Marlowe Peck goes to Turkey, 1987

Dwight Peck's personal website

In June 1987, Marlowe Tyson Peck decided to broaden her horizons and went off to Turkey for a while.

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

But first she stopped over for a few days in Venice, whilst awaiting the arrival of the car ferry, chased pigeons all about St. Mark's for a good part of that time, and got tossed overhead whilst sucking on her thumb.

During a few days on the high Adriatic and Aegean Seas, Marlowe kept in shape by running laps around the car ferry's swimming pool.

Having docked at Izmir, Marlowe permitted herself to be driven southward towards ancient Ephesus near Selçuk, where her mother draws her attention to the stadium.

(Mr Peck went for an afternoon run over that hill in the background and, descending through cliffs on the far side, found himself amid the 4th century Caves of the Seven Sleepers. As he trotted out through the tourist gate at the bottom, the ticket-taker tried to charge him the admission fee retroactively. (Mr Peck ran away instead.))

Tired out from her first day of archaeological sightseeing, Marlowe waits for a bus.

Back in Ephesus, Marlowe affects insouciance before a horrible headless statue.

The library at Ephesus

Where's Waldo? Marlowe and her carrier are peeking out from between the 3rd and 4th columns.

Marlowe relaxes at the motel near Ephesus. Her parents brought their little Subaru van along to save money by camping in it, but as it turned out the hotels in western Turkey, at that time, cost only marginally more than nothing, and the van was never used for that purpose.

A half-day at the beach.

Marlowe checking to make sure that the fishing fleet is ready to go out at dawn near Ephesus.

Marlowe, having exhausted Ephesus (and everyone there at the time), prepares to hit the road for more adventures.

Having cruised the wine-dark seas from Venice to Izmir and passed a pleasant few days at Ephesus, Marlowe headed south to see Bodrum, ancient Halikarnassus, once a mighty outpost of Hellenic, Byzantine, and Ottoman civilizations and now a yachting port.

The medieval fort at Bodrum, built by the monastic military order of the Knights of Rhodes. Another fine example of pre-Ashcroftian homeland security, remarkably resistant to terrorist and other forms of attack even in the absence of metal detectors, sniffer dogs, and "TSA wands".

That was back in the days when people who solemnly declared wars went off to fight them, not off to the golf course.

The corner tower of the fort at Bodrum, with the flag of Turkey snapping bravely in the breeze.

Marlowe patiently awaits her turn to crawl into the corner tower . . .

. . . and wave.

Pamukkale (ancient Hierapolis), where "thermal spring waters laden with calcareous salts running off the plateau's edge have created a fantastic formation of stalactites, cataracts and basins" [borrowed photo].

Marlowe Peck negotiating a fantastic formation of stalactites, cataracts and basins despite her diminutive size.

Another mandatory quick journey to a beach, the Çesme peninsula near Izmir.

Having cruised the mighty seas from Venice to Izmir and checked out the Southwest, Marlowe flew from Izmir to Istanbul for a few days . . .

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul. Marlowe views the wonders of the 15th century Ottoman palace, one of the first built after the end of the Byzantine Empire, and speculates about lunch.

Peek-a-boo in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, 1987 (and 2010).

Marlowe in front of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul.

"Bye, Istanbul!" Marlowe embarks on a cruise north of the city . . .

. . . and passes by the Achille Lauro cruise ship, scene of an awful pre-Ashcroftian terrorist attack in October 1985. The Abu-Nidal Palestinian hijacking ended with only one senseless murder after US negotiators guaranteed safe passage for the hijackers to Egypt, then sort of changed their minds, and scrambled F-14 fighter planes to force the Egyptian plane down in Sicily. A sad monument to bad faith all the way round.

Marlowe's first photograph on her own.

Marlowe, north of Istanbul, sleeps through Rumelihisari (Rumeli Fortress), built in the 15th century as part of the Ottomans' final assault on old Byzantium.

Atop the walls

Back by airplane to Izmir and motoring off to Bergama next, ancient Pergamum, where her dad pretends to explain some of the ancient steles.

The photograph is looking northward from ancient Pergamum in western Turkey.
Marlowe is looking southward.

Marlowe and the old dad charging up in an assault on the main gate of Pergamum (much as the Persian troopers under Darius and Cyrus must have done long ago), . . .

. . . under the tolerant gaze of Marlowe's mum.

The Trojan Horse. Or a reconstruction. Homerus tells how, during the Trojan War (a long time ago), cunning Odysseus of the post-Achilles Greek army stuck a lot of heavily armored guys into a horsey offering to the gods such as this and sent the rest of his besieging army off to the pub, as if giving up the 10-year siege at last. When the dumb defenders of Troy had dragged the horse into the city as a present for their protector gods and got down to serious victory partying, crafty old Odysseus and his boys snuck out and opened the city gates, just as the Greek army was wandering by on its way home from the pub. Fini Troiia.

Emulating cunning Odysseus, Marlowe Peck prepares to climb into the Trojan horse, without her armor and big sword thing.

Turned away from the siege of Troy, Marlowe walks off towards Syria.

And then sets up a howling at the sight of an archaeological map of some of the levels of Troy excavation and a bee sting on her elbow.

After several weeks of touring ruined cities in Asia Minor, Marlowe gratefully relaxes aboard the car ferry back to Venice.

As does her old dad.

Once back in Switzerland, Marlowe suits up in pajamas, backpack, and goggles and gets ready for the coming winter.

Marlowe Tyson Peck