Bergama

Since we missed the bus to Capadoccia, we decided to sleep in a bit and show Aili and Gisela the town (since they were in the conference the whole time. We took a local bus down to the city center and wandered around the clock tower before diving into the maze of streets looking for the old bazaar. Finally, we found it and split up to do some window shopping and stopping for tea on the picturesque second floor.

That night Aili and I set out for a nice dinner for two. We found a great seafood restaurant recommended by the Crown Plaza. There were no menus – they just wheeled the wine cart out so we could pick a bottle, then asked, “Meat or fish?” – and when we answered “fish” they responded “Grilled or fried”. They ended up bringing out a platter of fresh fish – four smaller ones and one large bass-like fish – to get our approval, then took them back into the kitchen to cook. They fried the smaller ones and grilled the big one, splitting it between the two. The service was impeccable as they even de-boned the fish for us right at the table. The heads were still on and I had to name the poor fish with the big under bite “Eugene” – then proceeded to eat him.

The next day, we took a city bus to the Konak area in the center of Izmir, the a cab to the huge Otogar (bus station) on the far end of town. We bought tickets to Bergama, another ancient city that is still populated today and is only a two-hour ride away. The bus had assigned seats and initially I sat next to Aili, with Gisela across the aisle. Then, another man boarded and had the seat next her but when the porter came by to take tickets, he made me switch seats with Gisela - presumable so that a man and woman who didn’t know each other don't sit together! Ah, the strange subtleties of a Muslim country.

We arrived at the Metro Bus station in Bergama and were pleased to see we were right next to the Red Basilica. According to our guide book, the structure was originally built as a temple to Egyptian gods but later, Christians constructed a basilica inside it because the building was so large. According to Revelations, it is one of the “seven churches of the Apocalypse” and was once considered the “throne of the devil.” Whoa!

The rain started to fall as we began our hike up to the ancient acropolis. It seemed like the ruins were just ahead but the road kept winding around the hill and it began to rain harder. About 45 minutes later, we reached the top, soaking wet. We huddled in a little souvenir shop and drank tea for a bit before exploring the two thousand year old city. The highlight is the Temple of Trajan with its giant columns, but the city is also home to the Alter of Zeus, and the Temples of Athena and Dionysus. Now, completely soaked to the bone, we hired a car to take us down to town were we grabbed a bite to each and had some more hot tea. Gisela ran across the street to buy a warm, dry sweater and stuffed her wet one in a bag before we scooted off to the Metro Bus station for our ride back to Izmir in the rain. Back in Izmir we decided against the multi-mode transportation option and just cabbed it back to the Guest House on the far side of town – 75 Turkish lira – yikes! That’s a $60 cab ride – more than all three of our round-trip bus tickets to Bergama combined!

For more photos, click here to check them out on Kodak Gallery: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=qb9zdg5.56oers79&x=0&y=zahx4l&localeid=en_US