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Published: August 1st 2015
Istanbul 10th -13th July 2015
When I first came through the arrivals gate at Istanbul, I was overwelmed with the sea of people in front of me, when it's barely a handful at Cardiff or Bristol. I quickly secured a private transfer after reading the many horror stories about Istanbul taxi drivers ripping off tourists. So after excessive hornblowing, an exchange of turkish expletives and horrific traffic, I reached my destination. This was the first time I began to wonder whether visiting Istanbul on my own had been a good idea? My accomodation was well placed near the Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Square and the Hagia Sofia Museum. On checking in, my host provided a map and great information on where to visit and eat. It was already dark when I went out for food and first things first, a cup of tea was in order. I know, its normally wine!!! This accompanied with an aubergine/cheese dish with rice, really filled a hole and put a spring in my step, for a wander. I headed towards the Blue Mosque but ended up in Sultanahmet Square and I'm so glad I did. Ramadan was underway so there were hoards of families gathered
together to feast. The Minarets of the Blue Mosque were all lit up and it looked amazing. Other buildings similarly lit surrounded the area including a Bizarre covered in lights. To top it all, fireworks! 😊 I needed a good night's sleep to be ready to explore this wonderful place in the daylight. I should have known this was not going to happen. It was Ramadan! At 3:40am the prayer call kicked off for breakfast so that they could feast again before sun up. Not being able to go back to sleep, I decided to research some of the places listed on the map I'd been given and came acoss the Mosaic Museum. First stop that day, was there, well almost, it was that time again for Laundry. Ignoring the mundane bit, the Museum was located in the middle of a Bizarre and was really interesting. It was incredible to stare at such large works of ancient art created from thousands of tiny coloured tesserae. It told the story of where they'd been dicovered, their meaning, how they were excavated and now preserved to continue to be enjoyed by all. From there I visited the Blue Mosque so called because
of the prominent blue patterned tiles that cover the internals. This was an incredible place to visit and it was free. Moving on, I made my way to Galata Bridge but not before wandering through the Spice Market. I sat in a cafe located beneath the bridge to enjoy another cuppa and take in the views of the New Mosque on one side and the Galata Tower on the other. The sun was high in the sky and given I was near the water, it felt like a good idea to take a boat trip up the Bhosphorus. You could really see that East meets West here, with the various house styles. You could also clearly see the expanse of the Blue Mosque and both the Topkapi Palace and Dolmabahce Palace aswell as the Maidens Tower located on a small island in the channel, to name but a few. After taking it easy on the boat, it was time to stretch my legs again, so I headed in the direction of the Galata Tower towards Taksim Square. I then hitched a ride back by tram to freshen up and treat myself to a slap up dinner, good bottle of vino
and night out with friends. It was great. I found a lovely restaurant where I commandeered the balcony with views over the Bhosphorus for a special night out over Skype with some of my oldest friends from Cwmbach. It was almost a year on, from when we all had gone out out together, locally. This was to be the last evening I would be travelling solo for a while, as the following day my 'Ultimate Turkey Tour' was to start. It was a relaxed start, just checking out of one hotel and checking into another which was still located in Istanbul. Within half an hour I met some of the individuals that were on my tour and I could tell this was going to be the start of a great few weeks. We grabbed some lunch and headed to the Hagia Sofia Museum. This building was a fusion of religions and depicted the religious changes that had occurred over time, from Christian worship to a Mosque. It has the 4th largest dome in the world and when originally constructed was the largest. Later that day the whole group was introduced (15 of us plus a Tour Leader) and we grabbed
an evening meal together. The Tour Leader was young but knowledgeable and had exceptional English and a great sense of humour. The only problem was he couldn't understand me, although English is my first language!! 😊 The welsh intonations were killing him. This became evident after 3 attempts of trying to order me something gluten free for dinner. I was beginning to feel I might not see the end of this tour without being poisoned. I settled on a Cheese platter to start followed by lamb with tomatoes and onion. Quite similar really to my meal the previous evening. This was going to be fun! The following day after not sleeping particuarly well again, partly due to sharing a room and never quite being fully relaxed it was an early start, even though today was my Birthday. I took breakfast at the hotel taking in the last views of the Bhosphorus before embarking on a walking tour of Istanbul to really learn something about those places I had previously been in wonder of but knew nothing about. It was nice to get an understanding of this place which at first had been intimidating but at last had left me wanting
more.
