Travel – Page 31 – Ian Louis Harris

A Short Visit To Turkey Part Two: Two Nights In Izmir Including A Day Trip To Ephesus 11 to 12 November 1995

The collective memory (Ged & Daisy) of this part of the trip is a bit foggy. Ros might be able to help us to fill in one or two gaps.

We arrived in Izmir in the afternoon of 11th and collected our Avis car, which was to be our companion for the next week.

I’m not sure why we ended up at the Izmir Palace Hotel for a couple of nights; perhaps Lonely Planet recommendations, perhaps Ros suggested that combination for our routing.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure that, once we had collected our car and navigated the Izmir traffic, we didn’t much fancy doing anything else that day we arrived. I’m sure we had a decent meal, either at the Hotel itself or somewhere recommended nearby.

It was well cold, but I’d paid for the balcony so I was going to use it!

We had arranged to see Ros the next day. I think she lived in Kuşadası at that time, so the plan was to meet at/near Ephesus, which Daisy and I were in any case very keen to see.

I think we met Ros at the House of Virgin Mary on Mount Koressos. I’m pretty sure Ros took the following picture of us there:

We have no photographic evidence of Ros joining us that day, but I am sure she did, at least for a while. Whether she came all around the Ephesus ruins with us or not I cannot recall. I do remember her not wanting to be photographed that day, although she relented on the matter of photographs when we met up with her again on the way back from our road trip, at the very end of our visit to Turkey.

Ros might remember this day better and/or differently.

Anyway, here are some of our photos from the fabulous ruins of Ephesus.

There are more photos of Ephesus and of course the whole trip available to view on Flickr here or below.

023 The Great Library and stuff at Ephesus T_1995_G1_Photo32_30A

A Short Visit To Turkey Part One: Two Full Days In Istanbul, 8 to 11 November 1995

Janie and I spent 10 days in Turkey that autumn. Unusually, I didn’t keep a written log, so these Ogblog pieces come from the photo-log we made up on our return and some additional memories that survive.

I have published a placeholder and links, e.g. to the full bank of photos, click here or below:

A Short Break In Turkey, Placeholder & Links, 8 to 18 November 1995

On arrival from London at Istanbul airport, we were met and taken to our Istanbul hotel, the Sokullu Paşa Hotel. That place is well located in the historic district of Istanbul, so we simply found a local restaurant that first evening and enjoyed a traditional Turkish meal.

Our first proper bit of touring, the next morning, was to the Cağaloğlu Hamam, a traditional Turkish bath dating back to the mid 18th century. The headline photo shows me outside the place.

I kept the leaflet they handed us – see below.

I think that’s me relaxing after my steam and scrub

Janie and I both enjoyed the benefits of that place. We had to go separately, of course, but both procured the full works – i.e. steam and scrub.

Comparing notes afterwards, both of us were scrubbed by a big burley person who might be mistaken for being scary. In fact, my abiding memory of the place was a brief chat with a fair-skinned fellow with a Germanic accent who arrived slightly later than me and who had, like me, procured “the works”. I’ll never forget the nervous expression on his pale face when he saw the giant masseuse arrive for me and start scrubbing, as he knew that his turn was soon to come.

In truth, I think I like my exfoliation and massage to be a slightly gentler treatment than the traditional Turkish, but it was a wonderful experience to have the full hammam treatment in such an historic venue.

After the hammam, we went off to see the sights for a couple of days! I’m not entirely sure which sights we saw on which days, but I have a feeling we went to see the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia on that first day, leaving the rest of the Istanbul touring until the next day.

My photo notes remind me that we ran into one of my mates from Lambton Place health Club in Hagia Sophia, but I’m scratching my head to try to remember who it was.

I’m pretty sure we ventured a bit further form our hotel for dinner that second night, finding a place with a stunning view across the water that refused to be photographed with old-fashioned flash guns.

The next day we spent a lot of time in and around Topkapi Palace.

The Pavilion of Murad III – beautiful tiles but I couldn’t find the honours board

We also visited the Grand Bazaar that day.

I’m pretty sure we found a local eatery again on our final night – again finding it easy enough to follow our noses (possibly with a little help from Lonely Planet) and find excellent food at unsilly prices.

We flew to Izmir the next morning (11 November).

