Sunday, October 30, 2011
Balloons, rocks and underground cities
Got up 4am for balloon ride. Spectacular but cold. Underground city of Kaymakli for 5,000. More rocks. Mom bought a carpet. Fun day, very long, very cold. Tired now, must sleep. More later.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Palaces, rock castles and fairy chimneys
Yesterday was our last day in Istanbul, and we tried to take it easy by only going to two places - the Topkapi Palace and the Archeological Museum. Of course we still ended up spending all day roaming around both and we were extremely exhausted by the end of the day. Topkapi Palace was immense and there were hoards of tourists and school children roaming around. We started at the harem, which was well worth the extra ticket price. The tiles inside were amazing and weren't found as abundantly in the rest of the palace due to "upgrades" made over the years (rococo was especially visible). The palace was officially turned into a museum in 1924 and while impressive, it certainly needs the touch of a museum studies person! The treasure room held beautiful things, but it was too hard to see them because the crowds just went amuck. The weapons display, however, was stunning. Next stop, more museum stuff! The Archeological Museum had an amazing collection which was brilliantly put together on the first floor - the quality and condition of all of the pieces were amazing. However, the second floor was obviously the remnants of the old, poorly lit display cases as they only had enough funding to finish the first floor. At this point we were to tired to appreciate anything else, so we were headed back to our hotel when mom got the brilliant idea to stop into a leather shop and pick out a new jacket. Her reasoning was that if it was this chilly in Istanbul, it would only be colder in Cappadocia, our next stop. Somehow we both got black leather jackets, and I must say they look good! We stopped for a quick bite (I tried Turkish pizza, not as good as italian style) and headed back to the hotel to paCk for our early flight out.
Cappadocia (kap-ah-doe-key-ah) is located in central Turkey and is renowned for its unique geological features. It is definitely chilly, so the new jackets came in handy. We are part of a tour group with two sisters traveling from India, and a very funny tour guide named Ramzi. We were shuttled around several places in the valley, starting with the open air museum in Goreme. It was founded as a monestary and was carved into the rock. The caves served as living quarters, food storage areas, dining halls and kitchens. There are over 1,000 churches located in the complex, which dates back to the 8th century. Next we went to view the fairy chimneys, or rock columns, that pepper the lunar looking landscape. They're all over the valley and have been incorporated into the modern cities. Many of the caves were inhabited up until the 1950s, and now people are trying to restore them as there is a booming tourist industry in the area. We encountered many other large tours, but were surprised that many of them were Turkish-the students were especially keen to practice their English! We also saw a rock castle-each town carved dwellings out of the rock to be used in times of danger. Turkey has a long history of conflicts and as a central point along the silk road, the people were plagued with bandits. So, they would live in their regular homes, and retreat to the caves when necessary. Our next stop was the hotel, which is out in the middle of nowhere, but is absolutely fantastic! It's a cave hotel, and our room, the Sultan Suite, is über delux! We have our own sitting area with two divans, a huge bathroom with jet tub (yea!) and a separate bedroom with two beds. I am so excited to test them out I'm going to end here, plus we have an early day tomorrow with a sunrise (ick) balloon tour (hooray).
Cappadocia (kap-ah-doe-key-ah) is located in central Turkey and is renowned for its unique geological features. It is definitely chilly, so the new jackets came in handy. We are part of a tour group with two sisters traveling from India, and a very funny tour guide named Ramzi. We were shuttled around several places in the valley, starting with the open air museum in Goreme. It was founded as a monestary and was carved into the rock. The caves served as living quarters, food storage areas, dining halls and kitchens. There are over 1,000 churches located in the complex, which dates back to the 8th century. Next we went to view the fairy chimneys, or rock columns, that pepper the lunar looking landscape. They're all over the valley and have been incorporated into the modern cities. Many of the caves were inhabited up until the 1950s, and now people are trying to restore them as there is a booming tourist industry in the area. We encountered many other large tours, but were surprised that many of them were Turkish-the students were especially keen to practice their English! We also saw a rock castle-each town carved dwellings out of the rock to be used in times of danger. Turkey has a long history of conflicts and as a central point along the silk road, the people were plagued with bandits. So, they would live in their regular homes, and retreat to the caves when necessary. Our next stop was the hotel, which is out in the middle of nowhere, but is absolutely fantastic! It's a cave hotel, and our room, the Sultan Suite, is über delux! We have our own sitting area with two divans, a huge bathroom with jet tub (yea!) and a separate bedroom with two beds. I am so excited to test them out I'm going to end here, plus we have an early day tomorrow with a sunrise (ick) balloon tour (hooray).
