cyprus: paphos

As soon as I booked my flights to/from Cyprus, I knew I wanted to visit the city of Pafos because it has Unesco designated ruins. I'm a sucker for history/ruins, as well as anything with Unesco designation.

I got up early Sunday morning and caught a bus from a station not so far from my hotel. A couple hours later I arrived in Pafos, though nowhere near the area I wanted to visit. I wasn't the only tourist caught in this situation, but I was the only one who didn't need a taxi.

During my walk I passed a few churches, an open field, and a few shops. In some places it looked as if construction had started, but been abandoned.

It took me a while, but eventually I was able to find my way to my first sight of the day. It is called the Tomb of the Kings, but has never had any royalty buring there. It has the name because some of the tombs are quite extravagant, and the people who originally found it didn't know any better.

The entry fee was cheap, only 2.50 euros. That's great for a unesco sight! I took a photo of my hand in front of the sign, just because I was there.

This area is a wide open area, the tombs are all down in the ground. Before they were excavated it would've been easy to walk around without knowing they were there.

Some of them are more ornate than others, those have signs describing specific aspects you can see, and what different items mean. I didn't pay much attention to those signs, as I find them overwhelming and I'm not that into architecture.

Several of the tombs were fantastic, and I reeeeeeally wished I had my new camera. When I say fantastic, I mean tunnels and columns carved into the stone. Absolutely beautiful. I climbed through a few holes to get to some of the tombs. I went down stairs whereva I saw them, just to see where I could go. As far as I could tell, there were no restrictions (other than common sense,) about where visitors could and could not go. (This is both good and bad.)

After more than two hours wandering around, I was hot and tired and dehydrated, I knew it was time to go. I ended up eating breakfast for lunch at a cafe not too far from these tombs. Yummy, quickly served, and reasonably priced.

I walked toward my second sight, which was another set of ruins. Both my travel apps took me to a gate that was closed, argh. The actual entrance area was a bit further on. I was the only person on the streets as far as I could tell, am I the only one who walks?

The entrance to Pafos Archeological Park (another Unesco sight) was more expensive, 4.50 euros.

As big as the area was, that is still a great price. I grabbed a map at the ticket counter, but it didn't really help me much. What it did do was tell me the names of some of the bigger spots to check out within the 'park.'

Pafos Archeological Park is full of ancient ruins. I was able to see the foundations of old homes, some of which still had the mosaics that had covered the floors. Beautiful.

The mosaics that were in the best condition were all in a house of sorts, a modern covering built over the mosaics to keep them in the best possible condition for the future.

There were ruins you can climb around, and there were ruins that were blocked off. There were paths throughout the entire area, it was much easier to walk on them than through the fields of wildflowers. There was little to no shade in the entire area, which added to the sunburn I knew I was getting as well as being dehydrated. Why have I not yet learned the lesson about the effects of sun on skin?

At one end of the area was a lighthouse, though it had nothing to do with the archaeological ruins, and was completely surrounded by a brick wall with a locked gate. Slightly down the hill from the lighthouse was an outdoor amphitheater, I'm not sure this whether was one of the original ruins or not. It blended in, but seemed newer somehow. As I was at the amphitheater I watched an older Russian gentleman take 'glamour' photos of his younger girlfriend on the seats/steps of the amphitheater. It was funny to watch, though I was impatient to take my own photos. 

The last mini area I visited in the park was ................ I liked this area best because I was able to climb up stairs a bit, though they were stairs to nowhere. At this point I'd put a scarf over my shoulders, though I knew it wasn't going to help the bright red sunburn I could already feel.

After leaving the park I walked to the seaside, which was right next door. The entire promenade area was filled with people, most of them moseying around to check out restaurants and cafes. I looked for a cafe that seemed reasonably priced, but didn't find anything that appealed to me.

