Istanbul
On Day 1 in Istanbul we…
- Woke up to a beautiful Turkish breakfast spread with a breathtaking view of the Blue Mosque, which was 400 metres walk from our hotel.
- Spent 45 minutes waiting in line for tickets to Hagia Sofia. Upon entering, we were greeted with incredible vaulted ceilings and fascinating architecture of both Byzantine and Ottoman influence.
- Tried the Istanbul delicacy of ‘bread rings’. It is – you guessed it! – bread in the shape of a ring. Tosh opted for a cream cheese filling. Sarah, naturally, went for Nutella.
- Wandered the cobbled streets to the Archeological Museum. Tosh had to read and look at everything. Sarah, she believes, took the more logical and realistic approach of ‘having a browse’.
Sarah sat and waited on a bench by the Greek statues. She wasn’t sure she’d survive the boredom as, at that point, she thought it likely that Tosh would make his exit around midnight. After Zeus started giving Sarah some side-eye, she decided to move. She’d heard enough stories of this serial seducer, and had no intention of being his next conquest.
- Entered the stunning Topkapi palace. There were exhibitions on relics associated with all the Old Testaments biggest hitters (we’re talking Moses’ staff, John’s right hand, king David’s sword), artefacts related to Muhammed, jewels and jewel-encrusted objects, as well as rooms … including a rather palatial circumcision room. Our favourite experience in the palace, however, was a lovely hour spent sitting in the gardens in the sunshine.
- Hobbled back to the hotel to nurse our poor, aching feet. We had every intention of heading back out for a kebap… but our bodies decided they wanted a nap for dinner instead.
On day 2 in Istanbul we…
- Had our minds blown at the Basilica Cistern. Never had we imagined such a beautiful structure hidden under the bustling city. The Byzantines, who constructed the cistern in the 6th century, must have had a wonderful philosophy; just because something needs to be functional and fulfill a specific role, does not mean it can’t also be beautiful too!
- Explored the Grand Bazaar. While exploring, we managed to find a secret courtyard with a cat that Tosh simply had to pat. Our meandering ended with an overpriced Turkish coffee and tea, but we felt like we needed to buy at least one thing in this famous bazaar.
- Made our way to Taksim Square. We enjoyed just taking in the city and its many residents going about daily life.
- Caught the ferry across to to the Asian for lunch. The ferry ride across the strait was really the main event here.
- Intended to go out for dinner… but were again foiled by our exhausted bodies. It was lights out at 8:30.
On day 3 in Istanbul we…
- Took the ferry across to the Princes’ Islands. On our way we saw multiple pods of dolphins enjoying breakfast. We decided to get off at the port at Adalar on Buyukada, the largest of the islands. Our initial impressions of this quaint little town? Utterly stunning!
- Hiked up a very steep hill to reach St George’s Church and decided to reward ourselves with a cold drink from the cafe at the top. The views from this hill were outstanding. The church was pretty interesting too, although we were unable to take pictures inside.
- Trekked back down the opposite side of the hill to get to the otherside of the island, all the while taking in the spectacular views of the sea and landscape.
- Tried not to soil ourselves (Sarah) and wet ourselves laughing (Tosh) when Sarah had a massive freak-out over what she thought was a snake slithering just 2 metres away from her. Turns out it was only a legless lizard, which, in Sarah’s defense, is just a snake without the elixir of death in its teeth.
- Followed the coastal road back into town (Adalar) and were met with more fascinating architecture; large, white wooden houses almost ‘colonial-plantation’ in style.
- Gorged ourselves on gelato and pide before boarding the ferry back to Istanbul.
- Actually made it out for dinner!
Day travelling from Istanbul to Cappadocia
A taxi ride to the airport got us to our late morning flight in plenty of time. Upon arrival at Nevşehir Airport, we hopped on a minibus to our hotel (much cheaper than a private transfer/taxi) and arrived there mid afternoon. After settling in, we ventured out to explore Uçhisar, the Cappadocian town in which our hotel was located. A rather steep, slightly dangerous, and possibly illegal scrambling up a rocky hill saw us to the base of Uçhisar Castle, a complex of hollowed-out rock…which is the signature architecture of this area. A late lunch of pide finished the afternoon.
CAPPADOCIA
On day 1 in Cappadocia we…
- Were assaulted by the alarm at 3:45am, signalling for us to get our butts out of bed for a morning Hot Air Balloon ride. Despite our early-morning grumbling, and our hesitation around such an expensive endeavour, we felt like the flight was well worth the ridiculous hour and money.
- It was an exceptional experience. The sensation of floating while surrounded by technicolour balloons was more akin to a dream than real life.
