Now we're on our way up the hill to the Acropolis.

Impressive countryside.

And now we've arrived at the Acropolis above Pergamum. 

Mete educates the masses.

Alexander the Great's city has fallen into ruin, but his view is still spectacular and I assume, virtually unchanged.  I may not be able to conquer the world, but I can enjoy Alexander's view.

That's the site of a great altar to Zeus.  It was right there, where you see the foundations, until around 1878 - 1890, when German engineer and archeologist Carl Humann carried it off to Berlin.  (At one point I had this information all wrong, but Mete read my website and sent a note to correct me.  Thanks, Mete!)

Here's a nice website with info on all this.

Mete tells about the altar to Zeus.

It was huge and magnificent and it was right here -- until Humann carted it off to Berlin. 

What's left is ruined, but still impressive.

And the view is still wonderful.

An ancient view.

An ancient theater.

More ruins.  Alexander the Great used this Acropolis to store his treasure.

What a city this must have been.

And what an incredible experience it must have been to sit in this theater and enjoy an ancient Greek play with all that magnificent scenery in the background.

I am enjoying the scenery today.

And thinking I may not want to climb down there into that theater.

It's a pretty steep drop.

And marble could come crashing down at any time.

Schliemann stole nearly everything, but they've stacked up a good bit of what was left.

And sorted the rest.

Over on the other side of the mountain there was a beautiful view of a reservoir that has been depleted by drought. 

Pretty view.

But what on earth has somebody done to the bushes?

Apparently some sort of custom involves writing wishes on paper or plastic and tying them to the branches of bushes.  I don't get it.

The view, on the other hand, I get.

The view from the other side of the ancient city.

Nice.

I wonder what it would have been like in ancient times?
I was wandering alone through the ruins of Pergamum and contemplating the fate of this once powerful city and there was nobody around and suddenly I heard the call to prayer drifting up from the town below.  A goosebump moment.

And when I came down from my reverie in the ancient city, I decided to go to the restroom, or WC (Water Closet).  This was my first encounter with the type of toilet my college roommate Leon had told me about lo these many years ago.  Leon, whose father was in the US Army, graduated from high school in Ankara in 1965.  His story, and he's always stuck to it, was that in Turkey the toilets didn't supply toilet paper. In fact, the toilets weren't toilets at all -- just holes in the ground with places to put your feet when you squat.  And to wipe, well, you use your left hand and you clean it under a spigot of water. 

Well ha, ha, ha, Leon, you know I never believe a word you say.  Then I saw this:

That's a spigot on the left.  But conditions have improved since Leon was in high school in Turkey, cuz over there on the right you can see some actual toilet paper dangling down.  Still, as the trip went along I found other similar toilets that offered no toilet paper at all.  Never used one, though.  Probably should have, but ... nah.