You can see more photos from Istanbul in the Flickr album – here or below – the first 20 or so are Istanbul:

A Long Weekend In Paris, 20 to 24 July 1995

Janie and I took the Eurostar to Paris and spent four nights there. In 1995 Eurostar was “a thing” – the service had been running for just a few months and indeed the daily service for just a few weeks.

Eurostar pioneers, us. Janie sports a stereotypical Gallic stripy jumper

We stayed at Le Relais Medicis, which claims to be a charming hotel on the Left Bank. Actually it was a charming hotel; well located and suitably tasteful without being opulent.

We were very keen to see the Musée d’Orsay and I am pretty sure that was our first proper stop after dumping our luggage. The headline picture of the photo album (at the end of this piece) depicts me eating in the restaurant within, which was our main meal on that Thursday, after a fairly long and very enjoyable meander around the gallery.

But our traipsing around Paris really kicked off the next day. We started walking around Le Marais…

We had a good look at the Picasso Museum…

Then we headed north, taking a look at the Place de la République along the way.

After that, a long hike up to Montmartre, pursing the arty theme of our long weekend yet further.

We had a good long look at Sacré-Cœur once we got up there…

…and did a fair bit of wandering around those beautiful streets.

We were pretty tired by the end of all that and/but we found a lovely little rustic restaurant in that Montmartre district where we had a simple (by Parisian standards) but most enjoyable prix fixes meal, after which we staggered home…perhaps with some help from the Paris Metro.

On the Saturday I think we started with a look at Saint-Chappelle…

…and Notre-Dame (see headline photo)…

…followed by the Rodin House.

We did a fair bit of walking around the Right Bank of Central Paris that day, ending up at a rather charming little rotisserie restaurant near the river where we had a memorable meal of roast duck with pomme purée and vegetables.

The next day the weather was not so special, but we had planned a bit more of an indoor day. We did The Louvre…

…and the Musée de l’Orangerie

I think we might have (foolishly) walked the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, as I do remember getting wet at one point, after which we decided to use the Metro a bit more.

We went on to Montparnasse, where we hung out a Lilas C afe for a while, fancying ourselves as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

Janie with an existential Citron Pressé, by the looks of it

Outside the Montparnasse Restaurant where we ate after Lilas

On the Monday, our train wasn’t until late afternoon, so we took advantage of the better weather looking around the environs of the hotel – in particular the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg.

According to Janie’s diary, we went to Momos (Japanese Restaurant in North Ealing) for dinner when we got home and played tennis in Lammas Park on the Tuesday morning. Janie worked in the afternoon, I went back to my flat and sorted out my life ahead of a busy few days.

We didn’t take all that many pictures in Paris – fewer than forty – all of which can be seen through this link or below, acting as a sort-of photo journal of the trip. Except the pictures are in a bonkers sequence, perhaps born of a shuffled pack of prints.

04 The Musee D'Orsay (formerly the Gare) P_1995_D_Photo06_4

One Final Day At Triton, Ahungalla, Sri Lanka, Then Home, 30 to 31 March 1995

30 March 1995
Lazy day round pool and in sea. Went to Ramona’s for lunch for the last time. Swam sunned and read.

Went to flambé restaurant for the last time (seafood platter/king prawns in pernod)

31 March 1995
Spent day round pool after packing.

Snacked on cashews and coffee shop grub before leaving at 5:30 pm long journey to Columbo and then home.
Arrived home 1 April at 4 pm – five hours late.

A Touring Day With Sunil, Including A Near Death Experience Off The Shore Of Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, 29 March 1995

Trip out with Sunil – went to Galle and saw Dutch museum/shop and market (not much to buy).

Then on to Hikkaduwa for ill-fated very choppy coral trip for snorkeling. I felt sick on boat and Jane felt sick in the sea.

That ghastly snorkeling trip really does need to be explained. There were two problems with it. Firstly, it really was too choppy for snorkeling – even very experienced swimmers, who might have been up for the swimming challenge if mad enough, would have agreed that it was simply too choppy to see anything worthwhile with the snorkel.

The second problem was our mad boatman, who seemed especially keen to surf the waves and make the boat trip as “exciting” as possible. I suppose Hikkaduwa is surf territory, but I thought he was truly mad and dangerous. I was so unnerved by him, not least him seeming to turn back for more when we asked him to take us back to the shore, I abandoned the boat and swam for it, to ensure that he followed me back. Probably not the safest idea I have ever had.

