"Priene: A Nice Place" Oldrover's photos around Priene, Turkey (priene pension turkey)

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• published: 11 Dec 2010
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Preview of Oldrover's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/oldrover/1/1236294000/tpod.html This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Priene, Turkey Entry Title: "Priene: A Nice Place" Entry: "Priene, or the ruins thereof, is an archaeological site on the west coast of Turkey. It is a lovely site. In nice weather. Of course it is in ruins. And many pine trees grow up throughout the spaces once cleared and occupied by the homes, civic places and activities of its residents. And grow they do. They are higher now than in many of the postcard pictures. But the trees do give it a pleasant park-like atmosphere. I did my usual thing: crawl and clamber over the exposed stones, read a couple of guide books describing the intimate details--all of which I forget about as soon as I read them. I have visited the site on two occasions. Once in beautiful weather, and once during a windy day that ended in a little bit of a rain sprinkle. That just as I was trying to climb up to the fort on top of the high rocky bulb, seemingly growing out of the ruins like one of the pine trees. On my second visit to Priene, and in order to better place myself for my next visits--to Miletus and Didyma--I moved to a pension in the village of Güllübahçe next door. Of course in my usual unprepared naivete I was a little surprised to find the pension without electricity. A swimming pool was being constructed over the winter season, and for some reason the electricity was off. I thought I could make do. What really rankled me, however, was being charged 27.50YTL for a bed and candle. No light, no hotwater, no breakfast, no wireless. The previous week in Selcuk I had all of the above (including one of the best breakfast offerings in Turkey) for 30YTL. I guess the guy thought he was giving me a deal as he said the regular seasonal charge was 100YTL. Deal or not, I decided that I had given him enough of my money, and walked a mile or two into Güllübahçe for a meal at twice the price that he offered me in his other place in the village. Furthermore, I even slept in my own sleeping bag! It was chilly. And the Turkish idea of warm bed coverings is to pile on thick and heavy "comforters," or whatever they are called. I don't like so much weight, and body warmth seems to seep out the sides anyway, so I generally turn to my own gear. The next day I moved to a hotel in Söke, the town from which all the buses radiate anyway. It is 45YTL, but has all the usual basics: primarily a "Jim" room: first floor fronting the trafficed street below. These days the street is frequently used by mobile sound systems very loudly declaiming candidates for the upcoming--Turkey-wide--mayoral elections. However, before going back to Söke I did my perhaps now familiar hike and climb around the greater perimeter of the the archaeological site. The pension owner proffered me a litre of water. The plan was to head up the road to the east side of the citadel mount, then continue on around counter-clockwise in the ringing hills to the north and around to the west. This view, from the southeast, out on the Menander plain, shows the rocky acropolis dome, the now forested city below, and the hills rounding to the northwest. Once on top one could tippy-toe to the edge and look directly down on the site of the Priene town. First an overview; then close-ups of the theater and the precincts of the Temple of Athena. At the top there are extensive remains of the acropolis fortification walls. And, in this view, the hills to the west northwest that I would traverse roughly at this same elevation. I found this fellow(?) out across the way, and thought his personal fort echoed in form the hilltop fortification. These fellows do move slowly. But they are dauntless. You can set them down, turn around, and they have moved off out of sight ..." Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/oldrover/1/1236294000/tpod.html Photos from this trip: 1. "Visualizing Ancient Priene" 2. "A View To Priene" 3. "Temple of Athena, 4th century BC." 4. "The Theater of Priene, 4th century BC." 5. "The Pension Owner" 6. "A Look Over the Edge" 7. "Close-Up of the Theater" 8. "Close-Up of the Temple of Athena" 9. "Acropolis Fortress Walls" 10. "Two Defenses" 11. "Gnarly Simon" 12. "I Just Had to Hack Through It" 13. "And the Stickies Have to Be Cut Away" 14. "Priene and Acropolis from the West" 15. "Something of What We Are Missing" 16. "Another View of the Theater" 17. "The Modern Way to the Acropolis" 18. "On a Clear Day You Can See Miletus" 19. "On An Unclear Day, You Cannot See Miletus" See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00bb-c9ea-0c94?ytv4=1