Corfu Revisited (Part One): Corfu Town

It always surprises me how relatively unknown the island of Corfu has remained outside of Europe. In 2005, when I visited the island for the very first time in April, I was really impressed by the beauty of Corfu Town, so much that for someone who usually is far too lazy to write anything while one holidays, I sent several postcards to friends all over the world telling them how enthralled I was by this beautiful city. A few weeks later, I got a reply from one of those on the receiving end of my mailing list. In her letter, she - a travel-savvy Japanese lady - thanked me for the postcard, and said she had never ever heard of Corfu before, and had to look the name up on a map to determine its exact location. Now that was really some news.

And the Japanese are not alone when it comes to the 'never heard of Corfu' crowd in the Far East. While most Asians would have known the likes of Santorini, Mykonos, or even Crete, Corfu is outside the range of their surveillance radar. Which, I must concede, is not such a bad thing after all. The reason I detest Santorini of now is, the whole island has become such an over-priced Disneyland-sque playground for tourists of all breeds and colours, who seem to think that Greece consist of only Athens and two other islands -  Mykonos and Santorini. In addition, there is nothing more frustrating in the world when all the menus and signposts on a supposedly Greek island are written in English, Russian, French, Japanese, or even Korean and Chinese. What is the point of visiting Greece if you meet no Greeks at all but only fellow foreign tourists?

The Walls and Gates of Old Diyarbakir: a Brief Introduction

For those who are interested in a visit to Diyarbakir but are not sure of what to expect, here is a brief introduction to the Old Walls and Old City Gates of Diyarbakir.

First of all, I want to dispel the myth that one could see the Tigris while standing on the top of the wall. Wrong. It depends on which section of the City Walls you are standing on top of. One cannot see the Tigris while standing on the section of the City Wall next to Dag Kapi or the Urfa Gate. The only place where the sighting of the Tigris from the top of the wall is possible is the section on the Tigris' side, right next to the Mardin Kapisi. But even then, do not expect to come face to face with a mighty Tigris; most of the time, the Tigris that flows past the city of Diyarbakir is just a small stream, if not a trickle; and those who come to Diyarbakir expecting to see a huge river would inevitably go home disappointed. 

Datca: Almost the Land's End

The first time I visited Datca was all the way back in the summer of 2003, during my very first visit to Turkey. As that first visit to Datca lasted just one afternoon, I had a hazy but pleasant memory of a peaceful little fishing village at the very end of the Datca Peninsula, surrounded by olive groves and almond trees.

 

At that time, Datca was a small place with just a handful of houses, a small fishing port, and some lovely bays with crystal clear waters. It was that few leisurely hours in the afternoon spent sitting on an old wooden pier that extended into the shallow crystal clear waters of the Aegean around Datca that give this unremarkable fishing village an out-of-the-world feel.

Kilitbahir: 'Dur Yolcu' and the Fortress on the Dardanelles

One of the most familiar and most clearly visible images of Turkey is the giant “Dur Yolcu" memorial carved onto the hillside above Kilitbahir, depicting a 1915 Turkish soldier holding a rifle in one hand, while pointing towards the inscriptions in Turkish with his other hand:

                                                     'Dur yolcu!

                                                     Bilmeden gelip bastığın
                                                               Bu toprak, 

                                                      bir devrin battığı yerdir.'

These two lines are roughly translated by some as:

                                                 'Traveller halt!
                                                         The soil you tread
                                              Once witnessed the end of an era.'

This inscription is actually the first few lines of a poem by Turkish poet, Necmettin Halil Onan (1902-1968):

                                             Dur yolcu! Bilmeden gelip bastığın

                                             Bu toprak, bir devrin battığı yerdir.

                                              Eğil de kulak ver, bu sessiz yığın

                                               Bir vatan kalbinin attığı yerdir.

                                            Bu ıssız, gölgesiz yolun sonunda

                                           Gördüğün bu tümsek Anadolu'nda,

                                             İstiklal uğrunda, namus yolunda

                                          Can veren Mehmed’in yattığı yerdir.

                                          Bu tümsek, koparken büyük zelzele,

                                             Son vatan parçası geçerken ele,

                                            Mehmed’in düşmanı boğdugu sele

                                               Mübarek kanını kattığı yerdir.

                                          Düşün ki, haşrolan kan, kemik, etin

                                           Yaptığı bu tümsek, amansız, çetin

                                            Bir harbin sonunda bütün milletin

                                              Hürriyet zevkini tattığı yerdir.

                                                                               Necmettin Halil Onan (1902-1968)

Heybeliada: Naval Cadet School and Defunct Greek Seminary in the Middle of the Sea of Marmara

A while ago, a Turkish friend of mine had had the fortune (or the misfortune?) to do his mandatory military service at the Naval Cadet School of the Turkish Navy on the island of Heybeliada, one of the Princes' Islands about an hour away by ferry from the harbour of Kabatas. While this friend constantly complained about his wasting six-months of his life performing army duties on this island, I joked that at least he got to stay on this famous holiday island for six months, all free-of-charge.

