Ataturk and the country he created - Turkey - July 2013

---

Well - we are finally sort of starting to catch-up to current status (only 15 months behind). Gonna be very honest here - we knew where Turkey was, but besides that all we knew was that it was a fairly heavily populated Muslim country with lots of history and a country that played a massive part in world history. Besides this we really knew nothing of the country, but then again just the fact that we knew where Turkey was probably put us ahead half of the world on knowledge of Turkey. Once again we were in one of those situations. We had vacation booked, we knew we wanted to go somewhere outside the U.S, but there was also that nagging fact that I need a visa to now visit most countries (since I hold a South African passport). So I started my search (we had about 3 weeks before this vacation started). The search criteria generally include - neither of us need a visa (or the visa will take less than a day to obtain), the round-trip plane ticket is less than $1,000 per person, the country is one where we have not been yet, and we should have a 95% chance of leaving the country safely (meaning anything less than a civil war is generally ok). I started my search and Turkey kept coming up and I kept ignoring it, because I knew absolutely nothing about the country and like most people I leave alone those things that I know nothing about. Also at the time they were having the Taksim Square protests that was all over the tv and in general it just seemed like the country was not currently doing too great (my mother-in-law also asked us to ppllleeaaaassseeee not go to Turkey because she knows how last minute and crazy we sometimes get). With 2 weeks to go we were still looking so we decided that Turkey it is. We booked the tickets and I started my research.

As stated in many blogs before my research consist of "anything that is in our books that we can cross-off". Istanbul was the obvious choice, but generally we only spend a couple days in the major cities. We love to drive and explore so I was interested to see what else there was to see in Turkey. I was very surprised at how big the country actually is. Well, with about a week to go we had the plane tickets and a car booked for our 5 days in the Turkish country side. I have learned my lesson - do not rent a car for the time you spend in any major city. I still had to book all the hotels. Nikkie generally begs and pleads to stay in a hotel for at least 2 days in a row, but this seldomly happens (once in a while she gets lucky). We have also discovered that if we do stay in one place for more than a couple days we get restless fairly easily. So the whole living like nomads on our vacation has generally worked out pretty well for us. Of course most of our friends freaked out and were pretty concerned once they learned of our vacation plans. We were getting ready to leave as Taksim square protests were still in full swing (and the country got a lot of bad press for the violence between the police and the citizens). We "promised" our friends and family we would stay far away from the square. I booked our last hotel the night before we departed. Generally I use hotels.com and I also go to the hotel website since they sometimes run specials that are better than these general websites.

Well off we went - 10 hours in the air directly to ISTANBUL. We had no clue what to expect. All we knew was that we had a general plan; we had a hotel every night, and the great unknown waiting for us. I read up before hand on the do's and dont's. I read some pretty horrific things - especially involving taxis. We landed and I immediately put up my full guard. We generally just go to the first ATM and take out money from there since we don't know when we will see an ATM again. I've also learned that changing money at the foreign exchange counters tend to be a lot more expensive in fees. The taxi ride went as smooth as can be. Yes - there is an extremely big language barrier. This was our first country where we traveled and neither of us spoke the dominant language (Nikkie had her cutest giggly face on with the 5 Turkish words she learned the last 2 weeks). She was ready to start conversations. We both just looked at each other and kept shaking our heads - kind of in shock that we are actually here. I had the hotel booking printed out so I showed the hotel name to the driver and off we went. It was hot and our driver was driving like a maniac - I loved it. The first thing you see is all the mosques. Just minarets everywhere. We made it to our hotel safely without any problems. Our hotel for the night was THE PERA PALAS. I went back and forth on whether to book this hotel. It was fairly pricey and just at the time did not seem worth it for the stay where we will leave at 7 the next morning again. I read up a lot on this hotel and it is very historic. The night before we left I had booked all hotels except our hotel for the first night's stay in Istanbul. I went on the hotel's website and saw that the price was reduced by 40%. I booked it and that is how we ended up there. The building is beautiful and the reception just as nice. Everyone spoke English, we were welcomed with an apple-ice-tea refresher, and were given a full tour of the hotel with little tit-bits of historic information. The old elevator is a must ride. It creeks its way up the 6 floors, but it is absolutely beautifully made out of iron with a nice little bench to sit on while you wait for the 6 floor climb - it feels like an eternity. We got a room with a view of the Bosphorus River. The rooms are really nice and ours even had a little balcony. Nikkie and I are both Christians so it was pretty bone-chilling for us when we threw open the balcony doors and within minutes heard the afternoon Muslim prayers. Just describing how we experienced it - it really just sounds very oppressing. But standing there and looking out over this city that's been around for the longest time was an absolutely awe-inspiring moment. Houses and apartment buildings stretching for miles and miles - as far as the eye can see - dotted with mosques and minarets. And then to the left the Bosphorus River providing life to millions of people. Standing there for those 5 minutes was just an absolutely beautiful/incredible experience. Well, we had places to be and things to see. We went down to the lobby and waited 10 minutes for AFTERNOON TEA AT THE PERA PALAS. Yeah you read that right - afternoon tea in Turkey. The Pera Palas was built specifically as a hotel to receive passengers from the Orient Express. The inside still looks just like it would have back then. It is a beautiful hotel. The tea was ok and the finger foods/desserts were ok. Tea in England was better.

On to Turkey. We were ready to try our hand at the infamous Turkish taxi again. I thought the driver took a little bit of a detour over to SULTANAHMET SQUARE - after staying over in the area I realized that it is almost impossible to get to the top of the hill so the driver most likely took the easiest route. We were dropped-off at the bottom of the hill and walked up to the square. Again we had no clue what to expect. Wow - on one side you have THE BLUE MOSQUE. On the other side you have the HAGIA SOPHIA. We picked the blue mosque. An awe-inspiring structure from the outside with 6 MINARETS. Six is probably the most you will see. The minarets are a sign of importance of the mosque. Originally they wanted to put up six, but at the time Mecca (the holy grail of the Muslim world) only had six minarets so they only added the sixth minaret to the Blue Mosque once Mecca got its seventh. Getting inside is half the battle. There are prayers 5 times a day for 45 minutes each since it was Ramadan. At the entrance we were met by several men trying to give us a tour - this is pretty standard most places in the world you go. In this case it is a little different. Yes they want to give you a tour (for a fee I assume), but the real reason they want to "befriend" you is because it seems that everyone and his mother have a carpet shop. Turkey is known for their carpets and they are pretty expensive. So that seems to be the real reason they try and befriend you - they want to sell you a carpet. Back to the mosque. For females you have to be pretty covered-up. Nikkie was wearing a long strapless dress and she had a scarf with her. They were pretty helpful at the entrance to help her wrap the scarf around her to be respectful while in the mosque. I was wearing shorts so they gave me a "skirt" to wear - no bare legs. You also have to leave your shoes at the entrance or carry it with you in a plastic bag. The inside of the mosque - it is hard to put it in words honestly. The decoration and architecture is mind-blowing. The detail is incredible. It's hard to imagine the hours and hours and hours it must have taken to finish the inside. It is hard to point out a definite highlight. The mosque is covered in BLUE TILES (hence the name blue mosque). Take the small tiles in the bathroom at your house and then imagine having enough of them to cover the inside of a building about twice the size of your local church. Mind-blowing stuff. And each tile is detailed to the "t". The DOME AT THE BLUE MOSQUE is another architectural marvel. Incredibly decorated. When we see these domes we always wonder how exactly they managed to build these way back in the day without any of the equipment currently available to us today. The COLUMNS AT THE BLUE MOSQUE is thick and doesn't seem to stop as they go up and up. The STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS AT THE BLUE MOSQUE is just yet another sight to behold. Standing at the back of the mosque and just looking to the front it is incredible to see all the stained-glass windows with the sun shining through. There is people all over - some just looking and being touristy, others bending down praying, others running after kids, and others just waiting for the tourists to be herded out so that they can pray in peace. The architecture/detail is astounding, but... well no shoes allowed so just imagine the stinky feet. Oh yes. It smells incredibly bad. Just like stinky feet. No other/better way to describe it. We were finally told to leave and it probably was not a moment too soon because I am not sure we could have stood the smell for much longer. We walked out and decided to just wander. We walked around the mosque and ended up at the square of the mosque. Even the square was something we just marveled at. Big, big arches with marble everywhere. Wow - and this was the first thing we saw in Turkey. We sat down in the shade and just watched families hang out and other rush in for prayers. Again the structure is just absolutely beautiful. We wandered through a little area with restaurants and little shops. Everyone stopped us and asked us to sit down and eat something or to come into their store and buy something or to just come in and look at their stuff. Nikkie started to get a little irritated because it truly was pretty hard to walk a couple feet without being harassed. It is not as if people were following us, but it was just a consistent badgering. We walked into one of the carpet stores. I was pretty determined to get a Turkish carpet. The owner started to lay out carpet after carpet after carpet. At first they refuse to say any price, because they just want you to look and see how beautiful the carpets are. The carpets are gorgeous, but after they lay out 15 - 20 carpets it gets a little but uncomfortable. Also after you find out that the smallest carpets goes for about $600 it gets even more uncomfortable.

