Full Circle

We've arrived back in Istanbul for our final days of the program. I'm back in the same hotel in the same room with the same sense of wonder and amazement.

 After going to Side(see-day) and Antalya for a small trip last weekend, we came back to Gazipaşa for a final day of digging.

Side and Antalya were both amazing places to visit. Side blends in the surrounding ruins directly into the tourist life. When we arrived on Friday night, we drove down column lined streets and under ancient archways. That night we walked down to the beach for a dip in the Mediterranean and then later got a taste of Side night life. We meandered through the temples of Apollo and Athena on the way to a night club. I can only imagine what ancient Romans would think if they knew that a karaoke bar now exists amid their grand columns. Perge and Aspendos ( which I mistakenly heard as asparagus) were both fantastic. In Aspendos, we were able to sing on the stage of the gorgeous stone theatre that is still being used for various performances throughout the year. The acoustics were incredible, and it's amazing to think that mankind was capable of such an engineering feat.

Helen sings an aria for us. Words don't matter.

Side and Antalya pictures here and Gazipaşa pictures here. 

The dig portion of the trip is now over. Over the past two weeks I've learned a lot about archaeology. I got to try my hand at surveying, pottery drawing, and a myriad of other tasks associated with the field. Above all these, of course, was the actual digging. The experience was definitely exhausting, but heartily fulfilling. After an entire day of dirt moving, there is no better feeling than standing in the shower and watching as a pool of mud forms around your feet. Archaeology really makes you appreciate the small things: dumping a wheelbarrow full of freshly dug dirt, straight profiles with evidence of stratification, soap. I can't say that I can see myself switching my major any time soon, (though some of us have been converted) but I'm so glad to have had the experience.

My final days in Istanbul will be spent hitting last minute tourist sites, buying souvenir gifts, doing catchup work for Mixed Company in preparation for the upcoming fall, and of course writing my final paper for the class. I've decided to write about tourism and its impact on the physical and social landscape of different areas of Turkey. From the miles of beach clubs in Alanya to the cave hotels of Cappadocia, tourism's touch on the landscape is ubiquitous. Some places have done a better job than others at integrating the modern and ancient world. The social aspects of tourism are not as easy to spot, but still definitely exist, as evidenced by shrinking villages and growing rates of literacy and multilingualism. I'm excited to research more, but the more time I spend inside the less time I have to do my final rounds of the city.

Lisa and I are also busy deciding on our travels for after Friday. We have a hostel booked in Paris for 3 nights, but other than that we are free until the 15th. Any suggestions for places to visit? We are bouncing around Brussels, Amsterdam, Portugal, Luxembourg and Spain, but as of now we are essentially wandering Europe with suitcases in tow. It's bound to be an adventure.