Turkey travelogue

Gate 1 Travel: 13 Day Affordable Turkey

Turkey February 26- March 10. 2015

A Travelogue of a Journey of History and Food

Itinerary • February 26 - Depart for Turkey • February 27 - Arrive in Istanbul • February 28 - Istanbul City Tour • March 1 - Gallipoli, World War 1 Memorials, Drive to Canakkale • March 2 - Troy, Pergamum, Drive to Kusadasi • March 3 - Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, and Church of St. John the Apostle • March 4 - Pamukkale Hot Springs, Necropolis, and Hierapolis • March 5 - Travel to Konya (visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana [Rumi]) • March 6 - Visit Caravanserai of Sultanhan en route to Cappadocia (Whirling Dervishes Ceremony) • March 7 - Cappadocia • March 8 - Ankara, Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk & the Anatolian Civilizations Museum • March 9 - Return to Istanbul, Bosphorus Cruise & Spice Market • March 10 - Depart Turkey

Time to start a new adventure (written February 24) Back in mid-November, I stumbled across what looked to be an incredible deal on a trip to Turkey. I subscribe to Travel Zoo and they send out an email with the Top 20 deals each week (this is how we found our great deal on the cruise from Boston to Quebec City last year). 13-Day Affordable Turkey offered us a chance to see a fair amount of the country for $1299 (we saved another $25 each by paying part of it by cheque).

The tour included airfare, 11 nights accommodations in 4-5 star hotels, 20 meals, all ground transportation around the country, and tours along the way.

I did a little research into Gate 1 Travel and it seemed pretty legitimate, so I proposed the idea to Ed/Giles and his brother, Paul, and Paul’s wife, Cindy.

After a little more research about how safe it might be to travel through Turkey, we all decided to go for it.

In addition, I had posted on my Facebook timeline that we were taking this trip and offered to forward the information to any who might be interested. There was a nibble. An SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism, for those wondering) friend named Lynn contacted me that she and her husband, Dennis, might be interested so I sent them the info. A week or two later, she asked me about which dates we were going and I told her. Next day, I got a message: “See you in Istanbul!”

And so, we are about to embark on an almost 2-week trip to Turkey and we know 4 other people who will be on the Continued on page 2

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

Istanbul (not Constantinople) * Istanbul was Constantinople Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Now it’s Turkish delight on a moonlit night Every gal in Constantinople Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople So if you’ve a date in Constantinople She’ll be waiting in Istanbul Even old New York was once New Amsterdam Why they changed it I can’t say People just liked it better that way So take me back to Constantinople No, you can’t go back to Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works?

That’s nobody’s business but the Turks Istanbul (Istanbul) Istanbul (Istanbul) Even old New York was once New Amsterdam Why they changed it I can’t say People just liked it better that way Istanbul was Constantinople Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works?

That’s nobody’s business but the Turks So take me back to Constantinople No, you can’t go back to Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works?

That’s nobody’s business but the Turks Istanbul * 1953 swing-style song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. The lyrics comically refer to the official 1930 renaming of the city of Constantinople to Istanbul. It has been recorded many times since it’s release. One of the betterknown versions is the cover by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants (TMBG), who released it on their album Flood in 1990.

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Continued from page 1 same tour. How kewl is that?

We will take a bus to Chicago on Thursday afternoon and meet up with Paul & Cindy for a non-stop flight to Istanbul, landing about 1630 Friday.

There are a number of optional things we could have booked (Lynn & Dennis booked them all) but at this time Paul, Cindy, Ed/Giles, and I are just doing the full day tour to Ephesus. I am tempted by a couple of them but we shall see what we shall see.

It should be a grand adventure (hopefully still with a small “a”—see some of my earlier travelogues for this distinction). A friend said to me, “You never talked about going to Turkey,” and I pointed out that I had never really thought about it much but that everyone that I’ve known that has gone

raves about the food and the people and so much about the history. For the deal they offered, how could we not consider it?

I am not sure how often I’ll have computer access while we’re in Turkey (one of the hotels has free wi-fi and the rest seem to have it available for a fee-and I tend to be cheap about these kinds of things) but when I do get access, I will be keeping up with my travel updates through the Google group I set up a few years ago. If you want these updates, feel free to join in. travels-withshavasue (@google groups) is the name of the group. I figure that when I do get access, I need to refrain from spending too much time online so I suspect I will only open up email to force myself to be good.

Madison-Chicago-Istanbul A night of travel What a smooth travel experience we had. The bus from Madison was about 10 minutes late departing and about 10 minutes late arriving at O’Hare, which was pretty close to perfect considering it was snowing in Chicago. Check-in and security were quick and painless.

We met up with Paul and Cindy in the small food court just past security with an hour to spare to boarding time. Ed/ Giles and meshared some bao (steamed buns) and we relaxed before entering our 12-hour incarceration aboard the plane.

Boarding was reasonably quick but something kept us on the ground for about a half hour. We made up that time during the flight. Ed/Giles and mewere lucky enough to not only be seated together but also with Paul and Cindy so we had the 4 in the middle section of one row. Turkish Airlines is definitely a nice company to fly with. The service was good and they had a bunch of things to make the trip comfortable. Every seat in the economy section not only had a pillow and blanket but slippers, earbuds, and a nice zippered pack that contained socks, an eyemask, ear plugs, lip balm, and a small toothbrush & toothpaste.

Even though it was after 2230 when we finally took off, we were served dinner and drinks after we got up to cruising altitude. They were out of the

vegetarian entree when they got to us but the hamburger patty tasted as if spiced with the same seasonings used for gyros or doner. It came with a cucumber/pepper/tomato salad, an eggplant salad with a chunk of chicken in it, cheese (from Oregon—boo/ hiss), a roll, pureed potatoes, roasted veggies, and cheesecake. I chose to watch The Boxtrolls (there was a great list of movies and other entertainments) while eating but started dozing in the middle of it. I actually slept pretty good on the flight, probably about 6 hours, and woke up in time for them to serve us breakfast. About 7 hours after supper, we had a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, roasted veggies, something called a turkey/cheese toast, a salad of cottage cheese, tomato, cucumbers, and a piece of cheese, a roll, and some fresh fruit salad. By the time they had this all cleared away, we were only about an hour from Istanbul.

Smooth landing, a short shuttle ride from plane to terminal, a reasonably long line to get through passport control, and claiming our baggage (all four bags made it for us) and we went out to meet our guide who would get us to the shuttle van that would take us to the hotel.

Our hotel is the Legacy Ottoman which is located just a short walk from the Continued on page 3

Continued from page 2 Bosphorus and near the Spice Market.

If there was any doubt about it being a five-star hotel, it was shoved aside when you saw the five gold stars as part of their logo. **cheeky or cheesy grin** It was about 1730 at this point and after checking in we were told that we had our orientation talk at 1930 which would be followed by dinner at 2000.

Glitch one (one of the few thus far) was not understanding how to turn on the lights in our room. The bellman brought up our bags AFTER we had failed everything we could think of and Ed headed down to the front desk to ask what we were missing. While he was away, Paul came over and showed me that you had to insert your key card into a slot by the lightswitch and leave it there to turn on/keep on the lights. After the bellman brought our bags up, we showered and relaxed for a bit before getting dressed again.

We went up to the 6th floor bar for orientation and to meet our guide.

Gate 1 is a budget travel company and

Hotel: Legacy Ottoman View from window on first evening.

Hotel located in old town, across from Spice Market

whereas many companies have a tour leader and individual guides at each location or side tour, Gate 1 has one person to do it all. We met ours, Şenol, who has been with Gate 1 for 8 years and worked in the tourist industry for 21. That’s almost half his life (he’ll be 45 next month.)

Stuff we found out during orientation: There will be only 27 on our bus (built to seat 46); Şenol gets to do it all including always letting us know that we can wake him anytime if we need him; don’t take a cab in Istanbul; and it looked like we have a guide who has a decent sense of humour, speaks better than average English, and is reasonably organized.

We also found out that the bus has free Wi-Fi and so does every hotel that we’ll be staying at. So, no problem staying in contact with the outside world.

Since we lost a full day due to the flight that was scheduled so late in the day, we asked if we could add the half-day optional tour to the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar.

Lynn & Dennis already had booked all the optional stuff but Paul, Cindy, Ed/Giles, and I all agreed that it was probably worth it. We were able to book that when the orientation was over and before dinner.

Dinner was a LOT of food. A spinach crepe covered with cheese, a tossed salad with some feta, roast beefsteak with a bit of broccoli and a twice-baked potato, and fresh fruit for dessert.

Conversation was lively at our table. We sat with Lynn & Dennis and 4 others.

The food wasn’t spectacular but it was edible and the company was good even though we were all pretty tired.