We ended up saying no even though these carpets are extraordinary. You almost feel guilty walking out because they have to roll up all the carpets again and trust me they roll out about 20 - 30 carpets. We kept walking and finally made it to the bridge crossing the Bosphorus River. We crossed it on the way in and it just looked like the center of activity as everyone was there. People were standing fishing from the bridge. We walked around a little bit and caught a taxi back to the hotel. We had to get ready for our first feast of the trip. We love to eat if you do not know this about us already. Istanbul technically is located in both Europe and Asia. The Bosphorus River divides the city between the 2 continents. Nikkie and I have never been to Asia so this was our first official introduction to Asia. It did not feel Asian so we considered it still Europe. For dinner we had to drive back across the river to "Europe" for dinner.

Dinner reservations were at ASITANE. One of the most famous restaurants in Istanbul. We got there and were pointed to a table outside with barely anyone there. Weird since it was a Saturday night. We decided to do the tasting menu. Definitely unlike anything we have ever had. As soon as we started eating people started arriving. We were definitely the only one's drinking alcohol - oh the foreigners. So here was our meal.

1) We started with a board/plate/tray (whatever you want to call it) of Medina dates, manyas cheese, pickles, sun-dried apricots, honeycomb, fresh bread, asitane jams, walnuts in grape molasses, Kalamata olives, sliced cucumber and tomatoes, green olives, cookies w/ fennel. Now seriously imagine that this is the first course out of 6. We were blown away. The different tastes that we experienced through this one tray of food were... it was so freakin' good. The olives and dates were phenomenal and the bread with a piece of honeycomb and apricots made for an equally tasty sensation. We just looked at each other and sighed. This was gonna be a looooong food night and a lot of food.
2) Almond flavored chicken broth soup and summer soup with yogurt and chickpeas (we each got different dishes - the summer soup was awesome). Nikkie liked the chicken soup, but I thought it was pretty ordinary.
3) Stuffed grapevine leaves with sour cherries and artichokes cooked in olive oil with eggplant mixed in (this was the first of many, many eggplant dishes). We are not big stuffed grapevine leave fans and we don't like cooked cherries. This however was pretty good so definitely was a pleasant surprise.
4) Stuffed eggplant with tahini dressing, oven baked bourek w/ purslane and fresh cottage cheese (there's that eggplant theme again). At this point we started to get full, but these were still really great dishes. Everything we always thought Mediterranean food would and should be.
5) Veal stew served w/ eggplant begendi and kebab w/ saffron pilaf (this is where we just looked and each other and said "no more"). The kebab was really good. The veal stew was ok.
6) Rice wafers stuffed w/ sour apples cooked in milk, almond halva, and apple tea (we were so full at this point but this was a very refreshing dish). What we loved about the Turkish deserts is that it was really good and not as sweet as we are use to - which is definitely better).

And there you have it. What a phenomenal meal. We really, really enjoyed it. At the end of the night it was a lot of food and many, many different tastes and flavors. We just lay back in the taxi and admired the scenes flying by us as we made our way back to the hotel. And yes call us crazy. At the end of the day we spent less than 24 hours in Istanbul before we were on our way to the next destination. We were out the hotel doors by 7 the next morning as we had a flight to catch to Izmir. This was really into the unknown. We honestly had no clue what to expect.

We made it to our flight ok. The flight was super cheap ($100 round-trip for each ticket). One word of caution for Istanbul. They do have 2 airports and they are far apart. Be careful when you book flights. The flight was quick. We got our car in Izmir and immediately set-off on our road-trip. All I can say about road-tripping it in Turkey - at the time gas was about $10 per gallon which was outrageous. But you only live once and when will you get the chance to road-trip it in Turkey again. The terrain was very Mediterranean as kind of expected. The fruit trees were everywhere on the side of the roads as were the olive trees. There were also many kinds of transportation on the road - carts, motorcycles, horses, scooters, on foot, etc. One of the first things we did was stop next to the road and buy figs. Nikkie loves-loves figs. We stopped and bought half a shopping bag for like $2. That's the price for 1 fig in the States. We were in heaven and these were so-so good. So sweet.

Our first destination was APHRODISIAS CITY RUINS AT GEYRE. About a 4 hour drive from Izmir. Ruins that are very rarely visited by foreigners due to its complete remote location. You have to park in this dirt lot off the highway and then they "tractor" you to the entrance. We were somewhat hesitant at first as our car was pretty much the only one there and we had all our luggage in it. The dirt lot is surrounded by shops with just men sitting around so I was somewhat apprehensive about just leaving our stuff. At the end of the day we had our camera and all the equipment and that is all that really matters. We got to the entrance and were pretty much the only people around. We started and we walked by this "graveyard" of old stones. What a site. We also walked by these walls just covered by carved out faces. And when I say carved out I mean like really-really well done. Thousands of them and not one the same. WOW. We kept going and found the THEATER AT APHRODISIAS. The first theater of this kind that we have ever seen and what a spectacle. Seeing this you can only imagine the stands filled with thousands of people cheering on whatever event is going on down there. We can only imagine. We walked around up and down the stairs and took a couple "bows" on stage. We saw a big tour-group approaching so we decided to keep going. There was still extensive excavations going on - people from all kinds of places working under the summer heat digging up relics and being very careful not to damage anything.

One thing we definitely noticed was all the cats over all the sites we visited. There were always cats - and they were almost always young. Just an observation. Next up was the TEMPLE OF APHRODITE. Again this was our first exposure to "the old world" where things are hundreds or even thousands of years old. The columns still left standing are breath-taking. Standing next to them and looking up and imagining the structures that once was there. We kept walking and found the MONUMENTAL GATE WAY. Again the detail on what was left was absolutely mind-blowing. What a world this must have been. No expense was spared for the detail. We kept going and finally saw the STADIUM. Oh we could only imagine the chariot-races that took place here. The crowds. The dust. The noise. What an experience. We were blown away. We were excited. We were in awe. And this was just the start. That was the most exciting part.

