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A Bus Tour to the ancient city of Antioch
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10 Apr 2008 Thu 01:53 am |
This is the ancient city of Antioch (of which we're told there are seven, we know there are two in Turkey) about a three-hour drive from our home. We leave at 7 a.m. and head east out of Adana on E-5 for probably an hour and then gradually make the swing south for the rest of the trip. It's a pretty rainy nasty day out, but we're off on one more adventure, so the rain is no deterrent. We were aware of the conditions before hand but refuse to pass up an opportunity when we're free to go. We're determined to do all and see all we can of this region of Turkey, as this is truly the source of Christianity, as we know it. Our ultimate destination today is where Paul began his mission trips.
We're on a full size Mercedes bus this time as opposed to our last ride, which was a small half size bus. The seats although quite hard are somewhat wider which is good for those of us who have substantially more to put down on the seat to begin with. Our trip immediately east is pretty routine by now and as we've done it a number of times already I won't bore you by discussing the highway again, simply remember it isn't very smooth, although with the larger bus the rough of it is easier on us old folks. The weather makes visibility very far distant less than desirable but one takes small inconvenience in stride when an adventure like this is made available.
Again as we make our turn south we are leaving the Cilicia region of the country and entering the Plain of Issos moving ever closer to the northeastern most coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. Interesting side note here; Alexander the Great defeated Emperor Darius on this plain in 333BC, the battle expended 20,000 lives! We've driven out of the rain now and are left with gray overcast skies.
e. http://www.turkey-now.org/Default.aspx?pgID=973
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10 Apr 2008 Thu 01:54 am |
I came back from Antakya (Antioch) with a big belly. Surely, not the right place for dieting people.
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10 Apr 2008 Thu 01:57 am |
I would go there in a moment. This place has fascinated me for quite a while. Very close to the Syrian border. Now cautious of course reg. safety.
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10 Apr 2008 Thu 02:10 am |
There are no safety issues as far as I know. It is a bit tiring to climb the hills where the first Christians lived. There is an ancient cave church on top of a hill with an excellent view of the city. Antakya is always very windy and this offsets the unbearable heat of the summer.
The biggest advantage is that you can swim even in early May.
We flew to Adana from Istanbul, we had arranged the rental of a car before leaving and the guy was waiting for us at the airport with the keys. We went everywhere during a one week period. Especially Daphne is a must see. It is very green, very pleasant. It has been considered a major enjoyment area since antiquity. There is also a story about Daphne being chased by Zeus here and converted into a tree at her request. So much full of history, helpful people, different religions existing together in peaceful terms.
You could alternatively fly to Gaziantep and see Zeugma Museum first which is a must see as well. It is one of the most extensive mosaic museums in the world. There is a bronze statue of Mars in the middle holding a spear in his hand. It is excellent. In any case, you will need a car for sightseeing. I don't know if you drive or not...
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10 Apr 2008 Thu 02:19 am |
Thank you, dear Vineyards for very interesting reply.
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