some fabulous local musicians (and fabulous food I'm sure - although we didn't partake)

An unforgettable few days - amazing place, the likes of which Ian and I have never seen before and are unlikely to see again.

Gobble Gobble

Just a quickie because we don't have access to a computer that can download our pics.

We're still in Turkey and loving it. Cappadocia was incredible, and when we can download pics you'll see why! We're a little over bus travel and are glad to be here in Kusadasi, our final stop in Turkey. In a couple of days we head to our first Greek Island, Samos - only 3 km from here.

Will post a more newsy blog when we can include some photos.

Güle güle.

PS The chappy we're staying with (Scott) learned to sail on the yacht that features in the movie musical Mamma Mia cos he's good friends with the owner and Ian fixed her car. Which makes us famous by association - and my connection with Colin Firth (aka Mr Darcy of Pride and Prejudice), who stars in Mamma Mia, that much closer. Woohoo!

More Turkey stuff, and some photos

We've had an amazing few days in Istanbul, and today in Goreme (Cappadocia region).

Though we only wandered around a tiny bit of Istanbul it certainly felt like a BIG city - felt bigger than London and New York in many ways. Could have had somethiong to do with the fact there were squllions of people (mostly tourists, and mostly Turkish tourists) in just about every street we entered. Turns out we'd arrived the day after Ramadan ended, and there are three public holidays and a big festival at this time of year. Everyone seems to be in a pretty good mood however.

This is the first predominantly muslim country we've been in. There is something fundamentally exotic (for our small NZ ears) about hearing the Muzzein call the faithful to prayer 5 times a day. The minarets of all the mosques are also a constant reminder that you are no longer in western Europe (or the South Pacific). In many other ways however, Turkey really does look like a western European captial. Almost everyone wears western clothes, and almost everyone over the age of about 12 is looking pretty sharp in well pressed trou and a long sleeved shirt- even the labourers! Old Attaturk's decision to encourage his peeps to look to the west is still very apparent.

There is so much obvious history in the old part of town, like the Ottoman palaces and mosques, not to mention the things that remain from the Byzantium empire that ruled here before the sultans. I mean to say, its not every city that can boast an obelisk erected in about 350AD (when emperor Constantine decided to make this city the eastern captial of the Roman empire) that is still standing today. Of course if its 350AD and you want to erect an obelisk in a Roman capital you don't make one yourself, you go and pinch a 1500 year old obelisk from somewhere else in the empire (like Egypt). So this 3500 year old thing is STILL standing in the middle of Istanbul. Ridiculous!!

Anyway. Here are a few photos from Istanbul (and from Goreme, Cappadocia) today. We'll skite about that later.

The one above is the Aya Sofia, built as the centre of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in about the year 800AD (guessing this really), then converted to a mosque in about 1290 something when the Ottoman's conquered. It was then converted to a museum in the 1930's (which also allowed the plaster to be stripped from the insides to reveal the old christian emblems (which were covered while it was a mosque)).

This is just one example of the amazing buildings carved out of the rock terrain near Goreme in Cappadocia. Turns out there is a large christian centre here from the 2nd century. The photo below is a fresco from about the 12th century taken inside the Dark Church (so called because it only has one window hence the colours are still very vibrant).

These chaps were playing at a combination mayoral speech/cooking competition in the main square this morning. We have no idea what was going on and in fact who won (but the music was good and the food looked great!)

İstanbul was Constantinople...

Just amazing!!! This is just a little post on a slightly dodgy computer but just we'd let any of you who are following our wee trıp that we've spent the last few days İn Istanbul and its like no place either of us have seen before.

We've pitched up at a hostel with no english spoken at all but with a breathtaking view over the Bospherous and the Marmara sea. Have enjoyed fabulous home-cooked meals here- especially the BBQ fish. Only seem to be about three and a half guests here, and our hosts. İ wish we could post a few photos but can't seem to load them on this machine.

We're off to Cappadocia tonight by overnight coach- could be a bıt of an endurance test.