| Page Views: 1,022 Last Visit to Turkey: September, 2004 | 2 Weeks in Turkey by unaS - last update: Apr 7, 2009 |
Istanbul | Topikapi - Entrance to one of the rooms |
Arrived at midnight to discover that the local Travel Agent had forgotten to clear the private Jewish Historical sites tour in advance as required. They also hadn't taken into consideration that the day after was already the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. Finally arranged for the trip but to only two synagogues and only on the 3rd day. Got to the hotel near midnight. I was supposed to call an e-friend but it was so late that I decided to wait till the next day.
Great Turkish breakfast buffet. Met Miriam. We walked up Sultanahmet and visited the Covered Bazaar. Later I joined a tour of the Dolmabahce Palace. The Palace would fit very nicely into the French countryside. Other than a few rugs there is nothing Turkish in the place.
Joined Miriam again that evening and we went to dinner. Then we walked down Sultanahemet in the opposite direction that we had gone that morning. Saw the Blue Mosque all lit up, but the fountains had been shut off.
Next morning the agency man showed up to tell me that today we were going on the Jewish Heritage tour! They had only just realized what I tried to explain to them the night I arrived tomorrow would not be possible because of the Jewish New Year, a solemn religious ceremony. I visited the Ashkenazy synagogue and the Ahrida synagogue. The Jewish community is so small that despite the existence of 5 synagogues in Istanbul, only these two are used, alternately. Since the tour was only 2 out of 6 sites originally promised, I was offered a chance to see anything else of my choice.
Asked to see the fantastic mosaics in the Chora church I had read about. It was a long trip, only to discover that it is closed on Wednesdays! The representative was most apologetic. He offered to take me out in the evening to see Topkapi, the Blue Mosque and the fountains lit up after dark. Okay, so I had already been there the night before but the fountains weren't on, so I was willing to try again you guessed it they weren't on this night either!
Next morning I joined a tour of the Blue Mosque, Topikapi and Aya Sofia. I was very impressed by the beauty of Topikapi and planned to visit again on my own. The Blue Mosque is immense and can make a person feel her own smallness in this very old house of worship. Aya Sofia (Hagia Sofia), has been both a Byzantine church and an Ottoman mosque. Today, since the founding of the Republic by Ataturk, it is a museum. After lunch went to Sulimanye Mosque with it's beautiful colored windows.
At 7.00 pm I was at the central bus station ( otogar ), for my overnight ride to Kusadasi. Totally confused I just stood there for a few minutes trying to orient myself. Each bus company has its own booking office, so by looking at my voucher and the largest word on it I was able to locate the correct company.
The man at the desk was very understanding, accustomed to tourists. Without a word passing between us he changed my voucher for a ticket, showed me where the bus would leave from, the correct bus, showed me where I could store my bag till the time printed on the ticket (still an hour to wait) and left me feeling great. Body language is amazing!
Searched around until I found a place that sold toasted cheese sandwiches ( tost peynirli ) and a banana. I always travel with a large bottle of water, so I was set!
Long distance coaches in Turkey are large and comfortable. A steward goes around offering drinks of water, tea or instant coffee for most of the night. The driver amazed me. He drove for 11 hours straight! I felt absolutely safe the whole trip. About 3 hours into the trip we were held up for at least 1/2 an hour. I had no way of discovering why, but the bus was surrounded by dozens of large trucks. Suddenly we began moving surprise it was a ferry ride! Time to get out and stretch one's legs, breathe fresh air and enjoy a midnight refresher. |
| Ephesus - the road down... |
Kusadasi to Marmaris Arrived in Kusadasi at 7 am, was met, luggage and self were transferred to another bus and away we went. Thank heavens for the coffee and cake served on the overnight coach!
Ephesus: This ancient city dates back to 2000 BC. It was originally settled by the Lelegs and/or the Carians, was conquered and ruled over by many peoples. The most famous structure is the library. It is awesome. At one point it was the largest and most famous library in the known world. After the Great Library in Alexandria was destroyed most of the remaining scrolls were brought here. There is also a secret tunnel from the library to the brothel for the 'relaxation' of the scholars! The Temple of Artemis, one of the 7 Wonders of the ancient world, the St John Basilica, and the house of the Virgin Mary are all within visiting distance.
Pamukkale
First visit was to Hieropolis, the city of the dead. Ill people were sent to Pamukkale for the mineral baths. If incurable, they were sent to Hieropolis, a city of tombs, sarcophagi, and monuments to the dead.
The hot springs have been badly misused. The government has closed them to visitors to allow the mineral waters to renew themselves. One can no longer bathe in the natural spa despite the ubiquitous advertisements by the tourist agencies to do just that.
The Temple of Apollo and a Roman theatre are near-by. Visited the public Pamukkale Thermal Baths. There is a public swimming area with both fresh and mineral water. Nicely planted, green and refreshing on a hot day. Consists of a number of small pools with running water. In the area are a small museum and an official tourist information office.
Made my way to Selcuk by minibus ( dolmus ), then to Marmaris by coach. Arrived in the early evening to see the sun set over the harbour. Beautiful! Had a good Turkish dinner in town: A small mezze, stuffed green peppers with Adana kebap and a salad.
Marmaris
An early morning walk along the seashore was blazing hot, so I crossed over and walked on the other side of the street in the shade. Discovered a real coffee shop! In Turkey they serve either the thick Turkish coffee or instant coffee only. Only in the tourist areas can one get a good espresso or filter coffee. It is expensive, but in the morning well worth the cost for me.
There is an old fortress on the top of a hill. The steps leading up to it wind around in narrow alleyways and into and out of all sorts of interesting corners. The houses are very old, pretty, quaint and interesting.
