One way to get a sense of the vicissitudes that have rocked the Lycian Coast over the millennia is to take a look at the white pebbles and other debris in the exposed soil column near the restored theatre in Myra. They signal a massive tsunami – one of a number that have hit the region.
Thanks to Andrew, we got to the site well ahead of the crowds – and enjoyed a fairly leisurely prowl around the ruins and excavated objects.
Then across to the Church of St Nicholas, which was heaving with folk from Russia and similar necks of the wood. One of them, several of us agreed, was the spitting image of Vladimir Putin – though, happily, he was wearing a shirt.
The group seems to have gelled well, somewhat better than in 2011 – when there were a few ‘stray cats’ among the group.
That said, and as I noted to someone today, it strikes me that I am something of an outsider on such adventures, either ahead of the group or lagging some way behind.
In the event that I had found myself in one of the armies that have swept back and forth across this landscape, I would have been either scouting in advance of the vanguard or watching over my shoulder in the rearguard – rather than marching in lockstep with the main body.
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