Exporing where East meets West in Türkiye

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Monday, 13 April 2026 - Early flight to Edremit on Türkiye’s west coast, then a full day exploring ancient history. Visited legendary Troy, walking among its layered ruins and fortifications. Spotted our first wildlife and enjoyed countryside views before lunch at Assos harbor. Ended with a hike up Assos to the Temple of Athena, then a quiet evening at a small inn with a chef-prepared dinner overlooking the Aegean.

Up early to fly to our next adventure. Only an hour-long flight to the west coast of Türkiye near the Dardanelles landing in Edremit. We then drove to the ancient city of Troy.

turkey2026 — Troy is best known as the setting for the Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998.

This is a wall from a time before the Romans based on its rough finish.

turkey2026 — Troy was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt during its 4000 years of settlement. As a result, nine archaeological layers have been identified at the site, each corresponding to a city built on the ruins of the previous.

turkey2026 — Troy was first settled around 3600 BC and grew into a small fortified city around 3000 BC (Troy I). Among the early layers, Troy II is notable for its wealth and imposing architecture.

Ruins from the various layers were scattered throughout the site.

turkey2026 — After Istanbul it was fun to have a wildlife portrait. This little fella is the Caucasian squirrel, also known as the Persian squirrel. Unlike the more common red squirrel found across Europe, these guys are specifically native to the forests of the Caucasus and Anatolia.

turkey2026 — A blooming crabapple tree. From the hill Troy was built, you can barely see the water from the Dardanelles Strait. When Troy was active the water was much closer lapping at the bottom of the hill.

turkey2026 — One of the trenches dug by German businessman Schliemann while he looked for treasure. The trench cuts down through the nine layers of Troy. They used small signs with Roman numbers to indicate the layers.

turkey2026 — Some of the ruins have been reconstructed.

turkey2026 — Probably a Roman wall based on the quality of the craftsmanship.

turkey2026 — The structure with the white marble trim appears to be part of the Sanctuary of Cybele, a shrine dating back to the Hellenistic or Roman era (Troy VIII-IX).

turkey2026 — Ruins everywhere.

turkey2026 — The Odeon of Troy, a small ancient theater. The structure features a semicircular seating arrangement characteristic of Roman architectural style. In ancient times, this venue was likely used for musical performances, poetry readings, and small public gatherings. The theater is part of Troy IX, representing the final Roman-era layer of the city.

turkey2026 — More columns and walls - you casually walk through the ancient ruins.

turkey2026 — Greek lettering on a large chunk of stone.

turkey2026 — A different angle on the ancient theater.

turkey2026 — A Spur-thighed tortoise, also commonly known as the Greek tortoise. We would see several tortoises on our adventure down the west coast of Türkiye. Our last artifact of Troy.

turkey2026 — We then traveled a small distance to the Ássos Ancient Harbor located in a small village of Behramkale. We sat at the water's edge for a delightful fresh fish lunch. The restaurant brought out several whole sea bass for us to choose for the meal. Then we were each served half the fish. It was delicious, we ate by the water with a couple of cats begging for some fish.

turkey2026 — Fishing boats coming and going.

turkey2026 — The port was very picturesque with many boats - many more than the small town seemed capable of supporting.

turkey2026 — The small harbor from above.

turkey2026 — After lunch we visited the ancient city of Ássos.

The theater is approximately 2,200 years old, dating back to the Hellenistic period, and was originally constructed in the 3rd century BC. It is built into the hillside overlooking the Aegean Sea and the island of Lesbos. Constructed from local andesite stone, it was designed with three tiers of seating, though earthquakes have caused significant damage over time.

turkey2026 — Hiking to the top of the city to see the spectacular temple we passed several souvenir stalls.

turkey2026 — Our destination was the Temple of Athena, constructed around 530 BC and is notable for being the only example of Doric-style architecture from the Archaic period in Türkiye.

turkey2026 — Originally, the temple featured 34 columns, although only a few remain standing today on the acropolis

turkey2026 — From the top of the hill looking down on the ruins of the city of Ássos.

turkey2026 — Looking down on the theater and the ocean beyond.

turkey2026 — Ássos was home to the philosopher Aristotle, who founded a school of philosophy there.

turkey2026 — The site is situated on a hill 700 feet above sea level, offering panoramic views of the Aegean Sea and the Greek island of Lesbos.

turkey2026 — There were extensive city walls that feature towers reaching up to 60 feet in height.

It was a long but exhilarating day. We headed to our hotel where we would learn that we were the only ones staying at the small bed and breakfast. There we met the three chefs planning our dinner. We had a four-course dinner of lamb.

We sat out on the patio marveling at the quiet after spending several days in bustling Istanbul.

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