In which Sid and Doris cross the Dardanelles, see Troy, sneak a lift a miles south and find a ‘new’ ferry to Lesbos
The Turks would seem to be punctual people. All of TJ’s arrangements for our drivers and guides have gone well. This morning, in true Audley (our usual travel agents) style, we were escorted to the ferry to Cannukale and accompanied to our next van and driver. Our English speaking chaperone was a mechanical engineer who had spent time with the Turkish Peace Keepers in Bosnia. Though the crossing was brief Sid and Mustafa discussed the Istanbul election; his view ‘Erdogan is a dictator intent on destroying democracy, but probably will not last forever’. And ‘I think that some Arab nations still resent the Turks because they were ruled by us.’
Pictures taken from ferries usually turn out a bit disappointing, especially when you are trying to get your bicycles and a big view into the same shot (picture 1) but the second picture is of The Dardanelle Strait Bit That Is So Strategically Significant, so we hope that explains an otherwise mysterious big blue square. And then the third one is a view of the pier-head light at Canukkale which has probably featured in 2.3M other tourist photos.
Our driver helped us load the Neddies into another VW Caravelle for the trip to Troy where we met Australian lady co-seekers after knowledge (all, mysteriously, with names either Penny or Sue, and with the habit of using them as group nouns as in “Have you seen The Pennys?”) and The Guide. He was very engaging. He looked so Eccentric-English, braces (suspenders for those with a US subscription) holding up his shorts and a Tilley hat. (The braces were not connected to the hat, though there is a small prize for the best picture of such a combination. I can imagine Spike Milligna’s drawing.) He also reflected on the squirrels that you see round the site, probably descendants of those there in Trojan times – a very S&D thought.
He started by debunking the Trojan Horse myth. He is from around here and frankly they just are not that stupid. He did later also explain what might have given rise to the myth; Greek siege engines covered with wetted horse hides (to prevent the Trojans setting fire to the towers) might have looked like giant horses. Or maybe it was something else. Even so there are plenty of takers for clambering into the playground Wooden Horse used in a film about the Trojan Wars with Brad Pitt. (Not the original one, we are told – apparently this is a question regularly asked).
Our tour took us through the evidence for nine layers of the city of Troy, once near the sea and by the time of the Greek Trojan war some way back. Newly wise in the subtle differences between bronze age and iron age stonework, we looked at the work of Schliemann, destructive and not in keeping with archeological work of his own time, never mind today [but what the hell, a bulldozer is so much faster than messing about with trowels and little brushes].
Though the ostensible reason for the ten years of war was the kidnapping of Helen by Paris, Prince of Troy, less romantic people such as Sid, (though he would fight ten years for Doris) suggest economic motives. There are some parallels to be drawn with the campaign on Gallipoli, which can be seen from Troy. We pass fresh digging and see the archaeologists at onzies, putting us in mind of Lepinski Vir – how many days ago in Serbia, how far have we come?
Then Sid and Doris go into the cafe loo and in Clark Kent Stylee emerge as Super Cyclists ( Yes, S, Super), get a lift down a big road to Ezine and get riding again. Destination Aegean seaside. We have had enough of being on dual carriage ways so take to the Country Rodes. Oh, how romantic. There is a clue to the usual weather because we are riding through olive groves. At first the absence of traffic is very pleasant, then the two-gear-progress-sapping surface grates, the gradients so appropriate for mules and the heat begin to take their toll. There was walking with bicycles, possibly we had a touch of heat exhaustion. One sign: Doris’s phone said it was too hot to work, a view we all shared.
One small consolation was this Vehicle of the Day. An open cart with engine exposed at the front with rear wheel drive. We have seen these before but Sid has not been quick enough to get a picture as they roar away. Or maybe it is that they lay smoke?
At Ayvacik we make for the bakery. On the way in Doris stands on the shop cat, the cat yowls while Doris apologises. Happily the owners still sold us excellent bread based pies, three FuseTeas, two waters, a sesame covered pain au raisins. A regular got up to give us a seat in the shade, and stood on the cat which yowled. We ate like wolves on piece rates. The owner brought more juice, stayed around to chat and stood on his own cat. Sid got up to leave; the cat had gone to sit on the wall.
We decided big-ISH roads might be a new ideal choice, heading for the seaside up long hills before the ’50p to me’ wrist-breaking descent to the Aegean. At 50 kilometres and 634 metres of very hot climbing not a big day but we have had enough.
Walking in to the Eden Park Resort Hotel Doris asked at reception for a room to be told ‘We have no rooms’. Standing in reception we booked online through Booking.com and cost the owner the commission. There is a box for tips in reception. Sid’s tip: don’t employ staff who turn away custom. What would the owner say?
We have swum in the sea, done the washing (we generally spare you the full detail of daily life on the road) and come to Blog Central near the all-in-the-price beer counter. The owner drops by. We explain the Ayvalik ferry to Lesbos plan which requires 90km of cycling all the way round the bay on an increasingly-busy road. And he counters with a new ferry, invisible on the internet (we can’t begin to tell you how much is not on the Internet) leaving from 15 kilometres down the Assos seafront road at Kucukkuyu. Our plans change again. A random hotel choice leads to a serendipitous discussion which has opened a great route for us to Midilli (aka Lesvos to you non-Turk) and then mainland Greece. And a later breakfast.