In school, I always wondered why on Earth there was a country in the world called TURKEY – did it mean that only turkeys lived there (and no humans of course!), or did people living there eat only this bird!! When I grew up, I decided to figure it out for myself.
Turkey is one of the countries on the southern coast of Europe, that generally doesn't tend to find a place in the typical itineraries of 'Europe in 15 days' – because clearly travel agents don't deem it popular like Switzerland or France! However, you will be surprised to know how seamless a mix it is of two cultures – the orthodox Islam and the trendy West.
Cappadocia
Cappadocia or Kapadokya, is a historical town in North Anatolia. You need to fly to the city of Kayeseri & then drive down for an hour to reach Cappadocia. Its best you book a cab from the hotel for a pick up, as it may be difficult to find transport from the tiny little airport at Kayseri.
We had booked ourselves in one such cave hotel. The room was a cave room & we were amazed to see how beautifully & adequately the room was set - wow, if this is the way people lived in caves, who cared about 5-star hotels?
Our initial reaction was that the room would be stuffy & claustrophobic without any ventilation - however, was pleasantly surprised to know that thanks to the rocks, the rooms remained cool in summers & warm in winters, maintaining a constant temperature of 16-17 degrees Celcius throughout the year - so no air-conditioners & no heaters!
There are a large number of balloon companies to choose from - post a lot of research, we booked with the 'Istanbul Balloons' - known, reliable & value for money. The cost per person can vary anything between 130-200 Euros, depending on the grandeur of the breakfast that each of these companies serve - once up in the air, they are all the same. While you can make the bookings online, Fatih our hotel owner, was very kind to do the booking for us.
The fun & joy of the ride increases manifold if you have a great pilot - Ozan our pilot, was not only an expert at explaining every step of 'how to fly', he kept us totally entertained & bewitched as we soar higher & higher.
It took almost 8-10 people to hold the basket for us to get into it before we took off. Once up in the air, this thought kept popping in my mind that we will bump into another balloon as there were so many flying around - or may be into one of the many fairy chimneys we flew over. It was amazing to see how deftly Ozan navigated through these structures & we comfortably cruised along.
The ride is truly an experience of a lifetime - imagine being so high up in the air, breathe the clean fresh air, feel the light breeze brush against your face & almost be able to touch the sun as it rose so beautifully over the orange horizon! If anybody ever wants to propose to his lady love in the most romantic way, then this is possibly where & how it should be.
We were dropped back to our hotel by 8.30am, well within time to savour the scrumptious breakfast served at the hotel terrace, overlooking the town of Goreme.
We then decided to take one of the many tours that are available to explore Cappadocia - the most popular ones being the Red Tour & the Green Tour. We opted for the Green Tour as it allows you to cover areas slightly further down from Goreme & particularly takes you to what intrigued us most, the mysterious underground cities. The tour costs 120TL per person & lasts from 9.30am - 6pm.
The tour starts with a visit to the underground city of Derinkuyu - built by the Hittites; it went 16 storeys underground with tourist access till the 7 th floor. Some may feel the claustrophobia as you keep going lower & lower, but be rest assured, the floors are fairly well ventilated with shafts etc that allowed people to stay in here. The guide took us through all the stories about where the Hittites lived & how they hid themselves from the attackers.
We stopped for lunch at a river side restaurant which included a soup, salad & a choice between trout, chicken, vegetables & meat balls. Our recommendation would be either the meat balls or the trout.
After lunch, we went hiking to the Ilhara Valley - a 16km long lush green canyon cut out of volcanic rocks. On our way, we visited the Agacatti Cave Church that still had some paintings from the 10 th century. We walked along the Melendiz stream flowing through the valley & stopped at this quaint little cafe which had seating on the flowing river - so you could sip on your tea with water gushing between your feet.
Next we stopped at the extraordinarily green Acigol Lake, the Pigeon Valley & finally a cliff with a breathtaking panoramic view of the town of Goreme.