Fortunately I was able to find a place selling water and ice cream bars, both of which sounded like good ideas to me at that point. The sunburn on my arms and shoulders really needed ice and aloe and cold water, but those weren't options at that point.

Listed on the travel apps was a castle/tower on the edge of the water, but when I got there (after dealing with all the people,) I discovered that it was being used as part of an exhibition of some kind. Something about a city of culture? I was disappointed, as I'd wanted to take a photo of the castle with the sea in the background. That definitely did not happen, and was not possible during this visit.

I took a look at the map on my phone and realized I had a good walk to get back to the bus station. In the morning I'd made a note of what times the buses were scheduled to depart, and I didn't want to miss the last bus.

As I was walking up the street I found another set of ruins, this one seemed totally open. It was near a set of catacombs, I skipped those. I wandered into this ruin and found a modern art installation. The artist had strung red string throughout the entire area. I don't have the words to describe it accurately, but it was pretty nifty. I wonder how long the installation was going to stay there?

After the art installation I headed straight to the bus stop. It took me a while to get there, and I was sweating and not feeling so good when I did arrive. Just before arriving I thought I'd just missed the second to last bus to depart, and would have to wait around for an hour, but it was running late, so I was able to board. Yay!

Two hours later I was back in Nicosia.

italy: salerno, paestum, and naples

my host was traveling out of country the next day, so i moved into naples...i'd made a reservation at a guesthouse, and though i arrived too early to check in, i was able to leave my bags for the day...

from there i went to the train station and caught a train to salerno...when i checked one ticket machine, it said the next train wasn't for two hours, but i figured out that was the next express fancy train...the next regional train was only 40 minutes later...not only was this train sooner, it was a LOT cheaper...why do people wait longer for a more expensive train? especially when the earlier train is only 30 minutes?!?!

when i first arrived in salerno, i walked along the seafront for a while...it was pretty, and quiet...i felt totally at peace...the boats were all waiting in their docks, the bay curves around so you can see the hills behind the city...

eventually i moved into the old city area, where the streets are small, it's easy to get lost in the maze of streets...i found the duomo, which isn't nearly as well known as it should be...it's HUGE, and airy, the mosaic decoration inside is awesome...you're not supposed to take photos, but i snuck one when i was in the crypt...stunning...

outside the church is a nice courtyard with a plant decoration in the middle...it was built by the normans in the 11^th century, and dedicated to san matteo...so quiet, so awesome...i wish i could've climbed up the bell tower, i bet the view is awesome...

i took the train back to naples, checked into the guesthouse, then started walking again...i found the via de tribunale, one of the main tourist drags of the city...somehow, it wasn't as busy as i remember it being in december...maybe i was walking at a different time of day, or there really arent as many tourists at the beginning of july...

i found the starting point of one of the underground tours of naples...the tour took everyone through 1 km of the underground aqueduct, built by the romans waaaay back in the day...the area was also used as shelter during the bombing of WWII...some of the tunnels were quite tight, others were much more wide open...as usually happens with being undergound, it was pretty chilly, i wanted long sleeves...

back on street level the tour also took us to where a roman amphitheatre used to be located...by the time the ruins were located, many families had already built homes above...it's wierd to see windows going right into old roman arches...i think the law says the families can't be kicked out, so the ruins will never be fully excavated...

i had a big bowl of mussels for dinner...yum!

The next day i got up very slowly...another carb loaded breakfast included with my room...how do people never want anything but various types of bread for breakfast?

eventually i got back to salerno, and from there took a bus to the ruins of paestum...the bus dropped me at the train station of paestum, which appears to be located in the middle of nowhere...i had to walk a kilometer or two down the road to get to the ruins, it was easy enough...

the ruins of paestum are unesco listed, i expected them to be covered with tourists...they weren't, probably because it takes a couple hours to get there from naples...there are three large temples, all surrounded by fences, but the rest of the ruins aren't protected, and it's difficult to tell what they are...