Ed/Giles and I weren’t ready to crash yet and, since they had gotten in a LOT earlier than we did, Lynn & Dennis led us on a walk down to the waterfront and around the outside of a mosque right across from our hotel. We got back to our room around 2330 and crashed pretty hard.

Istanbul An Amazing (very full) Day Started out with fantastic breakfast buffet with a wide array of choices. I tried to eat reasonably and think I succeeded.

There was a table over-burdened with breadstuffs—all kinds of rolls, breads, some familiar looking/some not. Then on to one end that was all sweets including halvah and ice cream & toppings. Then on to salad fixings and olives, fresh fruit, cheeses, cold sausages, and other stuff I can’t remember now. The hot foods were next and I was so pleased to find sauteed spinach and onions to add to really good scrambled eggs, sausages, and something that tasted a lot like a savory noodle kugel. I know there was a lot more but you get the idea. One of the best ideas that we saw were bowls of dry herbs and spices so you could doctor the food to your taste.

We got up around 630 and were set to start the day’s excursions at 800. As I wrote yesterday, we have a large bus that will seat 46 and only 27 on the tour (plus our guide and driver, Kadir). We really didn’t spend much time on it since once we got to Old Town we did a LOT of walking.

The morning started with a tour of the Blue Mosque. The Mosque is still a working one and much care is taken to help educate the non-Muslim in the cultural traditions. Signs indicating proper dress for both men and women are outside; headscarves and loaner clothing are available to borrow and plastic bags are there for visitors to carry their shoes with them. We all had what they refer to as “whisper tech” (ear bud and receiver) so that we can hear Şenol, even when we aren’t close to him, which is good because I can concentrate on taking photos. It was beautiful inside and we weren’t too rushed for time. If we’d been there during a prayer time, I wouldn’t have been able to take photos.

From the Mosque, we walked to the Hippodrome, which was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı (Sultan Ahmet Square), with a few fragments of the original structure surviving. The history was impressive but now the area is a nice space near the Blue Mosque to hang out. Many dogs Continued on page 4

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Continued from page 3 hang out there, all tagged to show they have been picked up by the authorities and given a checkup and vaccinations.

There was a beautiful Anatolian Shepherd and a black/tan pooch that looked so very much like Shelly. They were mostly friendly but every once in a while one or the other took exception to someone and kind of went after them.

Not really serious enough to cause harm but enough to make some people nervous and wary.

We walked from the Hippodrome to the Hagia Sofia, which is an incredible edifice that dominates the square. It was built about 1600 years ago and topped with a massive dome that seems to float high above the floor. This building that was built by Justinian as a church became a mosque 800 years later, and became a museum in 1934 or so. The Muslims covered much of the mosaic decorations with plaster and now they are trying to uncover them without damaging them. Şenol said that he’s almost 45 and cannot remember a time when there was no scaffolding or restoration work going on. It was a tough walk for me up a very steep ramp to go up to the balcony, where the women would pray, but so very worth it.

All of this, so far, was included in the basic tour. At this point, half of the group went back to the hotel and the rest of us continued on with the optional afternoon tour. We went first to the Basilica Cistern, a huge underground cavern that is down a LOT of stairs and dimly lit. The cistern isn’t used as a cistern any longer but it is very peaceful and grand and cool (as well as kewl). Şenol led us to an area near by with many restaurant choices. I was already getting sore from all the walking (between the arthritis in my knees, degerative disk disease, and spinal stenosis, I’m almost a basket case. Istanbul does not have a lot of benches and I was very ready to sit down for a bit. Lynn, Dennis, Paul, Cindy, and Ed/Giles & I chose a place called the Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant.

Lynn, Cindy and I sat down while the guys went and got us food. Ed/Giles chose for us some schwarma, dolmas, and an interesting pudding that was chock full of raisins, fresh apricots, figs, and hazelnuts. It was all delicious but I wasn’t seriously hungry so I picked at a little of this and of that. All very tasty but I was trying to be good.

After lunch, we walked to the Topkapi Palace. This was seriously more walking than I had expected or am used to.

I made a decision after entering the

palace to ask Şenol to inquire whether they had any wheelchairs to rent. They had one that I could use and I just had to leave my ID with them. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in very good repair and one ofthe front wheels broke so it made it hard for Ed/Giles to push me over the cobbled pathways or the broken pavement or marbled paths. Fortunately, I could still use it to sit on when there was a stop and even a few minutes off my feet helps my back immensely. We had a reasonable amount of time to explore but I really wasn’t up for a lot of walking at that point, especially after waiting in a LONG line for the WC (water closet).

So, while everyone else went exploring, I sat on the chair to people watch. I have made a decision that next long trip, I will bring a walker along to at least give me a place to sit when I need to.

By the time we were ready to leave, my back was doing better and my knees weren’t screaming at me. We walked back to the bus and drove to the Grand Bazaar—a rabbit warren of over 5000 shops. Lots of repetitive stuff and in many places shops with similar (or identical) merchandise were grouped together. We had an hour and a half to explore. I had two experiences that were, as Lynn calls it, the OLE (oncein-lifetime experiences). The first was finding a WC that was definitely more old-world than new. In other words, squat over a recepticle fitted into the ground. This one was upper class since it was very clean, had toilet paper available, and fresh water to rinse it out.

The second was dealing with carpet merchants. It came at a time when I needed to sit and just have a cup of tea or something. There were some really nice, smallish bolster pillows that we had our eye on and they picked up on that.

We got away only buying one unstuffed bolster and having hot drinks (apple tea for me and Turkish coffee for himself ) and a sit-down which was all I really wanted in the first place. I also got the experience with haggling with a hustler.

We ended up with a pair of watches— his & hers—for next to nothing and joked all the back to the bus whether there was anything at all inside them. So far, they’re keeping time. (We only use a watch when traveling overseas since the clocks on the phones are much easier to use.) (Later note: His stopped working altogether after a day and I lost mine [the strap probably broke somewhere] after 4 days.)

Best one-liners trying to get us to buy something: Continued on page 5

Continued from page 4 • Almost free • Let me change your life • Let me sell you something you don’t need (said with a decidedly Chicago accent) Back on the bus, we compared shopping notes as thebus driver worked his magic driving around a lot of traffic. We got back to the hotel about 1730 and agreed to meet up with Paul, Cindy, Lynn, and Dennis at 1900 for dinner (which was one of the few meals not included in the trip). We found a great place, Saray, just a few blocks from the hotel. Dinner was fun and filling and incredibly reasonably priced (it cost the 6 of us about $50 USD altogether).

After dinner, we agreed that we were too tired for anything else and retreated into our respective rooms for the night.

I wrote as long as my eyes would stay open so all I got done was the travelogue for the first two days done. It’s now the third and hopefully I can catch up through tonight.

Call to Worship

by Alexis Lavine. ©2015

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

A Lot of time in the bus and a bit of history The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

by Eric Bogle

When I was a young man I carried me pack And I lived the free life of the rover From the Murray’s green basin to the dusty outback I waltzed my Matilda all over Then in 1915 my country said: Son, It’s time to stop rambling, there’s work to be done So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun And they sent me away to the war And the band played Waltzing Matilda When the ship pulled away from the quay And amid all the tears, flag waving and cheers We sailed off for Gallipoli It well I remember that terrible day When our blood stained the sand and the water And how in that hell they call Suvla Bay We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter Johnny Turk, he was ready, he primed himself well He rained us with bullets, and he showered us with shell And in five minutes flat, we were all blown to hell He nearly blew us back home to Australia And the band played Waltzing Matilda When we stopped to bury our slain Well we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs Then it started all over again Oh those that were living just tried to survive In that mad world of blood, death and fire And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive While around me the corpses piled higher Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head And when I awoke in me hospital bed And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead I never knew there was worse things than dying Oh no more I’ll go Waltzing Matilda All around the green bush far and near For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs No more waltzing Matilda for me They collected the wounded, the crippled, the maimed And they shipped us back home to Australia The armless, the legless, the blind and the insane Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla And when the ship pulled into Circular Quay I looked at the place where me legs used to be And thank Christ there was no one there waiting for me To grieve and to mourn and to pity And the Band played Waltzing Matilda When they carried us down the gangway Oh nobody cheered, they just stood there and stared Then they turned all their faces away Now every April I sit on my porch And I watch the parade pass before me I see my old comrades, how proudly they march Renewing their dreams of past glories I see the old men all tired, stiff and worn Those weary old heroes of a forgotten war And the young people ask “What are they marching for?”

And I ask myself the same question And the band plays Waltzing Matilda And the old men still answer the call But year after year, their numbers get fewer Someday, no one will march there at all Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda Who’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me?

And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong So who’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me?