We kept driving to our final destination for the day - PAMUKKALE. It's pretty hard to describe this. It's the mineral deposits left over from hundreds and hundreds of years of water running down this hill. You can look at the pictures I am posting. It is unlike anything we have seen or probably will ever see. I would say the entire town's existence is built because of this treasure and people flocking to it. We stayed at the HOTEL HAL-TUR. It's clean and has a magnificent view of the deposits. It's a bed for the night. We arrived at around four and unpacked quickly. We were aware of some more ruins in the area, but were not exactly sure of what to do. Our hosts were great and explained to us what to do. The start entailed one of his employees taking our car and driving us 3 miles out of town and dropping us off at the entrance to the ruins and then bringing the car back and us walking. Again a very dicey situation. Foreign country where we don't know a soul, don't know the culture, the people - and to just hand over the keys to the rental to a complete stranger and trust that they would bring back the car to the hotel in one piece. Oh what the heck - we did it anyway. He dropped us off. We paid our entrance fee to Hierapolis, bought a couple bottles of water and started our hike. You start up against the hill/ mountain and walk for a while through the ruins before you hit the mineral deposits and start your descent along the mineral deposits to town. We loved Hierapolis. We were literally the only ones there. The sun was starting to set. The shadows were getting longer and longer. What a magnificent day. At first you walk along a little dirt path among buildings and graves. Really cool to go into the little buildings and just walk among the ruins. Next up was our favorite piece - the FRONTINUS GATE AT HIERAPOLIS. A beautifully carved gate still left standing. It is the entrance to pillars left over from what must have been one impressive structure. The setting-sun and long shadows created by the pillars made for some awesome pictures. We jumped around on the stones, took pictures, acted silly, made faces, did poses. We were the only ones there. What a blessing and an experience. We soon stumbled upon the BATHS or what was left of them. Really hard to really tell that these were baths, but you can imagine what this must have looked like. We kept following the little dirt path and saw the AMPHITHEATER AT HIERAPOLIS. It was a little bit of a hike up to it, but we made it. The views were spectacular. Below you is the stage and behind that miles and miles and miles of Turkish beauty - as far as the eye can see. We just sat in silence and admired the views. That was Hierapolis. Looking back this was probably the 2 - 3 hours on the trip that we enjoyed the most. We loved the entire trip, but to be able to have the entire ruins just to ourselves at sunset was indescribable. PAMUKKALE AT SUNSET was one of the things on our list. We started making our way down from the amphitheater and hit the mineral deposits. White stuff everywhere. White - white - white. In some places the water is captured in these pools of white and it has this deep deep blue color. It just makes for an amazing view across these deposits into the setting-sun. We walked a little further and saw what we came for. An entire hill covered in white mineral deposits. Standing water in places providing that deep color and we had to walk back down to town on these deposits. At the top they are pretty strict about people walking in the pools of water as it causes obvious damage to these deposits when people walk on them. So there is a guy patrolling the area with a whistle. We took chances and would run into the pools (ankle deep in places) to take some really cool pictures when the guy disappeared out of sight. This was not his first rodeo and he definitely caught us a couple times. We just said sorry and moved on. We started walking down. As you go down there are pools where they let you walk in the pools. I took off my flip-flops. The deposits were very, very rough and I paid dearly for this afterwards. My feet really, really hurt afterwards. But at the time we were having a great time. The sun was gone and the moon came up. The reflections of the moon in the white pools of water were everywhere. This is such a big attraction that they light up the entire mountain at night to show-off the white stuff. We finally made it to the bottom. What a day. We only had to walk across the street to our hotel.

We were starving. The pool is in front of the hotel and they have tables set-up around the pool with an excellent view of the white lit-up mountain. Needless to say - DINNER NEXT TO THE POOL AT HOTEL HAL-TUR is a must. For the views alone. Raki is the national drink. Hard to describe it, but has a very liquorice taste - made from anise (not my favorite at all). I will try everything. You can have it many different ways. Over ice. Sipping it by itself. Or mixed with water. I went with the mixed with water route. I took a couple sips and stopped. It just was not my drink. The flavor was definitely too much for me. So I just got the yogurt drink while the server laughed at me for now being able to handle the drink. Nikkie did not mind it and she finished most of it I think. They started us with bread w/ fresh tomatoes. So good. Followed by cucumber with pomegranate balsamic vinegar - really good. I had the Turkish lamb stew and Nikkie had the bass. The lamb stew was one of the best dishes I have ever had. It was phenomenal. This is a recurring theme. Nikkie's bass was ok. What an end to an absolutely stunning day. Thank you Jesus.

We got a good night's rest. We woke up and had our first Turkish breakfast. Lots of fruits (especially watermelon). Coffee. Lots of different cheeses. Lots of bread and pastries. Lots of cucumber and tomatoes and olives. Lots of yogurt. And finish it off with some bologny and hard-boiled eggs. Yes we were ready to go again, but not before the hotel owner showed us his carpet collection however. We went through the same exercise again as we did in Istanbul. He rolled out rug after rug after rug without mentioning any prices. And then after number 30 he said - this small one is only $700. And that's where we said our thanks and goodbyes and hit the road. You can see this carpet/rug thing is a big deal in Turkey. This was a day with a lot of driving as we started making our way to Fethiye.

We definitely got lost - very lost. We had somewhat of a map. On the map it appeared as if there was definitely a big shortcut taking some back-roads and we naturally are all about the scenic route. We kept trying to take street after street and kept ending up in the fields. It almost became comical at one point. The fun part started when we saw some locals standing on the street corner. We stopped next to them and asked for directions. Absolutely no English in this area of the country. So we just called-out the city/town's name that we thought we had to go to (in our best Turkish accent possible) and all the men looked very confused. Then they got an idea and started speaking to us and giving directions with their arms pointing in all directions. Only problem it was definitely not English. This was definitely one of our favorite moments. We loved it. We thanked them and just tried to keep going. At the end of the day (and like we always do) Nikkie found the way eventually and off we went. It was a long drive and it was pretty hot. We passed through many small towns. Men are just sitting around talking or playing games (no women in sight). We crossed many passes and big mountains. Turkey definitely has a good road system with tolls, but somehow we never got on the main road. We always just made our way on the smaller roads running parallel to the highway. Sometimes this meant driving for 30 minutes when the highway would have taken 5 minutes, but we also had some views that we otherwise would not have had. At some point we ran into some road construction that also really slowed us down. At the end of the day we made it to Fethiye at around 3 in the afternoon. A long day of driving. We also had to drive up and down the streets of Fethiye to find our hotel - V-Go's Hotel and breakfast. Almost more of a back-packer motel, but we got our own private room that was clean and that was about it. Again we don't spend any time in our room anyway so as long as the sheets are clean we generally are happy. We took a quick shower and were on our way to OLUDENIZ BEACH AT OLUDENIZ. I read that this is considered one of the top ten beaches in the world when it comes to beauty. Nikkie always complains that she never gets a chance to lie on the beach on any of our vacations since we are always on the go to the next thing. So I figured we should spend some time on the beach - especially if this is considered one of the prettiest in the world. It was a fairly quick drive - about 20 minutes. Again you had to go up and down mountains and the views were pretty breath-taking descending into Oludeniz. Everywhere you look we saw para-sailing. People just jumping from the mountain and landing on the beach. We were definitely back in tourist country as almost every shop seemed to cater to tourists (cheap things or restaurants serving mostly western food). Parking was about $3 so we parked and made our way to the beach.

The beach is a strip of sand with ocean on the one side and a beautiful lagoon on the other. We picked our spot, paid a couple dollars for a couple beach chairs and settled in. There was not much beach to speak off - it was mostly small rocks. It was really pretty though. The water was very warm (really really nice to swim in) and no waves. So it really is very quiet since there are no crashing waves. We finally fell asleep and took a very well deserved nap under the Mediterranean sun. Worth the drive, but probably not one of the ten prettiest beaches in the world.

We finally made our way back to the hotel. Long day of driving with a well-deserved visit to a beach and some sleep. Now it was time to eat. We took a shower and hit the streets for dinner. While looking for our hotel earlier in the day we saw many restaurants on the water with beautiful views so we pretty much had our sights set on a nice waterfront dinner.

The walk into town was actually very pleasant. Fethiye is obviously on the water and this was our first views of MEDITERRANEAN TURKEY. People always speak and dream of vacationing and visiting the Mediterranean. Well we were here. The weather was awesome. The boats were bobbling on our left. Luxury yachts mixed in with old fishing boats that probably should have sunk a long time ago. We wandered and wandered through the little stores until it really was time to eat.

People kept talking about the fish market being such a big attraction. We really just happened to walk by it and decided to check it out quickly. We were definitely blown away. A little courtyard. In the center you have stalls of whatever the sea can deliver - octopus, shrimp, all kinds of fish, sea urchin, etc. Just walking around it is even somewhat intimidating as they just hassle you trying to sell you fish. At first we thought - you are crazy - we are tourists - how am I supposed to cook this. Then we figured it out. The little area where they are selling fish is surrounded by restaurants. So first you pick your dinner - meaning the freshest fish from the little stalls that was caught that same day. You take your freshly bought catch and then pick your restaurant. They cook it for you for a very nominal fee. And that is how the process works. So EATING FOOD IN MEDITERRANEAN TURKEY here we come. First time we have ever seen this method, but seemed very interesting. So we circled the little stalls again like vultures to see what we wanted. We bought some of the bigger shrimp on display. The red snapper looked beautiful so we got a nice red snapper for Nikkie and I went with the sea bass. I have to say the fish you get are all whole fish (I am sure you might be able to ask for only half) and we had a lot of fish (in total I would say probably cost us about $35 - $40). Now the next problem - finding the appropriate restaurant (which is very hard because you are constantly hassled from every owner and you almost feel like saying no to the guy hassling you just to spite them). The process did not take very long. My bags of fish were out of my hands before I could say "I need a restaurant". One owner grabbed it and walked over to his little restaurant in the corner and sat us down. We were too tired to fight him. His tables were a little quieter. He asked us how we want it all cooked. On the shrimp we just gave him the go-ahead to do whatever he thought best. On the fish we definitely wanted it grilled.