there are a few signs describing what the ruins in various areas used to be, for the most part i just wandered around...i really liked the mosaic decor on the floors of what used to be upper middle class homes...i reckon the areas not protected will continue falling apart until it isn't possible to see anything identifiable...there is also a museum across the street from the ruins, but i didn't go inside...

back in naples i had mussels for dinner again...two servings this time...YUM! The restaurant tried to charge me for a breadbasket, which i wouldn't have minded if i had actually received the breadbasket...but i didn't, so i wasn't going to pay that charge...

it's a normal part of a restaurant bill in italy to be charged for the breadbasket they put on your table, whether or not you eat the bread...i don't mind that since it's tradition, but i'm not paying for it if i don't even get it...

that night i paid for my guesthouse since i was leaving quite early the next morning...they tried to charge me 10 euros extra, until i showed my booking confirmation...too bad i had to leave before breakfast...the airport bus got me to the airport quite quickly, since there is no traffic at 0615 in the morning :)

argentina: concordia

our walk from our hostel to the bus station in salto, urugay took a lot less time in the morning than it had at night...daylight works wonders for how fast you can walk, especially when you know where you're going...we'd booked tickets the day before...

the bus ride took an hour total, though the distance was not far...it's just a few kilometers, basically just going across the river, to cross the border back into argentina...just like when we took the ferry to uruguay, both emigration and immigration took place on the argentinean side of the border...(emigration and immigration are why the ride is an hour long, for such a short distance)...it's a recent change that americans have to pay the reciprocity fee no matter which way they enter the country (it used to be necessary only when entering by air) so several of the border officers were unfamiliar with what to do with my paper showing i'd paid the fee...several people were called over to watch what to do...good fun:)

the bus got to the bus station in concordia, argentina, and we found out the next bus to posadas didnt leave until 2100...in other words, we had 10 hours to kill in a town that is nothing more than a border town...yippee...

after realizing one street has been renamed (lonely planet had a different name than google maps) we walked to parque san carlos...the 'castle' in this park was originally built (or at least started) as a private residence, but it wasn't lived in for long, and just fell into ruin...lonely planet says you can visit the ruins, but that isn't quite accurate...you can walk all the way around and look in a little, but there is a fence around much of it, and it looks as if some sort of restoration is being done...perhaps someone wants to finish the building as it was originally designed? 

after the 'castle' we walked to the river and the 'beach'...the water was really high, so there was no beach to speak of...of course i loved being near the water...

we walked back to the city centre, and started wondering if there was some sort of running event going on...i didn't see any bib numbers, but there seemed to be a lot of people out running a specific route...at least, they were all running on this one street...

snack ended up being coffee (espresso) for bo, and ice cream for me...i wasn't very impressed with my ice cream:(

there is a museum listed in lonely planet, and we tried to visit...unfortunately, much of it is under renovation right now, so there wasn't much we could see...the exhibit we did enjoy was the set of photos from the 'castle' we'd explored previously...neat to see the people who lived there at one point...there was also an exhibit with old cameras...

concordia has a pedestrian area in the centre, we strolled along there for a while...we walked passed the pedestrian zone, hoping to find something interesting, but that didn't happen...we walked back through the area, and found a supermarket...it's always good to stock up...we also found a bakery that had fresh baked cheese puffs...YUM...

by the time we got back to the bus station, we only had to wait for two hours for our bus to leave:)...i found a plug and charged my iphone and checked the news:)

Ukraine: Crimea: Sevastopol and yalta

The next weekend was also a long weekend because of another holiday...yippee!!!

I made sure to book train tickets well in advance, as I knew Crimea would be an area people want to visit, I didn't want to be stuck in kyiv with nowhere to go...

My train to Sevastopol took ages, almost 18 hours!! it wasn't expensive though...my arrival was late, but I didn't have any specific plans, so that didn't matter...I took a cab to my hotel, the driver charged me way too much...argh...he also gave me his card, and told me to call if i wanted a ride to go anywhere in sevastopol...um, NO...

