April 9th: Temple of Apollon in Didim

We got a nice early start this morning, planning to stop at Labranda, and perhaps another site on our way to Didim.  Unfortunately, the Garmin tried to steer us in what was clearly both the wrong way and a transmission killer, so we turned it off and decided to look for highway signs instead.  I thought we must have missed the Labranda sign, but instead we had missed our turn and were on the way to Bodrum.  Knowing I couldn’t use the Gimli to get to Labranda (she has a TERRIBLE track record for finding ruins) I plugged in Didim instead, and we spent the next hour going down the peninsula to Didim on a goat track.  Yes, it was picturesque, but the stress of navigating between potholes, donkeys, buildings and tumbled over rock fences was making Ian increasingly taciturn:  not usually a good sign!

We were rewarded for our frustration with a lovely temple, a beautiful hotel in a 150 year old Greek house, a delicious dinner, and the adventure of a thunder storm.  The lights have just come back on so that I can upload this.  Forgive any errors made while typing in the dark!

At least the Gimli redeemed itself by actually finding our hotel, this time.  The only problem is that they have ripped out the street in front of the hotel, and no one can come down this way.  We eventually parked in the lot for the Apollon theatre and walked up to the hotel, where the owner took us in his car to get our car, through a maze of back alleys. 

Our hotel is very nice.  It is a 150 year old Greek house, and has a lovely garden.  Unfortunately, it has been raining and windy, so we are enjoying it from the windows of our room.

We wlked the 50 metres to see the temple of Apollon and even after seeing a Greek temple or two, and even though it was never finished, it is impressive.  It was originally built in the 7^th century BCE around an oracular spring.  (The priestess would drink the water and make prophecies.)  Eventually, a mud brick structure surrounded the spring, then the Carians built a more substantial structure around that. 

The spring went dry in the 6^th century BCE, so a well was dug to reach the oracular water.

One of the many Medusa faces.  These were believed to provide protection to the temple, and each one is different.

An example of the fine marble carving.

Ian -- or is it Indiana Jones?

When the area was Hellenized by King Mausolus (yes, the man for whom mausoleums are named) an impressive Greek temple was placed on the site.  Although never quite finished, the parts that were finished are largely still standing, and the rubble around the base is caused not by an earthquake, but because it is still standing where the workmen left it.  The carving is very very lovely, and some of it is hardly eroded at all.  Ian was able to read the Greek!  Or at least, to sound out the Greek letters.  Thanks, Dr. Shrimpton!

We next walked down to the Sacred Way that led from Miletus to the temples here at Didim.

We needed to go to a bank machine, so we had a few tense moments while I led Ian 50 metres down a lane that was deeply rutted, full of rocks,, and had buildings on either side.   After a long and increasingly frantic search, we found a marina that had a bank machine, and were in funds again.  When we came back, the Greek foreman wasn’t going to let us back down the road to the track across the field that leads to the lane that leads to the alley.  I finally managed to blurt out the name of the hotel, and Ian drove past piles of sand and dirt, both of us dreading the morning and wondering how we would get out!  Ian drove further down the lane, past the alley, and we parked beside a farmhouse.  We went up to our room, and a moment later we were startled to see and hear a honking big roller come up the alley, between the houses, and on to the pavers in front of the hotel!.  The good news is that the alley is beautifully flat now.  So is a soccer ball that was sitting beside the wall.  The better news if that these men are incredibly quick at what they are doing.  They are completing a metre wide section that is four lanes across every hour.  The owner hopes we can just drive out tomorrow!

We went for dinner at the Appollon Restaurant and due to the heavier rain, ate inside.  The food was fabulous, and the setting was beautiful, as it was in the main room of another century old Greek house.  These Greek houses are beautiful, but it is a little triste, as the Greeks were expelled from Turkey in the 1929’s.  I couldn’t help but wonder who had once owned the elegant sideboard and amazing wardrobe – I’m pretty sure Narnia is on the other side!

The food was delicious, but I  was very distracted by the thunder and lightening storm going on all around us.  There weren’t very many Mississippi’s between the light and the sound!  We noticed the restaurant owner putting out kerosene lamps, so we decided it was time to make a dash for the hotel.  On the way we got to see a sight few tourists see:  the entire Temple of Apollo lit up in brilliant lightening!  We were both soaked right through all our clothes in the minute of two it took us to make it to the hotel.  We changed into our jammies, I started to type this – and then the lights went out.  No Internet again, although I did manage to download the list of email contacts james sent me right before the power went out. 

Ian is reading his kindle by flashlight, I am going to listen to my Maeve Binchey – no Turkish lesson tonight – and we’ll be up bright and early to head for Miletus in the morning.