Thursday, May 22, 2008

Dreaming in Kuşadası



Kuşadasi, Turkey - May 18, 2008 - As the sun sets on the part of the Aegean that forms the Turkish boundary waters - the port of Kuşadası becomes once again a silhouette -- shadows marking yet another journey across these ancient seas as we set sail for farther ports. From Athens, and from the west, Kuşadası, the gateway to Ephesus and Izmir, is often the last Aegean port of call before heading into the the Sea of Marmara en route to Istanbul. It has become a constant in my twenty years of travel.

Nearly out of site now, the warm breezes blowing from the coast continue to tease the air with the subtle hint of jasmine and honey -- beckoning our return. And once again we promise that return -- hedging our bets against an uncertain future.

Tonight, in the full throes of hypnotic slumber that only a sailing ship can induce, we will continue up the Anatolian coast past the ancient cities of Troy and Pergamum -- places hidden both by time and the darkness the half-moon betrays.

In that sleep, we might dream of our day here - the friendly curiosity of the merchants who enjoy a good chat over apple tea; winding our way through the new bazaar while lamenting the old one that we'd come to navigate by memory; the sticky, honeyed-sweetness of the local baklava (it would prove to be the finest of our journey); the laughter of boys plunging into cold harbor waters on a hot spring day; and the enduring patience of the lone fisherman casting along the quay for his meal.

We do not journey here for pleasure, my friends and I. As we sail out of this familiar port we've grown to love over the years, standing once again on a ship's bow under the golden light of the setting Anatolian sun, we need no words to understand our fraternity with those that have traveled these same seas, plying their trade for thousands of years.

Somewhere along the way we have been initiated into that long history of travelers lured by the call of another way of living. And in that kinship we know what the real dream will be tonight as we somnambulate past those ancient cities. From this very same spot in the world -- Odysseus began his long journey home and we too, travelers by trade, will discover that the sweetest dreams are woven from those cherished memories of home and we long, again and again, for that epic return.
________

Celebrate Sky Watch every Friday by visiting Wiggers World.

70 comments:

GAWO said...

What a wonderful picture and a wonderful place on earth

Rose said...

What a beauty!

Daniel J Santos said...

very very beautiful, wonderful.

Livio Bonino said...

Superb picture, the colours are fascinating

Anonymous said...

cool pictue

***Fotografia e Luz*** said...

very beautiful picture with beautiful colors

Voz do meu Coração said...

Beautiful photography, excellent. Congratulations

me ann my camera said...

Wonderful text, beautiful pictures.

Anonymous said...

Merhaba/Hello T.R.,

I don't remember at all when I visited Kuşadası last time ... too many years ago ... unfortunately ... I'm sincerely touched by your photo!

Friendly greetings,

p.s. I'm waiting to see your Istanbul sky shots! :-)

Tom said...

A fantastic SW post with a beautiful view and charming words... Thankyou.

Anonymous said...

As usual, a perfect photo!

Livio Bonino said...

I'm happy to meet a expert of Torino like you, La Crocetta is always a great and beautiful district and Gianduiotto and Bicerin are more and more enjoyable.

FO - 2 said...

Lovely! :)

bobbie said...

Your photograph is lovely, with its subtle shades. And your words are poetic. You make me wish that I could travel with you.

SandyCarlson said...

It's nice to feel connected to the history of the place. What beauty. God bless.

Snap Catch said...

perfect catch for SWF! Hope to see you around in my corner too..

Pernille said...

This shot is just fantastic! It's stunning!

Have a nice weekend:)

Quiet Paths said...

I was transfixed by this narrative and the photo. Thank you for taking me there.

MamaFlo said...

The scene begs for comments on it's glory.

Kathie Brown said...

Beautiful tranquil sea. Very nice writing.

Anonymous said...

Great Aegean Sea shot.

dot said...

Beautiful post!

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful picture. Wow, thanks for posting that one!

Anonymous said...

Breathtakingly beautiful!

MamaFlo said...

Is your avatar for real or was there photo enhancement? That has to be the most compelling, dynamic, electric photo I've ever seen.

Nova said...

totally artistic captured...

Anonymous said...

