Travel: Dinner in a Turkish ‘ghost town’

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Open-air ruins tell the tale of ancient animosity

View of the valley from within the abandoned village on the hill.

Ruins in Kayaköy.

Story and photos by Garrett Palm

Mid-April is still the off-season in Kayaköy, Turkey so my friend and I had the Greek ruins almost to ourselves. Nearby the towns prepared for the oncoming wave of British summer homeowners. For now the “Beatles Bar,” Indian restaurants, night clubs, and Turkish cafes advertising full English breakfasts were closed.

After you pass through mini-Britain you come to a lush valley among the mountains on a peninsula on the Anatolian Coast. Across the green, working farms of the valley is a slope of grey buildings, the abandoned Greek village. After seeing centuries- and millennia-old ruins around Turkey, this abandoned village less than a hundred years old had a familiar eeriness. The storm coming in from the Mediterranean heightened the end of the world atmosphere. (more…)

Filed under: Europe, Travel | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Euro tourism

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A few places to visit …

Fishermen in the harbor of Saranda, Albania.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Since today’s Summit Voice features a couple of stories on European tourism, we thought we’d include a photo essay showcasing some of our favorite spots around the Mediterranean. Check out the related stories:

Europe tourism exceeds expectations so far in 2011

U.S. travel to Europe continues slow rebound

(more…)

Filed under: Europe, Morning photo, photography, tourism, Travel | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Researchers say frequency and size of fires in Mediterranean region linked to changing population patterns and land uses

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A brushfire burning near Athens in 2009. PHOTO VIA LFL

Forest fuels change as people move from the countryside to cities

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — An increase forest fires in the Mediterranean region has been linked with shifting demographics and changes in land use, according to scientists with the  Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

The study, recently published in the journal Climatic Change, constructed a complete database of historical fires in the province of Valencia in order to relate them to the evolution of the climate and societal and territorial transformations in the region. The research that was carried out provides the most complete series of data on the evolution of fires in the Mediterranean basin to date.

The data showed that fires grew more frequent and larger during the 1970s. The change is linked to a population exodus from rural areas and changes in land use during that era. (more…)

Filed under: Environment, forest fires, forests | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

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