Our 10 large shrimp (really really big actually) came out quickly accompanied by his version of a salad and other accompanied items. The shrimp was done nicely in a little sauce and was really good and fresh. The restaurant owner was awesome. Just him and his son. His son was almost like his "apprentice" as he was teaching him the restaurant business. We talked to the owner and he had a lot to share on his family, the history and people of Fethiye. This was a pretty common theme throughout Turkey. The restaurant owners were very curious and always very talkative about Turkey, but also wanting to know a lot about America. This was the surprising part. They do not see many American tourists - if any at all - most tourists are European or Asian. So they were very curious about things in America.

We love the interaction with the locals. Our fish came and it was awesome. Simply grilled with a couple local spices. The whole fish so you have to work your way through it watching out for fish bones and all. It was a really good meal. Fresh. Simple. Delicious. Something we often talk about - wouldn't it be nice to be back in Fethiye and just eat the freshest seafood available, simply prepared and delicious. You pay the restaurant a nominal fee for preparing your food (something like $5 - $6 per fish to grill it up) and then whatever drinks you have. We loved the experience. This was probably one of our highlights of the trip, because it was so completely unexpected.

Afterwards we walked around a little bit. The waterfront is lined with cafes, ice cream stands and hooka bars. We stopped for some Turkish ice cream. Definitely different. I would describe it as "stretchy", "sticky" and "tough". It definitely has a different texture, but hey - ice cream is ice cream. It was good. We wandered around the waterfront area a little longer and then headed back to our hotel. It was a good evening.

Sailing around the Turkish coast is one of those must-do things from what I have heard and read (we did not do it because there is way too much to see and do and spending 3 days on a boat is not currently on top of our list of things to do - maybe in 20 years when I can not walk anymore. Fethiye is right on the tip of Turkey. There are many tour boats anchored here. The people just sit on their boat at night and wait for potential customers to come on board and see what they want. From what we saw you could get a boat for pretty cheap (it would really be just you and your family having the whole boat to yourself). You can go one-way to other ports such as Datca or Bodrum on the west coast or Antalya that is more over to the east. So Fethiye is the perfect spot to take your cruise from.

The next day we got up and had a good breakfast on the patio of the hotel. Typical Turkish breakfast again. We left somewhat early as we had another potentially long day of driving. We were looking for some ancient rock tombs, but could not find it. Again we got somewhat lost, but eventually found the road and were on our way. Destination DALYAN.

In one of our books we have a route to drive - AZURE COAST. This is the western coastline starting in FETHIYE and making your way up to Ephesus. So naturally starting in Fethiye we were able to make this drive. Most of our vacations are planned around these drives and being able to make them or crossing some other destination off of the list. So we started driving making our way through ORTACA (not really much to see here) and on our way to Dalyan. GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY IN DALYAN is the reason we had to stop here. We got there and found a parking spot. Again we had no idea what to expect. So as always there was a river and a plethora of boats that are willing to do tours for you. We did not really want to do the typical "throw all the tourists in a boat and do your thing" tour. So we found a guy and he was willing to take us around for around $35. Again really reasonable considering he really was our "driver" for as long as we wanted. First up was the KAUNOS RUINS FOR LYCIAN ROCK TOMBS. Back in the day they built these massive rock tombs into the sides of the mountains. They pretty much carved up the mountains to build these things and we are not talking like little normal tomb size. We are talking a couple stories if not more. Unfortunately there is no way to get up close to these incredible works of art. So we slowly made our way up the river and tried to get as good a viewpoint as possible. Further up the river was the actual KAUNOS RUINS. It's probably about a half mile walk from where our guide dropped us off (he just waited in the boat and let us do our thing). On the way there we walked past a small fruit stand (old local lady). We bought some water and kept going. We definitely recommend getting plenty of water. It was a hot day. The ruins were less impressive than the other ones we saw. A couple buildings that was still somewhat intact. There was one area with a beautiful tile-worked floor that was recently discovered. It really was impressive seeing the detail they employed in painstakingly creating these entire floors out of tiny pieces of tile. Otherwise the THEATRE AT KAUNOS was the only other real highlight. Not as grand and magnificent as the other theaters, but some splendid views out to the ocean. The ruins were built against a little hill and we decided to make the quick hike to see what the views were like. It was more than just a little hike and this was more than a little hill. We finally made it to the top after almost giving up a couple times. The views were more than worth it. Spectacular. A 360 degree view of the ocean. The ruins, the town and the rock tombs. One the prettiest views we have seen. Well it was time to get back down so we made our way down and grabbed some fresh fruit form the same lady we got the water from. Again the fruit in this country is just so good. It was very refreshing on our boat ride to the other side of town. Next up was the mud baths. No clue what to expect. They don't allow you to take any bags or anything else close to the pool/mud/showers because there are too many people most of the time. So our guide offered to just watch over our camera back-pack, etc. Again I was very hesitant as our camera equipment is worth many, many thousands of dollars and it just seems like a big risk. So at first I said "no thank you we will manage". After surveying the area and realizing there is nowhere to put it I had to go back with my tail between my legs and ask him to watch our stuff.

So it works as follow - there is a shallow pool with mud on the bottom. You go in - dig for your clay/ mud and find an empty space on the wall and gather your dirt. Once you have enough (you need a good pile) you ROLL IN THE MUD AND LAY IN THE SUN UNTIL FIRM. There is not much rolling. It is more of an artful application of the mud all over your body. It definitely helps having someone with you. We were covered head to toe. So then you try and find a quiet spot to either stand or lie down and wait for it all to dry. We applied it pretty thick in places and had to wait a really long time for it to dry. It's pretty cool feeling it dry. It's supposed to have all these "rejuvenating powers" and other skin therapy treatments. Next they have many showers lined up so you SHOWER AND JUMP IN THE SULFUR POOL. The shower itself takes forever because it is pretty hard to get all the mud/ clay off. Before going into the hot sulfur pool you have to go through the firehouse drill. I guy stands there and hose you off with this massive hose. The sulfur pool itself is disgusting. People spit and smoked and did all sorts of things in this pool. We probably stayed in it for a minute and got out. At the end of the day it was a really cool experience. We really enjoyed it and got some really good pictures. The mud pools are a tourist "trap" - meaning this is one of the top tourist destinations in the area. The boats flocked in right as we were about to get into the pools.

Soon we were back in our boat and on our way back to the car. We had somewhat of a drive ahead of us to DATCA. This area was loaded with pomegranates. They were everywhere. Unfortunately they were still green and definitely not in season so that was a bummer (we may definitely have to come back during pomegranate season). The DATCA PENINSULA is a beautiful area. This was our first real taste of the Mediterranean. The drive was beautiful along the coast. We took a couple detours and found some beautiful scenery - small villages with anchored yachts and small sail boats and incredible views. We finally made it to Datca. A small fishing town. We had a resting place for the night - VILLA TOKUR. As always we initially had a hard time finding it, but as always we ended up finding it. Our hosts were awesome. It was getting late already so we took a quick shower and headed down to town for some food. The walk to town was first through a little neighborhood and then along a type of boardwalk until we got to town. The restaurants just seemed a little more touristy. As in Fethiye there were many boats/ yachts anchored in the harbor offering their services for tours/ sailing. We settled for dinner at Kucuk Ev Restaurant. It's in the harbor area and has nice views of the boats and foot traffic below. We started off with fresh bread (as you do in most Turkish restaurants). We were in the Mediterranean so when in Rome... Nikkie went with the yellowtail fish fillet with vegetables and potato. I decided to take a break from seafood and went with the beef strogonof w/ chips and rice. Yes chips and rice. Yes - beef strogonof. The food was good. Probably one of our "most disappointing" meals, but that does not say much. Still a really good meal. Definitely one of the very interesting things we noticed in the coastal turkey towns - raw mussels on the street. It's comparable to the nut sellers in New York. Small little stall with what we assume are fresh mussels. They sell them single. You pay your money - no idea how much - they crack it open for you, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on it and it is all yours. Can't really tell you why we did not try any. At the time it did not seem like a smart idea, but we have eaten things a hundred times worse. I guess this would be considered a regret. This always turns out to be a regret of ours - not eating enough. And by not eating enough I don't mean that we go hungry. Instead I mean that we did not try everything. Unfortunately half the time we are stuffed to the brim already and then we see some awesome stall or interesting food but we are just too full to try more. Thinking back we should have just tried it, because the flavors and the experience would have been worth it. This is a constant struggle for us on trips. Trying as many foods as possible in such a short period of time - the trick is limiting yourself even when you find something awesome just so that you have some space for the next thing around the corner that promises to most likely be even better.

