Fast forward a couple years to the Spring of 2004. Coincidentally, my little sister and I both had a whole lot of time off and so we decided to take an extended vacation to Turkey. It was our first sibling trip (i.e., no parental supervision) and was to be the longest time we had been together since we were kids. The trip ended up being a great success, both in terms of exploring a new part of the world and in spending a significant amount of quality time together….
Instanbul, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Turkey
Greetings for Turkey! As they say in Turkey...actually I have no clue how they would say that. This language is way too confusing. We've now been in Turkey for 6 days and it has been quite an adventure so far. We spent the first couple days in Istanbul, checking out the mosques, a palace, and the Grand Bazaar (the biggest flea market this side of Palm Beach with thousands of people selling chatchkes of all kinds). We even sat in on Maa'riv and Mincha services where the men tried to out-Amen each other, screaming it at the top of their lungs. Then Vicki and I travelled 18 hours via boat, train, bus, and cab to Pamukkale (thanks to the recent train wrecks, the Turkish President shut the tracks down at 3am and we all had to get off at some station in who-knows-where and take a bus for a few hours only to get on another train!)
Pamukkale's mountains are covered in white from calcium in the streams, making for awesome sights. At the top of the mountain there stood an ancient city with a well-preserved amphitheater. The next day, we went to Ephesus. This was a city that has existed since 500 BC and much has been excavated. We walked around for a couple hours, checking out the stadium, library, and dozens of other structures.
We just arrived in Fetiye on the Mediterranean coast. Our original plan was to take a 4 day cruise along the coast, but they are all sold out. Plan B is to do a day cruise and then take a day trip to the Blue Lagoon.
So, that's our trip so far. It is going great! The people here are so nice and helpful, which is nice since we've gotten lost too many times to count! One major lesson is that it is that the Turks take everything in stride. Trains and buses never leave on schedule, yet no one complains. When we were sent off the train at 3am and when the power went out in the entire city last night, no one batted an eye.
Pamukkale's mountains are covered in white from calcium in the streams, making for awesome sights. At the top of the mountain there stood an ancient city with a well-preserved amphitheater. The next day, we went to Ephesus. This was a city that has existed since 500 BC and much has been excavated. We walked around for a couple hours, checking out the stadium, library, and dozens of other structures.
We just arrived in Fetiye on the Mediterranean coast. Our original plan was to take a 4 day cruise along the coast, but they are all sold out. Plan B is to do a day cruise and then take a day trip to the Blue Lagoon.
So, that's our trip so far. It is going great! The people here are so nice and helpful, which is nice since we've gotten lost too many times to count! One major lesson is that it is that the Turks take everything in stride. Trains and buses never leave on schedule, yet no one complains. When we were sent off the train at 3am and when the power went out in the entire city last night, no one batted an eye.
Fethiye, Olympus, Cappadoccia, Turkey
We've spent the last several days relaxing along Turkey's Mediterranean coast. The beaches, while rocky rather than sandy, have been beautiful with clear blue water and imposing mountains rising on three sides. Just spectacular scenery! We picked up 3 things while in the city of Fethiye – suntans, sunburns, and the Sultan's Revenge (if you don’t know what that is, don’t ask.).
After settling in and realizing no Blue Cruises were available for several days, we bought tickets to a one day 12 Islands Tour (which only stopped at 5 of them). We spent the next day aboard a beautiful sailboat with about 30 others, mostly Germans with unnecessary thong bathing suits. The weather was perfect and we spent the time going swimming in the Mediterranean and just laying on the bow soaking in the rays.
The next day we went out to the Blue Lagoon, which might be the most beautiful beach I've ever been on (bright blue water, mountains, etc.).
After 3 leisurely days, we left Fethiye to head to Olympus for another natural wonder--the Chimaera. The 5 hour ride along the cliffs hugging the coast was just beautiful! Wherever nature created beaches along the way, Turkish people would find ways to scale down the rocks and enjoy the azure waters. When we arrrived at Turkish Tamarack—our pension held a couple hundred people, had pool, foosball, and ping pong tables outside next to hammocks and set dinner and breakfast times. It was definitely like being in camp again, just without friendship bracelets. That night we went to see the Chimaera, which, after a 20 minute hike over rocks in the darkness, we arrived at the top of a hill covered in spontaneous fires (gas seeps from the ground and combusts upon hitting the air). It almost reminded me of either Hell or the Fire Swamp (Princess Bride). It was such a cool site, though we did forget our marshmallows!
After a day at the beach and checking out more ruins, we took an overnight bus to Cappodoccia. This area is unlike any I have seen before. There are rock spires, "fairy castles", and entire cities built both into the rocks and underground. We spent some time this morning checking out the Open Air Museum, which was basically a preserved city that was built within dozens of rock spires. Tomorrow we will be taking a full-day tour of the area, including 8 level city built entirely underground and the site where scenes from Star Wars were filmed. Then, after a 3rd day here, we return to Istanbul.
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