After showering and getting rid of the feeling of travel, I started walking...I'd asked the hotel lady for directions, and though it took me a while to find a bus stop for the right bus, I eventually figured it out...

My first stop was a set mod Genoese ruins called chersonese/kersonese...the ruins aren't well protected, people walk everywhere...the ruins weren't super impressive, but I loved the view of the water...blue water going all the way to the horizon...I had fun taking photos and watching people...is it really necessary to take glamour shots next to ancient ruins? there are small rock beaches, and a few people in the water...my favourite part of the ruins was the huge number of red flowers all over...they are beautiful, but if they are not taken care of, they will destroy the ruins...

I took the same bus back into the city centre, then kept walking...as it was a holiday weekend, there were people out everywhere...I watched part of a concert by retired Russian sailors...it was the first time i've experienced such russian patriotism...there were plenty of cars driving through the city, honking and waving russian flags...
i noticed that the ice cream i often buy in kyiv costs twice as much here!!
wandering up this street gave me views of some of the russian ships in the port, and a couple memorials...i don't know what/who was being memorialized...

i had dinner at a bistro...(this is not a french word, though many people think so...it's a russian word that means fast, which is why bistros all over the world serve food quickly)...the food would've been awesome if it hadn't had so much mayonnaise slathered all over...
instead of grabbing a bus to get back to my hotel, i walked...it was long, but nice:)
the only problem with going to bed early is that you tend to wake up early as well...really early...which is not a great thing when you are on holiday, and want to have a lay in!! the price of my hotel included breakfast at a cafe next to the hotel...this was unexpected, but nice, of course...

i took a marshrutka to the town of balaklava...you have probably heard the name referring to the 'mask' some people wear while skiing, (or in cold climates during winter) and this town is where they were invented...little old ladies made them for soldiers fighting in wars in cold climates...i wasn't sure where to get off the marshrutka, so i got off when a heap of others got off...(i figured out later i could've stayed on a bit longer, but oh well)...
i walked for a while, not entirely sure i was going in the right direction, and eventually saw the entrance i was looking for...visitors go to balaklava mostly to see the former (secret, i think?) russian submarine base that is built into a hill...

it wasn't warm inside the tunnels of this base...quite chilly, actually...the sailors who stayed there must've worn warm clothes all the time, even in the middle of summer...the tunnels and various rooms had displays, with some of the signage in english...one docent kind of guy spoke a little english, and was eager to show me around...
on the other side of the bay (balaklava is built around a bay) are some ruins...the only way for me to get to the ruins was to walk all the way around the bay...there is no bridge across the water...
the other side of the bay was much more touristy...there were souvenir stalls the whole way along the water...i admit to giving in and buying a mug...(i'm always thrilled when i find something without english)...

i climbed up the hill to the ruins...they weren't anything special, but i did enjoy the views of the water on the other side...there was also a nice view over the entire bay...it turned out the climb up the hill was easier than the way back down...i slid quite a bit on the way down, falling on my bum a couple times...ooops...
i caught the marshrutka back to a station of sorts, and changed to another that took me to a place called cape fiolent...it's pretty, and the views of the water are nice...there are 700+ steps down to a small beach, which i opted not to do...not because the exercise would be too much, but because the beach was so very small, and i didnt think i would be able to see more from the bottom...there is a lovely monastery at the top of the hill...i wouldn't mind living there, just for the view alone:)
at the marshrutka station i bought a donut (well, sortof) and hopped on a marshrutka headed to the center of sevastopol...i walked back to my hotel and realized i was quite sunburned...ooops...