Indeed, many people from Istanbul and other parts of Turkey have to pay to spend their holidays on Heybeliada. Possibly the second most well-known island of the Princes' Islands after the crowded Buyukada, Heybeliada is much less crowded than Buyukada, even on weekends. 

Sozopol: The Identical Twin of Nessebar

This essay is about Sozopol, the identical twin of the more famous town of Nessebar on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. The reason I visit Sozopol is, after spending one day each in Burgas, Nessebar and Varna, I did not want to spend the rest of my one-week stay in Bulgaria in the area of Sunny Beach, so I woke up early, took a bus to Burgas, and changed onto another bus from the municipal bus station next to Burgas' train station to Sozopol.

Like Nessebar, Sozopol is another thriving Black Sea town known for its Bulgarian-Balkan style architecture, with a base and ground floor made of stone and an upper-part made with wood. The old town of Sozopol is full of them, but just as in the case of Nessebar, I must say I did not find Sozopol particularly interesting either.  For some reasons the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria always seems to have that gloomy, enclosed and unhappy feeling, characteristic which are in stark contrast to my own personality. I have always preferred sunny bright towns in Turkey, Greece and Spain, and I did not know what to say about Bulgaria's Black Sea towns.

Didim: Altinkum and the Temple of Apollo

Didim is a seaside resort very popular with British holidaymakers visiting Turkey's Aegean coast. The town is famous for two things: the Temple of Apollo, located about 5 minutes by bus from Didim's modern city centre; and the beaches of Altinkum, a long stretch of golden-coloured sands that give the beach its name.   

Colourful Bazaars of Antep: the Tarihi Zincirli Bedesten

Personally I found Antep a much more interesting and fun city to visit than neighbouring Urfa. The people of Antep are genuinely friendly, helpful, and are far less pushy or patronising than those I had encountered in Urfa. In the past, most foreign visitors to Southeast Anatolia often give Antep a pass, as this busy commercial city within an hour's drive to the Syrian border was considered by most guidebooks as having relatively little to offer in terms of tourist attractions or ancient monuments. But this could not have been further from the truth. 

Modern Antep is a lively, vibrant city with quite a lot to offer to visitors. The most famous and top of the range tourist attraction is the newly completed Zeugma Museum, which housed the priceless Roman mosaics rescued from the site of Zeugma and is undoubtedly the No.1 attraction of the city. For those who enjoy trying out real Turkish coffee, the old town of Antep has a variety of beautiful coffee houses located in grand traditional stone mansions with covered courtyards and gardens. Other interesting sights include the colourful bazaars of Antep, the Castle, the traditional architectures, the medieval inns, and the nice parks that are found all over the city centre.

Marvista, Kusadasi: Trendy Restaurant and Good Tiramisu

Anyone who has lived and travelled in Turkey for more than a few years will know how difficult it is to find a restaurant that serves decent western cuisines and western desserts such as tiramisu and cheesecake. There are of course plenty of restaurants all over the major tourist resorts along Turkey's western and southern coast, serving run-of-the-mill western cuisines to holidaymakers from Europe, but more often than not, the way these European dishes are prepared is by mixing local Turkish ingredients together according to European recipes. As authentic European food and culinary ingredients are hard to come by in Turkey and very expensive, most restaurants serving western cuisines in Turkey tend to supplant items not readily available in Turkey, such as Swiss gruyere or Italy's Parmigiano-Reggiano with cheaper local substitutes.

Colourful Bazaars of Antep: Bakircilar Carsisi

Ever since the medieval times, Antep has been famous for its hand-crafted copperwares, hand-made colourful Ottoman-style leather slippers known as 'yemeni', and its sweet-till-your-drop dessert filled with syrup and pistachios nuts known as the baklava. 

While baklava can be found everywhere in Turkey and the art of its making is in no fear of becoming obsoleted, the same cannot be said of the handcrafted copperwares and hand-sewn yemeni. The art of traditional shoe-making is fast disappearing in Turkey, as modern designs replaced traditional Ottoman footwears, and with dwindling sales of traditional yemeni, fewer and fewer younger people are willing to enter into this sunset industry. The art of copper-ware making is facing a similar challenge: with so many pots and pans of different shapes, colours and sizes now readily available in supermarkets and stores all over Turkey at reasonable prices, the once highly-coveted hand-crafted copper kitchen wares are on the losing side, becoming limited to the kitchen shelves of some gourment restaurants, or even collector items displayed on the walls of posh boutique hotels and traditional culinary establishments.

Yenifoca: the Younger Foca?

When I was in Eski Foca two years ago, I had wanted to take a bus and visit the other Foca - Yenifoca that is - on a day trip, but there are very few direct buses between the two Focas, and I did not manage to wake up early enough in the morning to catch that bus from old Foca to the new Foca. During my next few trips to Turkey, I did not have time to visit this part of Turkey, and the plan to take a look at this seaside village was postponed until earlier this year.