Turkish Riviera
The city has a quaint little city centre with trams tom-tomming through - some portions of it is so bright & colourful with its cobbled street & flowery shrubs - that it looked straight out of a fairy tale.
You walk through the Hadrian's Arch, the cobbled roads taking you to the old city, with the path lined on both sides either with hawkers selling porcelain ware, Turkish lampshades, other interesting souvenirs or restaurants with tables laid out all the way on to the road. In the old city, you will see the Clock Tower, Palm Street, Republican Square & the Antalya Archaeological Museum. Keep some time for the museum only if you are really interested in seeing ruins, or else, ask for directions towards the Hidrilik Tower & enjoy the view of the turquoise coast with the sun setting over it. There are many roof top restaurants that line the coast - take a table in one that gives you a full view of the sea, sit, relax, sip on your beer & watch the ships sail back home!
Side
Our first stop was the town of (pronounced 'si-dey') - a 7 th century old Greek town, which is more a resort town now. Here you can explore the ruins of the Temple of Apollo & the old theatre and then move down to chill at the beach. Walk along the old town & you will find numerous tea stalls selling the most exotic range of tea leaves.
Cirali, our next stop, is a port town of Turkey. Unlike Adrasan, you will find many ship sailing past & harboured along the coast. For those favouring a quiet mellow holiday on a beach, Cirali could be a good choice, being just a couple of hours away from Antalya.
We set off next morning & passed the town of Oludeniz, another beach front from Fethiye - till we reached Kayakoy - an intriguing town indeed. Known as the ghost town of Turkey, it was apparently abandoned during the population exchange with Greece. The town is now in ruins on a hill top - pretty eerie & deserted, hence the name. You can pay 5TL & walk uphill to the main ruins. It brought back disturbing images of India-Pakistan partition as our guide was explaining the trauma that people went through during the Greek invasions. Just makes me think that religious bigotry and fanaticism is as acute, anywhere across the world!
Marmaris
Our next overnight halt was Bodrum - a big port city in Turkey with a vivacious night life. As you arrive, you immediately notice the difference between this & the earlier towns - the city seemed to be alive all night - the bay area bustling with tourists, either having dinner in one of the many restaurants, chilling over a drink at a loud pub or shopping at the night market. Great place to break journey & enjoy a party. Next morning, we spent some time tanning ourselves at the Bodrum beach, before taking off to Stop 10 - Tugutreis.
A rich valley beach from Bodrum, Turgutreis gets its name from the famous Ottoman emperor Turgut. The city is famous for its similar structured white houses. Try & plan a visit on a Saturday to catch some shopping at its weekly Saturday market. Wander around the Turgutreis Marina to check out the eateries & shops & then gaze at yet another beautiful sun set over the sea.
Stop 11 was Gumusluk, a seaside village situated on the remains of the ancient city of Myndos. As you drive into the town, you will find some artificially created jetties over the sea that are converted to a beach. Once at the beach, you can walk on the submerged city of Myndos. Don't forget to check out the spectacular craft work that artists sell on the way down to the beach. Make sure you make a reservation at one of the many restaurants lining the sea front to enjoy a fantastic view over some delicious sea food.
Next morning, we returned the car at the Bodrum airport & took our flight to Istanbul. The entire car journey costed us about 750 TL - though it can go upto as much as 1800TL if you want to go with the more popular brands. However, the local choices are as good.
Istanbul
Istanbul - a city of contrasts, a magical blend of East & West & an extraordinary experience! The city has two clearly demarcated areas - the Asian & the European sides, separated by the Bosphorus. The European side is again further divided by the Golden Horn into the historical old city Sultanahmet & the modern city of Istanbul.
While most of the tourist destinations are in the old city, recommend staying in the newer part to enjoy the vast option of eateries available & the ambience of the modern city.
We chose to stay next to the Galata Towers, just off Istiklal Caddesi - the most popular avenue of the city. A really long stretch, lined with restaurants, local & international stores, bookshops, cafes, pubs, bars, bakeries, sweet shops, tea houses, kebab stalls, chestnut vendors & so much more - leading to the Taxim Square. The Taxim Square is a large area in the middle of the city which is the place for most of the protests & other large gatherings.
