Gate 1 Affordable Turkey Trip Report
 

As promised here is my trip report from my 14 day Affordable Turkey Tour with Gate 1. It will be in several installments due to the fact that I am writing on my lunch hour. Just a warning I will occasionaly digress into things I found interesting.

Dates: Feb 14, 2008 - Feb 27, 2008

The tour was "sold out" and had 3 busses. Originally I was concerned about have 100+ people on the tour, but that quickly proved unneccessary. The guides were well organized and stagered the buses so that it was an extremely rare occasion when all three were at the same place at the same time.

I flew KLM from Chicago via Amsterdam to Istanbul. The flights weren't full and the service was wonderful.

Before going through passport control you'll need to purchase a visa. This was quick and easy. For US travelers the price is $20. Just give them your money and passport and the clerk puts on the stamp. You then move about 150 feet to the side and go through passport control. Your luggage and the meeting spot for the tour transfers is just on the other side.

It was easier to move around Istanbul's airport than many US airports. (DFW and Dullas come to mind)

Our transfer guide was right out front and after collecting our bus load (3 flights were arriving with in 30 minutes of each other) we were read to load and head into Istanbul.

Istanbul as we found out is actually a very large city (12-15 million) and covers a good about of space. The ride from the airport to the Hotel Oran was about 40 minutes. We did have to walk the last block because the bus couldn't make the turn on to the very small street at that time of day.

The hotel is on the edge of the univeristy area so the nightlife around the area was readily available. It is also near the Suluymet (I so didn't spell this right) Mosque, which I took a stroll over to before our orientation tour. After 11 hours worth of flying that was just enough.

The guide on the bus also explained how to exchange money and use the local ATMs (they do have english) before we got to the hotel.

The hotel also had a Turkish bath. Since we were staying there on our return to Istanbul, I had mine at the end of the tour.

The welcome speech included all of the thing you need to know and really demonstrated our guides experience. He had and entire system worked out for luggage and meals and stops. It took care of all those niggling little questions.

The meal that night was included and was tasty, except for the chocolate pudding. As I recall it was a cream soup, a salad of shredded red cabbage, corn, carrots, and lettuce with a dressing, roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, fabulous bread and that dreadful pudding.

It is worth noting that drinks at the hotels are EXPENSIVE. I believe the glass of wine that the woman across from me had was $10 and wasn't that good.

From Istanbul - Canakkala

Our first full day of the tour started with an included buffect breakfast. Compared to what I had experienced in Greece and Italy it was quiet extensive. There were cereals, yougurt with fruit to stir in, 3-4 chesses, tomatoes, cumbers, 3-4 meats, boil eggs, scrambled eggs, pastries, and bread. Plus a couple things I can read in my journal. But I do remember everything was tasty.

I also remember the snow. Turkey had a rare severe winter storm move through while we were there. In old town Istanbul it was just great big fluffy flakes, but as the day went on it accumulated and accumulated and became the leading story on the news across the country.

We started our journey out of Istanbul heading south and west. Around the coast of the Sea of Marmara and on to the Gallipoli peninsula. With the snow and ice the road our speed was reduced, but our bus drive was skilled and while other trucks and cars were spinning and getting stuck, we just kept steadily moving south.

One item the tour didn't include was a visit to the battle grounds on Gallipoli. According to the guide it takes about 4 hours to see the loop (it is set one way) so that wasn't a practical trip with our itinerary.

So we arrived at the village of Gallipoli at lunchtime. Being a little motion sick I was looking for the plainest looking food I could find. I thought I had plain rice and beans. What I had was a wonderful bean and tomato stew with a side of rice. About $4.

From there it was on to the ferry to cross the Dardanelles. Blessedly, Dramamine made sure I wasn't conscious for that crossing. The sea was rough do to the storm and the ferry was a rocking ride (so I'm told).

From there we drove through Canakkala to Troy.

All my life I've read about Troy so this was a major milestone moment for me.

The excavations of the site are ongoing so there are different projects going on. There are at least 9 layers of city that have been uncovered. I wish I could describe the layers and the importance of them but that would be a book. Suffice it to say a city survived into the Roman era on that site. There are more ruins from that time than others, but walls and other pieces remain from the earlier cities.

Leave Troy we headed back into Canakkala. Unfortunately the roads were quite icy and we had to put on chains and wait for multiple vehicles to be cleared from the road. The police certainly earned their keep during this storm.

Our night ended in Canakkala with an included dinner. Tomato pasta soup, chicken chunks with rice, picked mushrooms, artichokes, salad, bread, good chocolate pudding made it on to my plate, but there were many more dishes that I didn't have room to try.

Di I'm always getting the Gate 1 tour books, and I have to admit some of the trips seem like a deal. I'd love to take one. So I'm really digging your trip report.

Thanks, Theresa in Detroit

Di, so far so good! Please continue and digress all you want. This is on my to do list, so I'm curious to hear more.

Di: I'm so glad to hear about Gate I Travel. Their trips seems too good a value to be comfortable. So I'm really looking forward to more of your report.
I went on an Elderhostel Trip to Italy which ended up to be three buses and 90+ people. At first I panicked, but it turned out to be one of our best trips ever

Istanbul is known for its rice pudding, not chocolate, but you could have found mouth-watering desserts on Istaklal Caddesi.

I am waiting for your opinion on the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. Did you go to the Grand Bazaar?

Thingorjus, author of "Turkey in the Straw: Thingorjus Sleeps in Istanbul."

Thingorjus, you are a treasure :))

Diane, I also am very interested in your Gate 1 tour. I think it would be especially good for someplace out of my personal comfort zone (like Turkey).

Actually I had many mouth watering desserts, just not the first night.

Also about the Oran hotel. It is a hotel in a building that wasn't originally a hotel. I would guess the building to be 150+ years old. So the rooms are very odd shaped and small. But the location is great.

You asked about the Blue Mosque, etc. We came back to Istanbul for the last few days of the trip so those places will be at the end. You'll just have to keep checking back.

So on with the trip....

Canakkale to Izmir

After the buffet with the jet lag and cold weather it was a delight to head off to bed. In general I was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations through out the tour. If there is any worth noting I'll share as I go along. The Akol was a nice hotel near the waterfront. In the summer it would be a lovely stroll, with the storm of the winter it was buffeted with strong winds. Didn't shake the buildings, but you did hear it howel.

All of the hotels has spacious bathrooms with tubs. No mini showers like Italian hotels. I did think they were a little narrower and higher than their American counter parts, but you didn't have to worry about spraying the entire bathroom.

So on the road we go. It is still snowing and slow going out of town as we head inland through the hills. We had to stop for chains again as we left the city.

The countryside in this area rather reminded me of the hill country of Texas, some steep hills and some rolling hills, lots of agriculture and little towns.