Ankara - 13th-14th July 2015
It was now time to grab some lunch before moving onto Ankara the Capital of Turkey and enjoying the views from the bus, for the next 6 hours! Well it would have been nice to partake in some lunch if we hadn't gone to a Kebab house where the G.L.B's live!!! So no birthday lunch for moi! By the time we arrived it was 7:30pm and dinner was at 8:15. The hotel was called 'Elit Palace' and came with the tag line 'Special Class Hotel'. Not sure if this meant we were V.I.P's or were just in a class of our own. After a very quick freshen up, we made our way to the restaurant for dinner. It was packed and looked great. Today being my special day and the fact I had not eaten lunch, I was really looking forward to something spectacular. The tables in the restaurant were set with a variety of Turkish dips, bread and now bulgar wheat not rice. This wasn't the best start but thought never mind, I'll have a nice glass of wine instead. Oh no, I wouldn't. It was not a tourist restaurant and
therefore did not serve alcohol, so it was a Turkish tea for me!!! I picked at the yoghurt dip and waited for the restaurant speciality plate to be served that I'd ordered. I didn't realise rolled Kebab meat with a few chips served cold was special, unless they mean especially awful. However the best piss-take of the day was yet to come. Never before have I been asked to cut a Birthday cake I couldn't eat and give a slice to everyone else. Literally this had been the icing on the cake of what had been a shite day, had now reached an unimaginable low! Luckily for the Tour Leader he had purchased a cold rice pudding dessert for me, because at this point I was the the one holding the knife. 😉. Everyone sung and it lightened the mood. We finished up and went for a few drinks in the bar next door. I started with a shot, when it finally arrived. Another shot and a large glass of Sangria swiftly followed before I headed back to the hotel to catch up with family and friends and enjoy reading all my Birthday messages. An early start the following day
took us to visit Ataturk's Mausoleum - The great leader of Turkish Independence War and Turkish Revolution and the founder of the Turkish Republic located in the centre of Ankara. It was an extremely interesting place and you could see how the people of Turkey appreciated all that he had done. As we were making our way through the different sections it wasn't obvious how he had died. The tomb that he resides in cannot be entered and is shown via a live video feed at which point there is a marble sarcophagus where he lies a further 1.5m below in various soils taken from across the region. It was at this location there was military personnel constantly watching over the area. So I asked him the question. Apparently he was abit of a drinker and it had been liver sclerosis that had finally killed him. Obviously he only went to restaurants that served. 😉 Back on the bus for another 4 hours, we made our way to Goreme breaking the journey up to view an 'Underground City' that had been famously used by Christians escaping the persecution of the Roman Empire between the fifth and tenth centuries. What a
jolly day this had been.
Goreme - 14th-17th July 2015
Goreme is located in Cappadocia. It is this place that is synonymous with Hot Air Balloon rides so when in Rome and all that. It was amazing, even after a 4am start to the day! 😊 Within the Cappadocia region there are lots of very phallic natural formations formed from lava deposits and climatic conditions so we spent the next few days staring at them from all different angles. Some were quite impressive. 😉 Whilst roaming around the area I slipped and ended up doing an excellent impression of 'Eddy the Eagle' by hurtling down the side of a hill on my butt! Not my finest moment but luckily I paid a visit to the Hammam later that day where I was buffed, scrubbed and massaged and man handled by a turkish male masseur and there's me thinking a trip to the Spa was a treat. 😉 Whilst in Goreme there was the Goreme Open Air Museum which housed a number of cave churches created by Orthodox monks containing wonderful frescos which we spent an afternoon at. On one of the evening's we went to a 'Turkish Night'.