the next morning i didn't get out the door of my hotel nearly as fast as i should have...i ended up having to wait until 11 for a bus to yalta...i think the ride was around two hours, which meant i didn't arrive until 1300 or so...then it took me quite a while to find my hostel...the google map i'd printed had the wrong address marked, it was very wrong...i ended up walking quite a ways...it turned out not to be a normal hostel...i think it was a teaching hostel, if that makes any sense? hard to explain, but it definitely wasn't the normal hostel i expected...there was only one plug in a room with 14 beds! there was no communal room, no computers, etc...i was able to schedule dinner, which was nice...the bed was okay, i slept well...being so far from the city centre meant it was very quiet...

it took me a while to find the correct marshrutka to take me to the cable car at ay petri...last year, when i visited crimea, taking a ride on this cable car was something i missed, and really wanted to do during this trip...i was surprised at the price (60 grivna each way i think?) and i wasn't thrilled with the experience...maybe because i didnt give myself much time...if i had had more time i would've been able to hike/walk around the area up top, and explore more...the area just outside where you get off the cable car is filled with souvenir stalls...some with knickknacks, some with food...i walked through the area, then took the cable car back down...the skies were clear, but the views weren't as awesome as i had expected...

i caught the next marshrutka to a place called alupka...i don't know if it is a town or village or something along those lines?
i walked through a park to vorontsov palace...since i like to see historical places, i really wanted to see this palace...this was another place i'd missed during my first crimea visit...churchill and his delegation stayed here during the yalta conference of WWII...i liked this palace in that i was able to wander around on my own, i wasn't stuck taking a tour in a language i didn't understand...each room had a sign with information (in english and russian!) about the room...one of the rooms were more interesting than others, one was an indoor garden...i guess that was quite the rage when the palace was built...

there was haze, so i wasn't able to see the water; the palace is built in gardens that overlook the water...if i had had more time, i would've followed a trail that goes for several kilometers along the water...(my next visit to crimea will be planned better, with more attention paid to timing)...
when i got back to my hostel, the lady got my dinner ready, it was tasty:)
after dinner i walked into town to use the free wifi of mcdonalds...there was another chick in my room, already asleep...
the next morning i woke up before my alarm went off...the other chick was still asleep! i walked to the bus station, and bought an orange dreamsicle for breakfast...healthy, i know:)...it was at this bus station that i finally found postcards for sevastopol...why was i unable to find these in sevastopol itself?

on my bus to simferopol the lady sitting next to me seemed put out that i wanted to put my own bag under my feet, and she had to move her bag...did she think i would keep my bag on my lap while her bag was under my feet? this bus took me straight to the simferopol train station, which was a relief...not all the buses from yalta to simferopol do so, i wasn't keen to figure out how to get from the city centre to the train station...
in my coupe car back to kyiv there were three others, i think they'd been camping for days...based on how they smelled, i don't think they had showered for days...yuck...at least the train back to kyiv went on time...

portugal: coimbra and conimbriga

since portugal is relatively small, and my stops were never that far from each other, i took early morning buses during most of this trip...a bus from leiria to coimbra started the next leg of this trip...
it was raining a bit as i arrived, which i hated...i hate rain...i think it's the worst weather for a traveler, though i'm sure there are others who would disagree...despite having been a swimmer for years, i hate being wet...anywho...i was able to check into my hostel super early, and the owner gave me a good map of coimbra, as well as a lot of information on where to go and how to get there...the view from my hostel was nifty too...

coimbra is built on 2 hills, and there is a river running through the middle...when i first ventured out i crossed a bridge to go to the old santa clara convent/monastery...it sits on really low land, next to the river, so it flooded a lot, and over time was under water so it has since moved...before it was moved, the solution was to build more floors to the church, but that sort of thing never lasts long...howeva, i love ruins, so i wanted to see what i could...the part that was underwater was only revealed and open for visits in 2000...
queen elizabeth didn't found this monastery, but it was essentially dying before she supported it way back in the 14th century...she was buried here after she died...