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I wanted to get some writing done this morning and asked Ed/Giles to bring me up some fruit and cheese to break my fast. I really wasn’t very hungry and I knew we had a of time on the bus today.

It’s the only real drawback of this kind of travelling—only 1-2 nights anywhere, living out of suitcase and having to repack daily. The wake-up call was at 630, bags outside the door by 715, and on the bus by 800. No trouble doing all of that.

The trouble came was when the bus got really warm and stuffy and I started feeling a little motion sickness. Best cure I’ve ever found for that, besides opening the window, which really wasn’t an option, is to close my eyes and hope it passes soon. I slept most of the morning away.

We had a bathroom break scheduled after about 2 hours of driving. The truck stop/rest area had more bathroom stalls than I have ever seen on the road. Least there was in the women’s (bayan) room.

I bought one digestive biscuit to see if it would help and in the meantime Ed/ Giles said something to Şenol and they turned the circulating air back on.

We had a lunch stop in Gallipoli where the recommended restaurant was kind of cafeteria style. Ed/Giles and meshared a bowl of white beans in a sauce and some fried fish. It all looked tasty but I still wasn’t all that hungry.

Back on the bus, it was time to head out to see some of the memorials to the many dead in 1915 (Battle of Gallipoli, WWI). Quite sobering it was and the first one is the one that brought out my emotions. The Anzacs Cemetrary/ Memorial had me singing quietly at the edge of where the dead (whether known or unknown) are buried. We stopped at two more memorials—one Australian cemetery and one Turkish— and were then on our way. The area is really quite beautiful but the history of the area quite sobering.

We reboarded the bus and went to a small city of Eceabat to board a ferry that would take us AND the bus across the Dardanelles. We went all the way up to the top deck and enjoyed the bracing wind and mostly watched the gulls play, discovered jelly fish swimming next to the ferry, watched a cat whisperer on shore, and then had fun watching

Dennis and Ed/Giles trying to figure out the earthworks and structures on either side of the strait from an historical/ archectural point of view. I went to take a photo of the pilot of the ferry and got invited in to stand behind the wheel.

After departing the ferry, we had a short drive to our hotel, the Kolin, which touts itself as the only five-star hotel in town.

We checked in around 1700. Once we were checked in (took a bit since the batteries for the door lock were dead), Ed/Giles and mechanged to go to the pool, sauna, etc. I did a half-hour exercise routine and then 20 minutes in the jacuzzi while E/G did the sauna and some elliptical work. A bit of a nap for himself after his shower and I finished writing up yesterday’s installment and then put my head down on the desk and napped for about 20 minues.

Dinner was scheduled to start at 1900 but since it was a buffet there was no hurry. Lots of interesting and new things to try. The dessert table was incredible— I’ve decided the Turks must really love their desserts. We talked to a mother/ daughter duo from Montreal and had a pleasant meal and conversation. By the time we were done it was almost 2100 and I knew I wasn’t long for the conscious world.

Tomorrow we’re off to Troy and Perganum and a LOT more driving.

The song in the left sidebar was written by Scottish-born folk (Australian by choice) singer-songwriter Eric Bogle in 1971. I sang it at the edge of the Anzacs graveyard during our visit.

More time on the bus but some incredible historic sites The day started out with a nice breakfast buffet again. They really do offer us a lot of food and much of it different than we are used to. I love having veggies to choose from for breakfast and the grilled tomato with cheese was good. I took more than my stomach wanted to deal with (eyes-bigger-than-stomach syndrome). Some of the night I had been kept awake by the feeling that I might throw up at any time. Strange because there was nothing else bothering me and I felt fine by the time I was dressed.

Anyway, they even had lokum (Turkish Delight) on the breakfast bar.

The trip from Canakkale to Kusadasi is about 400 km (239 miles) which is about 7 hours of driving (by bus—I expect a car would have been faster) but they broke it up nicely. Our hotel was about 10 minutes from Troy and we spent a bit of time there (more detail in a bit). After 2 hours or so we had a pit stop. Then another 1 1/2 hours to Bergama where we stopped at a kebab restaurant. From there we went to Pergamum (Bergama is another name for it) and explored there for a while. About 2 hours more and then another pit stop before the last 1 1/2 hours to Kusadasi and our hotel.

Troy: I had done a little research before leaving home and on Trip Advisor the reviews weren’t very good. They said there was nothing to do there. The ruins had been ruined by bad archeology,

Running newsletter header top right

“Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another.”

Homer, The Iliad etc. I didn’t care. I was walking through Troy. I was in Troy! There was this kind of Disneyesque monstrosity of a Trojan Horse near the entrance (pic to the left) and a couple of guys with costumes and play swords, shields, and helmets that would take your photo for 10 TRY (Turkish lira) (about $4 USD). But there was Troy and it was a cool, crisp, clear day.

We had a nice tour and walked about the grounds. One of the amusing things was that there were cats everywhere (and a few dogs), running around the ruins and having a grand existence. One of the dogs looked a bit like Tyr. And there was a skinny Anatolian Shepherd that kept barking and wagging his tail trying to get two cats to play with him. Before we left Troy, I kept eyeing the stand that served fresh orange or pomegranate juice. The pom was 12 TRY (About $5 USD) which I kept thinking was too much for a glass of juice. However, I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t go for it. I am so glad I did. The guy used two large pomegranates for my glass and it was tart and fresh and cool. An awesome treat.

We then drove for a while, had a bathroom stop with a bit of tourist shopping, and then continued to Bergama where we went to a restaurant

called Saglam which specialized in kebabs. The manager explained all of the foods and then took our orders. We shared a Lahmacun (a flat bread very like a thin, crispy pizza covered with minced spicy meat) and a lamb kebab (the lamb was tasty but a bit tough). After a short wander through the gift shop there, we were off again.

Pergamum has several very wellexcavated sites to see but we didn’t get up to see the Acropolis up close. (But some of my photos weren’t bad—I love my zoom!). We spent all of our time exploring the Asklepion (the hospital complex) and heard wonderful stories as we wandered through the ruins. It had obviously rained but the sky had cleared, the sun was out, and it wasn’t too hot or too cold. I can see why people say that they are disappointed in Troy if they compared it with Pergamum. This was a fantastic site and so glad it is part of the tour. We were the absolute last getting back to the bus (I let Ed/Giles have my camera for a shot he saw and he got carried away). I was very glad that we stopped about 2 hours later when there was another bathroom break. I didn’t want to hold up everyone going to the WC there.

After that break, we did the last hour and a half to Kusadasi and proclaimed Kadir, our bus driver, to be a hero. The hotel is right on the shore of the Aegean and there is a lot of new construction between the main road and the hotel (not to mention the mud and muck from the recent rains) and he got us down Continued on page 8

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

Continued from page 7 here without hitting anything or getting stuck. We checked in and discovered a wonderful view from our balcony. All of our rooms have a seaside view.

We got our luggage, plugged in the electronics, and went to find the restaurant. There was another wonderful buffet that lots of great tasting things on it. My favourite was the phylo dough around veggies topped with cheese and some kind of tomato sauce. It was kind of like lasagna but with the phylo instead of pasta. We had great conversation going as we ate but finally I realized how tired I was feeling and knew it was time to go soak my head. (We have a bathtub this time, not just a shower, and they

even supplied the bubble-bath.)

Time to crash for the night. Tomorrow we’re off to Ephesus, one of their optional tours, and it will be an all day excursion to that site, the House of the Virgin Mary, and the Church of St. John.

Should be another fun, full day.

The Splendor of Pergamum

by Alexis Lavine ©2015

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Ephesus As our guide, Şenol, said, “if you come to Turkey and don’t go to Ephesus, why come here at all?” Today was one of the optional tours that we booked right from the get-go. The full day tour inlcuded a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, the ancient city of Ephesus, lunch, and the Basilica of St. John the Apostle.

We started out the day with the usual lavish breakfast buffet. I awoke with pretty low blood sugar so I did get juice, fruit (I love having cherries as a choice and they went really well in my yogurt which made kind of a cherry soup of it), and cheeses plus a few veggies, and the best bread I’ve had in since we hit this country topped with raspberry preserves. It was a tasty way to start the day.

We got to sleep in a bit since we were going to spend two nights here in

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Kusadasi (we didn’t have to pack) and the bus wasn’t heading out until 900.

It was a relatively short drive back up the coast to Selcuk which is where all the sites we were going today were. To me, the most interesting things about Selcuk is that they have a 6th-c. castle built by the Emperor Justinian but it isn’t open to the public.