This included some traditional Turkish dancing and a Belly Dancer. It was no 'Britain's Got Talent' and I was prepared to pay 20 Lira more for them to stop. I think it was this, that led to my decision to lift the bottle of red I had started when we left and continue on to give Shisha a try. It was more 'Stars in your Eyes' not being a smoker and all. Still, that's another thing to cross off the list. The headache that followed was harsh and the fact I had tried two different flavours, Strawberry and Mint and Lemon with both just tasting of smoke proved this was lost on me. I enjoyed the 'Sex in a Cave' Cocktail far more which finished off the evening!!!
Guneysinir 17th-18th July 2015.
On the road again we made the 5hr journey to the region of Konya for a homestay visit in the village of Guneysinir. On the way we stopped to view a Caravanserai which was a stopping place for traders on the Silk road. Following on we visted the Melvana Museum who was the person who created the mystic group the whirling dervishes. This was really interesting
and exhibited the smallest recorded Kurran. Just before arriving at the village we stopped to view a very interesting well preserved Neolithic site called Catahoyuk where very recently, they have uncovered new wall art. We reached Guneysinir early evening and took a walk through the Village before dinner. It was the start of the 3 day celebration Eid, demarcating the end of Ramadan. There were lots of families gathering together and children celebrating by setting off Firecrackers. At first I thought is was someone shooting a gun. So between the Firecrackers and the Call to prayer from the three Mosques it was a very tranquil stay, as you can imagine. Our dinner however was lovely. I'm really struggling in Turkey with food as generally they serve bread, bulgar wheat and rice mixed with noodles. They just love the Gluten, so it made a nice change to have a rice and chicken based soup followed with green beans and more rice 😊. Breakfast was also good with yoghurt, organic honey and homemade jams. Fed at last I was ready for another long journey to Antalya.
Antalya 18th-20th July 2015
Wow what a place. Our accomodation was located inside Kaleici
which means .... We took a walk through this area and enjoyed the ancient ruins including 'Hadriens Gate'. There was an optional Museum visit but by now my thirst for more culture was non existent. The heat was immense so therefore there was only one thing left to do. Take a dip in the warm waters of the med and enjoy a few hours relaxing on 'Konya Alto' pebbly beach. It was thirsty work sunbathing so I ordered a Raki. The time flew by and it was soon time to grab a bite to eat before meeting the others later for some drinks. It was about a 30 minute walk back to the harbour area where we found a great place to sample some grilled Squid and take in full views of the bay as the sun set. At last something different to eat accompanied by a nice glass of red. Back at base the group met up for a few drinks where I had the pleasure of sitting in a bar that provided live music in the form of Turkish love songs. Again not the greatest act I've seen but the Ammaretto on the rocks helped and it was
something different. The following day we made our way further down the Antalya coast to join our boat for an overnight trip to Kevkova taking in swimming stops, a sunken city and a castle visit. It's the best feeling swimming in the sea especially when it's warm and crystal clear. The tan was progressing nicely and I was beginning to feel relaxed. We stopped at a small harbour overnight where we had freshly caught Seabass for our evening meal. It was delicious. A number of Raki washed it down with some card games. It was lovely then the best bit. Sleeping on deck under a night sky full of stars. What could be more relaxing???? Well a night in the middle of the A470 for one. Between the loud chuggs of boat engines coming and going. Cockerals crowing from the mainland, tour members snoring, crew farting and the odd call to prayer from the nearby Mosque I was back to being a women on the edge with the debacle of breakfast to look forward to!!!