A wonderful evocation of the joy of travel. Thank you.a

Pat - Arkansas said...

Gorgeous photo! Wonderful narrative! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful sky. I really enjoyed this photo.

Kathy b

Kay said...

We were in Kusadsai a couple of years ago. Your beautiful photo brought back the feelings for me again. Thank you very much. Have a great weekend.

Carletta said...

Are you sure you are an amateur photographer - this is awesome!

Thanks for coming by mine.

chrome3d said...

Such a clear skies and excellent colours. Very good story too. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

what a scenery!!!!! and very beautiful text

Amila Salgado said...

Soothing!
Great capture.

Indrani said...

Captivating shot!

judi/Gmj said...

Ahhh, she sighed. Beauty in words and sights. Thanks.

♥ Stines hverdag said...

Very beautiful picture! It looks so peaceful there!

alicesg said...

Lovely place and so peaceful. Thanks for visiting my blog. :)

Jane Hards Photography said...

Wonderful text and glorious image.

Suzi-k said...

hi TR. Thanks for the visit. I will e-mail you about the art you asked about. This is such an amazing post, the evocative words and the serene and perfect photo to go with them, makes my feet itch even more than they already do!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful picture, the colour is amazing.

Angie said...

A superb photo with very interesting text.

Dancin Fool said...

I can see why it's a favourite spot, so very peaceful.

EG CameraGirl said...

Thank you for such a lovely narrative about a lovely, peaceful place.

Diane Vogel Ferri said...

Your photos and perspectives are wonderful.

Anonymous said...

TR- it's nice to get to come along, virtually, on your summer journeys- what a wonderful description and beautiful images, naturally.

Good travels, my friend!

Unknown said...

I don't know which image I adore more. Your beautiful photograph or your beautiful word pictures. Your writing is as magnificent as your photography. I love your words. Karen

Doug Taron said...

I don't know which was more beautiful, the photo or the prose. Great post.

chanpheng said...

Your photo is wonderful. I've always have wanted to go to Turkey - then again, I saw that about everyplace on the planet if I haven't been there.

Kathie Brown said...

T.R., I answered your question about the camera lens in the comments section of my Skywatch post. Thanks for stopping by to see me.

Dina said...

It's not often that a blog post moves me to tears.
I entered Haifa Port for the first time on a ship out of Italy. You capture the feeling so eloquently.

Suzanne said...

What a great picture. Friends have just got back from Turkey and loved it.

Katarina said...

That picture is so beautiful...and so is your description of the place and your journey. I've really enjoyed reading your post - thanks for sharing!
/Katarina

Profile Not Available said...

Your photo was lovely, but the post was exceptionally well done!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful place. The photo is great and it was fun reading your thoughts...

Stacey Olson said...

how very heart soothing, I would love to see it in person. What a wonderful thing you are able to do..

Anne-Berit said...

Wonderful photo and words to follow!

Mike's Travels said...

Lovely photo!

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

Beautiful post!

The Birdlady said...

That is stunning!

Marie said...

Stunning photo!

Unknown said...

That is a beautiful picture.

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

Hi T.R.,

This is a beautiful post. My husband's family once owned land in Turkey that was right on the sea. This makes me think of going there someday.

I love your blog. It's really beautiful.

Thanks for the nice note you left on my blog. I'll probably post a couple times a week instead of everyday for awhile, and see how that works. Time isn't my friend right now. :)

Lin

Wendy said...

Looks a lot like home, very serene. Nice capture!

Louis la Vache said...

Superb Sky Watch photo!

"Louis" was raised in Texas, lived in The Village on the NW side of OKC for 3 years, moved to California then to France, then back to California.

"Louis" thanks you for visiting San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

Aisha said...

Beautiful! You have really beautiful photos in your blog.

Mary said...

Your photo is stunning. But your words, Tim, leave me speechless. Really. Your story is like watching a movie that takes me away from here and your attention to detail is complete -

...the sticky, honeyed-sweetness of the local baklava

Love it!

Mary

Willard said...

Beautiful photograph and excellent post!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous subtle glow from afar!

Anonymous said...

wow! I live near this Island in Kusadasi and have taken 100s of shots of it at various times of the day but none are nearly as good as this.

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