First stop was the House of the Virgin Mary which is believed to be where she spent the last years of her life. She was sent away when Jesus felt it no longer safe for her to remain near him and had John the Apostle accompany her to keep her safe. The house is near the top of a mountain and it was very peaceful up there. Two popes, John Paul & Benedict, have both visited there, so it has been proclaimed an official Catholic pilgrimage site. The house itself was found, supposedly, after a nun told her Continued on page 9

Running newsletter header top right The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were: Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (also known as the Mausoleum of Mausolus), Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Continued from page 8 dreams to someone. The house was half intact when it was found exactly where she said to look. The house itself reminded me very much of the St. Joan Chapel at the University of Marquette in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.

Next stop was the ancient town of Ephesus which is an extensive excavation of one of the largest Roman towns ever discovered. We had a couple of hours, at a very nice pace, but we were also racing the rain. I doubt that my photos will do the place justice but it has to be one of the most complete jigsaw puzzles of history. I joked with Lynn that a children’s book could be written called the “Cats of Ephesus” since there were so many cats in residence (see below). There is an area where they have been excavating the mosaics but it would have been another admission to visit and we finished the official part of the tour as the rain began in earnest. I will probably regret not going back but I didn’t want to get soaked for the rest of the day. I ended the tour with a glass of pomegranate juice but was miffed when

I discovered Lynn had found sahlep for sale. Sahlep is a wonderful drink made of milk, sugar, and ground sahlep—a kind of orchid—and cinnamon. I so would have bought some if I’d have found it.

The street hustlers/hasslers followed us right up onto the bus trying to sell us stuff.

Lunch was included in the tour today and we were taken up a windy, curvy, mountain road WAY off the beaten track to a wonderful restaurant. Today it was a fixed menu that started with the most awesome soup in the world (bulgar, chickpeas, lemon, mint, and other spices); fresh bread; a small appetizer plate that had two fried vegetable patties that were very like pakora, a fried cheese stick, and some goat cheese (very sour tasting) that worked well on both the fried patties and the bread; a salad of shredded carrots, red cabbage, lettuce, and a bit of tomato and cucumber; the entree was stuffed aubergine (eggplant). (I mentioned To Şenol that I really didn’t want eggplant but would take a second bowl of the soup. He talked to the proprietor who

offered me just the meat filling without the eggplant—Mmmmmm Mmmmm good). It was served with more tomato and salad. There was rice pudding for dessert. Drinks were not included so I ordered a glass of ayran which is a yoghurt drink (sour and salty) that went very well with the other flavours of the meal. And once again, there were resident cats all over the place.

Back down the mountain, we went into the town of Selcuk to tour the ruins of the Church of St. John the Apostle which is right in the center of town, just down the hill from the 6th-c. castle that I really wanted to investigate. I heard one of the younger guys (there are four of them all around 30) ran up the hill and did so. I’m not in physical shape to do that and there was no time to do it at the pace I move at. *sigh* But the ruins were interesting and they contain the tomb of St. John sans bones (the Crusaders took them home with them). The rain wasn’t anywhere in sight any longer and the daystar was shining beautifully. Another pleasant tour of some ruins. We were being hassled (close to hustled) by a guy Continued on page 10

The Cats of Ephesus (sounds like the title for a children’s book, eh?)

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

Facts about the Republic of Turkey Government: Republican parliamentary democracy President: Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2014) Prime Minister: Ahmet Davutoglu (2014) Land area: 297,591 sq mi (770,761 sq km); total area: 301,382 sq mi (780,580 sq km) Population (July 2014 est.): 81,619,392 (growth rate: 1.12%); birth rate: 16.86/1000; infant mortality rate: 21.43/1000; life expectancy: 73.29 Capital (2011 est.): Ankara, 4.194 million Largest cities: Istanbul, 11.253 million; Izmir, 2.927 million; Bursa, 1.713 million; Adana, 1.468 million, Gaziantep 1.198 million.

Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages Ethnicity/race: Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12% (2008 est.)

Religions: Islam (mostly Sunni) 99.8%, other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews) Literacy rate: 94.1% (2011 est.)

Natural resources: coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower.

History: Occupied in about 1900 B.C. by the Indo-European Hittites and, after the Hittite empire’s collapse in 1200 B.C., by Phrygians and Lydians; Persian Empire occupied the area in the 6th century B.C., giving way to the Roman Empire, then later the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Turks first appeared in the early 13th-c.entury and were in power for over 600 years; Turkey’s current boundaries were drawn in 1923 at the Conference of Lausanne, and Turkey became a republic with Kemal Atatürk as the first president.

(Facts culled from http://www.factmonster. com/country/turkey.html)

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Continued from page 9 trying to sell us genuine ancient Roman coins. I asked him if they were “genuine fakes” like the watches that were being advertised just like that: “Genuine Fake Watches”. I was amused but I doubt he was.

I napped the half hour back to Kusadasi and then for another 2 1/2 hours after we got into the room. Luckily, I woke in time to watch the end of a beautiful sunset over the Aegean. The only sounds were the lapping of the waves upon the shore.

We joined Paul and Cindy for dinner.

Another wonderful buffet (highlights of this one was stuffed artichoke hearts and a spinach dish with eggs). We were all chatty and continued to eat and laugh and talk until we were almost the only ones in the restaurant. Near us was a table of Iranian-born folks who were all on our tour but they had all chosen not to take the opitonal trip today. Paul

& Ed/Giles went over to ask them how they had spent the day and eventually Cindy & I joined in. The wife of one of them had ended up in the ER last night (Şenol described being there until 330) for severe gastric-distress. Good thing she had today to rest before we move on tomorrow. We got to know them a bit (one is a travel agent herself and loves taking groups all over the world) and had more great conversation before we all retreated to our respective rooms.

Now we are packed to leave in the morning to head to Pamukkale (according to Wikipedia, it’s in the province of Denizli that is a natural site.

Urban spas and terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing waters include travertines. It is in Turkey’s Aegean region, with a temperate climate, and the Menderes River is located in the valley.) (Note: The Menderes [Meanders] is where the term meandering comes from because the river does that.)

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Pamukkale Hot Springs, Necropolis, and Hieropolis

Travertines at Pamukkale

by Alexis Lavine ©2015

We started with a nice breakfast buffet again (I know, it’s getting a bit redundant) but had a little later start time since we only had about a 3-hour drive today. They really are feeding us much too often, or so it seems. I feel like I’m eating a bit less at every meal.

There is now a rotation system on the bus to give everyone a chance to sit up front. We were close to the front yesterday and that was nice. Today, it was a pair of youngish men (early 30s, I think) who were supposed to be in the number 1 & 2 seats. They whined a bit cuz they and the other two guys they’re traveling with like sitting ALL the way in the back of the bus. I offered to put them out of their misery and sacrifice myself to the front seat. Granted, much of the drive today was through either farmland or cities/towns but it was still nice to see from that seat. This is a very fertile region and they grow a lot of fruit trees, olive trees, and vegetables. No wonder we see so many vegetables all three meals each day.

We had a pit stop about halfway from Canukkale to Pamukkale and then continued on. We both dozed a bit whenever Şenol wasn’t talking. His stories are great and he knows a lot about the history and culture (and just about anything about his country or weaves good tales. I realized upon becoming more aware of my surroundings that we had mountains around us. Snow-topped mountains. The area reminded me of areas in Colorado but the farmland is more fertile here.

Pamukkale is a natural wonder with terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing waters that create travertine (natural terraces) and thermal springs.

The area is also the site of the ancient Roman city of Hieropolis that once had as many as 25,000 inhabitants. There is also one of the few extant examples of

a necropolis (graveyard) that has been uncovered to date.

After departing the bus, we walked about 15-minutes to the travetines where many of our group took off their shoes and socks to walk out into it. I kept hearing cries of “I thought it supposed to be warm” as I sat watching and taking photos. The landscape was incredible from the white terraces to the fertile valley to the snow-capped mountains beyond. I hope that the panorama photos that I took turn out. We had some time to wander around this World Heritage site and find lunch before meeting up with Şenol again.

There was only one restaurant on site and the food was passably good. We shared a meatball (their meatballs are flat rounds or oblongs) sandwich and a gözleme (it was like a quesadilla with cheese and greens inside). We shared a glass of raki which is a liquor much like ouzo. It’s crystal clear but turns milkywhite when water is added. The water, though, detracted from the taste. The stuff is 100 proof and very warming.

There was a thermal pool there but it cost 32 try each (about $13) to go in. Şenol pointed out that we had the same thing included with our hotel.

The day has been beautiful with a bit of clouds, mostly sunny, a light breeze, and the temperature around 60F. We enjoyed eating outside and reveling in the fact that the weather is decent but it’s still not really tourist season so

there aren’t huge crowds around us. We met up with Şenol and the rest of the tour that day was what he described as a 45-minute walk through the ruins of Hieropolis to the Necropolis. There is a shuttle bus that costs 2 try (about $.90 USD) that could take those to the end of the walk who wanted to go. 8 of us, including me, decided to take the shuttle. I’m glad I did.

