Blogs from Middle East - page 1164

Geo: 24.4764, 54.3705... read more

We went to an underground city…not too good if you suffer from claustrophobia. The tunnels and caves went forever..how these were built are still a mystery. They go on for many kms. We were to next experience the Goreme Valley where churches were built into the rocks and frescos adorned the walls. These were put there in the 6th Century. This was a fantastic day and photos can only really do it justice. The girls walked a million miles and we are sure that in time they will grasp the magnitude of what they have seen. Helen... read more

This is a favourite place of ours, absolutely stunning sights, friendly people (even over friendly!), the first hotel we stayed in since Rome and the longest stop on our tour (3 days). We were staying very close to city centre and all the attractions which was fantastic to be able to walk everywhere we wanted. Arriving in Istanbul after a long drive from Gallipoli (couldn't get much sleep on the bus) we were running on empty. On our way we found out we needed a visa for Romania (apparently we hadn't read our paperwork properly and everyone else had got their visas before the tour started) - we weren't the only ones who didn't have it, Sam and Jude were in the same boat too(so to speak). We had to get passport photos taken (looking really ... read more

Geo: 41.0078, 28.813I am slowly catching up on lost sleep after going to Gallipoli. Had a great sleep in this morning. In the afternoon I treated myself to a big lunch of grilled salmon and an iced coffee- was one of the greatest meals I have had for a while. A few metres away was the Basilica Cistern. There are 28 columns and it was built in 532. There is water at the bottom and quite a few fish. The pathway was very slippery- especially for me because I was wearing thongs. Now and then water dripped on my head from the ceiling. It was literally a cool place to spend some time.Walked over to the Blue Mosque to see the courtyard- as our useless guide didn't take us there. Saw the Obelisk of Theodosius- which ... read more

We had an early bus to catch to the airport for the start of our next adventure…our trip across Turkey. We flew to Ankara and were picked up by our guide AJ. There were only 2 others on our tour..a very kind American couple. The 7 of us set off to see the museum of Anatolian Civilizations which had some very, very ancient artifacts. We were amazed at how the wheel keeps being invented and these people lived quite sophisticated existences. Ataturk ("the father of the Turks") was the man who changed Turkey in the 1920’s and there is a mausoleum built for him. It has to be seen to be believed. The Grandest of Grand!!! We drove to Cappadocia from here never imagining what amazing landforms and buildings that was to lay ahead of us. ... read more