Kas - 20th-21st July 2015
After departing the boat and a short bus trip we arrived at the coastal area of Kas where
the local turks usually holiday. The weather was stinking hot and it was a struggle to walk around and take in the sights. There were a few small beach areas close by with a larger pebbly beach about a 30 minute walk away. Usually I would make the effort to go there but even I was struggling with the heat. I made my way to the closest pebbly beach which was tiny to soak my feet in the cooling water. I then strolled around the harbour taking in the sites and meandered through the town dipping in and out of the shops, finally purchasing a book to help break up the long bus journeys. It soon was time for dinner and I was feeling quite chipper about it. We were going to a restaurant that specialised in seafood. At last something other than Kebab! It was a lovely setting and the mixed mezze starters followed by stuffed Squid was fabulous especially when washed down with 1/2 bottle of vino!
Selcuk - 21st-23rd July 2015
It was an early start with a long 4 hour journey ahead to get to the World Heritage listed site of Pamukkale (calcium carbonate
white cliff formations) and the ancient city of Hierapolis. This was an area I had wanted to visit for ages after my visit to Marmaris about 10 years earlier. I was quite taken aback when we arrived, as it was not what I had envisaged it to be. The ancient city of Hierapolis was interesting with a large Necropolis and Ampitheatre. Pamukkale on the other hand was a little dissapointing in reality compared with the photos used to promote it. The site unfortunately has not had the protection from the hoards of visitors over the past 30 years that it has required and most of the pools have dried out, with the white cliffs looking a little grey, although now they won't let you walk on them with your shoes on. I managed to sit in a few of the pools which were slightly warm but not a patch on the natural thermal springs in Iceland! The saving grace was the Antique pool that has been created where column ruins now lay within the water and you could get in and cool off surrounded by these ancient wonders. 😊 Back on the bus for another 3 hours we finally made
it to Selcuk, our home for the next 2 nights. Dinner was late but well worth the wait, with me hoovering up a Chicken Curry and Rice before heading to bed, in readiness for a full day of culture. Another early start as there was lots to see. We started with the remains of the St John's Basilica where John the Apostle is said to be buried followed by a visit to the Mosque of Isa Bey. It was time to get out of the heat, so I ducked into the Ephesus Museum which housed many artifacts and statues found from the 4 different locations of Ephesus. This was really interesting. Next, it was only appropriate to visit what is thought to be the last home of the Virgin Mary. So we jumped in a taxi to visit what I assumed would be a lowly house in the mountains with the odd visitor. Obviously the film was right, "There's something about Mary" given the huge Coach park, Cafe/ Toilet area and hoards of visitors. The house was small and simple as expected and there was a Mass underway just outside. There was also a massive prayer wall which resembled the
one for Yanto from Torchwood located in Cardiff. I'm not sure which ones more popular! It was time to move on again this time travelling to Sirince, a Turkish-Greek village that was settled when Ephesus was abandoned. It was really quaint with cobbled village streets, handicrafts and locally made wine!!! 😊 After tasting a few to make an informed decision on what to purchase we left there with a bottle or Red, Eiswein and a Quince flavoured white to enjoy later that evening after dinner. Next up though it was time to go to Ephesus but not before viewing the last reconstructed column of Artemis which is one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Ephesus lll was amazing. You could just imagine what life would have been like. The library being the best preserved quickly followed by the Ampitheatre area was truly fascinating. I was now glad I had visited the Museum earlier to give context to this unique area. A quick dinner followed, so the wine could be savoured and enjoyed before heading to bed before bidding farewell to Selcuk.