At the end, near the exit, someone exclaimed “Where’s our bus?” I chuckled and pointed out that it was outside the gate. While the other 7 made their way to the exit, I worked at my own

pace amongst the mausoleums of the Necropolis. I enjoyed going at my own pace only being passed by a few people.

I took a lot of photos and tried to make friends with a snail.

Eventually (the 45 minutes was more like an hour and a quarter), everyone was reunited and we were back on the bus once more. The drive from there to the hotel was about 10 minutes.

They didn’t seem to be ready for us at the hotel. They were still cleaning and it was obvious that they recently had been painting. Our room even has exposed wiring for something between our beds. Oh, well. We’re only here for one night. Ed/Giles and megot our suits on and went straight to the indoor thermal pool. Others went and scouted it first. If Continued on page 12

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

I’d done that I might not have gone. It’s located about as far away from our room as possible and down a couple of sets of stairs. The water looked a little murky but the heat felt really good once you got into it. There were statues of white geese with water cascading from their mouths which was really, really hot but felt so good on the shoulders and back.

After about 45 minutes in and a 15-minute rest, we came back to the rooms, showered, and napped or read for a bit until it was time for dinner.

Another buffet that looked really good but only the salads tasted really good.

The rest, including most of the desserts

I tried, was MEH. Basically, this is not a hotel that I would recommend to anyone coming out this way. Maybe during the tourist/cruise ship season it’s better but I’d barely give it 2 stars much less 4. The facilities are barely kept up, the food is edible but that’s about it, the spa prices seem outrageous to me, their internet access is spotty if it is there at all, and there is a shabby feel to much of it. However, the bed seems comfortable and there was enough hot water in the shower. What more do we really need?

So, I think it’s time to read for a while and then crash.

Pamukkale to Konya (lots of travel/rest time plus an amazing site) Today was a pretty long drive taking us from Eastern to Central Turkey but we still were able to sleep until 700. For some reason, breakfast was about as exciting as dinner last night and there was not much appetite for many of us. The hotel did well with salads but the rest was kind of Meh! Except I am now in love with sugar-coated roasted chickpeas. There were even cacao bean pods on the breakfast bar that we decided must be a joke that the natives play on the tourists to see if they are dumb enough to try to eat them. Şenol told us that an average breakfast for him is tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, olives, lemon, bread, and tea. There certainly are many kinds of olives and after seeing kilometer upon kilometer of olive trees I believe it.

At 830 we all piled into the bus for the 5-hour trek west. This time we were the very last seats assigned and Ed/Giles and medecided to take separate seats.

That worked out well for such a long drive. This country certainly is beautiful.

Still more fertile valleys and soaring mountains. Orchards of cherry, peach, and other fruit trees. I marveled at the landscape and know my photos will NOT do it justice.

We had a pit stop about two hours into the trip and a lunch break after another hour and a half or so. Ed/Giles got a stew of lamb, eggplant, and tomatoes while I got a beef stew with carrots, peas, and potatoes. We both had rice and we shared some yummy fig pudding for dessert. The Turks really know how to make fantastic puddings. Yesterday at

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lunch we had dogs begging nearby... today it was cats. I fed bits of my meal to a tabby kitten much to the outrage of one of the older cats (maybe his mama).

After lunch, we had another 2 hours until we arrived in Konya. Şenol was educated in English Lit and History and taught for a time before joining the tourism industry over 20 years ago. He tells great stories and each day we learn more about the Turks and their culture. Today was a lot about Islam as a religion—both the history and the culture. It got even more interesting since seven of the twenty-seven of us on this tour were born in Iran (and have been in the US since the 70s or so). And they are very much like Star Trek’s Mr. Chekov and believe the Persian culture to be the best (and it really is underrated by most of the Western-centric cultures.)

(It is also interesting that we have a pair of Australians, a mother and daughter team, and a pair of Quebequois from Montreal, the mother originally from Italy—It means that we often have 4 languages being spoken around us on the bus much of the time.) Anyway, Şenol doesn’t talk all of the time but when he does the time seems to go faster.

Finally, we made it to Konya, considered the most conservative city in Turkey (population about 1 1/2 million) by 1500 or so. Our destination was The Mevlâna Museum which is the mausoleum of Jalal ad- Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic also known as Mevlâna or Rumi. The building that houses the tomb of Rumi and his followers was built Continued on page 13

Continued from page 12 in the 13th-c.entury and is elaborately decorated inside. Please indulge me as I say OMG!! What an incredible building and museum. The tiles, painted walls, calligraphy and illumination (and yes, I did take a LOT of photos of the books and scrolls, folks) has got to be seen to be believed. I hope my photos do it a little bit of justice. We had a tour with Şenol for about 45 minutes and then had another 40 minutes or so on our own. (Interesting enough, just as our official tour ended and we were on our own, our space was invaded by a huge crowd of people in suits with cameras and microphones surrounding some dignitary. Many of the guys in suits had the curly white wires coming from their earbuds so you knew it was a security detail. (Turns out it was the opposition party’s leader who is campaigning now.)

Anyway, we wandered around the outside buildings after really enjoying the inside for a few more minutes.

Many small rooms, each with a few pieces depicting costumes of the Sufi, musical instruments, books, etc. I know we missed a bit as we realized our time was coming to an end so we went out to meet up with the rest of the tour. I did have enough time to get a pomegranate juice and Ed/Giles was able to get some crunchy coffee (which is what he has dubbed Turkish coffee).

The tomb of of Jalal ad- Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic also known as Mevlâna or Rumi.

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.”

Dinner tonight was a fixed menu and quite good (but WAY TOO MUCH food).

Bread and salad were on the table when we arrived in the dining room.

First course was a yoghurt soup that had some chickpeas and bulgar in it.

This was a bit bland until we added a bit of the paprika flakes that we have discovered all over the place. Next came a puff pastry filled with cheese as an appetizer. The main course was a mixed grill that included a lamb chop (YUM), a couple of spiced meat patties, and a chicken breast plus a grilled tomato and pepper. There had to be about 8oz of meat between the three kinds. Dessert was rice pudding served with a platter of fresh fruit. Both Dennis and Ed/Giles had raki to drink. I helped Ed with his but Lynn hates anise-flavoured things so she steered clear of it.

Since I’d already written up most of the

~Rumi

day and it was only about 2030 when we finished dinner, I asked Lynn and Cindy if they were up for a game of something.

Paul and Dennis joined in and Ed/Giles sat and read nearby. We played Uno (I won in a couple of hands) and then we played a game called “Money” that was new to all of us. (Lory, Pegasus Games Owner/Manager, had loaned it to me with very high recommendations.) It took us a few hands to get the hang of it but we all decided it was pretty fun once we figured out what we were trying to do. Lynn won the one game we played.

By the end of that, we were all yawning, knowing the wake-up call was coming at 700 tomorrow whether we are ready for it or not.

Tomorrow, we are off to Cappadocia for two nights (and only 3 hours of driving to get there.)

Extended Family

by Alexis Lavine ©2015

Once we were all assembled, we boarded the bus for a short (10 minute) drive to our hotel. After we checked in, I thought I might want a nap so I suggested that Ed/Giles go find an ATM (our hotel is in the midst of a bustling business district) and I would nap. No, I would take a shower. No, nap. Whatever. Since we were only given one key and I wanted power and lights, etc., I told him to give me at least 20 minutes. I showered, got all the devices and batteries charging, and decided to sit and write up most of the day. By the time he got back, we had 45 minutes until we were expected for dinner so I decided I didn’t really need the nap.

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

Visit Caravanserai of Sultanhan en route to Cappadocia (and carpets and whirling dervishes, oh, my) I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night because of a combination of very hard bed vs a sore shoulder that even Ed/ Giles cannot get the knots out of. I hope Lynn, who is a massage therapist, can do it tonight. I tossed and turned all night and was very groggy upon waking (tried some benedryl about 430). The buffet breakfast didn’t really tempt me much so I had a bit of fruit, cheese, bread with sesame butter and cherry preserves, and some cherry juice. (I would love to visit this country when the cherries are in season!)

Today’s total drive time was only about 3 hours and it was broken up with four stops before getting to our hotel here in Cappadocia.

Stop 1: The Caravanserai of Sultanhan is a 13th-c. structure that was used as a resting place for those traveling the Silk Road. The structure had some architectural elements that I had never seen before like interlocking stones for the archways. I was almost too caught up in the building to listen closely to Şenol’s explanation of the building and its history. It was chilly with the sun casting lovely beams of light into darkened spaces.

Stop 2: A primary school in a small

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village not far from the Caravanserai that has been improved and supported

by Gate 1 Travel. This company, like Grand Circle who we have traveled with a number of times, has a foundation to help the local communities. Gate 1 decided to concentrate on education.