At the other end of Istiklal Avenue is Galata Towers - a medieval tower that gives a panoramic view of the entire city. You will need to pay 15 TL to enjoy this view from the top of the towers.
As you cross the Galata Bridge over to the old city, you immediately notice the stark difference - the architecture changes drastically, the concrete roads become cobbled, from wider roads to narrower lanes, from cars to trams, the sheer quantum of crowd nearly doubles.
The best way to travel around in the old city is by using the Museum Pass. Having carefully calculated the individual price of the entries of each of the spots, we ended up saving with this card. Easily available at the Tourist offices or the individual museums you will visit. We picked our passes from Topkapi Palace at 72TL per person for 3 days.
The Topkapi Palace is the largest & oldest palace in the world till date. It was the residence of the Ottoman Sultan for 400 years. The entire expanse of the palace is divided into 4 courts, a treasury & a harem. We had downloaded an app for the guide around the palace which served as a perfect guide as we explored around. You could however, get a guide at the palace - charges being applicable.
Nazir Shah looted jewels, blooming gardens, stained glass window panes, mosaic work, all worth time spent upon. The palace in itself takes about 2-3 hours to cover. Keep enough time to spend on the top floor and enjoy some breathtaking views of the Bosphorus from up there.
The Harem, significant entity of the palace, is a must visit - though you have to buy a ticket (15TL each) separately for this part of the palace - but worth exploring. As you walk through the room, you come across the room of the king's first queen, followed by smaller rooms belonging to his other muse & then finally opening up into the courtyard.
Archaeological Museum
Next we walked down to the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul - this too was a part of the Museum Pass & therefore saved us from waiting in the long queue for tickets. The museum essentially has 3 parts - the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Origin & the Tiled Kiosk, showcasing the famous Iznik (blue ceramic work) collections of Turkey. There were paintings & sculptors & ruins collected from various civilizations of Anatolia & neighbouring countries including Palestine, Syria & Cyprus.
What attracted us most was the Sarcophagus of Alexander the Great, which ironically never belonged to him but is named so because of the intricate carvings on its four sides depicting the war between Macedonia & Persia.
The section on the "local cultures of Istanbul" was also very interesting with artefacts from various ages that were found in the vicinity of the city & works of art from the Byzantine era.
Our next stop was my favourite square with the Blue Mosque & the Aya Sofia - with the refreshing fountain in the middle.
Blue Mosque, originally called the Sultanahmet Cami is one of the most famous monuments of Turkish & Islamic art. Built in the 17 th century by Sultan Ahmet, it stands tall with 6 minarets supporting a huge dome.
As you enter the gate, you walk straight into a courtyard. The first thing you see is a board showing the lineage of both Jesus & Mohammed showing that they are related & clearly proving that there is only "One Allah, One Humanity, One Religion but many prophets" to preach this - Jesus & Mohammed being the two most popular ones. Therefore, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph & David from Bible are actually Ibrahim, Ya'qub, Yusuf & Dawood in the Koran. This was the biggest revelation for us!
You may be surprised to see that the mosque is actually not blue in colour as the name suggests, but wait till you get in. The stained glass windows & the Iznik tiles with the blue work immediately attract attention - there are so many tiles that you cannot help notice the blue & hence the name. The 250 odd windows in the mosque stream in the sunlight making the place look stunning.
The floor is covered with carpet such that one can sit & pray. There is an area cordoned off for the tourists where you can even take photographs, of course with the flash off.
Right across the square is the Aya Sofia (in Latin) or Hagia Sofia (in Greek). Built in the 6 th century as an attempt to restore the Roman Empire, this extraordinary building is a church that was later taken over by the Muslims & converted into a mosque. It was only later in 1935 that Ataturk proclaimed it - a museum.
Truly a strange place it is - and a highlight in our Turkish expeditions. As you walk into the main hall, you see a mosaic of Christ high up on the wall & a Muslim mirhab just below it.
