The Highly Underrated Turkey

Hello again! Well, after bragging about beautiful weather and warm temperatures on our last blog, a low front approached Turkey and it did pour on the Mediterranean Coast (Kalkan to be exact) for three days.

This is a rather long blog, so if you are short of time, here is the skinny: great people, yummy food, awesome sights and beautiful scenery – you should make it a goal to visit at some point. For those with more time, please read on.

As mentioned in our last blog, the Turkish immigration officials did not give Martin a hard time and knew that Liechtenstein actually does exist. In fact Val was the one faced with a bit of work this time around because she had not obtained her entry visa prior to going through immigration. Liechtensteiners need no visa to enter – go figure. But not to worry, the visa desk was next door and after paying US $20 for the stamp, Val was officially granted access to Turkey.

We arrived in Istanbul planning to stay for 3 days. There were so many exciting things to do and see in this big city that we did extend our stay by another 2 days and yet we still felt like we had not seen or experienced the city. It was an assault on our senses, but in a positive way. Unlike Cairo, Istanbul exudes a positive vibe, full of life, colors, smells of fresh food, fruits and vegetables, friendly, hospitable people, vendors who do not hassle you, taxi cab drivers who actually use their meters, and excellent cuisine!

Our first encounter with a typical friendly Turk was when we attempted to take the metro train from the airport to Sultanahmet. One guy who barely spoke a word of English asked where we were heading and provided us a quicker, alternative route to the one e-mailed by the hotel. Of course we could not understand what he was trying to tell us however another man who spoke some English joined in on the group conversation and translated the plan of attack for us, which included changing stations midway (thank God we’re back to a place where they use the alphabet we are used to and not Arabic characters). We thanked them for their help and headed for a different train.

Then another guy who was on the same train as us previously and had apparently overheard us talking, offered to show us which train to catch as he was heading to the same neighborhood. He spoke some English and after finding out that Val was American, he pulled out a magazine which had President Obama and Turkey’s president on the front cover. He gave it to Val to read, as the ride would be another half hour to our destination, but unfortunately it was in Turkish. The rest of the train ride through Istanbul was exciting and we could instantly tell that we were back to modernization, lots of shops and cafes, and people walking around. We must also mention that these trains were clean – no smell of piss or graffiti as can be found on metros in San Fran, NYC or Sydney.

We did not realize it at first, but our hotel was smack dab in the middle of historic Istanbul in Sultanahmet, less than a 10 minute walk from the Aya Sofya (Church of Holy Wisdom) and the Blue Mosque. The Aya Sofya has an impressive interior, containing a sublime domed ceiling soaring heavenward and a gallery which we climbed that was full of ancient, splendid mosaics. This ancient basilica was built in the 4th century by Constantine the Great and considered one of the great architectural marvels of all time. It was built as house of worship for Christians, but when the Ottaman Turks conquered Constininpole (what the city of Istanbul used to be called), they converted it to a mosque.

Across the Aya Sofya, over a beautifully manicured garden, complete with a pool and fountain, was the striking 17th century Blue Mosque, notable for its six slender minarets and a cascade of domes and half domes. The interior of the mosque is a luminous blue, created by the tiled walls and painted dome, which gives this mosque its name. In front of the Blue Mosque was the Hippodrome, the scene of ancient chariot races, built in AD 203. The Obelisk of Theodosius is an Egyptian column from the temple of Karnak which we visited during our Egypt adventure. It features 3,500-year old hieroglyphics which together with the minarets and domes of the Blue Mosque forms a formidable subject which we of course photographically captured and included in our photos.

Only a short walk from the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya is a beautiful park leading to the opulent Topkapi Palace. While we strolled through the manicured gardens, we couldn’t help but snap pictures of cheeky kids posing behind blossoming tulips. The Topkapi Palace is considered one of the most iconic of Istanbul’s monuments and consists of four massive courtyards and a series of imperial buildings.

Following Topkapi, we headed to the covered Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi) for some shopping therapy. We had a difficult time grasping the immense size of the Bazaar, but Val was in her element. It is a hustling and bustling place. A labyrinth sprawling across 65 streets, it includes more than 4,000 shops offering everything from tacky souvenirs to copperware, porcelain, curios, traditional instruments, clothing, and of course, carpets! Needless to say we did not buy any porcelain pieces or curios because a piece of work could weigh over 10 kgs (23 lbs) and Martin did not want to carry it around the country or Africa. Instead, what he allowed Val to do was purchase 500 grams (1 lb) of homemade baklava, approximately 12 pieces of heavenly filo pastries stuffed with either chopped pistachios or walnuts and smothered in gooey, sweet honey. These delectables were to die for and were probably the best baklava we’ve ever had in our lives. As for the porcelain and curios, Martin promised Val that they will visit again in the near future, when she can shop for anything in the Grand Bazaar until her heart is content. Val believes that he’ll keep this promise, because he’ll do (almost) anything for those baklavas!