Anyway - we made it back to our B&B and enjoyed an exquisite moon rise over the harbor with yachts in the foreground. The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at the Villa Tokur. Beautiful breakfast room on the bottom floor of the house. The spread was amazing. They just kept bringing food. It was all so good. Unfortunately we made a last second decision that forced us to rush off to the next destination (as always). I was going to make the drive around the "bay" to BODRUM. It seemed like only about a 3 - 4 hour drive. After talking to our hostess she definitely made it seem like the drive is much much longer. From experience I've also learned that people in general hate driving and they can't imagine why or how someone will drive 4 hours in one day to get to the next town. Well we had a different option - the ferry to Bodrum. Our host booked our ticket, but now the next challenge was to make the ferry in time (about $30). The ferry was not in town, but rather on the way other side of the peninsula. There were so many forks on the drive over there (about 5 - 7 miles I think). We just kept taking the turn we thought looked right (there are some signs) and walla... we did it again. There it was. They closed the gate right after we pulled onto the ferry. And... we had peace for 2 hours on our ferry ride to Bodrum. There's not much to see besides blue water and islands here and there. It was good to just sit back and relax though and catch some good sun. Definitely take a book or something else to keep yourself busy.

And so we finally made it to Bodrum. We got right off. Starbucks was right there so that was a very welcome sight. Well, we were able to once again get a really nice hotel for a really good price by booking at the last second - the MARMARA BODRUM. The streets were confusing (again we did not have directions and only an address) and we drove up and down the streets. We finally, finally found it on top of the hill. This was actually one of the earliest times we have checked into a hotel (we usually get there late at night) and we were definitely glad we did. The property was beautiful. The room was really pretty with sweeping views of the coastline. Instead of wandering out we decided to spend some time at the pool under the Turkish sun. The views from the pool were even better. The hotel is literally on this "cliff" above the city and the views did not stop. Lying in the sun lasted for a couple hours until we got a little restless and made our way down the hill and into town.

One of the first things we saw was bakeries - eating bread in Bodrum is a must. The bread was so fresh. We bought a loaf of bread and just ate dry (but delicious) bread as we kept wandering down to the center of the city. There is shopping a plenty. It is very busy. The little port area even more so. Restaurants everywhere. People everywhere. The CASTLE OF ST. PETER was our first stop as it was already later in the afternoon and we were sure closing time was fast approaching. Built in the 15th century and changing hands too many times to mention. It definitely is still in pristine condition as many of the rooms and buildings are really well preserved. We wandered around (at a quicker pace) to get in as much as we could. One of the things we saw was the MUSEUM OF UNDERWATER ARCHEOLOGY that was one of the buildings within the castle. Portions of an old preserved ship are on display as well as many other artifacts that were dug-up/ recovered from the ocean floor. We were able to see most of what was on offer and we really enjoyed it. The sun was starting to set and it was time to eat. We walked along the street running parallel to the harbor (the street with all the activity) and found Cafer Uzun. It was empty and no one else was there (never a good sign, but we also attributed it to the fact that it was still Ramadan so we figured everyone would show up later). The host was awesome and gave us an outside table facing the street so we had great views. Nikkie had efes beer and I stuck with coke. The host's little station was right across from our table so he kept wandering over and talking to us. First asking us where we were from and then as was the custom in Turkey he just kept asking about America. How much was cars, how much people make, what the culture was like, etc. We asked him a lot about Turkey, the people, the culture. Again one of the things that really blew our mind - people loved to talk to us and share about their culture, but also finding out about our culture. We loved it. We started off with a very basic cucumber, tomato, and onion salad. I ordered the Turkish stew w/ lamb and Nikkie had the fresh fish. The stew was one of the best dishes I (and we) have ever had. It was phenomenal. Meat with tomatoes, and peppers and all sorts of spices cooked and then thrown in a clay dish and baked for a little longer. The smells and flavors were incredible. The meat was tender as can be. It was so good. Nikkie got a whole grilled fish, but by this time we have become expert filleters of fish so in no time we have the fish all filleted. It was a great meal with a great host. Meals and conversations like this reminds us why this is something that we just love to do. On a side-note - EAT SEAFOOD in Bodrum. It's as fresh as it gets and it will be good.

Afterwards we just wandered around the plethora of shops and strip malls (the Turkish version). Items tend to be a little cheaper than what we are used to so it definitely is worth looking around and shopping. We also had a full moon and ran around like crazy people to try and catch the moon rising over the castle (we did not really succeed at the end of the day, but it was still fun). First thoughts on Turkey would be that it is a very strict religious country - mostly Muslim. It ends up being almost the complete opposite. Yes there are mosques everywhere and people pray, but it also very apparent that most locals were taking the religion thing very lightly. Bodrum comes alive at night. People get dressed up for parties and nightclubs. People drink and in general seem to have a really good time. We were still seeing some of the protests going on throughout the country, but on a very watered-down scale. As we walked around we saw some stalls selling little dough balls drenched in syrup with coconut flakes. These were really good, very light and just an awesome desert that's light on the stomach. The walk up the hill just seemed too much so we grabbed a cab back to the hotel and settled in for the night. What an awesome day. What an awesome country.

The next morning we got up fairly early for an unforgettable breakfast at Marmara Bodrum. The breakfast restaurant is right above the pool area and the views are even more spectacular if that was even possible. The breakfast is buffet style with everything you can imagine. Breads, jams, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, scrambled eggs mixed with tomatoes (a very popular dish that we saw everywhere), figs and fresh fruit, fruit juices, meats. Anything you could possibly want is there and it all seemed so fresh. What an awesome breakfast and as always our host and hostess were phenomenal. They also have a very typical Turkish bath at the hotel and were offering spa services so I left it to Nikkie to experience a TURKISH BATH AT MARMARA BODRUM. They scrub you really good and I was really sunburned so I just knew it would have not been a pleasant experience for me so I skipped it. Nikkie enjoyed the scrubbing down (a little rough at times according to her, but worth it). And we were off. I read that one of the seven wonders of the ancient world was in Bodrum so we were definitely not gonna miss out on seeing it. We made our way down the hill (we had an idea where it was). The streets in Bodrum is incredible - many one ways, sometimes you don't feel like you are in a street anymore because it keeps getting narrower and narrower until you fear that the car is not gonna fit anymore. And then you see the main road jumping out right in front of you. We found parking where we thought we were close to the ruins. And we started walking. And we walked. And we walked. And we walked. We later started joking that this place is just a practical joke that the town of Bodrum is playing on people. And then we found it. Yeah. Well - the RUINS AT BODRUM or better known as the MAUSOLEUM OF HALICARNASSUS AT BODRUM was very unimpressive. I know once this must have been a spectacle, but there is literally nothing left. Scraps of rock strewn around a courtyard. They do an excellent job of describing and informing you of the history of the structure. Here and there are little formations or tile-work left. We also understand that these are the ancient wonders so there is not much left of any of them (except the pyramids). Anyway - something to see and say that you've been there and done that. On the way walking back (what a trek) we walked by a little shop where an old guy was sitting making shoes. We peeked in and Nikkie loved the shoes (leathery sandals). She saw some she loved, but wanted a flower made from leather on top of it so the guy whipped out his needle and thread and put it on for Nikkie. It was a really cool experience. Felt like we were 5 centuries back in time standing in a little sandal shop.