This is going to sound odd, but one of my favorite times in Turkey was riding the bus between cities. Our guide was a fountain of knowledge. On this particular morning as we were heading to Pergamum was Turkish family structure and social welfare. That lead to an entire discussion on traditions, marriage, military service, child rearing. Etc.

Before you knew it was time for lunch. We stopped at a truck stop. It really reminded me more of a Stucky’s (if you are familiar with that chain) food and tourist bits. I order the lamb kabobs. They were wonderful. Just right. It came with a side of rice and salad of tomatoes, cumbers and bread. Under $7.

From there we wound up the hill to the Acropolis of Pergamum. By now the storm was thinking of blowing itself out. The snow had stopped and the sun was peaking out. The wind didn't stop.

Pergamum was founded by one of Alexander’s generals. It expanded from a city state to having three or four major cities under its control. At the height of its power it had a library that rivaled that of Alexandria. To the point where Egypt cut off papyrus export to Pergamum. That didn't stop those scholars. They developed new techniques to write on preserved animal skin, heard of parchment. That is where the name originated.

The acropolis itself was largely rediscovered in the early 1900's (if I read my notes right) by a German engineer in charge of putting the railway line in. He needed stone and the local workers starting bring in cut marble. When he saw it he wanted to know where it came from. They lead him to the ruins of Pergamum. The railroad project was completed (with out the Pergamum materials). But the engineer then became the person who coordinated the dig of Pergamum.

In a way it is very proper that an engineer would be working on the dig. There are two fairly substantial works of engineering there. One was the aqueduct work. How do you get water from a lower level to a higher elevation without a pump? They figured that out. They also figured out the arch and barrel vaulting necessary to level out the acropolis area. Rather than flatten the mountain, they filled it in (with rooms) to make the level temple area and market area. One of the people in our group was a retired engineer and he was quite impressed with their method.

Normally we would have spent more time there, but with the unpleasant wind we all were done in an hour and had headed for the hot coffee and tourist shops.

I made my best purchase on woven bookmarks at this place. I got 7 for $1. The rest of the time they were between 3-4 for the $1. Only at the House of the Virgin Mary were they 1YTL each (about $.80). There was a general run on Turkish delight, scarves, jewelry, and cloth purses. (I just got bookmarks and post cards here)

Then it was time to twist back down the mountain. They have switchbacks, which would do any mountain proud.

From there it was on into Izmir.

Izmir is the 3rd largest city in Turkey (behind Istanbul and Ankara) and a business and port center.

Our hotel was the Kaya Prestige and seemed to be located in the business district and would be what I would call business class accommodations. Nice, clean but not fussy. It reminded me a bit of Chicago or New York, just smaller.

Diner was provided again and was a set menu. The salad was lettuce, carrot, corn and olives tossed with a oil and vinegar dressing, Bread (great bread every where you went), soup (I have no idea what is was but it was yummy), and the main dish of rice, veggies and beef. And more chocolate pudding (tasty this time) for dessert.

We would be spending two nights at this hotel so it gave me a chance to unpack and rearrange because the next day was the all day tour to the House of the Virgin Mary and Ephesus.

Hi Diane,

My wife and I are planning to tour Turkey on our own. We would probably travel in the last wk of April/ 1st wk may. A friend suggested we tour Turkey and Greece in 10 days. We generally spend at least a fortnight touring a country, hence, this sounds very 'rushed to me. What do u say? Waiting to hear about he rest of your trip.

Thanks for posting your report, Diane. I'll be visiting Turkey for the first time in July and am looking forward to reading more. :}

Hi Pawan,

I've been to both Greece and Turkey. If you never stopped you could see the highlights of both countries, but I think you would loose the character of the places then. The only way I can think you'd seen both in 10 days would be a cruise with a day in Athens and 2 in Istanbul on the end. And then you'd be restricted to costal sites (which are striking), but there is so much more.

I was in Turkey for 13 days and Greece for 11 and still have a list of places to go back and see.

Izimr - House of the Virgin Mary, Ephesus - Bascilia of St. John.

How long can the wind blow? And will I ever be warm again? Those are the two questions that returned time and again during the first three days of the trip. The storm was finally getting over and the sun peaking out.

After our usual buffet breakfast we settled into the bus for the hour trip to Ephesus and surrounding sites.

The House of the Virgin Mary is located on a mountain side above the city of Ephesus. Historically speaking there is no proof that this particular house is THE house, however the site has been attributed since at least the 3rd century so it is fairly likely that people living much closer to the time had better provinaonce to the home.

Whether it is or is not it has been a church for a long time and is recognized as a pilgrimage location by the Vatican.

It is actually a lovely setting. They charge a small fee to enter the area, the church makes it very clear they aren't charging, but that the government does for the care of the roads and facilities.

As you walk along the path to the house you pass the remains of a small theater area and a dressed stone pit which was used for baptisms. The house itself has been rebuilt. The original foundation is visiable and you can tell the difference in the age of the stone.

The house itself is a simple affair. 2 rooms. The main room has a number benches and an altar and in the other room is another small shrine.

As you exit you have the opportunity to light 2 candles should you choose. You also have the opportunity to collect water from the spring there. I am told it is considered holy water. I'm not Catholic so some of the finer points were lost on me.

It is a lovely location with a lovely view. I can see why some one would want to live up there especially during the summer the breeze would be welcome.

We wound back down the mountain to the main gate at Ephesus.

Ephesus is an impressive site no matter what other ruins you've visited these are some of the best in the world.

So far the excavation has focused on the main street and the turn down to the bay (or where the bay was before it silted in). The main agora and forum have been uncovered and some of the walls reconstructed. They are mostely between waist and shoulder height. As you move away from the street the walls get higher.

I should mention that I visited Ephesus on a cruise ship excursion 6 years ago so this wasn't my first experience seeing the sites. But what was really interesting was to see the progress they'd made in certain areas.

Since my last visit they had uncovered the "sidewalk" along the main street. It is a lovely black and white stone patterned mosaic. On a day when I wasn't shivering I would have probably enjoyed it even more.

The guidebooks are full of pictures of the city and the stories so I'll let them speak for the ruins. Suffice it to say between Pompeii and Ephesus they are my two favorite ruin cities.

Three hours at Ephesus and we were all thoroughly chilled. We were grateful to head off to lunch. It was another truck stop / cafeteria. At least the bathroom was warm. More good food at a fair price. I finally had my first yummy dessert, milk pudding with cinnamon.

Slightly thawed out we headed for the last stop of the day the Basilica of St. John. This was built in 300ish AD. And would be the 3rd largest basilica in the world today. Even the ruins are impressive. What I liked was the little white and yellow flowers that were bravely trying to bloom in the bottom of the baptism pool.

I can truthfully say that is worth a stop. The vistas are also quite amazing. You can see some of the out-towers of ancient Ephesus from the hillside.