Chora Church or the Kariye Museum is an easily missed museum owing to its location - but we recommend you visit this for its stunning mosaic work on the inside ceilings of the church.
Once you are tired from the day long exploration & revelations, it is now time to enjoy a ride over the majestic Bosphorus.
The Bosphorus
The Bosphorus river flows through Istanbul like 'her highness majesty' who makes people around stop & look. A relaxed cruise in the evening after sunset is highly recommended in order to enjoy the beautifully lit Galata & Bosphorus bridges & all the places along the way. There are many pre-booked tours that are available including dinner & watching a belly dance on the cruise. Unnecessarily expensive, don't get tempted by these private companies to shell out 100TL per head to sit in closed quarters on the lower levels of the cruise.
As you sail along, you cross the Beylerbeyi Palace, the Dolhambee Palace, the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia & Galata Tower from very far away. You also sail under both the bridges in that one hour which is totally value for money.
Princess Island
Princess Islands is a group of 9 islands that is a favourite of the Istanbullites as a weekend getaway, especially in the summers. We took a ferry from Kabatas at about 2pm & spent the evening in the largest of the 4 islands where the ferry stops - Buyukada & took the 8ish ferry back to Istanbul. The island is a pleasure to be on as it does not allow any vehicles & therefore there is no traffic.
Only bicycles & horse drawn carriages ply. You can either enjoy a swim at the tiny beaches on the island, eat at the many restaurants with tables laid out all along the dock or just shop at the small bakeries & other shops that provide perfect provisions for day trippers.
For us, the more interesting part was yet another cruise over the Bosphorus (which somehow we just couldn't get enough of) this time during the day, passing by the Blue Mosque & Aya Sofia, yet again.
Grand Bazaar
Ceramic wares, Turkish lamps, carpets, tea, spices, sweets, t-shirts, dry fruits - there is nothing that you will not get here. It invariable stays crowded - but pick a weekday to avoid the crowd as much as possible.
Food
The Turks love their food - not only do they like eating, they enjoy feeding too. Just like the country's cultural mosaic, the food of Turkey is very colourful with tastes & influences of different countries - a perfect concoction of spices & flavours from the East & the chunky, meaty experience of the West.
You should definitely not leave Turkey without trying the following for sheer gastronomical delight:
Cappadocia
Enjoy seafood at any of the restaurants along the coast - they are mostly very good.
Of course you cannot miss the Doner Kebabs anywhere & everywhere.
In Istanbul stay in the new city instead of Sultanahmet – trust us, staying in the midst of the hustle bustle of restaurants & fashion has its own charm.
Take the public transport pass – helps travel both in the metro & the tram - tram travel is very convenient in the old part of the city, though becomes very crowded at times
Just go berserk on the food, try anything and everything – nothing is very expensive and all worth the try
Reserve your most special moment of the trip for the balloon ride at Cappadocia – for us, it was a birthday celebration in the clouds!
You cannot go to Istanbul & not ride on the majestic Bosphorus – the sheer magnanimity of the water body will make you want to go back again & again. And please don't let the over-priced private tour operators spoil this for you.
The city boasts of too many artefacts and museums – suggest you read up and then pick and choose the ones you would want to visit. Our reco would be the Topkapi, Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Chora Church as must visits.
Wear knee length clothes & make sure you are carrying a stole to cover your head the day you plan to visit the mosques. You will get a few wrap arounds at the entrance of the mosques in case you are not carrying any, however it's still better to have your own.
Whatever whoever may say, Grand bazaar is the cheapest place to shop – period. You may want to buy stuff all over Turkey, but it's cheapest to buy souvenirs at the Bazaar.
Enjoy peaceful evenings at cafes, sipping on the different range of Turkish Chai
Last but not the least – don't forget to experience the Turkish Riviera like true nomads – rent a car and just drive along the breathtaking Mediterranean coast, savouring the most awesome and fresh seafood as you go along – Turkish Delight indeed.