This tale reminds me a little of our (rather differently unpleasant) boating experience in Nicaragua more than twenty years later – you might even recognise a similar expression of disgust on my face in the photo:

Nicaragua, Morgan’s Rock to Mukul, 16 February 2016

Washed and dried off – then on to New Moonbeam restaurant for deviled crab – then look round shops.

Sunil & Daisy, who looks pretty-much revived by the Hikkaduwa crab

Yes, Ged revives quickly too when there’s Hikkaduwa crab to be had

Went on to turtle hatchery and then home.

Truly out of my comfort zone with a big turtle, although i look surprisingly comfy

Janie looks less sure with her albino turtle

Daisy gives the baby turtles some sage advice afore they go

Practised snorkeling some more in the pool.
Then went to seafood barbecue in evening – excellent meal .

Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:

01 Tea pickers in hill country, near Nuwara Eliya SRI_J4 (18)

Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:

Lazy Day At The Triton, Ahungalla, Sri Lanka, 28 March 1995

Lazy day round pool and sea. Went into village – bank/water.
Had a lobster lunch at Ramona’s.
Played in sea and played volleyball in the afternoon.

Lobster lunch, with Zillah by the looks of it

Cocktail party in evening.

Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:

Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:

River Safari Around Ahungalla, Sri Lanka, 27 March 1995

River Safari – saw lagoon and mangrove life – Monkey Island, Cinnamon Island, Temple Island…

Thieving monkey nicks one of our bananas

…and then picnic on remote island – very good trip.

…perhaps a little too much, even for a growing boy

Afternoon spent lazing by the pool and playing in the sea.

Supper club in evening – had flambé (pork Jane. I had non- flambé duck).

Janie looks very relaxed considering the place is on fire

Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:

Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:

A Gem Of A Day In Ahungalla, Sri Lanka, 26 March 1995

Went out to moonstone mines to search for gems…

Each pair bought something. I got rubies for mum and dad’s ruby wedding. Saw mines and crude manufacture

I think the merchants were pretty honest ones. Of course the gems were not rubies – not in that part of the world, but they were pink sapphires, which are still precious and I didn’t pay all that much for them. They made a very nice gift when made up into an anniversary ring for mum later that year.

Lunch at Ramonas – gambas and tuna. Lazed around pool and in sea for rest of day.

Light supper in coffee shop in evening.

Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:

Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:

Lazy Day At Triton Hotel, Ahungalla, Sri Lanka, 25 March 1995

Lazy day by the pool and sea.
Swam, ping-pong, Cashews.

We did more sea swimming that holiday than usual, for some reason. I think it was a very gentle sea at that beach…or perhaps I was a bit more crazy back then. Janie will have won consistently at ping-pong – she usually does. I remember the cashews around the pool being/seeming especially yummy.

Planned outings with Don and Zila…

Janie might remember this aspect better than me. They were a couple from our trip and the only other couple who went on to the Triton. I think in the end we only did the one trip with them – the next day to see gems etc. I don’t think they were as keen on doing stuff through Sunil/Ramonas as we were – but more on that as the next few days unfold.

…went into village for water and watched cricket…

I can only apologise to my cricket mates but there are no photos of the cricket. I suspect that we went into the village on our errands without cameras – otherwise there’d be photos.

…went to barbecue and fashion show in evening.

I don’t think the fashion show floated my boat much, but Janie took a few snaps

Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:

Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:

Hambantota To Ahungalla Via Galle, 24 March 1995

Rose early for a drive round the coast to our hotel. Beautiful sea views plus coconut shell rope makers…

…and stilt fisherman.

Farewell lunch just outside Galle, then into Galle for a look round Church & fort etc.

Then on to gem, lace etc. factory and goodbye to tour.

…lace making…I SO was not going to miss this type of touring

Then on to Triton hotel (very tired) – unpacked, swam, changed, hot drink and flambé supper at supper club (very good) and to bed.

Free at last! Yes, Janie was especially taken with that flambé supper option at the Triton (now renamed the Heritance Ahungalla), I think we did it several times while we were there.

Part Two of our two-part photo album for this Sri Lanka trip can be viewed through the flickr link below – there are 75 photos therein:

Real gluttons for photo punishment can see raw scans of all 430 photos we took unedited and unlabelled here:

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