Ayvalik - 23rd-24th July 2015
A new day, another bus journey. This time we were
making our way to Ayvalik for an overnight stay in an Ottoman Mansion. On arrival we dropped our bags to this ornate place and headed for a quick bite to eat followed by some Mastic gum ice-cream. It was delicious but chewy. Another short bus ride and we arrived at Cunda beach to dive straight into the Aegean Sea to cool down. It felt bliss. 😊 The weather was hot with a cooling sea breeze and at last I could top up my fading tan. 😉 Later that evening we went to a Seafood restaurant which had beautiful views across the water. I sampled a mixed mezze plate which was really nice and different. I ordered Red Mullet to follow which looked fantastic until I was given Soy sauce instead of Balsamic vinegar!! I must remember that not everyone can tell the difference in flavour between salt and acid! 😞 As soon as my plate was covered in a sea of black it was game over. Of course I still had the option of dessert. What was I thinking...... of course not, it was Baklava!!! Anyhow at this point, I was beginning to consider that Turkey, may not be the
best destination to spend 3 weeks in! The frustration was started to build and I was becoming irritable. I mean, more than usual. 😉 You could see it too, in my face and my hair was starting to curl!! The next morning with breakfast being no better with more cheese and boiled egg on offer I needed to take a time out before I blew my stack and think about what the day ahead was going to bring and whether we were going to be able to carry onto Eastern Turkey with it all kicking off on the Syrian Border!
Canakkale - 24th-25th July 2015
Back on the fun bus to continue the Western leg of the trip we made our way to Canakkale but not before stopping at the legendary Troy. The best Trojan Horse however was located in Canakkale near the waters edge and was the actual one out of the Hollywood Blockbuster 'Troy'. Canakkale was a nice spot for an overnight stop and our final farewell meal before heading off to join the Eastern Turkey Trip. Umut our guide had chosen well, ? with the only place in Turkey serving Al a Carte in the
form of Steak lovingly stacked on Smash coloured bright yellow with the aid of Tumeric!!! Despite the culinary faux pas it was a great night where the booze and conversation flowed before spending our last day together.
Gallipoli - 25th July 2015
It was a really early start with a 6am breakfast as our Ferry to Gallipoli was at 6:45am. I found this place heartbreaking, interesting and frustrating. It is known as one of the bloodiest areas where many Australians, New Zealanders and Turks lost their lives in WWI. The Gallipoli peninsula is an area with stunning natural beauty and has no other purpose than a shrine to those who lost their lives. It's a shame I feel that 100 years on, more cannot be done with the area in a way that we never forget those who lost their lives but give the location a new history. We visited 5 different areas of remembrance throughout the peninsula before heading back to Istanbul to say our final farewells.
Istanbul - Kars 25th-26th July 2015
When we finally reached Istanbul it was time to meet our new guide for the Eastern Turkey part of the trip. This
time our group was small with there being 5 in total including our Tour Leader, Gonja. Two of my fellow travellers accompanied me including a new recruit from Austrailia. The overview of the weeks tour sounded fascinating and I was getting excited to see the difference between the both parts. Then came the discussion about toilets.....no bowls only squats. Ensure you have handwash and toilet paper at all times. Okay, I had thought that might be the case. (Note to self, swipe some from the hotel before leaving). Then came the dress code - conservative. This was fine I had plenty of sleeved tops and trousers to wear. Then came the talk about the areas close to the Syrian Border. So there was no driving at night. We were going to eat close to our hotel. G Adventures were not offering any optional extra tours at this time. The visit to Hamman might not be possible given its only 15km away from Syria. Mardim should be ok but we should exercise caution and Gonja would have daily reports. If there was any sign of trouble we would be flown back to Istanbul. Wow....So now the trip was becoming serious travel.
