Nath and I embarked on our second trip to Turkey. Nathan was very happy to be going back as he had studied Turkish history and politics at University and had an interest in travelling the country he had learnt so much about. The first time we were in Turkey was for ANZAC day 2010 and we only spent 4 days there - 2 in Istanbul and 2 in Gallipoli. This time we were going to see a lot more of the country.
We flew into Instanbul a day before the tour started so we had a day to explore on our own. We started off at Topkapi Palace, followed by the Archaeological Museums and finished off with the Grand Bazaar. We bought some baklava to keep us going during the day. That night we met our tour group and had a group meeting outlining the tour and what sights we were to see. The day ended with a group dinner. There were 27 on our tour - 2 English and the rest a good mix of Aussies and Kiwis.
Day 2 and we decided to visit the Blue Mosque with the tour group as the entrance is free. Today's sights we had seen on our first trip but we thought it would be good to hang out with the others and see the mosque again. After our visit to the mosque we left the group to venture out on our own. The rest of the sights the group were seeing we had already done and involve entrance fees that we weren't keen to pay again. We walked up from the Blue Mosque to the Spice Bazaar. We bought some delicious Turkish Delight and a spice mix for chicken (which I plan on cooking with tonight). From here we walked across a bridge over the golden horn river where loads of people were fishing from the top. We walked along the bottom tier and had to be careful not to be snared by a fishing line swinging from above before plunging into the water. We managed to queue up for the Galata tower which offered spectacular views of Istanbul. The bonus being that there was a lift to the top! After we took an old retro tram to Taksim Square which is a very modern area of Istanbul. We walked down the busiest street I have ever seen, busier than Oxford St on a Saturday morning, and hopped on the tram to get back to our hotel.
Day 3 and we boarded our bus to Gallipoli. It was great to be back without the crowds. I was amazed when I saw the little section of grass that we slept on for ANZAC day as it looked like such a small area. Unless I had been there I wouldn't have believed that's where the people sleep in anticipation for the dawn service. This time I was glad of the bus ride up to Chunuk Bair - it was a 6km up hill walk. Tonight we stayed in a 5 star hotel and the flashest hotel I will ever stay in. Our tour company must get a really good deal as the price advertised at reception was €240 per night. That was nearly the cost of our whole tour. This is the same hotel used by NZ and Australian dignitaries when they attend the ANZAC dawn service, last year Julia Gillard had a whole floor booked out.
Day 4 started with an uneventful tour of Troy. The most boring sight of the trip. As our guide says "it's a place you can say you have been to" and that's about it. Even the horse was a disappointment as it was covered up for restoration work. I was so bored I took photos of a squirrel in a tree. From here the day massively improved as we explored the Asklepion in Pergamum. An Asklepion is an ancient medical center built in the honour of Asklepios, the god of healing. This particular Asklepion was the world's first psychiatric hospital. Our hotel was in Kusadasi which is on the coast. After dinner we went for a walk around the marina and had a beer along the water front.
Day 5 was a big day as we saw two impressive sights - Ephesus and Pamukkale. Ephesus blew my mind. It was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city. I never knew how much Greek and Roman history Turkey had. The weather was pretty bad when were at Ephesus but I think that helped in keeping the crowds away. We were lucky enough to get photos of the library without people in them. We ate a traditional lunch of Turkish Pancakes. They are savoury and are thin bits of dough layered with cheese & spinach, or meat and onions, then cooked so they are a bit crispy. Pamukkale is a natural sight of white terraces that have thermal pools that we were allowed to paddle in. People used to swim in the terraces but the colour was changing from white to grey so now people aren't allowed to swim in them, and even tourist buses have to drop you a fair distance away so the exhaust fumes don't colour the terraces either. The ancient city of Hieropolis was built close to the terraces so we were able to check out the ruins of this city also. Our hotel this night had a natural thermal outdoor pool that we used before dinner. There were mud deposits at the bottom that we applied to our skin in the hope it would take away our wrinkles!
Day 6 was a long day in the bus. We had a whole day of driving ahead of us and had to depart the hotel at 5:30am. Most of the group promptly fell asleep once they got on the bus. When we eventually got to Cappodocia we explored an underground city that goes 8 levels below the surface. I thought this was pretty cool but some of the group didn't like the narrow stair ways or lack of air. We barely had time to drop our bags at the hotel before we were whisked off for a Turkish Bath. This was one of the optional activities on the trip and Nathan (with a bit of convincing) and I were game to try it. Men and Women were put in separate areas so I had no idea how Nath was getting on. I kept my bikini on but got given a pretty good wedgie by my Turkish lady. It was definitely a cultural experience that Im glad I tried. I felt like I had deserved my beer at the end.
Day 7 and I was up before the sun to do a hot air balloon ride. Unfortunately by the time we were transported to air balloon HQ the wind had got up so the flight was cancelled. Back to bed I went for an extra hour of sleep. Today we stayed in Cappodocia and it was nice not having a long bus journey. We saw carpet weaving and pottery making with a chance to buy products at the end of our tour. We saw the fairy chimneys and had time to explore imagination valley and see pigeon valley. Some of the group opted to go to a Turkish Night as an extra but Nath and I had seen these types of shows in Morocco, Egypt and South America and weren't interested in seeing one again. Turns out this show was pretty good and there was free alcohol on the table.
Day 8 and take 2 on the hot air ballooning. This time the weather played its part and we were able to fly. The scenery was amazing, but made more so by all the balloons in the sky. A very memorable experience. The rest of the day was spent in the bus on a long drive back to Istanbul. There were many hangovers on the bus as the Turkish night had turned into a big one. A few hardy souls went to bed at 3am and were up at 5am for the hot air ballooning. Im getting too old to be travelling with 25 year olds! We had a last dinner together as a group before our guide Yavuz had to catch his flight home that night. It was early to bed for everyone.
Day 9 and good bye to Turkey and hello to London. It was a very full on tour of Turkey but I really enjoyed all the sights we saw, the food we ate (kebabs, hummus, turkish delight, baklava) and the people we met on tour. We are making plans to have a dinner catch up in London sometime soon.
I wonder if this will be my last trip to Turkey. Nath wants to explore the coastal towns of Marmaris, Bodrum and Antalya, so who knows, maybe I will make it back to Turkey. I rate Istanbul as my second favourite city after Rome so I would like to come back for a third time. Luckily I have two more weeks off work to recover from this 'holiday'.