every visitor starts their tour by watching a video in the information building/visitor center, which is followed by the chance to wander through a small archeological exhibition...(i watched the video, but sped through the exhibit)...i loved being able to wander through the ruins, though they aren't extensive...
i also visited the 'new' monastery, not much of which is open to the public...you can see the church, which is fancy, but not much else...there are signs stating that one part of the cloister is in such poor shape that there is a good chance of collapse soon, they ask for donations...

on my way back to 'my' hill, i walked across a different bridge, this one was entirely pedestrian...i got to watch kayak polo while i crossed...i've now seen camel polo, elephant polo, and kayak polo...i've never watched 'regular' polo...what other kinds of polo am i missing?
on top of 'my' hill stands the university of coimbra...since the town is old, it wasn't built with wide modern roads...going up the hill means winding along small streets and alleys...i kept going the wrong way, ending up on streets that didn't connect where i thought they should...ooops...the university is old, and well respected...it's also beautiful...

i've spent a lot of time in libraries over my lifetime...the geek in me really wanted to see the library in this university, and i'm glad i made the visit...STUNNING...there is an entry fee, and a part of me wondered at this...an entry fee to see a library??? well worth it...not only is there an entry fee, but there is a specific entry time printed on your ticket...visits aren't long, and they are well regulated...no photography is allowed...and you are not allowed to touch the books, it isn't a working library unless you get special permission to do specific research...the building was built of stone, with very thick walls, no extra climate control is needed to preserve the books and paintings...the painting on the ceilings were amazing, my neck was sore from staring straight up trying to take it all in...without pictures to show, it's hard to describe how amazing this library is, but i'm trying...

after walking though the library, you walk down stairs to what used to be a prison...based on how it is now displayed, life wasn't so bad for people who were incarcerated there...(i'm sure those folks would beg to differ)...
after exiting the library/prison, i visited another building in the university, i don't know what to call it...(i'm sure it has a name, and anyone who takes the time to visit the library is also going to see this building)...it's a big, main building, you can't miss it...many of the rooms in this building were richly decorated, including the one where PhDs are still awarded today...the views over the city from this building were fantastic...

walking down the other side of this hill led me to an old aquaduct that still stands...pretty...
on my way back to my hostel i stepped into almost every pasteleria i passed...by now i had figured out most pasterlerias have variations on the same general items, but that doesn't stop me from looking:)
i don't know how it came about in conversation, but i mentioned to my hostel owner that i love chai (as it is done in india,) and he said there was a cafe around the corner run by an indian family that does chai right...we went for chai, and he was right...it was sooooo good....why can't i make chai like that? what a fabulous way to end a really good day...

the next morning i was up in time to catch a bus to the ancient ruins of conimbriga...there is a town there, but i was heaps more interested in the old roman ruins...what i didn't know (or didn't remember from reading the guidebook) was that entry is free on sunday mornings...yahoooooo!!! not only did i have free entry, there were hardly any other people around for most of my visit...
the ruins of conimbriga aren't in great shape...without information signs, it wouldn't be possible for the average visitor to figure out what is there...some of the ruins are being rebuilt, which i don't love...i don't think it 'matches' but i understand the reasons for doing so...(educational value and all that)...i enjoyed the mosaic decorations on various floors...

the postcards available for conimbriga did not impress me...
i took the bus back to coimbra, and headed up the hill again to see a church...(i'm a jaded traveler who isn't easily impressed by churches, but i still love visiting them...something about the peaceful atmosphere i guess)...the church was pretty, as was the attached cemetary...though you cant go in the cemetary, the area just around the church provides a nice overlook...the views over the city were quiet and lovely...i loved the park i passed on the way there and back...
i visited more pastelerias, and went back to the same cafe for more chai:)