Then it was back on the bus to Izmir. It is only an hour and by the time we got back everyone had a little nap along the way.

Tonight I opted for the optional Kebob dinner. Personally, I was glad I had. It was a massive meal of meat. Plus I had things I would have never ordered on my own. The guide (Bus C's guide drew dinner duty) explained each dish before it arrived along with any tradition or history to it.

We started out with”welcome" bread. It is crispy flat bread that had risen in the center. You took you piece and spread it with goat cheese and butter. - But don't fill up on that there is more to come....

Then it was a lovely meatball - literally translated it is "the emotional meatball", because so much effort is put into its making. The ground lamb is marinated overnight and cracked wheat dough made. The dough is rolled into a ball and the hole is made in the center. The meat is pushed into the hole and the whole thing is fried. YUMMY.

Then came the salad. Chopped tomato, green pepper, red one, and the largest slice of radish I've ever seen. It was about 4 inches across.

Then the main meal came. We had beef and lamb sliced gyros meat, ground beef and lamb patty, 2 beef meat balls, 2 beef & lamb balls with cheese, 1 ground lamb roll (very spicy), and 1 lamb kabob. With a side of rice, broiled tomato and asparagus.

Dessert was a traditional travel bread soaked in liquor and topped with milk curd. It reminded me of fruitcake without the fruit.

For me I completely enjoyed it.

Tomorrow on to Pamukkale.

Izmir to the Pamukkale Region

The sun is out, although it still breezy, but the improvement is dramatic.

Today we head inland.

During the tour we had to factory stops. One leather shop and one carpet factory. This morning was the leather shop. Actually most people didn't seem to mind the stop we combined it with a bathroom break and stretch. Plus it was actually very interesting. They put on a fashion show and the works.

So from there on we were on to lunch and Pamukkale region. The end location was the Necropolis and the ancient city of Hieropolis perched on top of an amazing hillside.

So that is quite a bit of an understatement. This area is served by a hot spring. The minerals left over from the evaporation of the water have created a Cliffside of white formations. It looks like some one frosted the hillside and then put hot spa pools in it.

There has been a "spa" on the site for thousands of years. The city surrounding the hot springs was fairly large. It has a stadium, which seated 10,000.

They have excavated and reconstructed the old Roman baths and now have an on site museum. I think it was a couple of YTL to go in. I thought it was very well done and interesting. They have a number of the freezes from stadium (further up the hill) on display.

There is an extensive necropolis as well. Not everyone who came to the hot springs for treatment survived.

We had about 3 hours there and I didn't even come close to seeing all that I wanted to. I did get to wade in the spring, but that was about it.

Some day I'd like to go back and swim among the ruins (several roman pillars have fallen into one of the pools) and see the rest of the site.

After we collected everyone back on the bus we headed for our hotel. The Lycus River. Ugh. This hotel and I didn't agree with each other. The beds were lower to the ground, there was no flat surface for writing (I have a journal here to keep!) and the room configuration made it noisy. It rather reminded me of a summer camp that was trying to be come a spa.

The buffet while tasty was disorganized. Although the guide told me this was an improvement. Prior to several "resort" hotels opening they actually used hostels and peoples houses for tour groups.

So one very confused meal later it was time to get some sleep for the ride to Konya the next day.

Hi Diane!

I'm really enjoying your trip report.

We used Gate 1 for part of our Italy trip and they also had us visit a leather shop and another one. Is it just Gate 1 or do other tours do this as well? It did not bother me because the demos were interesting, did not take long, and there was no pressure to purchase anything.

Thanks for continuing.

I am interested in your report on Turkey because my husband and I are taking a similar tour in September. I noted that we are also staying at the Lycus River hotel, which is listed as a First Class place. I know that European "classes" are not the same as US, but wonder just how undesirable the hotel is--both Globus and Trafalgar tours use it. Is it because there are no other choices? Ciao. mhm

Hi Mercy,

There is a small complex of "resort hotels" being built there (I think there were three done by my count). So you stay there because that is what is available.

From the areas point of view their focus is more on the spring and spa selling points. They are more interested in offering spa services. Do they have water from "the spring", pool, jacuzzi, sauna, massage services, etc rather than on the rooms.

Some of my fellow travelers were quite pleased with the pool and jacuzzi so the fact it didn't have a desk and the buffet was disorganized really didn't matter to them.

The hotel did have a really nice bar if that is important.

But it was clean and neat. The one thing is that the water isn't drinkable there. Not even for brushing teeth. The mineral content isn't good.

LCB,

I think all tour companies do it to some level. When I was in Italy with Trafalgar we did the leather guilding demonstration in Florence and the glass blowing in Venice. Both craft demonstrations, just conveniently ended in their show rooms.

Cosmos- also in Italy also had an inlayed wood work in Sorrento in addition to the others.

MISR in Egypt (although this was more the guide than the tour) took us to a Papyrus Factor, Weaving "factory", Pefume demo, and had a book for ordering cartoushes.

Pamukkale - Konya - Cappadocia

I started off the day at the equally confused breakfast buffet. The food was good they just needed to put together a better flow. At least the coffee cups ended up next to the coffee.

Then it was out to the bus and on to Konya. As far as sites this wasn't going to be the day for them. Really you are going from here to there.

Personally I found the countryside beautiful. It has a layer of snow (of course) and just a peacefulness about it. If you've ever driven through the north park area of Colorado where there are mountains on both sides of the wide plain and farms and agriculture along the road it is similar.

Today's topics on the bus were the difference between Shia, Suni, Sufi and the finer points of Islam. Now that was interesting. Very interesting. Part of the reason for today's topic is because of Melvina. To understand his importance you have to have some basic understanding of Islam.

It also helped to understand Konya. It is in the center of the more "conservative" part of the country. What that ment to us tourists, is that we saw more woman wearing scarves (NOT Veils or burkas - those are illegal). What it means to Turks is that more of the laws in the area are a little stricter (I didn't see alcohol in the grocery store like I had elsewhere). The government has built a university outside of Konya and is actively encouraging students from Istanbul and other coastal areas to go there so that Konya has an opportunity to see / mix with a more "liberal" (I am not sure that is really accurate, but it is as close as I can come) Muslim element.

The current ruling political party draws a lot of its support from the Konya area.

The stop for lunch was at another truck stop. Turkey's rail system really isn't too extensive so most of its goods go by road.

It was cafeteria style, but I had the set Kabob plate. Lamb skewer, with rice and fig pudding. First time for fig pudding, last time for fig pudding. But glad I tried it.

We also got a little lesson on Hoja jokes. They don't translate well. Partly because of language and partly because of customs.

When you go keep your eyes open for the old man riding on a donkey backwards. That is Hoja. May you have more luck understanding the jokes / moral of the stories than I did.

