Turkiye has been on my ‘visit-next’ list for far too long! So, with South-east Asia and the South Pacific still in the grip of Rona fear … making travel there difficult, I decide to head West, looping back from The Philippines. No diving on this stop, just a short visit before heading back to the sea.
Traveling through Dubai again,,enjoying their fantastic airport lounges,,I arrive to a new adventure.
No Rona panic here; no masks on the plane, no PCR test, no Antigen test, no tracking app,,, just an easy online e-visa to fill out (vaccine proof photo - but no booster requirement), I’m quickly stamped in thru immigration… ahhh!! A civilized welcome,,so unlike the Philippines that I just left.
I settle in at an Istanbul old Town hotel – DoubleTree, and its perfectly located. Great breakfast, easy walking distance to the many museums, the University, Mosques, bazaars, restaurants. Definitely the place to stay here.
Spending my first days in Turkiye (the new official spelling) - walking everywhere, I’m immediately impressed. Stopping for Turkish coffee, sampling Chestnuts and pretzels from street vendors. The vibe is welcoming and friendly. If there weren’t Mosque’s everywhere I explore, I would never know this a Muslim country. Very few Burka’s, people dressed as you find in any European city. People of every ethnicity mixed on the streets. No homeless camping out (well, guess that part is a little different).
Visiting Hagia Sophia was the highlight of old Town. Originally built as a Christian church in 537, and converted to a Mosque in 1453 with the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire…such an interesting and rich history..
Enjoying the Blue Mosque and the plaza’s, the Obelisks, Aqueducts, Istanbul University and old Roman ruins everywhere… it’s a tourist mecca! Unfortunately, the Blue Mosque is under renovation at this moment,,and so mostly it’s the dramatic exterior that capture me.
I take the ‘required’ Bosporus night cruise. With a view of Asia on one bank and Europe on the other - definitely cool, and gives a different perspective on Istanbul. I can imagine the strategic importance of this waterway thru history – an amazing lesson. The food wasn’t very good on the night cruise, and the entertainment was impossible to enjoy with the seating arrangement… next time, a small private boat would be much better!! … but it was only $50 for the 4 hour cruise. Entertainment and food and hotels are inexpensive by US standards,, but the insane 73% inflation rate of the Turkyie Lyra this past year is a huge economic issue for this country … much of the planet is experiencing this same mess,,Global lockdowns will be damaging the poor of the planet for long to come – Turkiye’s economy is just part of that chaos.
So much to experience here. The Huge Grand Bazaar to explore, and always a stop for Shisha. Every restaurant meal a treat. Cars and Trucks are not allowed in much of Old Istanbul, so walking that part of the city is easy and fun. Just Trams and a few scooters. And men pushing overloaded hand trucks, moving product everywhere. And of course, the sound of the Muslim call to pray echo thru the day. The city’s experience here is comfortable, yet unique. Absolutely safe and welcoming. Shopping everywhere, for anything you can dream of.
I walk miles n miles thru the streets. Always entertained by daily life here. Hawkers that call out are extremely polite, unlike those I’ve met in other cities of the world. It leaves me with a positive impression of Turkish people. And touring the big sites of Istanbul definitely requires an early start,,,as tourism is back in full swing here. Cruise ships in port, tour groups abound, and local school trips fill the queues. Breaking the spell of Lockdowns. Trying for normal.
But it’s time to get outside the big city!
I join a tour group to explore outside Istanbul (not my normal preferred plan) … it simplifies my last second travel arrangements. Leaving my dive gear at the Istanbul hotel, I travel by bus and plane to several famous Turkiye sights.
Gallipoli is a must see, and a big part of my motivation to visit here – it’s up next!! I tour these WWI battlefields on a bus of Aussies and Kiwi’s and Brit’s. … It’s such an important part of their history – the US hadn’t joined WWI at that time. After my visit to Wellington, NZ’s Gallipoli exhibit..this Turkiye tour brings me full circle. Lone Pine, ANZAC cove, ‘The Main Objective’… Seeing the landscape, and learning the details of the 9-month trench warfare tragedy that occurred here,,,,it is ridiculous that the leaders of 1915 ordered the deaths of so many - out of pure obstinance! Leaders never change it seems.