The next day, we ventured a bit further, crossing the Bosporus River on the Galata Bridge on our way to hustling and bustling Ortakoy. We were there on a Sunday and this elegant suburb next to the Bosporus River was a visual feast. Right on the water’s edge was the decorative Ortakoy Camii Mosque, surrounded by river ferries and fishermen’s boats. The mosque fronts Ortakoy Square, home to many waterfront cafes and restaurants. We wasted no time and got right into business, walking, eating and drinking our way through Ortakoy, all the while enjoying fabulous views of the Bosporus River and the massive bridge connecting Europe and Asia on either end of its shores.

We then visited Taksim, a suburb across the Galata Bridge on top of the hill. Taksim was reached via a funicular, and as we learned, was one of the first tunnels built in the world and the first tunnel in Turkey, used to serve as a secret tunnel to haul gold from surrounding areas down to one of the biggest banks in Istanbul. We strolled the Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare, flanked by numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, embassies, mosques and teahouses. Amongst the plethora of sights, the small but colorful Fish Market and Flower Passage (Cicek Pasaji) were a treat.

The next morning we were in the hotel lobby talking to the friendly staff and Val noticed young kids and their grandmother across the street sitting by the open window, observing street life. They waved at us and when we flashed our cameras they got more excited than us. They wanted their photos taken and best of all, grandma joined in on the fun. Then the kids came down and after posing for some awesome photos, they took over Martin’s tripod and camera and actually took some great pics. We then went on to view a nearby mosque, and again, some kids wanted their photo taken and we of course happily accepted the photo opportunity.

We went on to explore the district of Eminonu, again full of shops selling everything from tacky wedding dresses to batteries. This is where we met some of the nicest and funniest people. Martin struck up a conversation with some people working at a bakery and soon took pictures of them hiding their faces behind pretzels. It was not before too long that both of us would wear baker’s hats, posing for photos behind the counter – we had such a great time!

We then headed to the Spice Bazaar (or Egyptian Bazaar), where the air was filled with many enticing aromas, from cinnamon to saffron, mint, thyme and many more flavors which we were not familiar with. Although we had eaten breakfast only a few hours before, we had to try some cashews, nougat, and had some doner sandwiches. Needless to say, Martin was in his element, snapping pictures of neatly arranged, colorful piles of spices, rows of nuts, dried fruits, and men preparing kebabs. It should be highlighted that the Turks have been very happy to pose for pictures and have never turned us down in capturing them – whether it be the guy selling corn on a cob outside the Grand Bazaar, a bread vendor selling his baked goods on the busy streets of Taksim, or a guy preparing a kebab on the corner of a street in Eminonu.

The Spice Bazaar pretty much spit us out in the courtyard of the massive New Mosque (it is not new, it’s just called “new”), right on the edge of the Bosporus River and Galata Bridge. This is where we took a break in the courtyard of the mosque, observing people getting ready for prayer by washing themselves prior to entering the mosque. This is also were we observed a prayer session, and it was a bit of a surprise to see that even during prayer, people tend to check their mobiles – this includes seemingly old and frail man – it made us feel a bit out of touch with technology because neither of us owned a mobile in Australia. That is until Peter Longauer gave us one of his ancient ones, which, we want to add, works perfectly in Turkey – thank you Peter.

Due to the many photos, we split them into 2 sections; Istanbul and the “Rest of Turkey”. Please find both links below.

Istanbul: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CYtm7Fu5as3e&emid=sharshar&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharshar

Rest of Turkey: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0QcN2jJq4YsWVS&emid=sharview&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharview

We decided to rent a car for the remainder of our visit in Turkey. We left Istanbul without any problems, driving southeast towards Gallipoli and Troy. To our big, big, big surprise, we came across a Migros, Switzerland’s largest grocery store chain and probably Val’s favorite past time during her visit in Liechtenstein. Of course we had to stop and check it out.

