Orchun, our Istanbul guide was a cool dude, a friendly, entertaining and knowledgeable guide and most importantly, all ours! No-one else had booked these exact dates and this exact itinerary, so each of our guides, in three different towns and cities were with us exclusively. Crazily, we also had a driver in each location as well! We travelled around the European side of Istanbul on the first full day and explored the Asian side on the following day. We loved the feel and vibe in Istanbul and the way it flowed and changed depending on what area you were in.
Over a couple of full days we experienced all the Istanbul classics including a wander in the maze of shops and alleys in the Spice Market selling eponymous products and the Grand Bazaar selling this and everything else! We were gently cajoled (despite protestations about our absolute resolve not to buy anything), into attending a carpet weaving demonstration, a pot throwing display and a full-on 80s style catwalk fashion show of leather products by glamorous models. Our credit cards remained steadfastly enclosed in our wallets!
Highlights included the buildings and displays at both the Topkapi and Beylerbeyi Palaces. At the Topkapi, the full decadence of the Ottoman sultans had to be seen to be believed, from giant gemstones to fine dining and eating equipment, weaponry and armour and even down to the kitchen utensils. The Beylerbeyi overwhelmed us with the opulence of the Byzantine leaders and their perfectly preserved and richly decorated living quarters. We visited each on separate days so as to avoid palace fatigue! We toured the cavernous and spectacular Hagia Sophia which is said to have altered the history of architecture, the Hippodrome nearby and the outside of the Blue Mosque (currently under renovation).
We also enjoyed our cruise on the Bosporus on a beautiful day and drank in the majesty of this unique city from a different perspective. We docked just a hop and a jump away from our special lunch venue where spit-roasted lamb was combined with various Turkish delights including the ubiquitous delicious breads and meze plates with some baklava to finish of course!
Our flight to Kayseri, gateway to Cappadocia, was uneventful and our driver whisked us to our out-of-this-world Gamirasu cave hotel, after travelling through some jaw-dropping scenery. The room was huge, the facilities sleek and modern and the suite itself was a cave carved from the mountain! After walking through this surreal landscape, where the whole village is carved from tuff and volcanic forms, we were sufficiently "wowed" to enjoy a delicious welcoming dinner in the hotel restaurant and get an early night in our (under-floor heated!) cave ready for a dawn wakeup and a trip to the balloon fields!
The picture book beauty and alien-like mystery of Cappadocia's famous "fairy chimneys" is in full view in a burgeoning dawn, and in the presence of 300 huffing and puffing giant hot air balloons. We were virtually speechless from shock at this entire experience. Racing to the balloon and being bundled in just before lift-off, (after an argumentative fellow traveller delayed the driver) was an adrenalin-filled beginning, and not what our already trepidatious feelings needed! We were positioned snugly next to the pilots as they jettisoned the gas burners up into the balloon's belly and they skilfully manoeuvred us slowly up, over and around the gorgeous chimneys, seemingly missing them by centimetres. As we ascended we gazed out at hundreds of other balloons in the pre-dawn clear skies, the soundtrack a blend of pilot's navigation calls and the throaty belches from the giant gas burners. As they spat fire from the burners, the balloons lit up like lanterns displaying their colourful liveries. The skies were filled with dancing lights and dazzling colours as the sun slowly rose from behind the distant hills. Check it here! The experience was quite ethereal as we drifted quietly, so so high, until finally making our way down to the landing spot where the pilots were so expert they actually landed the basket on the back of its trailer. After disembarking we helped trample the billowing canopy, had a toast of bubbly then made it back to the hotel to start the "real" part of the day!
We were guided by Ilife, a quirky young independent artist who supplemented her income by guiding in her home town. She was passionate about the features of the countryside and it was infectious. We visited lookouts with sensational views of the middle fortress, plateaus looking out on the fairy chimneys and the open air museum parks dotted around the town such as Goreme open air museum and Devrent Valley. The cones and peaks were everywhere and we even stopped at a roadside stop where chimneys looked like various creatures and humans. Cassy succumbed to Ilife's offer of both jewellery making and pottery workshops (much to my horror) but escaped with just some earrings and coffee cups respectively. In fact, her pottery throwing skills were pretty good!
Driven back to Kayseri airport we winged it to Izmir enroute to our accommodation in the beautiful coastal city of Kusadasi. Our driver, Erton, was a real character, practicing his English in a booming voice and operating his translating app on his phone with both hands while going 100 kmh on the freeway. Somehow we survived to arrive at our hotel and have a delicious dinner overlooking the setting sun on the liquid fire of the bay, all set to meet the irrepressible Jana and a trip to world heritage listed Hierapolis-Pamukkale the following day and the amazing Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis the day after that.
Jana, all lipstick, designer sunnies and big hair made an odd couple with big, gruff Erton, but they were highly entertaining! We got the "world according to Jana" on the long trip to Pammukkale hot salt springs and the ancient Roman ruins of Hierapolis. We wandered the salt plains landscape, a unique vision in a normal wooded rolling hills area and scoured the grounds of the rambling site of Hierapolis. We didn't see the whole estate, it's huge. We did, however get our fill of ruins, columns, hot spring bath remains and aqueducts as well as preserved amphitheatres and museum-housed sculptures and sarcophaguses. We did demur on the chance to dip in the ancient hot pools when we saw the press of fat foreign flesh indelicately jammed in to the available pools: you could almost see the human oil slick bubbling on the surface! Upon return to Kusadasi we had another wonderful seaside dinner gazing at the setting sun before tackling Ephesus the following day.
Enroute to the little used top entrance to Ephesus (a trick of Jana's to both beat the cruise ship crowds and walk downhill to the main entrance) we stopped briefly at the statue of Mary, mother of Jesus. There's a highly dubious story of Mary's house being situated on the other side of the hill, but we declined the invitation to visit! The stroll through Ephesus did indeed beat the crowds and we were able to drink in the historic ruins and wonders unhindered. The library complex, amphitheatre, living areas, shops and even the public toilets are all still in existence as well as the wide avenues and thoroughfares lined with columns. We made a brief stop to check the remaining ruins of the famous Temple of Artemis nearby as well. The whole complex truly is one of the most amazing historic sites we have visited. On the way back, we detoured to the hillside wine village of Sirince, famous for its fruit wines. We tasted a few, then wandered the shops, stalls and cafes in the winding, undulating cobblestone streets ending up in dirt tracks among crumbling stone houses and one special, very friendly cat who followed us for a while! Cassy let Jana encourage her to go to a famous, high quality leatherware factory on the way back, where we once again endured an excruciating runway fashion show before making our escape.
Surviving a final trip with Erton (!) we started the long haul home from Izmir to Istanbul. One more night in Istanbul, a fond farewell to the "cat greeter" at the door, then on to Abu Dhabi before the transfer to our Sydney bound flight. Luckily, the horrors of this journey home have dissipated with time!
It was a dream trip. A childhood dream for me in a lot of respects. Pages of well-worn books came alive, quite magically and dramatically in some instances, so many years after the seed of the fantasy of visiting these ancient worlds was first planted. Cass was delighted to join the adventure as long as the safety factor of guided tours was included and it was a great choice ultimately, despite my initial misgivings. Thankyou, Middle East! Turkey photo album here.