I am convinced that travelling to the other side of the world is never  easy. On this occasion, we had a flat bed on a budget airline which would take us halfway there on an overnight flight. The thought of being able to stretch out and lay flat with the the jet air blowing through my hair was the dream. As it turned out, my dream was of sliding off the slippery leather bed and having to activate my parachute! Ruthie however did get about 6 hours of sleep out of a 9 hour flight. My sleep was restless. 

The next leg of the flight in cattle class eventually got us to Istanbul.

My initial thoughts were that the airport is a fair way from the city and the freeways have peak hour traffic like most major cities. Türkiye is the only country in the world that spans two continents with 65% residing on the European side and the other 35% on the Asian side. It is cheaper to live on the Asian side so the commute from the airport is actually between Continents and add in the locals commuting as well, it results in bedlum. 

Before long though our cab was manoeuvring through the narrow cobble streets of the old town. There didn’t seem enough room for two way traffic but they made it work. It felt like we were in an episode of Ali Baba and the forty thieves. Our magic carpet (cab) was ducking and weaving. Turkish men sitting outside shopfronts drinking their Turkish tea and giving us questioning looks. I looked around in case the forty thieves were on our tails. We had lost them and were now safely at our hotel. This is what jet lag does to you!

What a difference a good nights sleep makes! We have a free day before our tour starts so we walked around getting our bearings. It was hot but not unbearable. In fact the sun was soothing on our aging bones. To date I have seen a zillion cats but not one single dog. This explains why we saw so many cats in pet cages being loaded onto our flight into Türkiye. In fact there are cat food dispensing machines dotted throughout the city and it is said the Seagulls have learnt to meow so they can make it dispense food for them too. 

Today our tour visited the Spice Bazaar. Set in a beautiful old building, beautiful aromas fill the air and tasty Baklava fill the hunger.

Next a cruise along the scenic Bosphorus Strait. The Bosphorus Strait separates Europe and Asia. Many ferries travel up and down and across making it the easiest way to get from one side to the other. Multi million properties line both sides of the Strait including century old palaces. The days tour was finished off with a pleasant lunch by the waterfront.

An evening short flight to Ismir followed the daytime activities. I have never seen a busier airport than this one although Ruthie tells me it’s only rated second busiest in Türkiye. The flight process was quite an experience. After having a beer at McDonalds and proceeding to the boarding gate we hopped on a bus. The bus drove across the runway, for what seemed like ages, and at one point stopped to give way to an incoming flight, then finally dropped us at the stairs to board the plane on the tarmac. As we landed, the passengers began to clap. My immediate thought was that the captain must normally not stick the landing. Apparently it’s a Turkish custom to clap.

Our transfer vehicle then took us to our accommodation in Kusadasi. It was quite the happening party town, right on the waterfront and people were enjoying the warm evening. For us though, no partying as it had been a long day.

Our tour was now travelling further west in Türkiye. A low lying mountain range appeared on the landscape. To date the view had been fairly flat. It seemed strange passing slow moving tractors carrying hay bails on a freeway. The freeways also still had toll gates and I immediately thought of a business opportunity, introducing e-tags.

We finally got to the ancient site of Hieropolis. This is one of the best preserved ancient cities in Türkiye. Founded around 190BC and is famous for its thermal springs. Some great  artifacts have been excavated and been put on display here. 

Ruthie and I enjoyed our dip in Cleopatras thermal pool. I think the calcium rich water temperature was in the 30’s but that still felt cooler that the outside ambient temperature. We were absolutely glowing from that swim. The calcium rich pools cascaded all the way down the mountainside.

It had been a long travel day but our driver safely returned us to our water view hotel in Kusadasi. A couple of beers on our balcony watching the sunset ensured a well deserved sleep.

Another day, another ancient city.  The enchanting ancient site of Ephesus. Before that a stop at the House of the Virgin Mary. Whilst there is no definitive evidence this was her house, it certainly was a house from before 38AD. It is said that John the Baptist took her there after Jesus entrusted him to look after her. It was built on the top of a hill and carries a very serene atmosphere.

The ancient city of Ephesus was founded in 10BC but it was the Romans who built it into the 2nd largest city of their empire with a population reaching 250,000. We also stopped at the Temple of Artemis regarded as one of the wonders of the ancient world. Strange how they decide these things as there is only one pillar standing, although the stork in its nest atop the pillar was spectacular. It was clearly the best example I have seen of how this ancient civilisation lived. Very clever those Romans.

