The people I meet have a lot of say on how much fun I’m having. Yesterday, I was a little miserable – rained in, soaking wet, cold, trapped on Rhodes and having just been charged €10 for an hour’s internet access, I was ready to call it a night. Fortunately I was befriended by the [...]
初しぐれ猿も小蓑をほしげ也
the first cold shower
even the monkey seems to want
a little coat of straw
– Matsuo Bashō, c17.
At first I thought that Rhodes was simply trying its hardest to conform to the stereotype of a medieval European city. Narrow, cobbled, Vespa-strewn alleyways, crumbling churches and mosques, stray cats, a moat and a twelve meter thick outer wall. Then I remembered that most stereotypes are based on something, and in this case Rhodes [...]
I just realized why it’s been so hard to find anywhere to buy gyros today: it’s Good Friday, on the Greek Orthodox calendar. I was sitting here, reading my email, when almost the entire population of the island marched past in a street parade, carrying flares, images of Christ, incense burners and various other religious [...]
Turns out I didn’t notice that I’d smashed one of the indicator lights when I dropped the bike. Oops. I’m €20 the poorer, now. Other than that, it was a pretty awesome 21st birthday. I’d forgotten about that bit until I checked my email.
Some photos from my ride around the island:
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Greece wasn’t much of a surprise, to tell the truth – I stepped off the boat and was immediately faced with a minaret. I did a double check to make sure that I wasn’t still in Turkey, but I have the passport stamps to prove that I’m not. Still, although I’m only five kilometers or [...]
I’ve spent the last day in the Turkish beach town of Bodrum, known in a past life as Halicarnassus. I don’t really enjoy resort towns; English package-tourists everywhere, overpriced everything, not much of actual Turkey. A few blocks off the beach and uphill, however, things improve. I’ve found some cheap restaurants where the proprietor will [...]
After a sleepless seven-hour bus ride from Çanakkale to Selçuk, and a quıck compensatory nap on a hostel bed, I spent the afternoon explorıng the ruıns ın and around the cute lıttle Turkısh town of Selçuk. Fırst, a clımb up the hıll to the ruıns of St. John’s Basılıca, then the long walk fırst to [...]
I went to Gallipoli today. I don’t really have much to say, except that war in general is a pretty bad idea, and the thought of trying to take the Gallipoli Peninsula by force is an even worse one.
Gallipoli photoset here.
I’m really lovıng thıs country. I’m stıll at Çanakkale – ıt’s nıce to be out ın the countrysıde for a whıle, and everythıng ıs cheaper out here. It’s currently more expensıve to cook for myself than to eat at a restaurant, so I’ve been dınıng on köfte (meatballs), kebaps, varıous ekmek (sandwıches), of whıch balık [...]