The hotel we stayed at was BRAND NEW. The Dedeman was beautiful with full amenities, pool, business center, and great restaurant. It would hold up to any 4 star hotel in the US. After spa camp it felt like I had died and gone to business traveler heaven.

Across the street was a new mall. By US standards it is small, but for the area it is new and modern. It had several clothing stores, a shoe store, 2 jewelry stores, a food court, ice rink was attached, and a Kipa (I love Kipa). Kipa is primarily a grocery store, but this one had a second story, which was like Target or Walmart.

Which was good for me because my camera decided to stop working at the Necropolis and the thought of going to Cappadocia without the ability to take a picture was causing me great distress. When I went in I was looking for a 35 mm or disposable cameras, but I walked out with a Samsung digital and supporting equipment. Nothing like an international brand. It even defaulted to English. And with the exchange rate it was even a fair price.

Dinner was included again. It was delish. It started with a spicy tomato soup and wheat roll. Then rigatoni in a simple tomato sauce. Followed by our main dish of brocoli, rice, roasted tomato, and roasted chicken. The chicken had a tasty sauce of some sort. I ate it ALL. Dessert was rice pudding with a scope of vanilla ice cream on top. So good.

I spent the rest of the evening reading about how to use my new camera and getting the batteries charged. Not rocket science, but important nonetheless.

The following morning about 2/3s of the group went on the tour of the Melvina monastery museum. I skipped that one. When I was planning from the states I figured that I would need a little break about then. I was right. I enjoyed my extra hour of sleep and stroll back over to the Kipa and ATM machine. I had no probably with my ATM card and I didn't hear of any one else having and issue either.

The buss looped around at 10:30 to pick us up and head off for the Cappadocia region.

Since we were all taking the all day tour the following day the guide moved the underground city tour to that afternoon. It made better sense as far as traveling was concerned.

I will admit that for lunch today I had a hamburger and fries. There was a full host of food and that just looked the best. I'm told I should have had the eggplant, but I was quiet happy with what I got.

I would have felt bad, except there were many Turks in my line as well.

From there we started to climb from the valley toward the mountains.

The underground city is not for those who are claustrophobic. There were 30 in our group. 10 only went into the first room because of knees, hips, or claustrophobia. So if it doesn't agree with you don't worry. You aren't alone.

Personally, I found it fascinating and went on the whole tour. Our guide turned us over to a local guide for that portion of the tour. He is an descendant of the original people in the area. So he was showing us where he played as a little kid. Hide and seek would be really neat in this place.

The whole area is made up of a material called Tufa. It is basically compressed ash. It is easy to carve until it is exposed to air and then it becomes very tough. So you could carve an entire room with a spoon if you were inclined.

This complex had 5 open layers and 3 that had collapsed over time. Many of these cities had linking tunnels to other complexes in the area. If raiders came they could button up the whole village. They also used the area for storage (no need for a silo) and protection from the winter weather (below the first level it was an even 63 degrees).

The cities were quite complex. There was a carved kitchen, several winemaking areas (complete with the stomping vats and holes for the juice to flow out of, nooks for sleeping, hooks for bags or baby cradles.

Fair warning. There are a few narrow corridors so if you have very broad shoulders you'll end up going sideways. The people who lived there weren't too tall.

There was a fair number of tourist stands on the way back to the bus and they all wanted us to look (February is the very low season), but no one was aggressive.

We had one more overlook stop before we reached the hotel. You could see one of the volcanoes that helped for the region in the distance. And our first Fairy Chimneys. I'll talk more about that tomorrow.

We pulled into Urgup and our hotel the Dinler. At first you weren't real sure about the hotel, but the rooms were nice enough. Had a bit of a ski lodge quality to it.

The buffet was extensive. There was a table with over 20 salads. A hot food station with 2 types of fish, lamb, beef and pasta plus several veggie dishes. A bread hut. And a beautiful dessert table. I wish I would have taken a picture of it. It was just wow! Tasty too, but the decoration on the cakes and cut fruit was gorgeous.

So now it was time to head off to sleep. We had gotten to good news that the balloon rides were available and I had plans to soar.

I recall you saying sometime last month that you were going to make sure to post a trip report when you returned and I'm glad you are - I'm really enjoying it.

I'm really interested because I'm planning on taking a tour of Turkey sometime in the future - but I've always traveled independently. I'm having a hard time deciding which tour company is the right fit for me.

At each site you visited, was the group given a tour with a guide, or were you allowed to visit on your own with an agreed upon time to return to the bus? If you were given a tour at the site, did the tour guide give you any time to look around on your own at the end?

How was the bus seating? Was every seat filled, or were there enough empty seats so that people could spread out a bit?

Diane, thanks for the extensive trip report.

I just received my Travelzoo newsletter. Gate1 is offering this trip for $999 w/air! I am trying to talk DH into going. I'll have him read your report.

Hi Chepar,

Each site was a mix of guided time and independant time. They would take you to the site. Buy your tickets, take us in, depending on the layout of the site it would vary. Some times we would have a little lecture and time in that area, some times it was the whole lecture and 1-3 hours to look about.

For me it was good, because I like to know what I am looking at without having to stick my nose in a travel guide to read about it.

I forgot the bus question. There were 35 people on a bus that seated 42. The guide used the first seat so that left 40 for the rest of us. Even in bulky winter coats it didn't seem like a problem.

bookmarking

Hi Diane,

You probably remember me – I had posted the questions about the Gate1 tour to Turkey. We finally did book it and are leaving in May. I knew you were also taking a similar tour so I was eagerly waiting for your trip report. We will be taking the 14 days Turkish Treasures tour and it seems the only difference is that we will visit Antalya instead of Konya. I have really enjoyed reading about your experiences and have some questions for you:

1. You mentioned there being 100+ people on the tour and 3 buses – so do you stay with the same group of people and the same bus the entire tour? How about the tour guide – was it the same person for the entire trip or did they switch?

2. Hotel Oran in Istanbul – any advice on anything I should try to request (i.e. upper level floor, room with a view, etc).


3. How safe was it around the hotel in Istanbul and how late could you stay out without feeling unsafe?

4. How was the Turkish bath in the hotel? How much, was it separated by gender? Would you recommend it?

5. What time was the welcome dinner the first night? I am trying to figure out how much time we will have to site see before gathering with the group since it seems like everything closes early in Turkey.

6. So did you get to see anything in Gallipoli? It is listed on the itinerary but I wasn’t sure if they actually stop there, or do you just pass through?

7. Troy – how much time were you given since you were with the group? Could you site-see independently here or you have to stay with the group?

8. What time did you reach Cannakale? I did some research on what to see there but wasn’t sure if we would get there early enough to do any site-seeing that evening.

9. How much time do you get at Pergamum? Again, can you independently site-see a bit? Or is a structured tour?

10. Izmir – On the 1st night, did you get there early enough to go out in the evening?

11. Did you do Ephesus on you own or the optional tour? If you took the tour, how was it – was lunch included? What time do you get back by to Izmir? I am hoping to see a bit of Izmir in 1 of the 2 nights we are there.

