pinkbirdflies

Took aboat to the small island of Antipaxos with its white sand beaches. Spent the day at Vrika Beach and lunched on seafood at Spiros Taverna on the beachfront with its drying octopus and chargrill at the front!

Coves, Bays, beaches, small harbours, rugged cliffs, sea caves, blue water and the sandy bays of Antipaxos, a little neighbouring islet near Paxos. 

Paxos is a small island covered in pines and ancient olives planted by the Venetians….rocky bays and pebbly beaches, turquoise waters, sandy bays and Venetian architecture. The small Capital town of Gaios is a maze of little streets and a cafe lined waterfront where yachts pull in for the night. Its a great vibe with little shops, people, restaurants with lovely Greek food including octopus, fish, Tzatziki, olives, greek salad, saganaki and calamari. I hired a tiny Fiat Panda to access the hidden coves and little harbour towns and on our first exploration we drove passed the olive terraces, ruined houses and olive mills, Greek churches, wells and little tavernas to reach Lakka at the northern end of the island. It is a beautiful bay and we swam before lunch on the harbours edge. Coffee and a swim at Loggos on the way back to Gaios.

Took the Despina ferry from Corfu to the small island of Paxos where we were picked up and  taken to Pithari Villa in the small town of Gaios…very picturesque, very hot and humid! Unpacking, swimming and a stroll through the town before Chris and Ros arrived followed by Floyd and Amy….so good to see them! A drink on the terrace before dinner at a Taverna. 

Transferred to Ataturk airport in Istanbul with Jo-Anne, Chris and Ros for our flight to the Greek Island of Corfu via Athens with Olympic airlines. Jo-Anne and I are staying in the older part of Corfu Town which has an Italian, in particular Venetian, style of Architecture. We wandered the streets and shops before dining in a wonderful Greek Taverna…Tzatziki, Saganaki, salty olives and prawns in a tomato and feta sauce..the Corfu beer was refreshing in the warm and humid evening!

Crossed the Dardenelles returning to the European part of Turkey and the Gallipoli Peninsular. The beach and cemeteries of Anzac Cove are now serene but it is very moving to imagine the horrors of the battle in 1915 during the First World War, especially when perusing the graves and seeing the ages of the dead..18, 19 year old boys. The Lone Pine memorial was poignant as was the Turkish cemetery near the Ataturk memorial. The treasures of Turkey tour finally ended back in Istanbul with a visit to the lovely Grand Bazaar..

The joys of travelling….squat toilets…all part of the experience! Troy was a city that existed over 4000 years ago on the sea. Very little remains and historians are still at odds as to whether or not the Trojan Horse was a myth or reality. Another replica exists in Canakkale also where we spent the night before crossing over to the Gallipolli Peninsular.

Before leaving Pamukkale we visited a local market and the ‘red water’ thermal springs that the local Turkish people use. After four hours driving through Turkey and lunch in a Turkish tent, we reached the town of Selcuk from where we explored Ephesus which is one of the best preserved classical cities in the Eastern Mediterranean and a fantastic example of Roman architecture.

Left Fethiye after looking at the hillside tombs for a fairly long drive through the Turkish countryside and large towns to the very unique ‘cotton castle’ of Pamukkale. This amazing natural phenomenon was created by deposits from the thermal waters cascading down the mountainside over many years forming pools and terraces. The ruins of Hierapolis which once had roman baths are above the formations and we watched the sun set from the ancient theatre after soaking in the warm waters and swimming amongst ruined columns of Cleopatras pool.

Visited the Lycian site of Xanthos exploring the ruins in very hot conditions! Drove through mountains covered in Pine tress to the Greek ghost town of Kayakoy where the population deserted the thriving township to be repatriated back to Greece. Fethiye is a large town situated on a bay and we enjoyed seafood from the local fish market for dinner.