After 9 hours of another really picturesque bus ride we are in Bergama. Well, it seems our restaurateur in Fethiye was right. Not many tourists in Bergama.  It feels like we have turned back the clock about 30 years and discovered “old Turkey” rather uneffected by tourist. Millions of tourists pass come on day trips passing through but rarely stay more than a few hours to visit the infamous Acropolis site. So the town is really not set up for tourism, and very few people, almost none, speak English. This is the most difficult place we have encountered to communicate and despite being a queen of charades and can still use (with sound effects,) it isn’t always simple to converse.  For example, when ordering our favourite doner (meat wrap), we are asking if the “meat” is “MOOOOO, beef?….or Baa-Aa-Aa, lamb? “ to which our response is a nod and a smiling “yes”. (Still don’t know which, but one of those we hope!)

But we love the town. Tractors, interwined with cars, and horse drawn carts, move down old interlock roads with crumbling houses on either side. Tens of men gather on every street corner in tattered sports coats, sitting drinking tea, and having smokes. Just grand!

So our guesthouse is different too. We arrive to a centuries old Ottoman house, and our host almost looks surprised to see us. But we confirm, he was expecting us but our room is not ready. No problem we say. He says he needs to move around a bed, and it is not possible for him by himself, so of course we offer help. So up we go and end up moving 2 single beds from a room on the main floor to the second and moving a double downstairs, etc, etc.. we basically renovated. The owner, a young guy who is the chief, host, cook and bottlewasher is very sweet albeit a tad unorganized. It was funny, and is comfortable enough in the old rustic pension, where we truly feel like we are just visiting someone’s home. We can see Acropolis from our bedroom window.

The next day we make our way up to these ancient ruins which are as spectacular as one would expect. Amongst everything, there is this most amazing mosaic that has been preserved. Every day is afield trip for us, and as Aaron says, he is “ruined” at this point. You can’t blame him. In just a month we have been to Petra, Olympos. Ephesus…and now Acropolis, just to name the big ones. They are quite amazing but I am afraid we are spoiled at the moment. I am embarrassed to say that I am entranced by the wildflowers including magnificent blood red wild poppies. We also stop to look at a tailless lizard a huge tortoise, and a snake along the way! In fact, I enjoy the walk down from Acropolis to our pension, through the old narrow streets more than the ruins. Here there are kids skipping and playing ball, Grandmas sitting peeling potatoes or knitting in between running after waddling toddlers. Everyone has a smile, and a wave. Again we are looked at like we have just landed from Mars.

At the end of the day we are lounging around our hotel until we are ready to go out for dinner. As we arrive at the restaurant we had eyed earlier, we are told they are closed. Looking around we notice everything is either shut or in the process of closing down. It is Friday night at 8pm, and as mentioned the sleepy little town isn’t tourist savvy. Luckily we eye a Pide (pronounced “pita”) shop, which is still open. This is the turkish fastfood of choice and is much like a very long thin pizza bake with meat and cheese.    Good enough to fill the hole. We need to get home and pack anyway as tomorrow is travel to Istanbul day!  3 more sleeps until Uganda!