12. You mentioned that you were able to wade in the pools at Pamukkale – any advice about this…what to pack, how much time do you have, are there any pools that are better than others, should we try to break away from the group to find more amazing pools, views, etc?

13. Did you book your optional tours before you left? Can you change your mind and join a tour once you are there or is it usually booked up?

14. Any other advice about the places you already reported on?

I am looking forward to hearing about the rest of Cappadocia, Ankara and Istanbul!!

Hi Luv,

I do remember you and I'll try to answer all your questions.

1. Do you stay with the same group of people and the same bus the entire tour? -- Yes

How about the tour guide – was it the same person for the entire trip or did they switch? -- For most of tour. For the night optionals were fewer people were going they would consolidate the buses. Bus C's guide did the Kabop Diner and Bus B&C did the Whirling Dervishes. Bus A did the Jewish Hert Tour.

2. Hotel Oran in Istanbul – any advice on anything I should try to request. -- I don't think you'll have any options. It is a old building (all of Old Istanbul is Old) an all of the rooms are odd. If you do get a choice away from the front street is best. There is a disco and it is open LATE.


3. How safe was it around the hotel and how late could you stay out? - I never felt unsafe, but then with the jet lag I turned in by 11 pm or earlier most nights. I can tell you that I did go walking in the neighborhood by myself (short single woman) and didn't feel uncomfortable at any point. It was just like walking in any large US city.

4. How was the Turkish bath in the hotel? How much, was it separated by gender? Would you recommend it? The bath offers several services. If you are guest and want to bath yourself it is free. If you want an attendant to scrub you down it was 14 YTL, the sauna was 10 YTL, and a 90 min massage was 20 Ytl. I had a scrub and a massage and with tip I spent 35 USD. You have your choice of mixed or single sex. When I was there, it just happened to be only women. I had a great experience.

5. What time was the welcome dinner the first night? - We arrived at the hotel at about 3:ish. By the time I got my room and luggage and freshened up it was 3:45. Ours started at 8 pm. I am not sure what you mean about Istanbul closing early. The historic sites close about the same as everywhere else I've traveled but the rest of the city doesn't got to bed until the wee hours. I think your trip actually arrives in Istanbul on a Friday, which is the main Muslim holy day so you might want to take that into account if you are going to visit any mosques.

6. So did you get to see anything in Gallipoli? No Gallipoli is a pass through. You actually eat lunch in the village of Gallipoli, but don't tour the battlefield.

7. Troy – how much time were you given since you were with the group? - Our time there was cut down by the horid weather. A three hour drive took almost 5 so our time was less than usual. As it was we still had over an hour, although it was so cold we were glad to be back on the bus.

Could you site-see independently here or you have to stay with the group? You can site see independently. Just stay with the guide long enough to get your ticket or enter with the group and find out the departure time and then you can go about your way.

8. What time did you reach Cannakale? -- Once again I will reference our bad weather. In addition to the longer drive from Istanbul, our bus had to put on chains and the police had the road closed due to several jack knifed trucks and cars. We didn't get there until 7:00. But in May I doubt you'll have those problems so I would guess you'll be there 4:30 ish. They have the horse from the recent movie Troy, and they have a very nice walkway along the seafront.

9. How much time do you get at Pergamum? Total, I think we had 2-2.5 hours. The guide gave us our option of how long we would like to stay as a group, but with the weather it wasn't all that nice for seeing. Again, can you independently site-see a bit? Just like before. Our guide had several stops at important parts going up the hill, and then in the main accroplis, gave us a few other interesting facts and turned us loose. I found the structured time very enlightening and enhanced my enjoyment looking at the rest of the site.

10. Izmir – On the 1st night, did you get there early enough to go out in the evening? - If you have the energy. We got there a little after 5pm I think. We were the last bus because we stayed the longest at Perg.

11. Did you do Ephesus on you own or the optional tour? If you took the tour, how was it – was lunch included? I did do the optional. Lunch wasn't included. We stopped at a very nice truck stop (for lack of a better description - remined me a little bit of a Luby's cafe if you are familiar with that). Technically you can do Ephesus on your own from Izmir, but by the time you take a taxi to the bus to Selcuk take a taxi to the sites, pay the entrance fees and reverse it back to Izmir you don't have a lot of time.

What time do you get back by to Izmir? We got back about 3 pm. You will be staying in downtown Izmir about 5 blocks from the seafront. Ismir is a completely modern city. It felt more like Chicago than and excotic foreign land.

12. You mentioned that you were able to wade in the pools at Pamukkale – any advice about this…what to pack, how much time do you have, are there any pools that are better than others, should we try to break away from the group to find more amazing pools, views, etc?

Pamukkale is a world heritage site and is protected. There is one and only one area that peole are allowed to wade in on the cliffs. It is good sized, but the pictures you see of people walking all over the area are decades old. All of the human traffic was destroying the formations.

There is a pool where you can swim in the ruins. It is a very nice site, you can rent a locker there to put your stuff and they have changing rooms. I don't know how much a ticket is.

This is one of the sites where I don't know what to advise you with staying with the group as to just seeing it. I would lean toward seeing it on your own if you aren't a history person.

Check with the guide, but you should be able to get a taxi or ride to the hotel and stay until the site closes for the night. I would guess it is a 20 minute walk from the park to the hotel (if you knew the way).

If you intend to take a dip, I would bring a suit, you can rent a towel. Many Russians and Germans visit and they more often go natural.

There is a board walk along clift face. You'll walk on it or the road as you move from the "spa" to the necropolis. Stop along that and turn to look back. Those are some of the most amazing views.

13. Did you book your optional tours before you left? I've been on tours before and this is the only company I know of that let me book them before. And actually I did. I know my travel tastes pretty well and when I'll get the point of needing alone time. So I did.

Can you change your mind and join a tour once you are there or is it usually booked up? You are able to sign up for them there. The only caveat is that if you want to put them on a credit card it will have to be more than 200 USD. They always accept cash.

14. Any other advice about the places you already reported on? I'll have to give that some thought. I'll probably post some random thoughts when I get to the end.

Hope that helps.

Cappadocia

I think before I begin with the day's adventures I should explain for those who don't know why Cappadocia is so special.

A very long time ago, two volcanoes on either end of a broad plain erupted. Over time layers of lava and ash built up one on top of the other. Two things happened. 1) the ash compacted and became a material called Tufa. Tufa once you break through the hard outer crust is very carvable. With a good stick or spoon you can did out an entire room. 2) Rain and wind started to erode those layers. The ash being softer than the lava it left behind layers of lava supported by a dwindling pinnacle of Tufa beneath.