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Mosques, museums and a little bit of shopping
I confess, I fell asleep last night instead of writing my blog, so today you get two for the price of one! Yesterday we began at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art - a small but interesting museum that contains beautiful examples of ancient illuminated manuscripts and of course, carpets and kilims. Next we hopped on the bus and took a ride around 'the golden horn' side of Istanbul, which was interesting because we got to see a different side of the city, but it was difficult to actally see things from the bus. Next we hopped off the bus and headed to the New Mosque, which was lovely, and then we headed across the Galata Bridge. With a quick stop at the Kamondo stairs, we headed up to the Galata Tower. Wow, talk about some amazing views! It's worth it just to check out the 360 of the city. Next we headed down the Istiklal Caddesi - the main shopping drag. We went into a few shops, mainly to look at books, and had a brief detour at the Pera Palace Hotel for tea. This hotel is most well know for the fact that this is where Agatha Christie used to stay, and this is supposedly where she wrote 'Murder on the Orient Express'. We continued up to Taksim Square and caught the bus back to our hotel district. After a yummy meal we stopped into our first carpet shop, and after two glasses of wine Mom was almost ready to take home a carpet. They were lovely, and maybe we'll even go back. At this point we headed back to the hotel where, and, like a smart person, I went to bed.
This morning I felt well rested and ready for another day of adventure. Since Friday is the holy day for Muslims, we decided to do the mosques and bazaar today (Thursday). We caught a taxi to the Fatih Mosque so we could start at the furthest one and see the rest on the walk back. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations, as was the next one, Molla Zerek Mosque. Along the way to the Sehzade Mehmet Mosque, we also saw the Aqueduct of Valens, dating back to Byzantine times. Next up is one of the most famous mosques in Istanbul, the Suleymaniye Mosque. Designed by Sinan the architect, it was built in the 16th century and continues to be one of the most visited in the city. Next up was the Grand Bazaar. We had a great time wandering and checking out all the stuff for sale (if you ever want to get a quick compliment, visit a bazaar!). Most of the stuff was touristy, and quite a lot of is knock offs of American brands (Abercrombie, Snoopy, Levi, Converse, etc.) or knock off designer handbags. We bought a few things, but nothing to write home about (or on a blog). We were headed back to our hotel when we were invited to tea by the Turkish John Travolta. He invited us to tea at his local spot, which turned out to be in an old medrassi (school) that was converted into a tea and waterpipe cafe. The tea was very good, a combo of lemon, mint and apple, but we skipped the water pipe offer (apparently Mr. Travolta is such a regular he keeps is own pipe there!) since we had to be back in time for our whirling dervish show. It was held in the former home of Dede Effendi, a famous Sufi composer. The performance was very interesting, but not exactly what I expected. Since the whirling is actually a form of prayer, it is a very serious experience, and really shouldn't be considered "entertainment". I enjoyed it over all, but it almost felt voyeuristic, as though I was intruding on a private moment. Next we headed to the Cemberlitas Hamami, a Turkish bath house that has been around since 1584. They scrubbed and rubbed us clean and then we relaxed a bit in the hot water before heading back to the hotel to go through all the photos (still having issues, sorry!) and post to our blogs. Sorry it's so long, I'll try to be more succinct tomorrow!
This morning I felt well rested and ready for another day of adventure. Since Friday is the holy day for Muslims, we decided to do the mosques and bazaar today (Thursday). We caught a taxi to the Fatih Mosque so we could start at the furthest one and see the rest on the walk back. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations, as was the next one, Molla Zerek Mosque. Along the way to the Sehzade Mehmet Mosque, we also saw the Aqueduct of Valens, dating back to Byzantine times. Next up is one of the most famous mosques in Istanbul, the Suleymaniye Mosque. Designed by Sinan the architect, it was built in the 16th century and continues to be one of the most visited in the city. Next up was the Grand Bazaar. We had a great time wandering and checking out all the stuff for sale (if you ever want to get a quick compliment, visit a bazaar!). Most of the stuff was touristy, and quite a lot of is knock offs of American brands (Abercrombie, Snoopy, Levi, Converse, etc.) or knock off designer handbags. We bought a few things, but nothing to write home about (or on a blog). We were headed back to our hotel when we were invited to tea by the Turkish John Travolta. He invited us to tea at his local spot, which turned out to be in an old medrassi (school) that was converted into a tea and waterpipe cafe. The tea was very good, a combo of lemon, mint and apple, but we skipped the water pipe offer (apparently Mr. Travolta is such a regular he keeps is own pipe there!) since we had to be back in time for our whirling dervish show. It was held in the former home of Dede Effendi, a famous Sufi composer. The performance was very interesting, but not exactly what I expected. Since the whirling is actually a form of prayer, it is a very serious experience, and really shouldn't be considered "entertainment". I enjoyed it over all, but it almost felt voyeuristic, as though I was intruding on a private moment. Next we headed to the Cemberlitas Hamami, a Turkish bath house that has been around since 1584. They scrubbed and rubbed us clean and then we relaxed a bit in the hot water before heading back to the hotel to go through all the photos (still having issues, sorry!) and post to our blogs. Sorry it's so long, I'll try to be more succinct tomorrow!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sultanahmet district
Today came too early, but at least I wasn't woken up by the "Mecca music" (the prayer call as dubbed by my Aunt Melinda. If you've never been to a muslim country, muezzin call the city to prayer 5 times a day, starting at sunrise - ick). After a quick breakfast on the hotel terrace (it was quite a spread!) Mom & I took off for the Blue Mosque. After a minor detour when we got turned around (the streets are twisty-turny and it's hard to get your bearings when you are used to SF), we arrived at the Hippodrome. This is where the chariot arena was located back in the day, and is currently the home of a column, a fountain and the obligatory obelisk. It's amazing how those things show up wherever I go! The Blue Mosque is also along the same plaza, and the outside is absolutely beautiful! We had to take off our shoes and wait in a long line before entering, but it was definitely worth it.
