A day without end! Tuesday started with a 3:30 AM wake-up in Istanbul for a 7:30 AM flight to Munich. After our Munich to DC flight was canceled for a mysterious maintenance malady, we were rebooked to Norfolk through Newark, which is where I started tapping out these paragraphs with very bleary eyes. But hey, it’s good to be back in the land of free public toilets!

Istanbul was the capstone of the trip. In 2 ½ days we covered as much of the city as we could humanly fit in, walking about 15 miles in total. It is a city teeming with humanity – about 16,000,000 people – twice that of NYC. It bridges west and east both literally with parts in Europe and parts in Asia, and figuratively where civilizations meet and have for millennia. Its ancient history and modernity exist comfortably side by side. The place absolutely buzzes with energy.

Evidence of its Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim history is everywhere, but given our limited time we had to choose the main sites. The amazing Basilica Cistern, a huge underground reservoir built by the Romans in the 6^th Century, is supported by recycled columns taken from structures throughout the area. The enormous Hagia Sophia (which means holy knowledge) started its life as a Byzantine church and was converted to a mosque when the Ottomans drove out the Christians in 1453. Much of its Christian roots are still there to be enjoyed on the upper floor while faithful Muslims pray below. Nearby, and much newer, stands the famous Blue Mosque built by Sultan Ahmet in the 17^th century. Finally, the sprawling Topkapi Palace was the highlight of our tours. By walking through the maze of rooms and grounds, we got an appreciation for life in the royal court of the sultans.

No visit to Istanbul would be complete without inching your way through the old Spice Market and Grand Bazaar, where merchants have been hawking their goods for centuries. They politely but persistently invite shoppers into their stores, and haggling is an expected part of the experience.

The walls that protected the city from invasion for nearly a thousand years still stand in many places. Also clearly visible are the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus Strait and the Golden Horn, some of the busiest and most important waterways in the world, both then and now. All shipping between the Mediterranean and Black Seas must transit these vessel-choked waters.

A word to would-be visitors to Istanbul. Get a good guide. It was well worth the cost of a private guide for a full day. She laid out a plan to maximize our visits and provided us with information we never would have gotten on our own. Ours was named Eylem; +90 532 582 04 11. You can find her on WhatsApp.

Well, that wraps up my blog for now. Stay tuned for more as we continue our wanderings through this beautiful world of ours.

Well, I searched high and low for Hector but apparently, he left town when he heard I was coming. Mythology aside, it’s likely that there was a war fought here between the Greeks and Trojans in the 10^th or 11^th century BC, probably for the usual reasons – control of resources, expansion of territory, etc. which was won by the Greeks.

The site was inhabited for at least 6,000 years and probably longer and ended its life as a Roman city with a different name in around 400 AD. There are now 10 archaeological layers and layer #6 was from the period of the Trojan War. The Trojan Horse used in the movie Troy with Brad Pitt is located in the port city of Canakkale (see picture). At the Troy ruins there’s a very kitschy horse with windows – not exactly the vehicle that Achilles would have wanted to hide in.  

We’ll be in Istanbul for the next few days, so I’ll post when we’re done there!

Ephesus (May 7th)

Today we docked in our first Turkish city – Kusadasi – which is about a 30-minute drive to Ephesus. This city has a long history, but its main claim to fame was that the Apostle Paul spread the word of Christianity here from 53-56 AD. Apparently, he was a bit too successful because residents loyal to the Roman gods rioted and threatened his life, so he left for Macedonia. Ephesus was finally abandoned when the harbor silted up.

As for the port city of Kusadasi, it’s mainly a tourist trap. My Navy buddies will understand when I say that the “hey-joes” were out in force. Tomorrow, it’s on to Troy, where I’ll be picking a fight with Hector.

Rhodes (May 6th)

Another day, another gorgeous Mediterranean port. Our ship docked right next to the old port city, but the colossus wasn’t there to greet us. Margaret and I set out on an all-day tour of the island – first stop, Lindos.

This small, picturesque village with bright white houses has only about 700 residents. Like Athens, it also has an acropolis (that just means high city) with a palace and a temple to Athena. Apparently, this was also the place where the women and children sought refuge while the men folk were busy beating back invaders. The views up there were spectacular!

After an authentic Greek lunch at a local place, we then toured the old city of Rhodes and the Medieval castle of the Grand Master of the Knights of Saint John. With massive walls and multiple moats, these guys had defense-in-depth down to a science. The palace was reconstructed by Mussolini’s fascist government in the late 1930s, including mosaic tile floors that were recovered from other areas.

Holy history, Batman! Today we were in Heraklion, the largest city on the Greek island of Crete. We learned that this area has been continuously inhabited for at least 7,000 years. With its turquoise waters, the coastline is absolutely stunning. Perfect weather made it even more special.

We got to visit what remains of the ancient Knossos Palace, home of the Minoan kings and queens. The Minoans were the oldest European civilization, yet they had elaborate public works systems, as well as advanced works of art. They had a written language but so far it has not been deciphered.

The most famous mythological story of Crete involves the fabled Minotaur, a beast that was half human and half bull. The creature was confined in a cave at Knossos linked to the outside by a labyrinth, preventing its escape. Every year as a sacrifice, seven Athenian young men and seven young women were forced into his lair to be consumed. The Greeks turned to their divine hero Theseus to do battle with the Minotaur. This he did and vanquished the dreaded beast. So that he could find his way back through the labyrinth, Theseus unwound a ball of thread as he descended.

For your further education, this YouTube video will describe just how the Minotaur was conceived. The Bizarre Story of How the Minotaur Was Born – Greek Mythology – See U in History #shorts. Finally, some useless trivia: the English word ‘clue’ derives from the middle English word ‘clew’ meaning a ball of thread, a direct reference to the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. And now, to Rhodes we sail!

Athens 3-4 May

Athens is truly one of the world’s most important historical cities. Everywhere we looked, we saw evidence of the civilizations that came before. Of course, we walked the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, the massive temple to Athena who Athens was named for. The entire site was religious in nature and included other structures – the Propylaea, Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike. The Parthenon is undergoing a major renovation but is still magnificent.

As we ascended the hill to the Acropolis we could see the nearby Agora, the site of Athenian democracy where the people (well okay, just free men) gathered to consider the issues of their time and conduct business. There was a stark contrast between the masses of tourists visiting the Acropolis and the meager few visiting the Agora. Yet to me, that site is of greater significance to the democracies of the Western world, including our own.

Architecturally, modern Athens is a rather unlovely city. After WW II there was a major influx of population from Greece’s rural areas into the cities, resulting in a serious housing shortage. The city started erecting apartment buildings to house the masses of new residents, and appearance took a back seat to expedience. And the ubiquitous graffiti doesn’t help. There are certainly beautiful buildings here, but they are not always easy to spot amongst the preponderance of drab, boxy, structures. Pictured below is an attractive neoclassical building attached to one of the ugly ducklings with its exposed air conditioning units.

Here’s some food for thought. When Christianity was in its infancy, while the official language of the Roman Empire was Latin, the language spoken by most people for trade and commerce was Greek. For that reason, the disciples of Christ were able to spread the Gospel, in Greek, throughout the Middle East, the Levant, Greece, and even Rome. What might the world look like had that not been the case?