When human entered the area they carved into the tufa for shelter. Over time their carving became more and more sophisticated. Eventually in addition to underground cities used in time of defense, winter or storage, they became every day dwellings. Even communities, churches, monastaries, pigeon coops, all of life's buildings.

It wasn't until the 1980's that the government persuaded people to leave their caves for houses. The Tufas errosion was becoming unstable (for what had already been carved) and the area still subject to earthquakes. Most people really only moved 30-40 feet. They build their new houses with in feet of the old.

So that is a bit of why the region is so unique.

When the guide said that he had called the balloon company and that the weather would be nice enough for a flight I was escatic. I had ballooned over the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and knew how fanstatic this could be. So by the time got to my seat to ask about the balloon trip I was nearly bouncing out of it.

The wake up call wasn't too bad 5:20 am. There were 22 people from the three buses that decided to go. We were picked up in 2 vans and taken to the balloon office. There we made our payments and had a nice cup of tea and a cookie before the flight.

The weather could not have been nicer. It was clear and calm. Between the white of the snow, the gray and brown of the rock and the brilliant blue of the sky the yellow of the balloon inflating on the plain was striking.

As we settled into our balloon. There were 14 people per balloon (we had been joined by some travel agents from the states checking the country out). With just a slight puff. We were aloft.

It was just the most amazing feeling. We went up 2500 ft above the valley floor and floated over the town of Avenos, the Red River, and another little village.

We could see the balloons of the other companies in the distance they would go up 1000 feet and into the nearest canyon. You could see them all following each other through the towers.

Our balloon guides had other ideas. We went north and west through a different series of mesas. Any description I could give would be in lacking beyond measure. We would decend in the middle of formations and the pilot would rotate the balloon so everyone got to see the formation. It was amazing. You didn't want to come down.

The pilot even landed the balloon on the bed of the trailer that came to pick us up when we were done. The biggest obstical was climbing back out the basket. :) Once we were all out the pilot gave us our "flight certificates" and sent us on our way back to the hotel. It was 8;15 and the all day excursion started at 8:30. They know exactly how much time it takes to get every body back to their hotels.

So will just a few minutes to rush to bathroom and grab a granola bar it was off for the day.

Our first scenic overlook was the Camel Fairy Chimney. Really they looked like a camel. T

hen it was on to the Goreme open air musuem. WOW. This is pretty high on the scale of neat. We saw three carved churches dating back to the 700-800s AD. Several of them still had their original frescos, one had a restored fresco and a couple had the original artwork before the fresco exposed. They carved the altar, pews, baptismal font, railing, pillars and dome out of tufa. The planning that went into these carvings is amazing. And not a bit of the decoration is necessary for structural support. The pillars are decoration only.

In several places you can see nails wedged into the ceilings. That is for vistors protection. Like all tufa these churches are slowly erroding away and over time fissures develop portenting a crack and collapse. A nail is stuck in those cracks, and if it should fall, that is the signal for everyone to get out NOW!!!

The government and UNESCO are trying to come up with ways to protect and save these historical treasures, but so far they haven't come up with any thing that has lasted a season.

In addition to the churches you can see the monastary eating rooms with the table and benches carved in. Quaters, other chapels, and rookeries. If there hadn't been so much snow some of the other areas would have been more accessible, but we had 90 mins or more on our own to explore.

Then it was off to scenic view point. This one you could walk around the base of the chimneys. At each of these stops there will little souviener stands and food shops.

Then it was time for the carpet factory. This was a big operation. We started with a very informative tour. The manager showed us how the various carpets were made, what the materials were and how the women kept their pattern and place. They had several ladies there doing demonstrations. Their work is impressive. Then it was into the next room to learn how the silk is harvested from the cocoons. It was interesting how some of the old methods entwined with modern technology.

Then came the famous flying carpet display. We got the whole education on rugs and kilimns. Wool on cotton, wool on wool, 24 knots, 36 knots. silk on cotton, 48 knots, 100 knots. Whoa. The detail on the best of the best was just like a painting.

After we had just about been overwhelmed they brought in lunch (for free) and took our drink orders. Soda, tea, coffee, wine?

Then its was time to shop if you were interested (or just ask questions), maybe provide moral support for some one who was shopping or just admire the handy work.

I'll admit, I did end up buying a rug for my dinning room. It should be here in the next 3 weeks. :)

Then it was on to our next scenic stop. No matter where we stopped it was amazing (probably why we stopped there). That stop had an elderly gentleman and his very large camel. Several members of our group took the camel ride around the bus and enjoyed it, gushed about it in fact. I'd ridden a camel at Giza so I opted to take pictures instead.

The fourth scenic overlook was over the edge of a cliff. It was amazing and so was the ice cream. The guide swore it was the best in Turkey and I'd agree it was pretty good. And the show that went with every cone was hilarious. The more serious you are the more outrageous the act. It made every one smile. I'm smiling just remembering it.

Since we didn't have to go back to the underground city we headed back to the hotel with one last stop. After six hours of fairy chimneys they begin to all look the same.

Besides after the 5 am wake up it was a bit of rest before dinner.

<<I just realized I left out our stop at the Sultan Han on the way into Cappadocia the day before. The Hans were "the Howard Johnson’s" of the silk road. They were the locations where merchants stopped and resupplied and sold their wears under the protection of the Sultan.>>

The reason that came to mind is because that night was dinner and the Whirling Dervish demonstration, which happened to be at a reconstructed Han.

Dinner was at the hotel and was just as good as the night before.

Then it was on to the bus for the Dervish demonstration. I am calling it a demonstration because it isn't really a show. In fact that is a bit disrespectful of the whole activity.

On our way there our guide explained the symbolism of the hat, boots, and (I can't remember the name of the jacket). What the proper behavior was. Do not applaud at the end. Talked about the music, the procession, and the roles of the different people and a bit about the mysticism.

If found it to be very riveting. After a long day a few people fell asleep, quietly. But most of us were intrigued.

The bus ride back was very quiet.

The next day would be a drive into Ankara.

Ankara

The weather was starting to warm and the snow melt. It was a clear beautiful day and the sun danced off the snow.

Our route doubled back on part of the road we came into Cappadocia on. The nice part is that we had our morning break at the same truck stop. The fruit stand was open and we bought some lovely fruit. Oranges, pears, grapes and one I never did find out what it was.

Anakara was a village of about 15, 000 people when Ataturk made it the capital. Today it is 4 million and a very lovely city. The region is hilly so the city is a bit like a land locked San Francisco.

Our first stop was the Tomb/Memorial/Monument of Kamel Mustafa Ataturk. It is a striking building complex. Its construction was interupted by WWII, but it was well done. It is simple in design, but has a presence. Under the tomb area is a musuem which chronical's Turkey's war of independance and the heros and losses of the event. It is quiet well done. This a manditory trip for all Turkish school children. We were there on the weekend and saw many parents their with their children.