We arrived in Eceabat, the site of the war at Gallipoli in 1915 which had cost the lives of almost 36,000 Commonwealth, 10,000 French and around 86,000 Turks. Although we did not know much about this war, involving primarily ANZAC forces, it was a somber experience as clouds and sun interacted to provide an eerie atmosphere at Lone Pine Tree where one of the numerous monuments and white grave stones overlook the Marmara Sea. We learned that Lone Pine was a strategically important plateau which was stormed by Australian forces on August 6, 1915 and held by them until the evacuation. The Lone Pine Cemetery contains mostly Australian casualties. Within the cemetery stands the Lone Pine Memorial which records the names of all the Australian soldiers lost in the Anzac area between April and December 1915 and New Zealanders prior to the August Offensive who have no known grave. We drove along the Memorial Way and viewed several interesting monuments and statues before enjoying a spectacular sunset.

The following morning, we took the ferry from Eceabat to Canakkale, crossing the Marmara Sea and started the long drive south to Troy. We decided not to enter Troy because it was too expensive and the only thing of interest to us was the huge wooden horse. We had also found out that the wooden horse is not an original because it’s mythical – no one knows if there was an original wooden horse that hid the enemies that conquered Troy. We continued on to the town of Selcuk, the gateway to Ephesus.

Ephesus is one of the best preserved ancient sites to be found anywhere. We passed through the impressive Gate of Hercules and a mile-long marble-paved street (Sacred Way) lead us past the stunning and beautiful Library of Celsius (the star attraction of Ephesus), the Temple of Artemis and the Great Theatre. A 15-minute drive from Ephesus is the House of Virgin Mary. Those with an interest in history and/or religion might know that after the death of Jesus, St. John the Apostle brought Mother Mary with him to Ephesus where she remained in her house on Nightingale Mountain until her death. In the 19th century, a nun in Germany was in stigmata and had visualized this home, describing its mountain forest location near Ephesus (she had never been to Turkey) and claimed it to be the Virgin Mary’s home. The Vatican recognizes it as her home and both the late Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict have given mass here. As no pictures were allowed to be taken in her home, it can only be described as a tiny wood and stone cottage surrounded by beautiful gardens.

After Ephesus, we headed east for another 2.5 hours towards Aphrodisias, another well preserved ancient city for the goddess of Venus. We had to give it a miss as we reached the site after it had closed for the day. We were now within an hour of Pamukkale, a geological fairyland known for its white travertines cascading down the hillside. These thermal waters have been used for therapeutic treatments since the Roman period. No offense to our Russian friends, but the bus loads of Russian visitors apparently forgot the healing powers of the water, and instead were busy posing for pictures in their Speedos and bikinis despite massive, bulging bellies and slightly out of proportion rears that no doubt would have been less offensive and a bit more photogenic if perhaps they dressed a little more conservatively.

After viewing the travertines and wading through the warm pools, we were off to Fethiye on the Mediterranean coast. We spent the night in Patara and enjoyed an incredible sunset on a 20 km stretch of uninterrupted beach, followed by a great home cooked Turkish meal, served by one of the many hospitable Turkish hosts that we have encountered – again, no offense, but Australian hotel & B&B owners could learn a great deal in customer service and hospitality from these guys.

The next day we probably drove a total of 20km and got hooked on Kalkan. Kalkan is arguably the most picturesque and photographed of the coastal towns along the western Mediterranean. Historic Kalkan is a beautiful tangle of narrow streets, cobble stones, lined with pretty wood-and-stone houses, tumbling down a steep hillside to an even prettier marina, full of open air restaurants. We spent four nights in Kalkan waiting out 3 days of rain on the Mediterranean Coast (it’s probably the best town to stay at when there’s lots of rain, because it’s still warm and beautiful even when it’s grey and cloudy) and can highly recommend a great pension (guest house) to stay at should you visit stunning Kalkan (http://www.kalkangulpansiyon.com/) - a must if you do travel to Turkey.

The next day was rather uneventful as we were trying to head as far east as possible to see sights of Cappadocia and Nemrut, the latter being the site of colossal size statutes and heads of kings and gods. We arrived in Side just in time to view and photograph the beautiful Temple of Zeus, situated right on the beach, making for a beautiful panorama with the white pillars of the Temple against the blue of the sea.

The following day, Martin decided to take some morning photos of the Temple, and as he approached it, he was offered beer at 7:45am by the owner of the restaurant adjacent to the Temple. As a token of appreciation, he had a glass of the local Turkish beer, Efes – this sort of behavior (drinking before breakfast) took him back to his teenage years when no time was a bad time for a drink.

