Nothing beats a little dose of the unexpected while on holiday – it’s the only way you can really get to know a country and its people. After all, how else would we have gained insight into Turkey’s bureaucracy had we not had that awful car trouble? It also meant we had the chance to make one last excursion to Izmir.

Do you know much about Priene? It’s famous for its Hippodamian-plan city layout. What’s more, Priene is also very romantic, especially if you get there late afternoon when all the tour buses are long gone.

Given the number of tourists about the place, one could be forgiven for thinking that pretty much everyone in the world has already walked along the Curetes Street of Ephesus. And we were taking in Ephesus on a quiet day too, relatively speaking …

There’s an old Sicilian proverb that says, “Only donkeys and tourists go out in the midday sun.” But for us, lunchtime afforded us the glorious opportunity to take in Pergamum all on our own.

There are still paradises left on this earth – and the small port of Assos in Troas is one of them. Join us on our excursions through Troas, as we explore Troy, but first, as we marvel at the extremely finely preserved Assos.