Oh well, 5 women, 1 Welsh, 1 Canadian, 1 American, 1 Australian and 1 Turkish....ISIS look out, Girls on Tour! One other thing to note, it was going to be an early start at 5am as we had a flight to catch to Ankara and another onward to Kars. A 4am wake up call sucked but up I got, packed my case again and headed to the Airport. We should arrive in Kars by 10:30am check into the hotel and then visit Ani. I couldn't wait. Well that's what should have happened. We arrived at the domestic departure area scanned our bags on entry and started to queue to check our bags. While we were queueing I asked Gonja what time our flight was to Ankara? 7am was the response. That's funny I thought as I couldn't see any flights listed on the Departure Board in front of me for 7am! I will never forget the look of horror and panic that swept across her face when I pointed this out. The next thing we know, we are moved to one side whilst Gonja now comes up with an alternative plan to get us to Kars as our flight had
been cancelled. Was this an omen we all thought after the previous nights meeting? After much debate, a shed load of phone calls and 3 alternative plans attempted we finally flew out of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport at 16:40 heading for Erzurum. At this point I think hysteria had set in knowing we still had a 2 hour drive the other side and time was ticking on, remembering that we shouldn't be driving in the dark. On the flight we were quite animated after the day we had had and I was enjoying a good laugh. Little did I know at this point but women from Eastern Turkey remain demure and that smiling and laughter means you are very flirtatious and is not viewed as appropriate behaviour. It's not because they are miserable, apparently. So my laughter fit at this point ended with me having a row off the Air Steward from First Class!!! Whoops. This next week was going to be fun. NOT! I was just glad I hadn't put on my Pug Eyemask before he'd come over!. 😊 We made a quick getaway from the Airport and onto Kars. The landscape was beautiful with large flat dry grassy plains
surrounded by rocky jagged mountains. The sun quickly set and it was pitch black. I felt strangly calm or sleep deprived but I knew we were closer to the Armenian border at this point and well away from those with a potential threat.
Kars - Agri 26th-27th July 2015
After a good nights sleep and breakfast our trip could finally start. Our first stop after leaving Kars was Ani, the former capital of the Armenian Empire. It now resides within the Turkish border right next to Armenia. It was easy to distinguish the cave areas where habitats had once lived and the city walls. We were able to visit many religious structures with some complete with frescos. The stone had a pinkish appearance and you could imagine how this place would have been a thriving area in its heyday with its link to the Silk road and the winding Arpacay river that swept along one side. As we made our way to Van we passed Mount Ararat with its snow capped peaks just illustrating how much the temperature can differ with altitude as we sweated, in the heat. Close by, we stopped to visit Ishak Pasha Palace after
taking a spot of lunch which is perched high on a hilltop with outstanding views of the surrounding area. This place had some amazing carved stonework and was constructed of a much lighter stone. All was well and we were relaxing into the day when Gonja told us that we were now not going to Van. She had recieved reports from another tour group trying to leave Van that there was a conflict taking place between the terrorist organisation (PKK) and the local police. Seriously, I had considered whether these groups had a copy of our trip itinerary and who else wanted to take a pop! Again a dynamic plan was executed and we headed north towards Agri for the night to review the situation. At this point an exit plan back to Istanbul had not been ruled out!! Once we reached Agri we found a local restaurant and grabbed some dinner. It was a great experience visiting an area that generally sees very little tourists. I felt perfectly safe and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere and witnessing the locals quizzical expressions about what we were doing there? After dinner we even went to a Turkish Pattiserie to enjoy some
cake and coffee or in my case, some more rice pudding! 😊 Gonja began to provide a further update on the situation and a proposal on how we could proceed using different routes. So that night it was time to get some rest, as the following day we were going to Van!!
Agri-Van - 27th-28th July 2015
It was a relaxed start with another good breakfast. One thing that could be said about Eastern Turkey for me, was that the food had improved! 😊 Today's first stop was the Van Cat Research/Breeding Centre. Yes it wasn't what I had expected either given my love for them. 😉 However these had interesting features; being completely white with different coloured eyes, a love of swimming, watermelon and ice-cream and hot climates. Apparently they are also supposed to be really friendly and like people. This is not what I witnessed. They were hissing, scratching, fighting and a local was returning one!! It says it all really! I was also glad to note that this breed, 'Van Cat' cannot be taken outside of Turkey. Thank goodness for small mercies. Moving swiftly on we travelled around Van Lake and visited the Armenian Cathedral
of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island. The area was so beautiful and peaceful it was hard to imagine there was any unrest going on. Back in the bus we made our way to visit the ruins of the Fortress of Van. This was my favorite part of the day. There's nothing like a stiff climb to get your heart racing in anticipation of the view that awaits you and this one, was incredible. I hadn't realised how big 'Van' was, with its expanse of farmland, huge lake and it's cosmopolitan centre. You wouldn't believe there was any issues here with us witnessing a Bride and Groom having their Wedding Photographs taken and the amount of visitors at the Fortress itself. Our hotel was in the centre of Van and here there was a greater police presents. You would have thought that this would have made us feel safer but strangely not, given that's who PKK were targeting. We quickly grabbed a spot of dinner and headed back to the hotel. I could feel a sniffle coming on and the hotel had no air con. By the morning, I felt 100°C and hoped if anything was going to take me
out, it would be something more exciting than a cold. It was going to be a long drive to Mardin so I could hopefully sleep most of the day and make my recovery.