According to the locals, Yenifoca (the new Foca) is actually the older of the two Focas, but for reasons which nobody can really explain, this town has been called Yenifoca, while the supposedly younger other Foca was known as the Eski (Old) Foca instead.

Candarli: Bitterly Cold Winter on the Aegean Coast

Candarli is a pleasant seaside town with fairly decent beach, located about halfway between Ayvalik and Izmir. The town is popular with Turkish tourists in the summer. But the main reason of my visit was to take a look at the town's landmark, the fortress-castle first built by the Genovese in the 13th century and later rebuilt by the Ottoman Grand Vizier Candarli Halil Pasha in 1450 as a strategic fortification on the coast to protect the royal residence in Manisa. 

However, when I arrived at Candarli, the castle was undergoing extensive restoration which would take up to three years. All I could see of the castle was its exterior walls and the towers.

Sirince: Formerly Deserted Greek Village turned Tourist Hotspot

In the past, Sirince used to be a quiet village tucked away in the hinterland of Selcuk, populated with Muslim refugees expelled during the 1923 Population Exchange from the region of Kavala in northern Greece. Following their resettlement in Sirince, nothing much has been done on the part of the Turkish government to help the refugees find employment or cope with life in a new land, and for decades Sirince has suffered from net outward migration due to lack of job opportunities in the village. Following the successful eradication of malaria in the area of Selcuk in the 1930s, many residents of Sirince moved to Selcuk and set up business over there.

With the rise of tourism in nearby Selcuk and Ephesus in the 1980s and 90s, Sirince was 'discovered' by some travellers and private guides who were looking for a beauty spot off the beaten track. The historical background of the village, coupled with its scenic surroundings, contributed to the rise in fame of Sirince. If you look at the old photos, in the 1970s and early 80s, there was only one street in the centre of the village with a few shops selling necessities to local residents; but as the number of visitors to Sirince began to increase, the once impoverished villagers found a small but steady income in selling hand-knit tableclothes, jumpers and home-made jams, honey and fruit wines to tourists visiting the village. One or two simple pensions began to appear on the scene.

Rhodes Revisited Again: Having the Entire Old Town to Myself

I had been to Rhodes at least half a dozen times, sometimes spending just one day or less or the island, sometimes a few days more. During the high season, the Old Town is almost without exception overwhelmed with tourists from all over the world, and it is always difficult to really admire the Old Town of Rhodes with so many people walking around.

This winter I had the chance to spend an extended period of time in northern Greece, and I decided to book a cheap flight from Thessaloniki to Rhodes and have a look how things are like on the island in winter. It was a Sunday when I arrived, and the whole of Old Town was virtually deserted: I have never seen things like that before during my previous visits to Rhodes. All shops inside the Old Town were closed for renovation, the main street which was usually crowded with cafes, restaurants, and ice cream parlours were all out of action. In fact the whole old town was so quiet and empty, with no one in sight, it actually feels a bit eerie walking around the older parts of the town. Only the usual street cats still patrol the old quarters.

Griffon Boutique Hotel, Yenifoca: Beautiful Hotel housed in a former Olive Factory

After the visit to the beautiful Aegean seaside village of Eski Foca, I had always wanted to visit its namesake, Yenifoca, just to see how it differs from the other Foca. By coincidence I came across this nice boutique hotel tucked away in a small street in the town centre of Yenifoca. A former olive press factory, the complex was built in the typical Aegean Greek style, but was abandoned by its original owners during the population exchange of 1923. It was not until recently that the building was restored and coverted into a boutique hotel by its new owners.

In Greek mythology, 'Griffon' is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, that is said to possess divine powers and guards over the treasures at the Temple of Athena in Foca. The new owners of the hotel chose this name because of Yenifoca's historical association with Greek culture and mythology.

The hotel is divided into two wings, which consist of some very beautiful and tastefully decroated bedrooms and a large dining room/restaurant, serving international cuisines and Mediterranean fares. As it was winter when I arrived at Yenifoca, I consulted with the chef of the hotel restaurant prior to my dinner appointment to make sure they have the necessary ingredients for the specific dishes I would like to order for dinner.

Akyaka: Beautiful Sunset, Cittaslow, and the Village of Nil Cakirhan

A while ago, I read about a lifestyle movement by the name of Cittaslow in a Turkish magazine, and was amazed to find out there are several member towns and villages in Turkey. One of them caught my attention because of its unique style of architecture. And that was Akyaka, a little fishing village located at the very end of the famous Gulf of Gokova, just 20 minutes by car outside of Marmaris. 

The village is unique due to its strict planning rules, which allow no high-rise buildings and any development projects which could negatively affect the environmental and aesthetic profiles of the village. Virtually all houses in Akyaka are designed according to the style made famous by Nil Cakirhan, a Turkish architect born in nearby Ula who specialised in the design and restoration of old Ottoman-era buildings in the province of Mugla. This uniformity in design gives the village of Akyaka a very well-coordinated, tidy and clean look, which is quite unique in this part of the world.