The small school has about 110 students in 6 classrooms. Gate 1 put in a heating system and built them a cafeteria. We got to wander around the school and interact with the kids. One classroom of 8-year olds had some very outgoing kids who enjoyed asking us questions in English and showing us a game of patting/clapping hands with each other not unlike games we played as kids.

Stop 3: An early lunch break, just a bit before noon. Şenol explained that there was no other place that could handle a busload between where we were and Cappadocia. We shared some chicken soup, a dish that was like Shepherd’s pie with lamb that was topped with melted cheese, and a gözleme. There was a McDonald’s next door that I went over to check out. The menu didn’t look any different than any in the States.

Stop 4: A carpet dealer (Carpetium [Ortahisar, Turkey]) (I found a short video of the same place we went to on Continued on page 15

Continued from page 14 youtube) where we had a demonstration of carpet weaving and one of the best presentations on the differences between carpets, their history, etc.

Obviously, it was an immense sales pitch and very, very well done. First, we were in a room where about 6 women were working on various looms. Some were workinig in wool, some in silk. Next into a room where they showed how the silk threads were spun out of a cocoon and an explanation of the difference between silk & wool. Next, we were brought into a large showroom with benches all around a wide open area that they ended up unrolling about 25 carpets of various styles, shapes, and sizes. Finally, the serious sales pitches.

Everyone spoke excellent English. I really had never planned on succumbing to the sales pitch but they were good.

I pointed out that I have allergies to wool and they turned my attention to silk. I then added that my husband was allergic to the price of silk. Ultimately, I would rather travel and see more of the world than have my next trip on the floor or on my wall.

While others continued to shop, I found that either my allergy to wool or my allergy to salesman was getting to be too much and I escaped to the fresh air.

All by my lonesone (which is a rare thing on this kind of tour), I sat and marveled at the beauty of this region from the snow-capped volcano in the distance or the interesting rock formations that it created thousands of years ago. I watched an Anotolian Shepherd puppy trying to keep himself amused at the end of his chain and watched a quartet of guinea fowl clucking and teasing him.

Mama dog was chained up nearby, and I suspect as bemused as I. I had about an hour by myself, or so it seemed, and loved every minute of it.

Finally, it was time to board the bus again to go to the hotel which was about 15-minutes away.

The evening has been pretty amazing.

We signed up to go to the Whirling Dervish ceremony that was held in a cultural center that is housed in another 13th-c.. caravanserai. It was about 15-minutes from the hotel and was really, really interesting. This is one of the few places where it is really a ceremony rather than an entertainment.

There were 4 musicians, 4 monks, and a master who went through prayers from the Koran. This is an Islamic group but

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“Dance, when you’re broken open.

Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood.

Dance when you’re perfectly free.” ~Rumi it was pointed out that some Sufi are Christian and use the New Testament and some are Jewish and use the Old. In some places, women as well as men perform the rituals but they try to work with whoever they have in the audience so it was only men for us. Starting with prayers, then music, then a pattern of walking and bowing, and finally getting into the whirling, it was pretty mesmerizing for the 18 of us from our tour and a few others. Afterwards, we were allowed to take some photos as they did a short demo and then we were offered a hot cinnamon drink outside. There was a wonderful video presentation on the history of the region that ended our evening there.

are going on a balloon ride over the area which I understand is amazing but with my fear of heights I figure it’s better not to waste the money. I have, however, lent Lynn my smaller camera so hopefully I can get some pics of it all from that point of view. We’ve signed up for the optional full day Cappidocia tour and will be able to sleep in since we don’t have to meet in the morning until 915. We have two nights here so we don’t have to repack first thing in the morning as well.

Nice drive back to the hotel with Şenol answering more questions as we traveled. We got back around 1915 and then had another dinner buffet. I’d say this hotel does the best food so far in the hotels. Lots to choose from and most very, very tasty. Ed/Giles and mewalked around the grounds a bit before coming upstairs. I had asked Lynn to work on my neck again and she has. I think it’s feeling better.

Tomorrow, very early, some of our group

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

A FULL day in Cappadocia

World Heritage Site: Cappadocia Erosion shaped the incredible landscape of the Göreme valley, but thousands of years ago humans took a cue from Mother Nature and began carving an incredible chamber and tunnel complex into the soft rock. Beginning in the fourth century A.D., an urbanized—but underground—cultural landscape was created here.

Ancient volcanic eruptions blanketed this region with thick ash, which solidified into a soft rock—called tuff—tens of meters thick.

Wind and water went to work on this plateau, leaving only its harder elements behind to form a fairy tale landscape of cones, pillars, pinnacles, mushrooms, and chimneys, which stretch as far as 130 feet (40 meters) into the sky.

But human hands performed equally incredible works here. The rocky wonderland is honeycombed with a network of humancreated caves; living quarters, places of worship, stables, and storehouses were all dug into the soft stone. In fact, tunnel complexes formed entire towns with as many as eight different stories hidden underground.

Göreme was inhabited as early as the Hittite era, circa 1800 to 1200 B.C. and later sat uncomfortably on the boundary between rival empires; first the Greeks and Persians and later the Byzantine Greeks and a host of rivals.

This precarious political position meant that residents needed hiding places—and found them by tunneling into the rock itself.

The site became a religious refuge during the early days of Christianity. By the fourth century Christians fleeing Rome’s persecution had arrived in some numbers and established monastic communities here. The monks excavated extensive dwellings and monasteries and created Byzantine frescoed paintings in cave chapels beginning in the seventh century, which endure in well-preserved isolation to this day.

Culled from this National Geographic site.

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Slept much better last night after Lynn worked on my shoulder and was ready and raring to go when I awoke. Many of our group, including Lynn, Dennis, and Paul, chose to go on the optional balloon ride around the area. They had to be up and ready to go at 545. I couldn’t see that it was a good idea for me to go, considering my fear of heights, so I sent one of my cameras up with Lynn. When I woke up and looked outside, there were about 20 balloons floating over the landscape. My only regret wasn’t going with them to take pictures of them getting into the balloons and taking off.

However, I did get to sleep until 630.

I was surprised to see spaghetti noodles and a marinara sauce on the breakfast bar this morning but I was happy to take some noodles and mix them with butter, cheese, and some of the spices we have found at every meal. It made a great breaking of my fast along with a bowl of fresh fruit salad.

We didn’t have to be on the bus until 915 today for the optional tour of Cappadocia. We hadn’t booked it originally but it turned out that it was a great idea that we did. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone coming here with Gate 1.

The first three stops were all very panoramic photo stops. Being Saturday, there were a lot more buses and a lot more tourists around. But other than having to work through throngs of

people with selfie sticks, the views were incredible. Our fourth stop was the Open Air Museum at Goreme where we had about 2 hours to wander with Şenol or on our own. This area had been a refuge prior to the 7th c. for Christians trying to flee persecution from Rome.

There are many small chapels in the rocks, many with enough of their frescos intact to be worth visiting. There was one, way up a flight of steps after a long hike uphill that Şenol said shouldn’t be missed. He was so right. These caves are all relatively small so there is a no photo policy that is strictly enforced by guards in each of the cave chapels. After making it all the way up to the highest one (did I mention we were about 12,000 feet above sea level?), the guard reminded us no photos as we entered when he saw that Ed/Giles was going to hand me my camera. But, somehow we ended up to be the last two in there after a bit and he said “Photo okay. Quick.” I grabbed the camera and got 4 very nice pictures of the frescos in that chapel as I said “give him a tip, please”. As I thanked him when I was leaving, I went to shake his hand and he took it and put his other hand to his lips with one finger extended and said “shhhhh”. I smiled and squeezed his hand before climbing down.

Lunch was our next stop and boy, are we spoiled now. After that lunch, I am not sure I want to eat ever again so I don’t bespoil the memory of it. Şenol told us that this place was owned by a woman Continued on page 17

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Continued from page 16 and her three daughters and that they had a wood-fire oven for their bread and pide and such. The restaurant is called Zerdali and I’d say try to find it if you’re ever in Cappadocia. The menus had photos along with the prices (so much over here can be a surprise when it comes to prices) and Ed/Giles and I, not too terribly hungry, had agreed on one dish to share. Şenol told us that was just a small dish, probably not enough to share, so we ordered a second dish.

The first dish, Kayseri Mantis, was minced meat filled pasta (much like very small ravioli or pelimeni) smothered in a garlic-yoghurt sauce and a bit of tomato sauce. That would have been sufficient. But the second dish was İçli Köfte, a mixture of minced meat, onion, bulghur, walnut, and spicey spices that had been deep-fried (I’ve found that it’s translated as Kibbee here in the states).

