| Some of the oldest ruins visible today are the walls of Constantinople, built in the V century by Emperor Theodosius II. Most of the western side still stands, however not much is being done for preservation: there are no steel supports to hold the cracked pieces together and we saw people climbing to the top of them for drinks with cool sights. The access was unrestricted.
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| There are at least two large pieces of aqueduct remaining today, and they are of the same age as the walls.
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| Water was stored in underground cisterns. At least three are preserved. While visiting, the feeling was very intense. Better than any video game ever imagined! Absolutely remarkable!
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Old Constantinople
Istanbul
| Blogging from Bucharest, where we arrived on the 18th of June, 6 months and 12 days after arriving in Hanoi.
Istanbul was a huge surprise. Owing it to it’s fascinating history and geography, the city established itself as the top travel destination among all major cities visited in Asia. It took us one full day to develop a sightseeing strategy, so it’s going to take a few posts to talk about. It’s easier to understand what is what from the top of the medieval era Galata tower. |
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| Across the Golden Horn we can see the old Constantinople, and the two mosques Hagia Sophia and Süleymaniye. |
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| This view is from the Topkapi Palace in old Constantinople. You can see Asia on the far right side. |
 And a close view of the Bosphorus bridge, also from the European side. It was a pleasure riding on the shore: plenty of old wooden houses, cafes, parks and some city wall ruins. |
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Izmir & Pergamon
| This is Izmir, a city on the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean see. It has a cute winding road on the side of the beach.
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| Not too far North is Pergamon. Originally a Greek colony, it came under Roman and Ottoman rule as the centuries passed. The Acropolis – partially reconstructed – is the main attraction. We’ve seen parts of it also at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Quite nice!
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| Pergamon was our last scheduled stop in Asia. Soon after, we were on the Bosphorus bridge, crossing to Europe. We travelled 23,300 km by bike and thousands more by train, plane, ship and bus.
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Ephesus
Ephesus, the former capital of Asia Minor, is the biggest and most impressive Greek/Roman archaeological site so far. Well preserved and well documented, it is a must when visiting Turkey.
We met there Kev and Lorraine from the UK. They were on the way back home, after covering around 120,000km around the world during the past 3 1/2 years. Congratulations and good luck! Their blog is http://takingthelongwayhome.co.uk.
Aphrodisias
Aphrodisias is a well preserved ancient city named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite. There is an open air museum as well as a covered area, exhibiting world famous marble sculptures found on site. Excavation and restoration work is still in progress.