cannakale

i was pleasantly surprised when my bus from bergama to canakkale took me straight into the part of town in which i wanted to be, as opposed to the otogar (bus station) which wasn't in that area...i liked this particularly because the map in lonely planet showed this area, but didn't show the bus station...i'm okay with walking long distances, but not so keen on doing so when i don't know where i'm going...basically, i prefer to have a map...
the first hotel i tried was closed for the winter season...i'm guessing they open up in april, not too long before anzac day...fortunately, someone sent me in a direction to find another place to stay...
i checked into my hotel then went for a walk...i got to watch the sunset, which was pretty, though not stunning...i don't think anyone gets excited about the sunsets in canakkale, though there are heaps of cafes and restaurant all along the waterfront...canakkale doesn't have the sights in town itself, but because of it's proximity to a couple other places people want to see (gallipoli and troy) it gets busy in spring, summer, and fall...the weather wasn't great, and it was getting to be late late afternoon, so i mostly went looking for food...there were quite a few doner places, and i loved the prices, which were among the cheapest i'd seen in turkey so far...woo hoo!!! i ate somewhere, then kept walking...

then i found a bakery...YUM...there were a number of items i wanted, i ended up choosing two...i took those back to my hotel room, and relaxed for a few hours before sleeping...
before the gallipoli tour the next day, i checked out a park/military museum close to my hotel...there were displays of weapons all through the park...mines, a few canons, etc...signs denoted the specifics of what i was seeing, as well as the country of origin...in the afternoon i went on my gallipoli tour, after which i returned to canakkale and went to eat at a doner place again...and i had more goodies from the bakery too...again, YUM...
the next morning i took my time getting out of my hotel, then walked a bus station (not the main, big one) where i caught a minibus to truva...truva is the turkish name for troy (i also saw it listed as troja) which you two of my readers should recognize as a place that gained fame from the author homer...

a while ago, back in the 1800s, a german guy became obsessed with finding troy, and thought he knew where it was...he ended up being right, but was so obsessed with it, and was looking for such a specific part of troy that he destroyed several layers, buildings, and more...archeology has come a long way since those days (in the late 1800s)...you don't get to dig like gangbusters at a site anymore...there are very specific procedures to follow to make sure nothing is lost or destroyed...not only was plenty destroyed during schliemann's original excavation, he took off with a number of artifacts after his dig was finished...those artifacts rightfully belong to turkey, (i think) but they're displayed in museums of various countries, like russia and germany...apparently there are some diplomatic spats taking place over those artifacts...turkey wants them back, of course; the other countries aren't so keen on giving them back...

troy wasn't just a single city...that is, it wasn't built once...the original troy (called troy I) was built way before the final city was built...i think the final was troy IX? or maybe it was only troy VI? each troy added a bit on the outside, as well as building up...the later troys sortof used the earlier troys as a ground layer...there are a few places in the ruins where you can see evidence from all of the different troys...they had different styles of building, though i probably wouldn't have noticed the small differences without the sign that pointed them out...

it definitely takes some imagination to figure out what troy used to look like...there are some walls left, but overall, it just looks like a bunch of rocks...it's easy to figure out the theatre, but that was the only place that was obvious to me...for the other locations in the ruins, i read the signs...
the bus back to canakkale came right when it was supposed to, and life was good...again, i had dinner at a doner restaurant (i've forgotten the turkish word for them) and dessert(s) from a bakery...

the next day was my last day in canakkale...checkout time for my hotel was at noon, and my original plan was to walk around the city all day...just walking, not worrying about seeing sights...but the weather was awful...windy as, and rainy...YUCK...it wasn't pouring rain, but it was raining just enough to annoy...argh...so i ate way more than i should, it was a way of staying inside, out of the rain...yuck yuck yuck...(though the extra food was quite tasty:)...when it got dark, i went back to my hotel and hung out in a lounge room...wasting time online:)
i'd booked a bus ticket that night, leaving for istanbul at 2300...but when i got to the bus company office at 2230, they told me the 2300 bus had a problem and wouldn't be going...my only option was to change my ticket for 0100....yippee skippe...