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May 30, 2007
Ruins, Ruins Everywhere
Well, we're back. I am totally jet lagged and expected at work and class later today, however I did spend a good chunk of early this morning starting to sort through images and thoughts and trying to plan how I will convey this experience. It is a much harder task than I originally thought it would be- in two and a half weeks we visited major sites and little details in Istanbul, flew to Selcuk and saw the ruins of Ephesus, Priene (a favorite) and others, drove to Pamukkale and took in Aphrodesius and Heiropolis, then drove to the Lakeland area and on to Konya, but not without first getting stuck on the top of a mountain in the middle of a pee in your pants scary rain and hail storm, got lost in a sea of women in head scarves seeking Nirvana at the Mevlana, then headed to Goreme in Cappadocia for four days, extended our trip and eliminated our stop at Ankara because of the bombing, and finally flew back to Istanbul for a few more days. We made up for the large amount of driving by doing some serious urban and rural hiking, working hard to see as much of the tourist sites as possible but also to stray from the beaten path, explore and get lost.
There are so many stories and thoughts that I could share with you but the first that comes to mind is more of a question than anything else. For me, the true delight in our trip to Turkey came in the juxtaposition of ruins, as well as the semantics that surround how we define old and new. My favorite places were the Priene ruins and the village of Cavusin, one of many small towns that were originally a combination of carved caves with Greek-style houses extending out from them that were evacuated in the 1950's and 1960's by the government due to rock falls. Both ruins were empty when we visited them, enabling us to climb all over them, burrow into tunnels and mostly, to stand still and listen to the silence of what once was. All of this was compounded by our road trip, which was dotted by the skeletons of modern apartment complexes that were in such a state that it was hard to discern whether they were in the process of being built or taken down.
All of this made me think a lot about what remains when time moves forward. Whether we were in Istanbul or lost in an orchard in the middle of nowhere, I kept wondering what remnants of my own home would be uncovered 100, 200, 500 years from now. What would last? What would the future me think as I stood by the twisted frame of an ancient skyscraper or balanced precariously on the ruins of an old cloverleaf transportation system?
As you look around your village, town or city, what do you think would remain? What clues would it give? Would it even survive at all?
Posted by callalillie at May 30, 2007 6:02 AM | Introspect
, Little Things
, The World Outside NYC
, Turkey
Welcome back! Sounds like a great trip!!
Posted by: rosetta at May 30, 2007 10:47 AM
Welcome back! Sounds like a great trip!!
Posted by: rosetta at May 30, 2007 10:47 AM
I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip and took time out of your morning to post for us! I can't wait to go through your photos and live vicariously through you, since I would love to go visit Turkey.
As for your inquiry, I picture it like the movie, "Day After Tomorrow" where the Earth self-cleanses due to the environmental damage that we've caused. Large chunks of sky scrapers with pieces of interstate peeking up through ruins. Large letters from the Home Depot sign looking oddly out of place because it no longer constructs a word. The only reason that it would not surive (or have visible remains) if the causation for it to cease was due to water. Since, Houston is near the coastline it's a very plausible explanation to the cities destruction.
Posted by: Jenifer at May 30, 2007 4:56 PM
Glad to know that you and Lex had a good time, and that you saw lots of cats. Did your gang of felines behave themselves while you were gone?
Posted by: Divaah46 at May 30, 2007 6:39 PM