After a hearty breakfast, nicely embalming the Efes, Martin was ready for a long drive and we stopped at the walled city of Antalya for a stroll along the beautiful promenade and a quick lunch before dashing off and stopping again at the fortress in Anamur on the Mediterranean coast.

It took us two full days of driving to get close to Nemrut from Kalkan. We took pictures of wide valleys near Besni on our way to Kahta to see Nemrut Dagi. We spent the night in Kahta, a rather dirty town, thriving only due to its proximity to Nemrut Dagi. Luck was once again on our side as we scored a king suite at the Zeus Hotel, and after some whining, we got the room for 75% of its advertised price.

After catching up on some sleep, we started the very steep and adventurous drive to Nemrut Dagi, taking the scenic roads from Kahta to Cendere where we saw an ancient stone bridge, then on to Arsameia, and a steep climb to Horik from where we enjoyed more valley views before reaching the historic site of Nemrut Dagi.

Nemrut Dagi consists of two terraces, the east & west terraces. Originally, the statutes and heads of kings and gods were about 8-9 meters (24-27 feet) tall. We spent little time on the East terrace were bodies are in good shape, but not the heads, whereas on the West terrace, heads are in pristine shape, but bodies are not. The West terrace is the spot to view the sunset, so we spent most of our time there combating the heavy winds and freezing weather (temps dropped quickly down to 5 degrees Celsius or approximately 40F when the sun went down). Both the East and West terraces contain a lion and an eagle and the heads of five gods: god king Antiochos (no beard, crown), Tyche von Kommagene (fruit basket for head decoration), Zeus Oromasdes (beard, frown lines on forehead, bushy eyebrows), Apollo Mithras (no beard) and Herakles (beard, but no frown lines). Around 18 AC, Kommagene was integrated into the Roman Empire and moved the royal family to Rome – the kingdom then disappeared.

The next day was spent driving virtually all day and we passed through several mountain passes and shot nice photos of snow covered mountains near Nurhak and Elbistan before finally arriving in Goreme, Cappadocia where we spent the next three nights amidst the famous fairy chimneys.

While in touristy Cappadocia, we visited the underground city at Kaymakli , the Pigeon Valley, the castle at Uchisar and Goreme’s open-air museum of cave churches. After spending 2 nights in a beautiful hotel which we thought was in a cave, we decided to actually find a hotel built into one of the chimney rocks and after a bit of negotiation, we scored the “penthouse cave suite”, with wonderful views of other chimney rocks and the town to the west.

After breakfast we dashed off for the 600km drive to Kutahya (a town known for its porcelain) to bring us closer to Istanbul. Perhaps the only real interesting feature on this trip was a massive volcano-shaped mountain near the town of Aksaray. We were once again lucky in that we got a double room, delicious and very filling dinner and breakfast for 2, all for 60 Turkish Lira (roughly the equivalent in Australian dollars).

We took a stroll around Kutahya and this is possibly the friendliest town in all of Turkey. We walked into a store to buy a hair headband for Val and it turned out that the young owner had lived in Germany for a couple of years and as he found out that Martin was from Liechtenstein, he was excited to speak German and invited us for tea. In addition, Val’s hair accessory was given to her as a gift and he would not accept any money. If you ever happen to be in Kutahya, make sure to stop at “Pasha” for accessories or perfume and see the very friendly owner Kazim (http://www.pashabijuteri.com/). We then went on to find desert and for 2 Lira we got 4 scoops of ice cream dipped in chocolate and nuts – what a steal! Even the security guard at the local super market was excited about Martin’s presence and Liechtenstein nationality (as if he were some sort of town celebrity) and promptly showed him a SMS on his mobile, received from his girlfriend in Zurich – a small world indeed.

The next day we made it to the ancient city of Aizanoi, and in particular, the Temple of Zeus with the bust of a female figure immediately in front of it before stopping at Izmit, about 1 hours drive east of the Ataturk International Airport. This pretty much marked the end of our Turkey trip as we were now heading back to Istanbul for our flight to Cairo, then on to Nairobi and on to Johannesburg to join the first of our four African tours.

We arrived safely in South Africa after a 24-hour ordeal that included an 8-hour layover in Cairo and change of planes in Nairobi, but only after a stop in Khartoum, Sudan, in the middle of the night – all part of the flight itinerary, so nothing to worry about, but more about this in our next blog.

Warm greetings from rather cool South Africa!
Val and Martin