[The four "Catching Up" posts were composed during our four days "at sea" -- and far away from any Internet connection. They were added to the blog on Monday, May 19, 2014, after our arrival at our hotel in Kusadasi, near Ephesus.]
When our tour group boarded our gulet, the Sadri Usta, all confessed to harboring fantasies of being asked aboard a yacht in some harbor somewhere for "drinks and dinner" by some particularly hospitable boat owner. Now, suddenly, we found ourselves experiencing a closely related version of that, even if only as part of a package tour.
And what a glorious experience it has been! The boat is beautiful -- all varnished and polished wood -- and surprisingly spacious, housing its twelve passengers and three crew quite comfortably. The scenic surroundings are unsurpassable: the coast full of scattered islands, quiet coves and rocky cliffs plunging precipitously into the blue, blue, blue Mediterranean.
During our first day on board, we trekked off to visit Kayakoy, a village deserted by its longtime Greek inhabitants in 1923 as part of a massive population relocation program initiated under the Lausanne Treaty. The terms of the treaty required the Muslim Turks in Greece move to Turkey and the Christian Greek population in Turkey relocate to Greece, forcing close to two million people to up and move away from the place they had known for generations to their (essentially religious) "homeland".
The area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Friendship and Peace site, part of an effort to keep alive memories of what is known as the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Our visit -- and learning about he town's place in world political, religious and cultural history -- proved quite worthwhile, both sobering and informative.
Afterwards, while half the group hiked to the top of a nearby mountain, six of us relaxed instead at Muzzy's, in the shade near the swimming pool under an impossibly clear blue sky, ruminating on our experience -- and enjoying our chocolate milkshakes and Coca Colas. Such is life on tour ...
The remainder of the day we cruised from one cove to another, had the chance to swim off the boat in mid-afternoon, ate three delicious meals (produced by our cook in an impossibly small galley kitchen) and generally just sat back, reading, resting, writing, conversing with our fellow travelers and enjoying the passing scenery. Such is life on tour ...
Interestingly, while the shoreline and surrounding islands seem essentially deserted, the sea is alive with pleasure boats, enjoying the tranquility and the beauty everywhere surrounding us. The Turquoise Coast is indeed a boater's paradise, one not to be missed if ever the opportunity to visit arises!
When our tour group boarded our gulet, the Sadri Usta, all confessed to harboring fantasies of being asked aboard a yacht in some harbor somewhere for "drinks and dinner" by some particularly hospitable boat owner. Now, suddenly, we found ourselves experiencing a closely related version of that, even if only as part of a package tour.
During our first day on board, we trekked off to visit Kayakoy, a village deserted by its longtime Greek inhabitants in 1923 as part of a massive population relocation program initiated under the Lausanne Treaty. The terms of the treaty required the Muslim Turks in Greece move to Turkey and the Christian Greek population in Turkey relocate to Greece, forcing close to two million people to up and move away from the place they had known for generations to their (essentially religious) "homeland".
The entire hillside community of some four hundred stone houses now has only fourteen occupied dwellings. All that's left in most cases are the gray stone walls, steps, and streets of a once prosperous and well-established town. After nine centuries of peaceful coexistence with their Muslim neighbors, tending grape arbors on the mountainsides surrounding a beautiful valley (where Turkish families grew various grain crops), now suddenly everything had changed for the local Greek Christians. While many left house keys with Turkish neighbors, hoping one day to return, none of them has since they were expelled all those decades ago.
The area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Friendship and Peace site, part of an effort to keep alive memories of what is known as the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Our visit -- and learning about he town's place in world political, religious and cultural history -- proved quite worthwhile, both sobering and informative.
Afterwards, while half the group hiked to the top of a nearby mountain, six of us relaxed instead at Muzzy's, in the shade near the swimming pool under an impossibly clear blue sky, ruminating on our experience -- and enjoying our chocolate milkshakes and Coca Colas. Such is life on tour ...
The remainder of the day we cruised from one cove to another, had the chance to swim off the boat in mid-afternoon, ate three delicious meals (produced by our cook in an impossibly small galley kitchen) and generally just sat back, reading, resting, writing, conversing with our fellow travelers and enjoying the passing scenery. Such is life on tour ...
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