A TURKISH DELIGHT - DAY 7 – 16 NOVEMBER 2021 – In Canakkale

Canakkale is a picture perfect city. The views from the balcony of the Kule Hotel room made it even more heavenly. Sitting there, watching the city waking up and activities picking up, while working on the outlines of my blog, was balm for the soul. It was cool and windy. The ferries started their to and fro by 5.30 am. The ferry service is very efficiently operated. One does not have to wait for more than 15 minutes during the peak hours to get across the Straits. There are three different capacity of ferries. The biggest one seemed to be taken up for repairs and the other two were adequately and quietly going about their work.

One of the things I noticed in Turkey is the absence of conflict. In the one week we have been in the country we hadn’t found anyone arguing or shouting in public. They have a quiet way of marking their dissent and moving away. This is not to be mistaken with people being cent percent honest. Scams are there and one has to be careful. I had almost got scammed immediately on exiting the bus from the airport in Taksim Square. As I had read up on these I could immediately sense it and get off the taxi. That said, people are generally peace loving, hospitable and helpful. Of course, the major problem in touring Turkey is the generally low level of use of the English language among local people. However, most tourist places have signages, information and instructions in English.

While making hotel bookings I had used two filters, free parking and breakfast. The previous evening when I had reached Kule Hotel the valet had come with me to park the car in a lot that was close to the hotel. In crowded towns and cities the hotels normally have an arrangement with designated parking lots to provide free and secure parking to its guests. Breakfast at the hotel consisted of the traditional breads, strawberry jam, honey, cheese, olives, boiled egg, tofu filled bread, a spicy tomato based paste, salami, cake, green salad, fries and tea. Enough and more to fill a hungry stomach. Moreover, the views from the rooftop restaurant were magnificent.

As a student of history my main point of interest for this day was the excavated ruins of the ancient city of Troy that lie about 25 km to the south of Canakkale. The great Trojan War, Troy and its myths were enriched by Homer's epic, Iliad. While going through places of interest in Canakkale I came across the location of the Trojan Horse, a small diversion from the route to the ruins of the ancient city. We decided to go there first, which turned out to be a mirage. The road went through farming lands, unpaved and with no signs of any life in the village. After driving a few kilometers I abandoned that search and got back to the route to the Trojan site. Before visiting the excavated site I thought it would be more illuminating if we took some time to explore the Troy Museum. That turned out to be the right decision.

The huge four storeyed museum is a treasure trove of information about Troy, the excavations and excavated articles. The Museum has over 11,200 square meters of covered area and was commissioned in 2018. The excavations since the latter half of the 19th century have brought to life seven levels of Troy that spanned many centuries. The Troy Museum has carefully put together information aided by an audio guide for visitors to truly appreciate the historical and geographical significance of the digs. Of course, the audio guide was given to us only after we had deposited our passports at the counter! The museum provides visitors with an orientation to the science of archaeology and dating methods as well. The exhibited articles consisted of stone sculptures, mostly marble, inscriptions, sarcophagi, tools, coins, bone objects, ornaments, columns, tiles, perfume bottles and the like. It will take more than a day to tour the museum if one had to take in all the information. Of course, most visitors only spend time on stuff that interests them, us included.

The archaeological site is just 750 meters ahead of the Museum with ample parking. The Museum and the archaeological sites are must visits for those interested in understanding history and the geographical and political influences that shaped the development of human civilization centuries ago. Troy is one of the most known cities of the world, mostly thanks to Homer and his Iliad. 150 years of excavations at this site have revealed habitation for over 4000 years. The digs further revealed the connections between Anatolia, Aegean and the Balkan regions and how their futures intertwined. Hellenistic and Roman influences can be amply seen in the excavated site and the exhibits. The strategic importance of Troy, with its location controlling the Dardanelles, helped it to shape interregional trade and cultural relations for millennia. What interested us most was the Trojan Horse, on display immediately after entrance turnstiles to the archaeological site. “Beware the Trojan Horse” is an warning that has come down the ages since the Trojan War, which means that the true purpose of an act or thing is hidden, that may do harm and cause evil. The deceptive use of a gift to conquer and plunder a city is what the Trojan Horse is all about, as described in Homer’s Illiad.

On the way back to Canakkale we stopped at a store to pick up some provisions for the next few days of the drive. It was quite a task to communicate with the store clerk to identify what one wants. Anyway, with that done and items in the car we parked in the Hotel parking slot and took some rest as the legs were weary. Nearing 5 pm we could see signs of a brilliant sunset from the room. Hetal and I decided to take a walk on the waterfront and that gave us a glorious evening. The wide, neat and clean promenade with the wave slapping its edges was a place to be to soothe and calm. Benches are placed at intermittent locations along the promenade, there are children’s play area, cafes and restaurants as well as garbage bins. Socially responsible people make for a beautiful and enjoyable place. The Trojan Horse that was used for the 2004 Brad Pitt starrer ‘Troy’ is on display at the Canakkale waterfront. We walked around the waterfront, enjoying the clean air and the nippy winds and marvelling at how smoothly life went on. The sunset was awesome and that one hour made the visit to Canakkale most unforgettable and special.

The cold weather makes one hungrier than normal. While I had a huge Doner roll, Hetal had her vegetarian fare of Pulav and Chick Pea curry. Later we had a fruit and syrup filled bubble waffle from ‘Berliner’ that had a long queue of customers eagerly awaiting their dessert fix. When we savoured the waffle we knew why the ‘Berliner’ was that busy.