Van - Mardin 29th - 30th July 2015
We had an early start as there was a lot of distance to cover, with one place to visit on the way to Mardin. Although we did discuss whether a day trip to Iran might be safer as we passed the sign. 😉 The journey was going to take about 6 hours in total which I mostly slept. This was a little dissapointing as I missed the scenery and our first stop was located in Batman Province so I was looking forward to spotting a variety of Superheroes and maybe taking a trip to the Bat Cave. 😉 Oh well maybe next time if I pass through. Anyway what I did manage to see was an ancient town called Hasankeyf which houses dozens of archeological significant sites including a family that still live in a cave dating back to Ottomen times. This place was of special interest, as time is running out to visit this area. The
Turkish Government has a Damm Project in place and this is one of the areas that will be flooded in 18 months time. 70,000 locals will loose their homes and businesses when this part of the Tigris is dammed. There has been a lot of contention surrounding this decision, but for me, I was just grateful to have had the opportunity to walk and view such an interesting place before it is lost forever. As a side item, I also helped find my very first Geocash hidden in this area making us the 4th in the World to have found it. Given the area is due to be flooded, this will remain a rare 'Cash' to find. Whilst there, we were also fortunate to have a lunch stop. However this one was a little different with a floating area set up on the Tigris. There we sampled local fish and enjoyed the cooling action of the water on our feet. It was heaven and my heart went out to those who were going to lose what had been their home for so long. Back on the bus and still not feeling 100% I slept until we arrived at Mardin Old
Town. This was a listed area of concern on the British Foreign Office Website because of the latest attacks by ISIS, this time. It was hard work, remembering which area had which terrorists! Anyway it was a beautiful well established multicultural area with lovely people, great little Bizarre and fantastic food. We ended up being given a tour by a local young man who took us to see the inside of an Assurian Church and Syrian home. He explained about the different door knockers and the many different religions practised in the area. This had not been a planned tour but was offered to us when we arrived. You could tell he was proud of his homeland and was so pleased to share it with us. The recent media hype of how unsafe this area is, is ruining their tourist industry even when the latest attacks hadn't happened in Mardin centre but on the outskirts, many km away. I felt safer in Mardin than I had in Van. The locals were so friendly and even our guide was learning and seeing things to do with this area than she hadn't on previous visits. We decided to have dinner in the
Old Town as it was still relatively early and light. We went to this fantastic place with extraordinary views of Mesopotamia highlighting it's sheer beauty. I was feeling better but still full from lunch so I ordered a dessert. I couldn't believe it, a local dish that wasn't rice pudding and was Gluten Free. 😊 It was fantastic! Between the wonderful food and a view you just couldn't get enough of, I felt blessed seeing a part of the World that most wouldn't dream of visiting because of the fear that surrounds it. After dinner we made our way to the hotel. It was 4 star luxury with a pool so I just had to get in. It was dark by now and it was all lit up. It felt so refreshing and a million miles away from anywhere unsafe. I was quite taken aback of how developed the Eastern Turkey areas had been and how relaxed everyone was, just going about their daily lives.