All steps in Turkey are very high. From the most ancient sites to the most modern, including the steps up into a dolmus or bus they are twice the height of any other place that I have ever visited. With my short legs I felt the difference very strongly in fact it will probably be one of my lasting memories of Turkey.
Finally reached the top. Visited the castle, now an archeological museum. The first ramparts of the castle were probably built about 3,000 BC. It was restored once by Alexander the Great in an attempt to control the pirates flourishing in the area. The pirates actually continued to successfully ply the seas in Anatalya until the 19th century when the British finally put a stop to it.
The views from the ramparts of the harbour and the surrounding area are lovely. Well worth the walk up even with those high steps. Had a good lunch in town and walked through the Bazaar.
The salesmen are funny and will say "Hello, Where are you from?" in at attempt to get you into the store. After a while I got tired of being talked at and answered in Hebrew rather than English. A few recognized the language but couldn't converse in it other than to say "Shalom". They tried English, German, Italian, Spanish and every other language they could, but I pretended ignorance and was free to browse without being pressured <S> |
Marmaris to Istanbul: Gulet & Hot Air Balloon Gulets are fishing boats refitted as tourist boats for short, shore-hugging trips. The top deck was lined with mattresses for sun-bathing, meals were on deck, the lazy life lived there. The food was fabulous, the company good, the days pure laziness. We sailed from one inlet or bay to another, swam off the side of the boat, ate and slept. Evenings were warm and many of us slept on the deck.
Fethiye
We docked in Fethiye at 10 am. Took a jeep tour of the Lyddian Rock Tombs, Salikent Gorge and Xanthos (Caunas). The tombs from the 4th Century BC are located in the sheer rock walls of the mountain itself. Walking around this ancient site and imagining the city as it was then is an experience not to be missed. Near-by is the ancient city of Xanthos from the Archaic period, partially restored.
Salikent Gorge
The waters rush out of the rocks with great force forming white-water rapids. The steep walls on either side seem to rise forever. The water is cold!! There are turkeys and chickens wandering freely here because they eat scorpions!! Had a gozleme - rolled from non-rising flour and filled with herbs, cheese, onions, garlic and local spices delicious!
Olympus One of the best days, or rather nights, of the whole trip.
Two days of travelling for a night's outing
Worth it? Absolutely! We were assured that the climb up to the Chimaera was about 20 minutes. HA! It is a tough climb up hundreds of steps. It took 40 minutes to get to the top. The sight of the natural and unexplained flames, which have been burning for thousands of years made it worth the effort. Back to Kas and another overnight bus to Goreme.
Cappadocia
Arrived in Goreme at 7 am. Visited Derinkuyu in Neveshir, an underground city located in this area. Some of the underground cities have extensive rock drawings or icons, especially in the churches. Walked in the valley of the fairy chimneys in Pigeon Valley. A fantastic sight to see. Pleasant Ilhara valley is a tree lined stream, cool air and babbling water, just marvelous! Walked for 4 of the 14 km. trail from Karagedik church to Belisirama, ate lunch in a stream side restaurant at the end of it. Then a visit to Avanos, and a ceramics factory. The fantastically fine work of the hand painters on the pottery was amazing. Reminded me of the description by Orhan Pamuk in his book "My Name Is Red". He writes about the miniaturists of the late 1500's and how they invariably went blind. The work these people were doing was as delicate as the use of a brush with a single hair and they had to bend right down close to their work despite modern lighting.
Had a dish of Turkish yogurt with sliced cucumbers in it and a pide , a Turkish pizza for supper and to bed - had a really early start in the morning.
Awake before the sun rose. At 5.30 am had to be at the hot-air balloon tour office. What can I say? I haven't the words. (See Tips - Must Do) for a fuller explanation. After landing I remained light headed and feeling as if I was still up in the air, a kind of natural high. A breakfast was provided, but I couldn't eat yet, another cup of coffee was sufficient for me.
Later visited Urgup, the Caravan Saray, Uchisar and Cavusin. A visit to the Open-Air museum in Goreme for a close view of the rock caves and churches. Aksaray and the mushroom chimneys towered over us as we walked a short distance in rock valley. The guide was an historian. He gave us a synopsis of 5,000 years of history in ½ an hour; an amazing feat.
At 5.30 a dolmus to the bus at Keyseri. From there to the airport for a short flight back to Istanbul.
Next morning took the tram down to the wharf area. Strolled along the wharf sightseeing. Saw a boat loading for a 2-hour cruise up the Bosphorus. Hopped on and enjoyed seeing so many of the sights that I had seen from land from a different perspective.
I do recommend to anyone that has not been there to visit.
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| In A Nutshell: | "Hated to say good-bye to Turkey. I don't know if I will ever visit Turkey again - there are so many places to visit and things to see - but I do recommend to anyone that has not been there to visit." |
unaS's Turkey Travel Tips
 Comments for unaS about Turkey | | | | |
LoriPori Mon Aug 31, 2009 16:08 UTC
It is my dream to visit Turkey one day. For sure I would do the Balooning over Cappadocia and would love to stay in a Cave Hotel. Great stuff. | mvtouring Mon Jul 27, 2009 09:23 UTC
going to Turkey in Sept on an organised tour. Your page has gotten me to the stage of wishing it was time yet. Have to be patient! ;-) | jumpingnorman Sat May 2, 2009 08:16 UTC
Enjoyed reading your intro/travelogue on Turkey - truly a great place to vist but as u said, one has to be flexible...I feel bad I cancelled my trip to Istanbul last year due to work, but I will definitely visit someday...Norman:) | joiwatani Sun Apr 12, 2009 21:22 UTC
I love reading your travel journal. It's well-written! Thanks for sharing. Are you a member of traveljournals.net, too? |
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