- Had a pre-breakfast nap following our balloon adventure. Tosh, who is very much not a morning person, insisted on more sleep to gain strength for the day ahead. Sarah’s ‘nap’ consisted of scrolling on her phone, getting hungry, and impatiently waiting for Tosh to wake up so they could go to breakfast.
- Caught the bus from Uchisar to Goreme (the main tourist town of Cappadocia) to check out the Goreme Open Air Museum. The Open Air Museum is a collection of ancient Churches that were carved out of (the distinctively not tough) Tuff rock. The whole area was an ancient commune for the early Christian communities. We explored with our ‘Oohs’ and ‘Ahhs’ ricocheting off the walls. What was really interesting was that the original excavators/builders of these churches wanted a certain grandiose aesthetic as if these churches were made from impressive blocks and bricks…so they opted to paint some of the columns and walls with lines to look like bricks. Even the columns were painted with ornate decoration to try and make them look like iconic columns.
- Hiked through Love Valley, which was spectacular. With engorged steeples erupting from the earth, it was a mystery to us as to why it’s called ‘Love Valley’…
- Purchased freshly squeezed orange & grapefruit juice and semi-dried apricots at an advantageously positioned vendor at the end of the hike. After nearly 15 kilometres of walking during the day, we felt like we earned it!
- Enjoyed some delicious traditional Turkish food at a local restaurant, the highlight being Kunefe for dessert. How to describe this dish? Sweet, cheesy pastry dripping in sugar syrup and garnished with crushed pistachios. Perfection.
On day 2 in Cappadocia we…
- Had a car hire company drop a car off at our hotel in the morning.
This occurred after making a big ol’ boo boo. You see there seemed to be only one ‘real’ car hire company. So if you think you’re being clever and getting different quotes…you’re not. It’s one guy with a couple of numbers and you’re left looking quite the fool when you decline one ‘hire company’ for another.
- Marvelled at the landscape as we drive towards our first destination, Ihlara Valley. This part of the world is spectacular. The land is strikingly flat while on the horizon immense snow-covered mountains fill your view.
- Were confronted with the age old question ‘Why did the tortoise cross the road?’ Making a break from high-security tortoise prison for Lepuscide clearly the most likely reason.
- Walked through the beautiful Ihlara Valley; a bubbling river coursing through the centre of a gorge with more ancient churches carved into the cliff faces. Yes, you read correctly, these people loved a good chiselling.
- Snuck into Derinkuyu Underground City just before closing time.
This was insane, 11 levels…11 levels of interconnected rooms, halls, chambers and giant rolling doors to close off areas. Rooms for sleeping, eating, stables and wine-making. Because if you’re going to be 11 levels deep underground hiding from marauding Mongols and others you best get to sipping on some fine vintage.
There was one key moment when at one of the deepest parts of the city a large open hall was full of various groups of tourists and ages. It was a visceral experience placing you back at the time when this city would have been full of people talking, laughing and living together.
On day 3 in Cappadocia we…
- Groaned as the alarm ring, but nevertheless staggered out of bed to ensure we exploited every last moment with our hire car before pick-up at 10am.
- Drove to another underground city and arrived right on opening. We were apparently the only ones that keen to live out their Indiana Jones fantasies, and thus, had the entire city to ourselves! This city was another spectacular feat of engineering. Not as large as the first underground city, but just as impressive.
- Enjoyed a lazy afternoon (comparative to the go-go-go attitude we had adopted since landing in Turkiye). We walked around town, had a coffee at a local cafe, and returned to our hotel to relax.
- Attended a ‘Turkish Night’ dinner and show. This was another utter highlight. As you descend (picking up a theme here?) into the underground dining hall you are met with tables full of food waiting for you. The rooms are adorned with flags from around the world. Soon the lights dim as the dancers come out with incredible regalia to perform traditional folk dances. Eventually we were all called to join in and Sarah…absolutely nailed it; following along with every wrist move, hip bump and wiggle the dancers were beaming with calls of ‘Brava’ each time we got up to dance. There was also a conga line which drew everyone up from their table and out into an open-air courtyard complete with bonfire. Regrettably, we didn’t get any footage of this. The air was filled with Turkish drums and music. But our night was not complete yet! There was also a traditional marriage dance including the ‘bride’ being brought in on horseback. The final special moment of the evening was the belly dancer descending from the ceiling! As she danced around the room, she encouraged guests (mainly men) to dance along with her. When she got to our table Sarah joined her and before long the dancer was clapping and hooting with pride as Sarah matched her every move.
the rest of Türkiye
Coming when Sarah can be bothered.