And off we went - destination EPHESUS for THE ROMAN RUINS OF EPHESUS. This was our one and only destination for the day since we have been looking forward to this for so long (the entire trip). It was about a 3 hour drive and we got a late start so we hit the road. We got to Ephesus a little later in the day. We found the entrance and immediately we were hassled because of how Ephesus is laid out. Ephesus was a mini-city back in the day and it was built on a slope. So the main entrance is at the bottom of the hill so there are people who offer to drive you up to the top and drop you off for a $10 - $15 fee. At the time it seemed outrageous so we politely declined. We paid our fee and started the hike. On the left after entering the gates you will find the GYMNASIUM. There is not much left of it besides bigger pieces of rock.

Next up was the GREAT THEATRE AT EPHESUS. It was really cool walking through the little tunnels underneath the theatre. The "stage area" was closed down so we walked up to the top and enjoyed the views from the top. What a place. It was getting late and the day and the shadows started to get pretty long. We kept going and tried to figure out the "right" way to go. There really is no right or wrong way. A lot of the sights are cordoned off so you can't get access anyway so you just turn around to where you came from and try the next road/path. The scenery, buildings, walkways were incredible. The pillars of stone/rock lining the paths are incredible (the fact that these are still standing after hundreds of years are incredible).

First up was THE GATE OF AUGUSTUS AT EPHESUS. A major gate still intact with incredible details all over the gate - thick walls. Before getting to the gate you see the thick walls and little rooms in the walls. Most of the rooms are blocked off with gates so you can't go in, but looking in you see artifacts left over from way back - clay pottery, weapons, rocks, stones, etc. What an incredible place. As you walk through the gate you start to get a glimpse of the real star attraction - CELSUS LIBRARY AT EPHESUS. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. One of the most impressive things we have seen in our travels. What a structure - what is left of it anyway. I think it is mostly the front facade (3 stories) that is left. We walked around it for a while. It is at the base of the hill so we had to start making our way up the hill. Walking up the hill there were many impressive things on either side of the road. To start off with - the MARBLE PAVED STREET. The entire street up the hill is paved with marble. On your right you will see the TERRACED HOUSES. These are well-preserved houses that show how the rich lived back in the times. These require a separate access fee (I think it was $15 per person). We were a little late to see these so we just kept going. They still do a lot of excavation around and in these houses. THE TOMB OF POLLIO is up the hill on the left. On top of the hill you will find THE TEMPLE OF DOMITIAN and the TEMPLE OF HADRIAN. These probably were glorious buildings in their day. Generally all that is left is the front of each temple. These are generally re-built and not the original. From here there is a little loop road to the end of the other side. On the way back down we hit THE ODEON which is a much smaller version of a theatre compared to the great theatre at the entrance. By this time we were pretty tired since it is quite a walk and the sun was really beating down on us. We took our time going back. This time we definitely did not come down the path, but instead wandered around a little bit more by walking in between the buildings, walls and rubble. It is so much fun being able to do this and things not being roped off. I saw the latrines and many other awesome sculptures, pots, drawings, etc. What an absolute goldmine of stuff. What a place to wander around. The history. The dust. The buildings. At the bottom we stopped at the library again. The sun was setting right behind it and peaking its head through the windows. I love that building. What a structure.

What an experience. We were tired - very tired. But we loved it. Should be the top at everyone's list when in Turkey. The sun was almost down, but the colors were awesome. We drove around the backroads - took pictures of the roads and sunflowers growing wild. A second "seven wonders of the ancient world" is located here in Turkey in this area. We drove around a while trying to find it (not having much hope as it was closed most likely and that is what ended up being the case when we finally found it). We ended up in the town of SELCUK which really seems like a town from back in time. So much fun to drive around this town. Well it was time to settle down for the night and for that we had to drive back to KUSADASI. It was only a 10 to 15 mile drive. Kusadasi is located on the ocean. It may seem that the sun has been setting for 3 or 4 hours now, but that really is what it felt like. Just as we reached the town the sun was sitting perfectly on the ocean horizon. We quickly found a beach and snapped away at another spectacular Turkish sunset. Our hotel for the night was the KISMET HOTEL AT KUSADASI. This hotel most likely was the standard in Kusadasi back in the day. Perched atop a cliff overlooking the ocean it was a little rundown (or at least it had that feel to it), but the views were spectacular. Definitely has that old hotel feel where many a great party has taken place with many a celebrity. The room was clean and had awesome views of the ocean. We drove down the main street of town running along the beach. It really seemed more like a touristy town. The strip was lined with restaurants and people were out and about doing their thing. We decided to call it a night because we just did not have the energy to still go out and have dinner. We found a little supermarket and bought some fresh produce with tomatoes, cheese and fresh bread. A feast by itself. The meat sandwich is huge in this country. It seems like every store has a massive piece of meat rotating around a grill (while the outside slowly cook) and when you order they cut off a healthy serving of meat and stack the sandwich high with it. We headed back to our hotel and just sat on the balcony eating our food and drinking. What a trip. We kept reflecting back on how much we have done, what we have seen and the things we experienced.

The next morning was a mad dash for Izmir to try and make it back in time for our flight to Istanbul. We landed in Istanbul and were taken to the HOTEL EMPRESS ZOE. Standing in the shadows of the blue mosque and Hagia Sophia this is the perfect location from which to explore THE OLD TOWN of Istanbul. Definitely a somewhat unique little hotel. I can't even start to explain the winding staircase that your luggage has to be carried up. Luckily the porter did it, but even he had a tough time with these foreigners' big bags. He made and I gave him a good tip because he deserved it. The hotel is more like an old mansion or old house converted to a hotel. It has many little crooks and crannies with a lovely courtyard. Well, as always we were ready to go and hit the streets running. It was time to explore Istanbul. Right across the street was Rumisi. It seemed very Turkish and very local. We had some orange juice and ottoman juice. The ottoman juice was awesome. I do not like cardamon, cinnamon, spiced drinks and this had a little bit of everything but it was awesome and very refreshing. We ordered just a bunch of little dishes - also known as meze in Turkey. We got bread w/ tomato paste, oil, and garlic. It was really good. We ordered PIDE (TURKISH FLATBREAD) with lamb. This was like a thin pizza and was also really good. We got a plate with humus, eggplant paste and stuffed grape leaves. Again this was all accompanied with bread to just mop up all the sauces. A great meal to fuel us for the day ahead.

We walked up the hill and stood in line for the HAGIA SOPHIA. We have been eyeing this since our first day in Istanbul and it was time to experience it. The place was amazing. The big doors when you walk in. The mosaics everywhere all over the walls. The massive, massive CENTRAL DOME. Our mouths hung open seeing it. The MOSAIC TILES throughout is incredible. The PILLARS walking through the side-alleys are astonishing. Unfortunately during our visit there was some pretty major construction going on in the inside. We made our way up to the second floor. Upstairs they have the MOSAIC OF VIRGIN AND CHILD and the DEESIS MOSAIC (LAST JUDGEMENT). The amazing thing about this structure and its rich history is that it has gone through so many stages, owners and religions. It's been a church, a mosque, a cathedral, and now a museum. The crazy thing is that each religion/ owner had its own decorations/ mosaics so the new church/mosque/cathedral would just put their mosaics/paintings over that of the previous church/mosque/cathedral. With a result that now they are still doing excavations on walls and they are finding mosaics and paintings behind paintings and walls. So now the big issue is how much should they keep going because in order to get to the things that are still covered up they have to go through what is currently on the wall. It's amazing to walk through the doors on the bottom floor and seeing how big the doors are and how thick the walls are. Right as you leave you will see the MOSAIC OF CHRIST PANTOCRATOR ABOVE THE IMPERIAL GATE. On the outside they have incredibly decorated MAUSOLEUMS that has the most incredible detail and tilework. An incredible building that should be visited by everyone. I know I say this almost in every blog and have probably said this too many times in this blog already but we are amazed at how they were able to build these absolutely incredible structures hundreds of years ago with the equipment available to them.