OMG, was that one tasty. I was glad that I had ordered some ayran to go with it to cut through the spice. Ed/Giles ordered turkish coffee and I thought I’d ordered a cup of sahlep but the waiter misunderstood. When we settled the

cheque I mentioned it and he was very embarassed. I was full and didn’t care but he explained to Şenol that he wanted to give me some to take away.

Yummy!

It was about a 20-minute drive to our next stop, the underground city of Özkonak. These troglodyte cave-cities were excavated as early as Hittite times, and expanded over the centuries as various marauding armies traversed Central Anatolia in search of captives and plunder. There are 36 underground cities in Cappadocia and the widest one is Kaymakli underground city, while the deepest is the Derinkuyu Underground City. The one we went to wasn’t nearly that big or deep but we didn’t have to fight swarms of tourists to explore it. We went down about five levels and it was really neat. There were storage areas, winemaking area, and living quarters in the area we explored.

The final stop of the day was the Fairy Chimneys, a set of rock formations that had the softer tufa beneath layers of harder volcanic rock that ended up leaving these formations that have to be

seen to be believed. I was pretty wiped when we got there but still managed to wander around a bit.

By the time we made it back to the hotel, I was ready to collapse. It was a glorious day with some incredible things that were seen and experienced. But all I really needed at that point was to nap.

I wanted to do so in the bathtub but it is too narrow and had the faucet set in the middle of one side that would make it difficult for me to get in much less out. So, I showered and collapsed on the bed for the next two hours. Dinner was another buffet (I think they’re trying to kill us with food) and I ate relatively small portions.

It isn’t even 2100 yet but I’m ready to climb into bed and veg out until I am asleep. We’re off to Ankara tomorrow.

Hard to believe we only have two more days left before we head home on Tuesday. This is definitely a vacation that I won’t soon forget. Ed/Giles rarely says that he wants to go back somewhere but I suspect we might end up back here some day. I sure hope so.

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Cappadocia to Ankara This thing with breakfast buffets is getting kind of old. Might help if the food was better, I guess. I tried an egg casserole this morning but it was cold and I didn’t feel like trying to make it edible. I stuck to some flat bread and butter (the breads here are really great), some fruit yoghurt (mostly pomegranate which was interesting) with some cereal tossed in, and cherry juice. I am loving the cherry juice everywhere.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Atatürk was a Turkish nationalist leader and founder and first president of the republic of Turkey.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in 1881 in Salonika (now Thessaloniki) in what was then the Ottoman Empire. His father was a minor official and later a timber merchant.

When Atatürk was 12, he was sent to military school and then to the military academy in Istanbul, graduating in 1905.

In 1911, he served against the Italians in Libya and then in the Balkan Wars (1912 - 1913). He made his military reputation repelling the Allied invasion at the Dardanelles in 1915.

In May 1919, Atatürk began a nationalist revolution in Anatolia, organising resistance to the peace settlement imposed on Turkey by the victorious Allies. This was particularly focused on resisting Greek attempts to seize Smyrna and its hinterland. Victory over the Greeks enabled him to secure revision of the peace settlement in the Treaty of Lausanne.

In 1921, Atatürk established a provisional government in Ankara. The following year the Ottoman Sultanate was formally abolished and, in 1923, Turkey became a secular republic with Atatürk as its president.

He established a single party regime that lasted almost without interruption until 1945.

He launched a programme of revolutionary social and political reform to modernise Turkey. These reforms included the emancipation of women, the abolition of all Islamic institutions and the introduction of Western legal codes, dress, calendar and alphabet, replacing the Arabic script with a Latin one. Abroad he pursued a policy of neutrality, establishing friendly relations with Turkey’s neighbours.

Culled from this BBC website.

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We hit the road at 830 and had about 3 1/2 hours on the road plus the morning pit stop (it helps that Şenol needs a cigarette and coffee from time to time) and lunch stop which would put us into Ankara, the country’s capitol, around 1300/1330. The morning’s talk was on the history of Atatürk and the founding of the Republic. which morphed into a bit to how the government is organized.

I love that one of the three main tenents of Turkey’s constitution is that it is and always will be a secular state. And it’s stated very clearly that this can NEVER be changed and a couple of their Prime Ministers have been imprisoned trying to add religion to the government. (An object lesson I wish the US would learn from.)

We also had a lot of time to read or nap or chat. This has been a great bunch of folks to travel with. Most people are open and willing to talk to others not within their own clique or family. It could be that we are only 27 but we’re very diverse and it’s nice to have such a congenial bunch to be stuck on a bus with for as long as

we have had to be. The morning pit stop was at a place we’d stopped at on the way to Cappadocia and they have one of the most amazing WCs (Water Closet/ Toilet) that I’ve ever seen. A small booth is just outside where a worker collects 1 lira from each that enters (about $.38).

The area is clean, beautifully appointed, and huge. The stalls are divided between traditional and Western-style (with little symbols on the doors so you don’t have to guess), and has hot water to wash your hands (or feet since there are sinks for that, too) in (not all toilets that we visited had hot water to wash in).

We were not seriously hungry (how could we be the way this trip has gone) an hour and a half later when we stopped for lunch. Ed/Giles and mesplit a plate of chickpeas and a plate of pilaf. I had a glass of ayran (I could get addicted to this stuff ) as well. We also got some ice cream for dessert. The ice cream over here is kind of chewy...sticky... hmmmm....hard to describe (kind of like taffy). It’s different but tasty. We bought a couple of souveniers (btw--they sell STUFF everywhere!!!) And then were on our way to the capitol city.

Ankara was created as the capitol because it was relatively centrally located. Its population when the Republic was founded in 1923 was about 7K and it’s about 5M people now.

Most of it is very modern and the largest industry is the government. We had two stops here in the city.

Continued on page 19

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“To see me does not necessarily mean to see my face. To understand my thoughts is to have seen me.”

Continued from page 18 Stop 1: Mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk which is a large monument to the war hero (World War I) and founder of the Republic. This edifice is as impressive as the Lincoln Memorial in my mind and then some. I got very lucky to have a perfect place for the changing of the guard (we were convinced that the guards were mannequins because we couldn’t see them blink) which was an imprssive display. As impressive as any I’ve seen whether it was at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C., at the Kremlin in Red Square in Moscow, or at Buckingham Palace in London, UK. Stop 2: The Anadolu Medeniyetleri Muzesi (the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations [aka the archeology museum]). This museum has one of the best collections of Hittite carvings anywhere. Housed in an 15th-c.. castle, I was impressed by the building as I was of the artifacts that it housed. Lots of wonderful examples of pottery, figurines, jewelry, and other items from the daily life of the Hittites, the Assyrians, etc. Lots of Bronze Age stuff.

An hour was enough time to take a lot of it in but not really all. The descriptive plaques need some work but it’s still a museum worth visiting.

We got to the hotel abour 1700 and got the run down for the rest of the night and tomorrow (our last full day in country). Dinner was to be on our own but Şenol gave us a great suggestion (more in a minute on that) and the morning will be the earliest yet. 530 for the wake-up call; bags out by 615; on the bus by 700. This is to give us a little more time in Istanbul since it’s a 5-hour drive from here to there. Ed and Paul hit the gym and I was drawn into the lovely deep bathtub (shower is totally separate for the first time all trip) and we agreed to meet for dinner at 1900.

Now, about that restaurant Şenol

~Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

recommended. He pointed out a few places but said that we should skip most of them to go to the one called Aspava.

He said there were a lot of decent kebab places but that this one was the best and cost the least. We were lucky enough to run into Lynn and Dennis who were coming back from there and they gave us a run-down/warning/review which we were glad to get. First off, no one in the restaurant speaks any English at all (a good sign, in my book). They each ordered an entréeand were shocked when they were brought a cold yoghurt soup, salad, a mixed vegetable grill (mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers covered with cheese in a pan still hot from the oven), pita bread, and French fries with a kind of salsa-like dipping sauce all before the entree’s showed up.

After they were done with all of that, tea and dessert came with it all as well. And there was bottled water on the tables that they didn’t charge extra for. So, it was a good thing we knew this going in. Ed/Giles and meshared lamb shish kebab (best lamb I can ever remember having) and Paul and Cindy shared a doner (meat wrapped up in pita). I couldn’t resist ordering the İçli köfte when I saw it on the menu (it was almost as good as the stuff we had yesterday) and they were nice enough to give us each one even though it appeared that an order was only 3 of them. The salad was chock full of interesting vegetables and pickles. The mixed grill was really good. The French fries were okay. The pita was amazing. The tea was hot and lovely. And the dessert was a small scoop of the sticky vanilla ice cream along with a dessert made out of semolina that wasn’t overly sweet. Top it all off with some ayran for Ed/Giles and meand we rolled out of there. The total cost for all of that, you ask? I’ll tell you. 56 lira (abour $21 USD) for all four of us. We did leave a great tip because on top of all of that,

the service was top-notch.