If you have the time walk the whole grounds they have some lovely botanical gardens around the edge and other interesting bits to see.

Our hotel that night was lovely. It was done in a Victoria style. It was just beautiful. Each room even had a small balcony.

The neighborhood was very walkable and quite nice. Dinner was on our own, but I didn't feel like a big meal so I stopped by a small grocery for a snack and tucked in.

Our morning was the excursion to the Anitolian Civilization Musuem. It is a great place. They have chronicalled from prehistoric through the neo-hittite era. And they picked good pieces (not every thing) to show. They had several mock ups of what they believe places to have looked like and nice clear descriptions in English so after the main tour with the guide you to look on your own.

People came and went from the lecture when there was some thing they wanted to see. The grounds had greek/roman statuary.

I must admit this was my favorite gift shop. They had wonderful books, cook books, book marks, and post cards of the items in the musuem. Plus they had little replicas of different items.

Our drive from Ankara to Istanbul went smoothly. This section or road is the only 4-6 lane highway we travelled on. For a Sunday there seemed to be a lot of traffic. We stopped at another Truck stop for lunch and had what was possibily the best lambchops I've ever had. My goodness.

You start hitting the outskirts of Istanbul about 2 hours before you get to the heart of the city. This was the area that was hard hit by earthquakes a few years ago so there are a lot of new houses.

As you pull into old town Istanbul you really get the sense of a modern thriving city squeezing into a old space. There are turns the bus can't make and roads to narrow so your route to the hotel is about round about.

We are back at the Oran with all of its odd shaped rooms. Dinner is on our own. Mine is a sandwhich from a little shop down the street.

Tomorrow will be the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace.

Thank you for continuing this very enjoyable trip report. The sights you describe are fascinating to me. It certainly sounds like your tour was a good one.

Diane, thanks for posting this. This is one of the best trip reports I've read.

Diane – Thank you SOOOOO much for taking the time to reply to each of my questions. I have been super busy with work and haven’t had a chance to get onto this site in a long time. All your responses were very informative and I have taken notes based on your answers to update our itinerary.

As for your trip report about Cappadocia and Ankara – loved it! It is so helpful in planning our trip.

So ofcourse, I have some more questions based on your updated trip report:

1.In Cappadocia – how much was the balloon ride? I know it is not offered by Gate1 so I was surprised you were able to take the ride through them. We are still toggling with the idea of spending the money to take it or not.

2.So would you say the Whirling Dervishes optional tour is NOT worth it? We already weren’t too excited about this one but weren’t sure if we were missing out on something major here. If we opt out, are there places to eat and walk around locally by our selves?

3.In Ankara, we were planning on not doing the Anatolian museum tour they are offering. Would you recommend it? What else can you do on your own in Ankara instead of their tour?

4. Based on the places you have written about already – what you say is the best way to dress (for a man and woman). It seems like sneakers are a must (esp in Cappadocia). Can us women wear shorts or should we stick to long pants, khakis, etc?

Thanks once again for all the helpful responses. I am really looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip. Will you be posting photos as well?

Istanbul.

Just the name of the city conjures the exotic. East has meet west here for thousands of years and the city maintains that energy.

The core of what I'll call old Istanbul is located on the "golden horn", which is a peninsula along the Bosporus. At the very tip is three of the best known sites in the world. The Blue Mosque, Haiga Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. Also in the immediate area are the Hippodrome, Underground Cistern, and several museums. It is a pedestrian oriented area. There is very, very little room for parking so taking the tram, taxi, or walking is the best bet for transportation.

If you are on a tour you will most likely be dropped off at the Hippodrome area. This area once housed the area's race track, but today the oval is for busses, taxis and cars.

In the center are three sites to see. The first is original Egyptian granite Obelisk. They suspect it is from Luxor, but in order to transport it from Egypt they cut off the last few feet of the obelisk, which would have contained the attribution to the pharaoh who funded it.

The next item is a trio of bronze serpentine pillars. They represented the hydra. They used to have golden snakeheads on the pillars, but over time more than one disappeared. The last one is in the museum near by. So you sort of have empty pillars. A little odd, but pretty metal work.

The last item is a reconstructed pillar. It is well cone, but I don't remember much else about it.

From there you cross the street to the main gate of the Blue Mosque. It is a fully functioning Mosque and has services 5 times daily. Friday is the main holy day so the service at noon is HUGE. Many of the college students from the nearby university come for prayers.

First Note. The Blue Mosque isn't blue. The Blue refers to the original tile decoration on the interior. Also the local populace doesn't refer to it as the Blue Mosque. It has a proper name, which I can't spell, named after the Sultan who had it built.

The sultan tried to out do the Haiga Sophia next door. The difference in technology and building techniques cut down on the time and the amount of labor used, but the building is still a little smaller. Although unless you told me I wouldn't have realized it.
It is a magnificent structure. Now I understand when I was in Egypt why they said the M. Ali Mosque at the citadel was modeled after this one and that it was "Turkish".

When you enter you'll go through the main gate and head around to the right. There you'll take off your shoes (put them in a recycled bag) and enter the building. When you are done, you'll exit across from where you entered and put your shoes back on.


The view from that direction is of the garden leading to the Haiga Sophia.

The Hagia Sophia is closed on Mondays, which is why we went to to Topkapi Place next on the tour. Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays.

I am not sure what I expected at Topkapi. Palace always conjures multi-storied buildings with soaring vaulted rooms. While there is some of that, it wasn't what I expected. But then again constructing like that wouldn't survive in an area with earthquakes either.

Topkapi is a complex of buildings and gardens. Parts of the complex are devoted to museum displays of Chinese porcelain, silver, and kitchen works, then another section to the portraits of the sultans, holy relics, and the famed treasury. The objects in the treasury are fabulous. It reminded me of the Faberge Egg collection. There are several rooms with tapestries and armor as well. It is really easy to spend 1/2 day or more here. And that doesn't even cover the architecture or the views.

The Harem, which is more of a complex of official rooms, quarters, and functional spaces than just a place where the sultan kept his family. It is a separate ticket, but if you love architecture, tile work or woodwork, you will enjoy this area. Fortunately they have velvet ropes guiding you through the area otherwise I would have been lost.

When I mentioned palaces before I think this is where you really got a feel for what was "Ottoman". In Europe most of the castles had smaller rooms with lower ceilings. Heating the space and defensive measures were most important. Topkapi shows off how much air was needed to keep the buildings cool. It was unusual to see a fireplace and everywhere had broad windows to let the breeze blow through. Another thing that I noticed is that there were fountains/taps/sinks everywhere.

I guess what I really want to say is don't rush or short change Topkapi. They have a little cafe and you can have lunch and sit with a view of the Bosporus and watch the ships and the people.

Our guided tour wrapped up after the orientation to the main museum areas. I spent another 3 hours there on my own and would have stayed longer, but I had a Turkish bath appointment waiting for me.