Well it was time to keep going. We've already made the walk, but why not again. We started making our way down to the old town again. Watch-out for the trolleys. Our destination was the SPICE MARKET. We love spices. We love to cook. I especially love to just throw stuff together and hope for the best. Everywhere we go I always look for spices unique to that area. The spice market was awesome. The colors. The smells. I was like a kid in a candy store. We started buying and buying and getting everything vacuum-packed. I loved the ottoman spice - a red, coarse, smokey spice that we use over and over on meats and in general in our cooking. Turkey is known for... Turkish delight. So naturally the SPICE MARKET FOR TURKISH DELIGHT is a must. It comes in many shapes, sizes, forms, textures. So many options and so little stomach space. I loved the spice market. Definitely did not want to leave this place.

We kept going and found a little cafe where we were able to sit outside and sip on TURKISH COFFEE. We were just tired and sitting and sipping on strong, black Turkish coffee was bliss. With each little cup they brought us a little chocolate and a little cup of water. We got a second and a third cup. Our waiter got very worried when we ordered a third - what he did not know is that we have caffeine running through our veins. We kept strolling down to the river. The Bosphorus definitely is the life of this city. At night people gather along side it to come and get food. People gather on top of the bridges to catch their meal for the night or to just do it for fun. The fishing business is pretty serious though as there are many vendors selling many kinds of bait, hooks, sinkers and then some of them just walking around selling small cups of tea. I have not mentioned this before but tea is a big deal here. Everyone and his mother drink tea all day long. We wandered around looking at people and their doings for the evening before starting to slowly heading back up the hill. By now I have started to absolutely love the lamb sandwiches that they just carve right off this massive piece of rotating meat. It's huge. We stopped at a couple more spice stores and also sweet stores and had some more Turkish ice cream.

And then the big task of finding "the perfect" restaurant because we only had 2 nights left so every meal has to be "perfect". We generally struggle with finding a restaurant because we keep going back and forth on what to eat and where to eat. We finally settled in a busy little street at Amedros Cafe where we had a nice view from the wide open windows. We started with champagne (deserved after a long day of travel). Nikkie got the harem special which was lamb w/ pomegranate sauce, walnuts, thyme and spring onions. It was a little "tart" for my taste but she enjoyed it. I got the revan kebab which was lamb w/ spring onion, garlic, chili peppers and apricots in a cream sauce w/ yellow mashed potatoes. I really enjoyed this dish (not Bodrum's stew, but still really good). And that was it. It was time to call it a night and prepare for our last day in Turkey.

We slept in a little bit (we were somewhat hurting from all the walking and running around). Our bodies were definitely tired. BREAKFAST AT the HOTEL EMPRESS ZOE was nice as it is outside in a little courtyard. It consisted of mostly buffet style again - scrambled egg mixed with tomatoes, figs, fresh fruit, tomatoes, bread, etc). We definitely have become very use to the healthy fruity breakfast that is served everywhere. For our last day we braved THE COVERED BAZAAR (KAPALI CARSI) or better put - SHOP TIL YOU DROP IN ISTANBUL. If you speak to anyone who has been to Turkey this is probably the first thing they will tell you about. We saved the shopping for the last day so we don't have to carry everything around with us. We've heard some horror stories about it being a maze where you get totally lost and you get haggled the whole time by the shopkeepers. We were excited for the experience and to see it, but I don't think we were really looking forward to the "being haggled" part, but then again that is all part of the experience too I guess. We found one of the entrances and started our quest for SHOPPING AT THE COVERED BAZAAR (KAPALI CARSI). Each area is somewhat specialized where they will only sell housewares or gold or clothes or suitcases or little memorabilia. We were definitely not haggled too much. It was actually pretty reasonable. It is huge. Streets and streets of covered stalls. And after a while you definitely stop caring about trying to figure out where you are and you just go where the streets take you. We bought a couple nice tea sets and Nikkie bought some nice scarves (definitely the place for this). We really wanted to buy a rug/CARPET, but at the end of the day it was just a little too pricey (maybe next time). Nikkie did a little bit of bargaining which was cool to see. They will keep going down and keep going down until they reach a point where you can obviously see they can't go lower. Try keeping lower and they will feel insulted and "tell you to leave". Half the experience is just looking at all the things on offer, but even that gets old after a couple hours because it just starts to seem as if everyone is selling the same thing. The other half of the experience is the architecture. The walkways are beautifully decorated. The TILED FOUNTAINS at incredibly beautifully done with very intricate tile work. After 4 hours of walking around and SHOPPING it was time to go out and get some air.

We wandered around the blue mosque and Hagia Sophia area for a while. There is some good shopping in the area as well. You can see the ROMAN HIPPODROME right next to the blue mosque. Right now it really is just one big square, but hundreds of years ago this was a happening place for the Romans where they had circuses and sporting and social events. Again you can only stand there and wonder and think on what grand a scale these events were with thousands and thousands of people packed into the stadium. On the one end of the square is the OBELISK OF THEODOSIUS. This is a very old Egyptian obelisk that was transported all the way from Egypt and erected in Istanbul. Yeah this place has been around for a very long time and has seen a lot of things happen during its existence. Another really cool thing about the city is just the way in which it was decorated - there were MOSAICS IN ISTANBUL everywhere you looked. Beautifully decorated walls with these mosaics everywhere. A photographers dream.

Everywhere we go we try and take the famous - red bus tours. They are very informative most of the time and it is a good and easy way to see the city and decide what you want to do and see. This was our last night so we kind of did a backwards, but we also felt that we saw a lot of the important things during our brief stay. We had to wait a little bit for the tour to get going, but we finally started. The tour lasts about 2 hours and you can get off and on at any of the designated stops. We stayed on for the entire tour because we wanted to see what else there was. After doing the tour we definitely felt like we hit the most important areas. The major areas in Istanbul are the blue mosque/Hagia Sophia area, old town, the area around the bridge crossing the Bosphorus River, and Taksim Square. After completing the entire loop we jumped on the last tour bus leaving for the day as we wanted to go to Taksim square where the major protests were held only a month ago (we promised several people we would not go near the place as there were still some unrest, but how in the world can we stay away from this place). We were dropped off in the square and saw many government buildings with massive banners showing the face of Ataturk (I bought his book later on, but think of him in the same light as what Nelson Mandela did for South Africa - that is what he did for Turkey). We did see some cops in spots and started walking to the park where all the protests were held. There were no protests, but definitely many little areas with lit candles and pictures of those who died during the unrest with the police. It was a little bit of a let-down (we were somehow hoping for a little action I guess, but then again that is just us). One of the things in our books is - A NIGHT OUT ON INDEPENDENCE STREET (ISTIKLAL CADDESI). Well this street starts right off the square so we decided to see what the fuss is about. It's a normal street, but with the difference that there is no car traffic on it - only foot traffic. And for several miles the street is lined with any shop imaginable and restaurants. And everyone was out. It was really busy and it had a definite party atmosphere to it. We walked into a couple stores and took pictures. Experiencing the ISTIKLAL CADDESI AT NIGHT is a must. The place just comes alive. It's like Time Square all over (just not all the neon light pollution). The ISTIKLAL CADDESI is lined with HISTORICAL BUILDINGS. The architecture is incredible.