We needed to walk a bit after all of that, so we went looking for an ATM (3 banks just around the corner) and then wandered into a grocery store (I love foreign grocery stores) before heading back to the hotel.

So, considering how early the morning will be, I guess it’s time for me to find the arms of Morpheus (or at least his Turkish counterpart). G’night, Mustafa, wherever you are.

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Ankara to Istanbul (including a Bosphorus cruise and a trip to the Spice Market) Great night’s sleep (best bed and hotel so far this trip) even though it was a very early wake-up call. Up at 530 and the bags outside the door by 615 and then down to breakfast. Best breakfast so far as well. Another buffet but there were some very good cheese pastries (I’m thinking one was like borek and the other might have been like a pide); really moist, tasty scrambled eggs; bacon for the first time this trip; a nice selection of fruits (fresh, dried, or stewed); and lots of other stuff. It wasn’t hard after dinner last night to be good and take just a little bit of a few things. After all, we had a 5 plus hour drive ahead of us.

700 into the bus. I was thinking again that it was nice that we were only 27 on a bus that had 46 seats. Ed/Giles and metook different seats so we could stretch out a bit more. Today was going to be the last time that we would see our bus driver, Kadir, who has been so nice to me. Always helping me down out of the bus and seeming to be proud of my tenacity. When I went to give him his tip envelope, I couldn’t help but hug him and it was reciprocated nicely. And we were off.

Along the way we had our usual morning pit stop (actually, someone asked for an emergency one not too long after we took off ) and a lunch stop a couple of hours later. The terrain that we drove through was very hilly and On the Bosphorus

by Alexis Lavine ©2015

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rocky for much of the way. For quite a while it was all pine trees and then there were a lot of deciduous trees for a while more. Lots of snow on the ground on one side of the road for a while as well.

I read and played a bit on my tablet or napped along the way. For lunch, Ed/ Giles and meshared a cheese borek (flat pastry filled with cheese and fried) and some hot tea. The weather today is a lot chillier than it’s been (in the low 40s). I found some sweets for dessert (one was a gooey ball of some kind of fruit paste, either chestnut or date, I’m not sure which, studded with hazelnuts; the other was the same gooey stuff filled with pistachios). Very tasty.

When we got closer to Istanbul, the highway was following the coast of the Bosphorus. Lots of shipping and factories and lots of highrises and apartments. We were on the Asian side of the border still. Eventually, around 1330, we got to Istanbul and the bus dropped us off on a pier to wait for the boat for our cruise on the Bosphorus.

Still really chilly and windy, part of me was wondering if this was a good idea.

I wasn’t bundled as much as I probably should have been but what the heck.

When might I get this chance again.

Finally, the boat arrived and I was the only one at first to go up on the upper deck. Turned out that we had the boat all to ourselves and Şenol was our guide for this part as well. We cruised along

Running newsletter header top right the Asian shore for a bit and eventually crossed over and cruised along the European side for the rest of the time. A couple of the “boys” and Ed/Giles joined me up on top. Dennis stuck his head up and walked once around the deck before retreating to the comparatively warmer lower deck.

Our destination was very near the hotel that we stayed at the first two nights we were here in Instanbul. We got off the boat and Şenol led us to the Spice Market and set us off to for hour and a quarter. Paul, Cindy, Ed/Giles and mestarted out together and a couple of times Ed/Giles and mewere drawn in to shops. There aren’t just spice shops in the Spice Market--they have a lot of the same kinds of shops as the Grand Bazaar selling lots of different kinds of stuff. We knew we were going to be buying stuff for sure. In fact, we found a few gifts as well as finally finding a shop that we found to have the best prices. The shop was just outside the main door of the Market and the prices seemed to be about half of what we found early in the expedition. By the time we were done, we had sent Paul & Cindy off because we knew we’d be a while and Dennis & Lynn ended up finding us. Between the spices, teas, and lokum (Turkish Delight) we bought, our total came to 430 TRY (or

about $175 USD) and he even threw in a gram of the best Iranian saffron they sold, as a gift. We were also served some very tasty pomegranate tea while we finished up the negotiations. It was a fun experience. The sights, smells, and sales pitches as we wandered through the Market were the stuff dreams are made of.

Back on the bus for the last time, we drove through much of the newer city to our hotel which was about a half hour away from the market. Very new, very fancy...we have the comfiest beds yet and an awesome corner room view. Our farewell dinner is in about an hour and a half so I think it’s time to shower and relax and then change for dinner.

Dinner was pleasant. May not have been the best meal we’ve had since we got here but it was very congenial. It was a set menu, no choices, and they included 2 glasses of wine (or beer or soda) besides water (first time all trip). A nondescript tomato soup improved by the addition of croutons and cheese that could be added; beef with some peppers and tomatoes served with plain rice (not even pilaf ) and one lone broccoli spear-the combination was tasty enough but hardly worth writing about; and tiramisu (I dislike anything coffee-flavoured and this was not an exception) for dessert.

But we had great company with Mo (the eldest of the Persians [all three men were named Mohamed]--I couldn’t believe he is 86) and wonderful conversation.

A representative of the Gate 1 office in Istanbul went table by table asking for feedback; Şenol went around doublechecking this, that, and the other to make sure all the paperwork was done and we were told what time to be ready to transfer to the airport tomorrow (we have to be ready by 1030—enough time to sleep in but not really enough time to do anything more here); and then the good-byes. There were a lot of hugs between people who were strangers less than 2 weeks ago. We all have come to realize how lucky we’ve been to have each other as traveling companions.

So, it’s time to finish this off now. I’m sure I’ll write up some final thoughts, perhaps while waiting for our flight home, but this really has been the trip. It’s been good enough that if the opportunity arises again, we might find ourselves back here. Heck, as Paul said, if we had the ability to learn Turkish, moving here could be an option. It’s such a progressive country and our dollars would go much further here. We are all leavingwith a very positive feeling towards the Turks and their country.

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Final impressions of dogs and food. Definitely some of my favourite memories of this trip.

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Turkey 2015 Travelogue

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” ~Rumi Final thoughts. This was a trip I never anticipated taking and already would love to go do it again. Or at least parts of it again. I didn’t write about the trip home but it was pretty uneventful. Our plane was on time (have I mentioned how nice it was to have a direct flight from Chicago to Istanbul?

Or how nice it is to fly Turkish Airlines?), no customs hassles, and no problems catching the bus back to Madison. Missed out on jetlag the first couple of days but it hit by the third.

Still doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it again.

My brother-in-law, Paul, was describing my travelogues to someone on the trip one day and mentioned that I write about almost everything and a lot about the food. Yeah, I do.

Food is important to me, true. But usually I am disappointed in other travelogues where they write that they went here and there; saw this and that; had lunch...; and then went there and here & say that and this. I’m always wondering, what did you eat? How was it? What did it look like? :D Not really obsessed with it, but fascinated to be sure.

You’ll also note that I take pictures of critters. Dogs, cats, sheep, roosters, guinea hens, and even a parrot. I do because it’s part of the landscape for me. Someone told me after I came home that people in Turkey do put out bowls of cat food but they tend to neglect the dogs. That there is a group that tries to get dogs out of the country to get them adopted in other parts of the world. I so wish I could do that but we also have lots of animals that need rescuing in this country (and our house is full up.)

So, until the next trip, I’ll leave this here. As Hans Christian Andersen once said: “To travel is to live” and I am so glad to be alive!

Credits. All of the photos within this document are mine. The quotes and facts have attributions with them. The important credit is to my cousin, Alexis Lavine, who is one of the most incredible watercolour artists that I know. After we booked our trip, I discovered that she and her husband, Phil, took the exact same trip last fall with Gate 1. She sent me one of the paintings she did after her trip and I asked if I could use it in here. She not only said yes but she sent me four others. So, on pages 5, 8, 11, 13, and 20, you’ve seen her talent. If you want to see more of her work (or perhaps purchase a painting by her), you can go to her website at: www.alexislavineartist.com.

Albums of all of my photos from this trip: The full collection Days 1-2 (February 27-28) Istanbul Day 3 (March 1) Gallipoli, World War 1 Memorials Day 4 (March 2) Troy, Pergamum, & Canakkale Day 5 (March 3) Ephesus and Kusadasi Day 6 (March 4) Pamukkale and Hierapolis Day 7 (March 5) Konya Day 8 (March 6) On the road to Cappadocia Day 9 (March 7) Cappadocia Day 10 (March 8) Ankara Day 11 (March 9) Back to Istanbul Day 12 (March 10) Last view of Istanbul