Jul 27
In honor of the opening of the Olympics today, I’ve picked out three of my favorite images of Nike from the ancient Mediterranean. I’ve always been amused by the iconography of the Goddess Nike – flying off in a flurry or racing away, arms and legs shown mid-stride.
Classical Greek Nike from the Ancient Agora in Athens
Everyone knows Ephesus and its iconic library. Maybe you even know Troy or Alexander the Great’s Pergamon. These are wonderful archaeological sites, but if you are in Turkey and love classical ruins, you absolutely have to visit Aphrodisias. A mere side-note in most guidebooks, I found that Aphrodisias had some of the most impressive architectural and sculptural pieces in Turkey and was completely devoid of tourists when we visited.
Major archaeological sites in central western Turkey: Aphrodisias (A), Pamukkale/Hierapolis (P) and Ephesus (E) (Adapted from Google)
Ambrosia Cafe, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
We stopped at a small cafe in the Istanbul Grand Bazaar to recharge with afternoon baklava and tea. I have no idea where it is located in the market*, but there were textile shops around it – not like that narrows things down. The cafe was clearly run by a father and son who were amused by our fragmented Turkish. The baklava were incredibly good which made me glad we ordered two and hadn’t shared. My apple tea was dried apple pieces prepared in a French Press which tasted like rich apple cider after it had steeped.
The Istanbul Spice Market (also known as the Egyptian Market) was one of my favorite places in Turkey. While the Grand Bazaar is massive and decidedly touristy, the Spice Bazaar sprawls out with meat, produce, clothing, hardware, toys, party supplies and even pet shalls which all seem to cater to local shoppers. If you visit the market, you just have to make it past the touristy shops at the entrance (where cruise ship passengers are entertained en masse) because the market is expansive and fascinating!
Who doesn’t like ice cream? (Photo: Daydream Tourist)
Turkish ice cream, or dondurma, is thickened with mastic and flour so that it takes on a wholly different consistency. It stretches like taffy and is kneaded like dough but is still essentially milk and sugar. Because of these sticky properties, ordering a cone in Turkey usually comes with a string of “think fast” tricks in which the vendor moves ice cream back and forth over two cones and flips your dessert away as you reach for it from the serving stick.
Daydream Tourist 