EATING TURKISH DELIGHT is a must (all sugar). We had a couple pieces earlier when we visited the spice market and the grand bazaar. ALI MUHIDDIN HACI BEKIR is one of the most well-known stores in Turkey for Turkish delight (pretty much the only thing they do). We walked in and it was Turkish delight heaven. Any flavor you can imagine. We decided to try as much as we could so we got only a couple pieces of each of the APPLE TURKISH DELIGHT, the CINNAMON TURKISH DELIGHT and the GINGER TURKISH DELIGHT. We also got a couple other flavors but these were the main ones. These things are really really sweet. A soft gelatin like sugar. An awesome snack if you are just sitting around. ISTIKLAL CADDESI FOR MEZE and ISTIKLAL CADDESI FOR RAKI - two things to try. The street is lined with restaurants so your options are plentiful. And then it happened... we went into a couple stores and definitely noticed a big pick-up in the number of people (not that there was not many people around already). And then we saw it. People sitting legs crossed on the ground eating. All in one long organized row. The line kept going and going and going. They did not block any shop entrances, but they lined the streets. And then you have people walking by with massive drums of food filling their plates or handing out pieces of bread. Hundreds and hundreds (if not thousands) of people being fed this way. And as the ones at the front of the sitting-down-food-line got done eating they got up and started forming in groups and organize their protest. So I guess the protests were still going. We also noticed a big pick-up in the number of cops around. Mostly young people. At the time they seem to have more of a "we are just hanging out and having a good time" mentally than "we are protesting". They would break out in random dance and song and it most certainly had more of a World Cup soccer game atmosphere. This was really cool to see though. There were a lot of people. And then they started moving to Taksim Square where I guess the protest was to start in all seriousness. This is where we decided our night ends because we definitely did not want to get arrested before our flight back tomorrow. It was still really cool to see this knowing that only a couple weeks ago we were watching this on live tv.

As said before meze is just a bunch of small plates so we stopped at Galata Kava restaurant. We ATE ACILI (a Turkish style tomato dip to be eaten with bread or some other mopping food tool). I just had to try the raki again. Again it was a complete miss for me. I tried it without water at first - it was a no go. I tried it with a little cold water - again a no go. But I recommend trying it because this is the national drink of choice and obviously the majority of the people absolutely love this stuff. We also got some stuffed zucchini with yoghurt, little meatballs with all kinds of things and finished it all off with more Turkish coffee and Turkish tea. Not one of our most memorable meals, but we also feel that it was a very, very Turkish meal. One of the big surprises to us was the fascination with eggplant. They cook eggplant with everything or a lot of eggplant dishes by itself. We just did not expect that. We caught a cab back to our hotel and well... that was Turkey.

The next morning we had our final breakfast and headed to the airport for our flight back. When we got back to the states we watched "HAMAM" MOVIE. It's about Turkey and a family running a Turkish bath. Definitely a pretty good reflection on what to expect in Turkey and what it is like.

Well I usually do a couple little sections at the end of each blog with likes, dislikes and advice. This has been a massive blog and all of these have already been covered for the most part.

Likes

- Well hopefully it is pretty obvious that we just loved the entire trip. The entire trip was a massive surprise to us. We had absolutely no clue what to expect - we knew very little about Turkey in general so every day and every experience was just one big surprise to us and I think that is what made this so special.

- Nikkie felt like she traveled back in time. It really had that old time feel to it - the people the streets, the customs. Even just looking at the landscape you can totally imagine that this is exactly what it looked like 2000 years ago.

- We loved the people. They were beyond friendly, interesting and always so helpful.

Dislikes

- There were very few dislikes if any. The haggling in old town Istanbul got a little much sometimes. The hosts at the restaurants are the worst because they will literally follow you to convince you to come back t the restaurant and eat.

- The price of the carpets was a big disappointment to me. I really wanted one, but I felt like they were very expensive. I also understand that most of these carpets are entirely made by hand and take in some instances months to make so I am in total agreement that they should be expensive. Unfortunately I don't know the difference between a carpet that took 3 months to make and one that was machine made in a couple hours. These carpets are extraordinary and the patterns are crazy. We definitely learned a lot about the patterns and how each almost tells a story or is a symbol of some region/family/clan. Maybe next time.

Advice
- As I said earlier, there are 2 airports in Istanbul and they are very far apart. Ataturk is the main one, but I did find that the other airport had much cheaper rates on internal flights. I just did not want to deal with all the travel hassles so we stuck to Ataturk airport.

- During the summer especially you should stock up on water wherever you go. This was a life saver for us and I can't imagine another time where I have drunk so much water, but it was definitely needed.



And that was our trip. We loved it. This is also the trip where we broke our drought of crossing off things in our book (the previous 2 blogs we crossed off nothing). Well this was a good trip and we managed to cross-off 20 things including the Roman ruins of Ephesus, Ephesus, Hagia Sophia, the Pera Palas, Pamukkale, a night out on Independence street, getting down and dirty in Dalyan, shop til you drop in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque, Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir, Mediterranean Turkey, Asitane, the Grand Bazaar, the Old Town, the Azure Coast, the Datca Peninsula and Istanbul. So 244 down and 5,537 to go. Making progress.

Til' next time from Ataturk's country

---

Photos

Ephesus
So pretty

Istanbul
Our first views of Turkey's largest city

Istanbul
You could see for miles and miles from the balcony of the Pera Palas

Istanbul
Black and white views

Istanbul
So happy to be there

Pera Palas
Afternoon tea

Blue Mosque
The detail on the dome of the Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque
The detail is something to see

Blue Mosque
The full dome

Blue Mosque
The windows from the inside

Blue Mosque
No bare legs gents - so be ready to don a skirt

Blue Mosque
Nikkie covered up

Blue Mosque
Nikkie in front of the prayer room

Blue Mosque
Outside in the square

Blue Mosque
Good times

Blue Mosque
Loved our first day in Istanbul

Blue Mosque
The quarter at the Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque
Washing of the feet

Blue Mosque
What an incredible structure

Istanbul
Walking through the streets of Istanbul

Istanbul
Making our way through old town

Istanbul
Views across the Bosphorus

Istanbul
Views of this magnificent city at night

Istanbul
The aqueduct at night

Istanbul
The mosques at night

Turkey
Oh good sweetness

Istanbul
Turkish back-country - the men always gather around during the day.

Turkey
Back-country transportation

Turkey
Views of the Turkish country-side

Aphrodisias ancient city
Rows upon rows of carved stone

Aphrodisias ancient city
The details are staggering

Aphrodisias ancient city
Just one of thousands and thousands of faces

Aphrodisias ancient city
They were all different - not one the same

Aphrodisias ancient city
Loved this one

Aphrodisias ancient city
All angles are covered

Turkey
Making faces with the little dudes

Aphrodisias ancient city
Oh the sights

Aphrodisias ancient city
The theater - oh the performances that they must have done here

Aphrodisias ancient city
Loved the views

Aphrodisias ancient city
Applauding the performance

Aphrodisias ancient city
Taking a bow

Aphrodisias ancient city
Front view

Aphrodisias ancient city
View from the rear

Aphrodisias ancient city
Loved the wild flowers and views behind them

Aphrodisias ancient city
A view of what's left of the temple

Aphrodisias ancient city
We loved it

Aphrodisias ancient city
Always loved looking up...

Aphrodisias ancient city
...and up...

turkey 5 318
... and up.

Aphrodisias ancient city
Dried-out sunflower

Aphrodisias ancient city
Ancient stadium - oh the races and games they must have had here

Hierapolis
Loved the setting-sun and the long shadows

Hierapolis
This would make a nice picture-frame...

Hierapolis
... so we put a picture in it

Hierapolis
The dirt road you follow through this old city

Hierapolis
Having a lot of fun

Hierapolis
The Frontinius Gate

Hierapolis
... more long shadows

Hierapolis
... and pillars all along it

Hierapolis
The views

Hierapolis
The history

Hierapolis
The photo-ops

Hierapolis
First one way...

Hierapolis
... and then switch it around

Hierapolis
Climbing all over the stones

Hierapolis
The amphitheater - the views from it are ridiculous.

Hierapolis
Silently in awe and very thankful

Pamukkale
And then the white stuff

Pamukkale
Not sure how you describe this to someone without them just seeing it

Pamukkale
The white mineral-deposits cover a mountain

Pamukkale
Especially cool when the water collects in some of the pools

Pamukkale
And then the views across the pools of white stuff while the sun set in the background

Pamukkale
The sun reflecting

Pamukkale
Very very special

Comments

[Home and Away]

Glad to see that you are starting to catch up...
I enjoyed reading your "book!" At 16,600 words you might want to consider breaking it down into several blogs...one for each city or region...makes the reading easier! Before your next carpet buying trip. make sure you know the difference between the child made (smaller more nimble fingers) and machine made...pretty easy to tell. Turkey is truly an amazing country.

[Looking for the Dirt Roads]

Carpets
Thanks Bob - yeah the blog was way too much and I was "literally exhausted" after writing this. I will definitely break it down next time. I guess it's just a testament to how much we truly enjoyed Turkey.