Next it was on to the mosaic museum, a small building behind a small bazaar that was so chock full of amazing things we had to force ourselves to keep walking. Over 250 sq m of mosaics were found while the Blue Mosque was being renovated, and they date back to Byzantine times. Next it was on to the Hagia Sophia, with a quick stop along the way for fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and two lovely scarves to keep us warm. While the weather here is not wet (at the moment), it is definitely much cooler than anticipated.
At the Hagia Sophia we hired an official guide who took us to the front of the long line and gave us a personal tour for 45 minutes. It was very interesting, and while not impressive AT ALL on the outside, the inside was amazing! Originally built as a greek orthodox church between 527-64 AD, the mosaics inside are made of pure gold. After 1,000 years as a Christian place of worship, it was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman war in 1453. The transition to mosque included the covering of Christian mosiscs, which actually ended up protecting them as everyone forgot they were there. It wasn't until Ataturk declared it a museum in 1934 that restoration began. We were fortunate in that there weren't any scaffoldings on the inside of the building, which is apparently extremely rare.
At this point it was getting to be time to eat, so we snagged a spot at a little sidewalk cafe. Now for all of you who were wondering how I would survive with such picky eating habits, let me tell you it was delicious! We had pan fried cheddar cheese appetizer, chicken kebabs with rice, potatoes and vegetables, and the best was penne pasta with vegetables and a pomegranate sauce. OMG, it was so amazing I made my mom take a photo (which BTW we are have trouble uploading from the iPad onto the blog, but we're working on it).
Next we walked to the basilica cistern (place to store water brought in by aqueducts, basically plumbing from back in the day). It has a completely unassuming exterior, but after you walk down a large flight of stairs, you are greeted by a huge underground complex with 336 columns and was built at the same time as the Hagia Sophia. It was basically put together with leftovers from other projects, so nothing really matches. There are also two monster Medusa heads, and no one seems to know where they came from.
Next we decided to hop on a night tour bus, and with a little help from a magic device called the iPhone, we hurried back to our hotel to bundle up before hopping on the bus. While it definetly was not the best nite tour ever (traffic was awful so it took forever, they made us stop for 45 minutes at a cafe, and I didn't get many usable photos) but it definetly gave us a scope of how big the city really is. Istanbul is the largest city in Europe with over 20 million people, and spans two continents(Europe and Asia). Since our bus tickets are good for 24 hours we're heading out tomorrow on another route, which will hopefully turn out better than tonite's, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out!
Next it was on to the mosaic museum, a small building behind a small bazaar that was so chock full of amazing things we had to force ourselves to keep walking. Over 250 sq m of mosaics were found while the Blue Mosque was being renovated, and they date back to Byzantine times. Next it was on to the Hagia Sophia, with a quick stop along the way for fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and two lovely scarves to keep us warm. While the weather here is not wet (at the moment), it is definitely much cooler than anticipated.
At the Hagia Sophia we hired an official guide who took us to the front of the long line and gave us a personal tour for 45 minutes. It was very interesting, and while not impressive AT ALL on the outside, the inside was amazing! Originally built as a greek orthodox church between 527-64 AD, the mosaics inside are made of pure gold. After 1,000 years as a Christian place of worship, it was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman war in 1453. The transition to mosque included the covering of Christian mosiscs, which actually ended up protecting them as everyone forgot they were there. It wasn't until Ataturk declared it a museum in 1934 that restoration began. We were fortunate in that there weren't any scaffoldings on the inside of the building, which is apparently extremely rare.