Mardin - Kahta 30th - 31st July 2015
It was a nice relaxed start with a visit to the impressive Deyrulzafaran Monastery founded in 493 AD which is now home to the Head
of the Syrian Orthodox Church. Back on the bus it was another long drive before our lunch stop over looking the Euphrate river. Again we had an opportunity to sample trout from there. It was delicious served with lightly fried onions, grilled tomatoes and grape vinegar. The beautiful blue water sparkled in the sunlight and you could just absorb the beauty of this spot. Before we got too comfortable it was back on the road for a quick check in at our hotel before hitting the area surrounding Mount Nemrut. On our way we stopped to walk over Severan Bridge which is the best example of ancient Roman architecture where there were families enjoying the cooling water that flowed beneath. The surrounding mountains in this valley cradled the river and it was simply breathtaking. As we made our way towards Mount Nemrut we took a short stroll into the mountain area were the ancient city of Arsemia had once resided to view the buriel place of Mithrodates the father of the King Antiochos and the entrance to the ruins of the palace. The Statue and Greek carving was most impressive. It was mid afternoon now and it was baking in
this dry mountanous scape. Little did we know but the best was yet to come as we made our way in the bus close to the summit of Mount Nemrut. Given the heat we were offered the option of taking a Donkey to the summit. The rambler in me was screaming "No"!!! However the fond memories I recalled from riding one in Egypt over ruled this and so on the Donkey I got. There is a big difference riding a Donkey on the flat verses one migrating up the side of the mountain. I held on for what felt like dear life as I tried not to slide down the seat or slip to the side as my Donkey teetered close to the edge in an almost vertical position. How come my companions looked graceful and at one with their animals and I looked like I was riding a motorbike hunched over. I made the decision there and then that my Donkey riding days were over! Situated at the summit was awe inspiring remains of one man's celebration of himself, King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene. This included 2000 year old fallen statue heads. It is incredible to imagine how
this was ever created so long ago in this location. It was a cloudy evening and we witnessed the last of the sun's rays dissappear over this magical place before heading back to base.
Kahta - Sanliurfa 31st-1st August 2015
It was our last full day to travel together and I couldn't quite believe we had made it this far. We would make our way to Sanliurfa with just a few detours on the way. It was a 7am kick off for breakfast with an 8am departure time, as we had another 4 hours on the bus to reach our final destination. On the way we stopped to view Ataturks Dam located on the Euphrates River whilst enjoying a cuppa and we also visited Gobleklitepe, a significant archeological area of the oldest temple in the World. It was lunchtime as we arrived to our hotel, so we grabbed a bite to eat before endulging in a few hours of wandering the stalls of Sanliurfa bustling covered Bazaars before heading to the Golbasi Park area. This park was a wonderful place where families relaxed between the greenery and tea houses and worshipped in the Mosque complex and the cave
that is thought to be the birthplace of biblical Abraham. The area also houses a fish pond, where it is believed the fish are sacred as they helped to save Abraham from death later in his life. This area was gorgeous and a haven for relaxation which was great just before we embarked on a rather special evening. Our bus driver Ramazan who lived in this area had invited us all to share dinner with his family. It truely was an honour to be invited into their home and share a meal with 3 generations of his family all residing together. It allows you to witness the love and strength a family has who lives constantly under a veil of fear. Yet I felt as safe as I have at home chatting and relaxing over dinner with them. Unfortunately the evening had to end for us to pack ready for our return flight to Istanbul in the morning. It was a tearful goodbye in the airport as this week bonded 5 women from across the globe on a single mission; to complete the G Adventures Eastern Turkey Trip Itinerary, regardless. 😊 .
Next for me, it was preparing to
travel on my own again and into Bulgaria for the next Chapter.
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Nadiene
Nadiene Moreton
Turkey
It seems you've had a tumultuous trip through Turkey, but made some fab friends!! Some ups and downs but memories have been made ? onto the next destination now for more adventures xx