Knidos is a fascinating ruin on the Turkish coast. From an archeological perspective, this ancient settlement really was the highlight of our entire gulet tour. There was so much to see at Knidos: Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine findings in remarkable condition, with no modern buildings competing for our attention. The city itself–which is perhaps less […]
Symi Harbor
This is gorgeous Symi Harbor. We stayed here for just one night, enjoying a hike up to the water towers above the city and then a fabulous meal in one of the old tavernas by the docks. The Neoclassical architecture in Symi is very striking. Ruins and boulders and villas jostle for space on the […]
The Isle of Tilos
Today’s post features Tilos, one of the loveliest islands in the Dodecanese. Highlights include beautiful mosaic floors, the bones of an extinct dwarf elephant, and a hidden monastery. With the sea beautifully calm, we kayaked and swam in the bay outside the port town of Livadhia. The kayaking was glorious. I wish I had photos […]
Nisyros and the Volcano
The Island of Nisyros: another post in our series about the South Aegean. Due to high winds and choppy seas, we spent an extra day on Kos. The next morning, our captain Tayfun decided we should leave at 5:30 AM to get to Nisyros ahead of the next expected windstorm. So, we set out before […]
The Island of Kos
The first island we visited on our South Aegean archeological tour was Kos. Only two miles from the Turkish coast, the city of Kos is defined by the giant fortress in the harbor. Built by the Knights of St. John of Rhodes, the fourteenth-century fortress was created in multiple iterations, responding to changes in military […]
Wine Dark Sea
Here begins a series of posts about our archeological cruise in the South Aegean. We flew into Istanbul and then sailed the Wine-Dark Sea, under a Turkish flag. We began our journey at Gümüşlük, a small fishing village near Bodrum on the Turkish coast. This isn’t our boat at Gümüşlük. This is someone else’s boat […]
MileHiCon Convention Report
I’m back from MileHiCon, the oldest literary sci-fi and fantasy convention in the Rockies! Since I’m fairly new to Colorado, this was my first MileHiCon. I found the convention very friendly, intellectually stimulating, and fun! My first panel, Mad Scientists, was on Saturday. I knew in advance that we were in for a great time, […]
Unraveling Infrastructure
When you last heard from me, everything was peachy here in Colorado. I was buying peaches at the farmer’s market, taking Dulcinea on long hikes in the mountains, getting ready for my trip to the Turkish Coast. But since then, a flash flood has devastated the Boulder area. Roads have washed away, bridges are down, […]