Another 2 internal flights and we were in Cappadocia. We arrived at our hotel at 12:30am. It was hardly worth going to bed as we needed to be ready for our hot air balloon experience at 3:30am!!!

This was certainly an amazing once in a lifetime experience. 100 hot air balloons each with 28 people in their basket, floating up in the air watching the sunrise over this ancient volcanic area known as fairy chimneys.  It was spectacular. I may have told you before that I am not particularly fond of heights. The only moment of concern was when we were 1300 metres in the air and I felt the jet stream from the jet above in my hair! Joking. It was smooth sailing and another tick off the bucket list. Remarkably, the driver landed our basket right onto the trailer.

We returned back to our hotel for an early morning catchup sleep. Our hotel is a cave hotel and is built into the back of a volcanic rock mountain. It was built as a monastery in the 18th century. There are many cave hotels in Cappadocia and they are rather quirky.

Before we knew it we were awoken by our names being called. It was time for the wonders of Cappadocia tour! This included an abandoned monastery built into the volcanic rock mountains, mushroom shaped rock structures and imagination rock shaped formations. These Turkish guides go to university for 4 years to learn all this history and you’re going to be told all their history knowledge whether you like it or not. I’m lucky to retain 5% of what is told. I figure pictures are worth a thousand words.

The day wasn’t over. It was capped off with a traditional Turkish dinner and cultural show. The food was delicious and Ruthie  even got up for some Turkish folk dancing. I of course was selected to get up for some belly dancing. It was a lot of fun but I’m not giving up my day job.

At this stage, we had been awake for 20 out of the last 24 hours. Luckily our ATV tour somehow forgot to pick us up. As they say, “live for the moment”, “ you can sleep when you’re dead” etc etc. I’m not sure my body agrees.

Our last day in Cappadocia and yes, sleep does help. Firstly sightseeing. Some deep valleys including Pigeon Valley where the pigeons homes had been carved into the volcanic outcrops. Then a castle built on the highest point in Cappadocia on one of the tallest fairy chimneys. We then had a fascinating tour of an underground city. It even contained a stable for the animals and my favourite, the wine cellar. The scenery is very different to anything we’ve seen before.

Lunch was pottery kebab which is a traditional food from this area. A mix of meat and vegetables slow cooked in clay pots which tasted amazing. Pottery is huge in this area as the clay is sourced locally. Another flight back to Istanbul and the hotel where our tour began.

As in all tours we’ve done, there is always an  upsell with demonstrations and opportunities to purchase. I have to admit the demonstrations on this tour were very educational and the product of the highest quality. They included Turkish rug weaving, silk leather, pottery and onyx gemstones.

Our day today was an easier half day tour in Istanbul of landmarks we hadn’t seen yet. They included the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Gardens, the vibrant Hippodrome and a Basilica Cistern from the 1st century. This city also has an ancient water fountain system with 800 water fountains dotted around the city. Then a delicious lunch at a Turkish restaurant which included Balon Ekmek which translates to Balloon Bread. When cooked it blows up like a balloon. It was very yummy. Now we’re fuelled up ready for some shopping at the Grand Bazaar. 

The agenda for today is a tour to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Even though we were picked up early, the only 2 seats left on the mini bus were definitely economy class. It was going to be a long day. As Ruthie pointed out, it’s the least we could do to honour and pay tribute to those brave ANZACS that fought and died on the shores of Gallipoli. Most Aussies know the ANZAC story, just the same, it was a moving day visiting the sites and cemeteries. We found the name of Ruthie’s Grand Uncle on the commemoration wall at Lone Pine. He was a Sergeant and died in August 1915. Arthur Henry Haddon was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He along with many other young soldiers that died there don’t have a grave as their bodies were never recovered. 

After visiting the poignant locations of Anzac Cove, Lone Pine Cemetery, Chunuk Bair, the Turkish Memorial and more, the bus took us back on the long trek to Istanbul but the trip was certainly worth the effort.

Today is our last day in Türkiye and thankfully it’s a rest day. We made the most of a sleep in, enjoyed some souvenir shopping and partook of some street food consisting of BBQ’d corn, Simit. (Turkish Bagel), Kebab (kebap) and tried for an ice cream, although the magic man kept taking it back or dropping it! The bags under our eyes were nearly as big as our suitcases. There was a lot of travelling and waiting time, early starts and late finishes. Having said that, the highlights far outweighed any negatives. The people are beautiful, the history amazing, great culture and amazing food.

We give our tour of Türkiye, 4 baklava’s out of 5!