I cross the Dardanelles by ferry and spend a day in the small riverside town of Canakkle and enjoy a different, relaxed smalltown Turkyie. Local food and people outside the big city of Istanbul.
Just nearby is the ruins of the ancient city of Troy. We have all read Homer’s Iliad,,so seeing the ‘mythical’ horse was a required stop. I find my patch here!! It’s so strange to look out into the Aegean at the nearby islands – that’s Greece, just a few short kilometers away.
Having only arranged this tour at the last second, I end up on a difficult bus transfer to Izmir,,,,further south on the Aegean Sea. A public bus, stopping in a dozen small towns along the 6 hour event! Only interesting part is getting a good view of dozens of small Turkish towns, and the expansive agriculture everywhere here in Eastern Asia Minor. Lush, productive fields. No wonder these lands built so many successful civilizations over the last 4000 years.
I arrive in Kusadasi and spend 3 nights. A fantastic Seaside town. I’ll visit again! Great location to explore the area, with a waterfront promenade packed with restaurants, and a music festival, street entertainment,,wow!! Views of the Aegean at sunset, smiling happy people, families. Turkiye is at its best here! ..
But for sure, I’ll book a hotel along the main Prominade next visit here, mine required a long (but beautiful) walk to the city waterfront.. so I only enjoyed one night out in the streets here.
Taking another long bus ride, as part of another tour group, I head inland to Hierapolis and the famous Pamukkale Calcite Terraces (the Cotton Palace). Hot baths and rich Calcium water cascading down this mountain create a crazy landscape of shallow swimming pools. Alexander the Great and later Cleopatra visited here – I love that history stuff!! This ancient site holds a huge Amphitheater, Greek and Roman ruins and a great museum,,all overlooking a valley of farmland with beautiful views.
Up next on this busy tour is Ephesus. The crown jewel of Turkiye’s archeological sites. Only 10% of this site has been excavated, yet it is massive. 250k people lived here during Romain times…at its peak around 200AD. Marble streets, The Library of Celsius, a Great Amphitheater, and so much more. Nearby I visit the Virgin Mary’s home and drink Holy Water there. Also nearby, a short stop at the Temple of Artemis – one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world… but today it isn’t much to see,,as most all of its stone and columns where reused to build a mosque and church.
With my quick 5 day tour visiting eastern Turkiye … it’s transfer back to Izmir and a short flight back to the big city…Istanbul.. and few days of rest and sights before onward travel.
One of my favorite things to do when traveling is hanging out at the Universities. The University of Istanbul hits the perfect vibe. Small city streets filled with coffee shops and restaurants surround the campus, creating a neighborhood feel. No tourists here, just locals. I fit right in, looking like a geeky professor.
I loop thru a few more sites I missed on my fist stay here in Istanbul. A visit to the Topkapi Sarayi - shouldn’t be missed. It was the ‘castle home’ of Ottoman Sultans that ruled for 600 years. It’s a vast complex of beautiful buildings with views of the Bosporus,, many buildings with domes of mosaic tile and columned porticoes’ everywhere. Its location on the tip of the Golden Horn is awesome. Also I visit the Serefiye Sarnici Cistern, and its entertaining light show…….still, I miss visits to dozens and dozens more tourist sites….enough to fill another week or two!
Turkiye is a first rate destination. Nothing like Egypt or Jordan (but don’t skip those adventures either!) ….. Instead Turkiye is very Western, very European - or at least Western Turkiye can be described in that way … One day I hope to return and explore Eastern Turkiye, the Black Sea and the more remote parts of this country.. Like most destinations, it’s hard to experience everything in one visit – It gives me reason to return.
No diving this adventure, just sight seeing. My 35m land camera finally died,,so all my pictures here are from my iPhone.. A few turned out, and those are uploaded to my website - like normal. Www.mytravelpatch.com Thanks for reading, and joining my journey under an Orange Sky.
Time to jump onward. Goodbye Turkiye, see you again one day.
Enjoyed the read, Keep it going.