At this point it was getting to be time to eat, so we snagged a spot at a little sidewalk cafe. Now for all of you who were wondering how I would survive with such picky eating habits, let me tell you it was delicious! We had pan fried cheddar cheese appetizer, chicken kebabs with rice, potatoes and vegetables, and the best was penne pasta with vegetables and a pomegranate sauce. OMG, it was so amazing I made my mom take a photo (which BTW we are have trouble uploading from the iPad onto the blog, but we're working on it).
Next we walked to the basilica cistern (place to store water brought in by aqueducts, basically plumbing from back in the day). It has a completely unassuming exterior, but after you walk down a large flight of stairs, you are greeted by a huge underground complex with 336 columns and was built at the same time as the Hagia Sophia. It was basically put together with leftovers from other projects, so nothing really matches. There are also two monster Medusa heads, and no one seems to know where they came from.
Next we decided to hop on a night tour bus, and with a little help from a magic device called the iPhone, we hurried back to our hotel to bundle up before hopping on the bus. While it definetly was not the best nite tour ever (traffic was awful so it took forever, they made us stop for 45 minutes at a cafe, and I didn't get many usable photos) but it definetly gave us a scope of how big the city really is. Istanbul is the largest city in Europe with over 20 million people, and spans two continents(Europe and Asia). Since our bus tickets are good for 24 hours we're heading out tomorrow on another route, which will hopefully turn out better than tonite's, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Istanbul Arrival
After spending Sunday frantically getting everything together that I needed to pack for 3 weeks, I was struck by an urge to do something a little outrageous. So, I bought a new camera - a Canon Rebel T2i. I'm pretty excited to take some amazing photos while I'm here, so much so that I even read the manual on the plane! I'll try to post a photo after I finish this, but it's pretty late here, so it might go up tomorrow.
The travel portion of the trip wasn't bad at all we left SFO at 9 pm and arrived in Munich at 6 pm Monday (local time). After a quick 2 hour layover, we arrived in Istanbul at 11 pm local time. I must say it was the easiest customs check I've ever been thru - there wasn't even any paperwork to fill out! We just had to pay $20 for a visa and have our passports stamped. After picking up our bags, a driver from our hotel was waiting for us with my name on a little white board. This was pretty exciting for me as I've never had anyone "collect" me from the airport like that before. After a 20-25 minute ride, we arrived at the Tulip Hotel. Along the way, we passed the Bosphorus River, a few mosques and arrived in the old part of the city where our hotel is located. The hotel is pretty basic, but it's close to everything , reasonably priced and the staff has been very friendly - plus free wi-fi!
Well tomorrow is going to be a busy day, so stay tuned!
The travel portion of the trip wasn't bad at all we left SFO at 9 pm and arrived in Munich at 6 pm Monday (local time). After a quick 2 hour layover, we arrived in Istanbul at 11 pm local time. I must say it was the easiest customs check I've ever been thru - there wasn't even any paperwork to fill out! We just had to pay $20 for a visa and have our passports stamped. After picking up our bags, a driver from our hotel was waiting for us with my name on a little white board. This was pretty exciting for me as I've never had anyone "collect" me from the airport like that before. After a 20-25 minute ride, we arrived at the Tulip Hotel. Along the way, we passed the Bosphorus River, a few mosques and arrived in the old part of the city where our hotel is located. The hotel is pretty basic, but it's close to everything , reasonably priced and the staff has been very friendly - plus free wi-fi!
Well tomorrow is going to be a busy day, so stay tuned!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Off to Turkey!
This weekend I’m heading off to scratch my annual get-out-of-the-country itch in exotic Turkey! It’s been on my list for quite a while now, and I was already planning a trip when one of my best friends decided to get married there in November. Francesca (the BF) and Erkut (the new hubby) are getting hitched again (state-side wedding was in August) in his hometown of Izmir and I couldn’t be more excited. All the wedding hoopla will be during the last week of my three week trip. I’m starting out in Istanbul, then to Cappadocia, flying to Antalya where I’ll rent a car and drive up the coast to Izmir. Now I won’t be doing all this alone - my mom is coming along for the ride. ‘Your mom?’ you might ask, but for those of you who know her, she’s a lot more adventurous than most moms. I already know we travel well together as we spent 2.5 months driving around the US together (we didn’t speak for almost a week after we got back, but this trip is much shorter by comparison so I think we’ll be fine). Plus, she can chip in for a dinner or two! We fly out on Sunday from SFO and after a quick layover in Munich, we arrive late Monday nite in Istanbul. The hotel has Wi-Fi so I’ll try to keep you all updated on the amazing sights and even better shopping!
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