Friday, March 17, 2006

Bergama

I liked the pension so much that I decided to make Bergama my rest day. As the day progressed I felt this was a good move. The Pension Athena put on a good breakfast & the proprietor was good at talking.

At something around 10:30 I wandered across the old Ottoman bridge & up through the old residential district that crowded the lower slopes of the hill crowned by the ancient town of Pergamum. The stone paved streets were lined with my coloured stone houses in a variety of states & nothing but atmosphere. I found the shortcut that the pension owner had pointed out & started climbing the road to the acropolis of Pergamum. Inspired by the thought to clamber I broke away from the road & followed a sheep track. I thought that I'd evaded the ticket gate but once I got closer I was spotted & whistled at. No matter I went around a corner & out of site, & resumed climbing, this time with greater care for those with a watching eye. The acropolis commanded a wonderful view over the surrounding countryside & had had the vestiges of a temple which had a wonderful freeze that was taken or looted, depending on your point of view, in the 19th C. On the way down, also by sheep track, I spotted 3 turtles.

After clamberine down I walked around the commercial district. I found an old fashioned blacksmith making digging implements. The market was in full swing with all manner of normal wares or sale, with not another tourist in site.

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