I walked back to the hotel. It was a nice stroll. It probably took me a total of 20 mins walking time. There was some time spent on looking at tourist goodies along the way.

Tomorrow it is the Spice Bazaar, Underground Cistern, Haiga Sophia and Grand Bazaar.

Hi Luv,

I understand. Work does get in the way of our favorite travel. :)

1.In Cappadocia – how much was the balloon ride? The balloon ride was 243 YTL or about 200 US. Kappadocia Balloon is the biggest balloon operator there. Technically, it wasn't offered through Gate 1. The guide said if you want to go here are the details. There are several other companies, but their rides are shorter and less interesting. Too me this was one of those once in a life time experiences so to me worrying over 25 or 30 dollars isn't worth it.

2.So would you say the Whirling Dervishes optional tour is NOT worth it? - I enjoyed it, but I like spiritual and religious demonstrations. If that isn't your cup of tea, forget it.

If we opt out, are there places to eat and walk around locally by our selves? Yes, although it is a good walk to the "village center" where you'll find more shops and restaurants. The hotel is kind of in the valley between the two parts of the village.

3.In Ankara, we were planning on not doing the Anatolian museum tour they are offering. Would you recommend it? I thought the musuem was wonderful. There is a reason it was voted the best musuem in Europe in 1997. It is an impressive collection and well curated.

What else can you do on your own in Ankara instead of their tour? Not much. The bus picked up the people not going on the tour at 10:30 am, and us at the musuem at 11:15, so we could be on the road to Istanbul. So figure you'd have to be at one site or the other at those times. Or you'd be transporting yourself to Istanbul, because you missed the bus.

4. Dress - Anything goes. Really the Turks are western in most of their dress. You'll see shorts and bare middles combined with scarves, and then jeans so tight you think they are sprayed on. Just think about where you are going. If you are going to a mosque then khakis and a shoulder covering blouse/shirt as a sign of respect is better than shorts and a tank. A skirt covering the knee is fine. For the ruins or secular sites shorts are fine.

I do strongly recommend closed toe shoes for the ruins. It is uneven and rocky. Flip flops are unsafe for so many reasons. For the city dress shoes are fine, but you'll be walking on cobble stone so spikes are at your own risk. Much ado is made of the American white tennies, it is a bit informal for dinner, but for walking around it fine.

While I can't speak for the whole country, I can say every Turk I met was absolutely thrilled I was an American and visiting. (and not just because I was spending money)

Diane60030
I have a question about how Gate 1 supervised the seating on the coach. Was there a set way of assigning and changing everyone out each day?

I was on a Colette Tour this past year and every morning our tour guide would place the name card on the new seat.

It was three rows back every morning, so at the end of the tour you ended up where you had started out. It was a very good way to keep everyone happy and under control!

Thank you for an awesome trip report. :)

We rotated around the bus. You skiped a row each day so with in the trip you sat in every part of the bus. We had a couple of college students who REALLY liked their back seats so we happily skipped around them.

What a wonderful trip report. I'm using it to help convince my husband that he would enjoy Turkey.

One more question please. You mention long bus rides and bathroom stops, but do these buses have the
"emergency bathrooms" that some of the other tour company books mention? Thanks

I'm not Diane, but I've been on enough tours to know that even tho most busses do have "emergency" bathroom, that is exactly what they are for--emergencies. The problem is that the "deposit sites" for the busses are few and far between--in Western Europe anyway, and I'd imagine that in Turkey that might be the case even more. The emergency space is not at all attractive and if used a lot, becomes quite fragrant.

In Russia, on occasion, we had what our TD called "bush stops" when specific rest areas were not available at appropriate times. And there were always busses from other companies pulling in to these little wooded glens, for necessary stops, with the bus occupants scattering into the woods--women to the right, men to the left!!!

The time between stops is usually about two hours. But that depends on the direction taken and the roads traveled. I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect. Ciao!!mhm

Diane - Once again thank you so much for replying back to all my questions. We are going to start thinking about what to pack, etc and we really need to select our optional tours. You've really helped out with both of these tasks! So it seems like you thoroughly enjoyed Topkapi Palace. Did you have a chance to do the Bosphorus cruise?

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of Istanbul!

Hello.

The "pit stops" were about every 90 minutes. The only time we missed that window is when we were held up by the ice outside of Canakkale. Most busses in Turkey Do NOT have the emergency facility on the bus. There isn't a lot of "dump" facilities so the bus companies usually don't even install the facility, it is just a closet.

If there is a NEED, just let the guide know. There are a goodly number of gas stations long the route. They may just not be as welcoming to tour buses as others.

I will admit I am a dreadful sailor. You couldn't get me near the cruise. :)

But all of the people who did go on it really enjoyed it. One comment that stuck out was "it was all I hoped it would be, plus more."

Gate 1 gets their own boat so you don't have to share with other groups or have a lot of stops.

Spice Market, Underground Cistern, Haiga Sophia, Grand Bazaar.

Sigh - It is our last full day in Istanbul. :(

This morning takes in the last two main historical sites on the Golden Horn and SHOPPING!!!! For some people this is a wonderful thing. For me it is a bit of a chore. I have my list of what I need for the people back home and I don't tend to get much else.

At any rate off we go to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar. Now you may be wondering why the Egyptians would have a spice bazaar in Istanbul. Centuries ago (3-400 years ago) the sultan's mother was building a new mosque and on a visit saw the poor merchants (most of who were allegedly Egyptians) trying to sell their wears in very poor conditions and felt sorry for them. She directed the architect of the mosque to use the left over materials to build them a proper place to sell their wears.

So if you thing the stone in the mosque and the stone for the bazaar looks similar. You are right.

After visiting Egypt and seeing the bazaars there, I was pleasantly shocked with what I experienced. It was clean, very clean, can I hire who ever cleans this place to do my house clean. There was a shopkeeper who wanted you to stop and look as his wares, but they didn't chase you down the mall they way they do in Egypt. It was actually a nice shopping experience.

Around the exterior were a good number of other stalls and shops. They weren't quiet as neat and orderly, but still fascinating to browse through.

It is in a busy area so the bus only gets to pull into the bus stop for a limited amount of time. Don't keep the bus driver waiting because he'll get a ticket for sure.

Then it was on to the Underground Cistern. To understand what makes the cistern special you have to understand the construction of the Haiga Sophia across the street.

When the Emperor decided to build his new church he order that unused materials from around the empire be collected and brought to Constaneu for the church's construction. After the construction of the church the left over materials were used in the construction of the cistern.

So in what you would normally expect to be a very plain space, you have Corinthian columns, Ionian columns, carved medusa, columns that are stacked to reach a uniform height. Well, it is an interesting and extraordinary space. If you've seen the James Bond movie from Russia with Love, the opening scenes were shot there.