Didim Marina and Didyma
30 July 2019
Nerida Matthews | Fine, sunny 32 Deg, Wind 1 to 10 Kt
28/29 July
We have booked into a marina for a couple of days, it is fairly new and quite large. On arrival we had a big cheery welcome from 3 marina staff who came out to meet us in their dinghy and assist with "parking", which seemed a bit more than necessary. It's a bit like a giant holiday village with several restaurants, pools with adjacent bars and cafes. All of the grounds are landscaped and well laid out.
This morning we went to visit the ancient site of Didyma that has a huge Greek temple dedicated to Apollo. This site was famed as the oracle of Apollo before the site at Delphi became prominent. It is the largest Ionic temple in the world, a very impressive 120m x60m. It was never actually finished however would still have been quite spectacular in it's prime. Some of the stone work is amazing, millimetre perfectly fitted together. There are three of the original 77 columns still standing, which are massive in both their height and width. The bases of the columns had decorative carving but each one was unique. The intricate carving on some of the stones is amazing for the time. Archaeological and restoration work is still being undertaken on the site. There are rows of massive stones sorted into groups, it is like a massive three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle working out how they all fit together. Given the impressive nature of the site we were surprised by the lack of tourists, we almost had the place to ourselves.