The Odyssey Day 6: Faux Rest Day!

A nice morning to wake up to and a sumptuous Turkish breakfast.

Officially this is a rest day, where normally I would sleep in , maybe do laundry etc., but today it was chock full of great touring of the ancient civilization of Assos. In yesterday’s post there was a photo of the ruins on top of the steep hill, this is where we toured, led again by our great guide Yasur.

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We could see this impressive Ottoman fortress and Greek Temple from 10km out yesterday afternoon and rode past and down to the water – now was the chance to visit it by walking.

After a guided walk we returned to our hotel to freshen up before jumping in the team bus to another of Turkey’s most famous hotels, the Ortunc in Ayvalik. Once we checked in, relaxed and potential for a swim in the Aegean Sea. After the team briefing we shuttled to the island of Cunda to grab dinner. Cunda is beautiful and interesting seaside town – once a fishing village, it is now a favourite of the rich and famous.

Assos

The city of Assos was founded by Ancient Greeks from the 7th century BC. The ancient ruined city is crowned by an impressive temple dedicated to the Goddess Athena.

The city passed through many hands during its long existence; the Persians took Assos from the possession of the Ancient Greeks during the 4th century BC only to be driven out a few years later by Alexander the Great.

Later, the city came under the control of the nearby Kings of Pergamum, until it was engulfed by the Roman Empire in 133 BC. The prosperity of the city dwindled after the Roman period and it remained just a small settlement throughout the Byzantine period and through to modern times.

The most famous of Assos’ ancient inhabitants would likely be Aristotle, who founded a school of philosophy here and married the niece of the city’s most famous king, Hermeias. St Paul was also a reputed visitor to the city. Also, all of Turkey has tons of friendly wild dogs and cats…