Visiting Olympos: Breath of Emergence

“A moment on a quiet beach does more to relax me than all the naps in the world.” – Old Sean

Tales of Origins

After a day in Demre, I woke up the following morning to head to Olympos.

Olympos was one of the most highly recommended destinations on my route. It’s semi-famous as a resort community where mountains meld seamlessly into the sea and ancient, enduring ruins abound.

Olympos has numerous of enduring legends around it. The first involves the ever-burning fires of the nearby mountains. Called Chimaera, these burning vents were supposedly where the mythological Chimaera beast emerged from the ground. In mythos, the Chimaera was a snake-tailed, goat- and lion-headed monstrosity capable of breathing fire. This beast rampaged in Lycia, causing untold destruction, before being slayed by the hero Bellerophon, who succeeded by riding the winged horse Pegasus into battle.

From a more historical foundation, Olympos was originally founded in the 3th century BCE, serving as a pilgrimage center for a prominent temple of Hephaestus. The city expanded and gained considerable influence until it was one of the main city-states of the Lycian League.

Sadly, the city eventually became a hub of piracy and treachery. Conditions greatly deteriorated during the 1st century BCE when pirates under the command of Zenicetes took control of Olympos and Phaselis. They began an enduring tradition of disrupting coastal shipping and kidnapping locals for ransom or slavery payouts.

The Princeps’ Tale

The second locally famous story involves the Roman leader Julius Caesar. In 75 BCE a band of Cilician pirates in the sailing the Aegean Sea successfully captured a wealthy 25-year-old Roman named Julius Caesar,. The young man had been on his way to study oratory in Rhodes.

As the tale goes, Julius utterly refused to behave like a prisoner. He demanded the pirates raise their ransom demands to match his worth. He sent his personal entourage out to gather the money and settled into the pirate hideout. There, Caesar often interacted with the pirates, joking with them, making demands and shouting for silence when he was trying to sleep. From time to time, Caesar joked with the pirates that he would someday return to crucify them all.

But it wasn’t a joke. After 38 days of captivity, the increased ransom was delivered in full. Following his release Caesar managed to raise a cohesive naval force in Miletus, even though he held no official public or military office. Reinforced, he set out in pursuit of the pirates, eventually capturing them, imprisoning them and finally crucifying them.

The story is an excellent one and severed as an important foundational mythos as Julius Caesar was developing his historic career. The entire drama played out in the region with Olympos serving as a major setting.

The Treehouses

While my arrival had scant evidence of fire-breathing monsters or pirates, I still enjoyed myself. I rolled into the narrow mountain community during the first hours after dawn. Red flowers crested green cliffs as towering pines clustered near roads with hairpin turns. The weather was cool, breaths of indelible sea-and-pine breeze present with each inhalation.

I started my day with breakfast at Kadir’s Tree House, a camping area filled with ramble shack wooden buildings and treehouses. The area is delightful to walk through with a scattering of artworks carefully painted on wooden surfaces. There are plenty of cats and dogs around, including a pair of overly-excited bumbling puppies.

Once I had finished petting the pups, I went further down the road to Beaver’s Coffee. There, I fortified myself with caffeine before heading down the remainder of the canyon.

Stones and Flora

The truly spectacular interior portion of Olympos is the Olympos Ancient City. This has largely intact ruins moving in dozens of directions, with lots of short trails passing by white walls and rows of wildflowers.

The ruins are wonderfully diverse and many are still semi-secluded by foliage, making the hikes and discoveries an intensive mini-adventure. The ruins of Genoese Castle overlook the turquoise sea in a variety of gorgeous directions. The Olympos Port Mausoleums contain largely intact, semi-shattered tombs beneath stone walls. The Olympos Episcopal Palace has portions repaired somewhat, allowing visitors to wander the ruins freely.

It was during my walks through the ruin-forests I met Minna, a young woman from London currently working in Lebanon.

Traveler’s Company

One of the greatest things a traveler can enjoy are the tales and stories from other wanderers. There’s a subtle kinship there, a comradery. People who travel are always willing to provide whatever insights they can, often opening up paths previously unknown.

I spent the next couple of hours wandering the region with Minna. We walked through the woods, existed the ruin sites, meandered along the beach, enjoyed orange smoothies and swapped travel stories. I was fascinated to hear about life in Lebanon and the extended biking trips her boyfriend had taken through South America.

But soon, Minna had to head back to her remote work. And I had a yoga and rock climbing class to attend.

Peak of Fire

After my short lessons in rock climbing and an hour long yoga session with a friendly instructor speaking in a strong Turkish accent, I made my last stop in Olympos.

I was eager to visit Chimaera, hoping to see the ever-burning vent firsthand.

When I arrived at the entrance of Chimaera, I was a bit worried about the distance, as there’s a warning to bring your own water when attempting to visit the Chimaera fires. But when I asked, I was told the distance was only 1 kilometer.

That’s less than my walk to the grocery store near my apartment. I scoffed lightly and started on my hike.

However, I should’ve brought some water. The hike, gorgeous as it is through towering woods of pine, is entirely uphill. The steep steps require a fair amount of stamina or rest. But upon reaching the top, there are indeed several vents spewing low tongues of fire.

There’s also a dog sleeping nearby, but I doubt it’s the Chimaera in disguise.

Along the Road

Following my time in Chimaera, I started on the road once more to spend the night in Antalya. I followed the route up a zig-zag pattern until I reached the summits, where amazing views of the mountains and nearby sea loomed.

Soon, I’ll be heading to Antalya, which will be my turning point for this drive. I’ve booked an Airbnb, so I look forward to having a night of relative peace with a functional shower.

So until then.

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written April 12th, 2024

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