ms_go

otherchelebi, if you happen to see this, I have a question...

I think I saw banners last week indicating that the Tulip Festival began yesterday (?), and I'm wondering if there are particularly good areas to go to see the flowers? We did see some in the park between the Ayasofya and the Blue Mosque, and on the Topkapi grounds--although we may not get back over to that part of the city this weekend. I've tried a quick search, but Internet time is limited and I'm not sure I've found anything too useful. We probably don't want to go too far afield, but let us know if you have any recommendations. Thanks!

otherchelebi

There will be lots of tulips all over the city.
However, the festival is traditionally held at Emirgan Park. it is after the Rumeli Fortress, going up the bosphorus. you can take No.22 or possibly No25 bus from Kabatas or a taxi.

Just before the park you have sabanci Museum and the terrific Changa Muze restaurant on its premises.

the area is well worth a visit, in combination of fortress, changa and the tulips in emirgan.

if you take a taxi, today or on sunday, it makes sense for it to take the overland rather than the coast road after 2PM because of possible congestion. The taxi cost from Sultanahmet will be about 22-25TL.

Coming back, the ring ferry will take you to some villages closer to Sultanahmet. You can take that to Arnavutkoy for example and then take a bus or taxi. check schedule on ido.com

There should be some groups of tulips at Gulhane Park between sultanahmet and sirkeci, also, but nothing like at Emirgan.

Debs

ms_go - Have said it before and will say it again - your pictures are absolutely amazing! What type of camera are you using?

Backing up a bit to your tour of the Topkapi Palace-did you see the Treasures of the Kremlin exibition? Was there an extra charge for this? This is something we're planning on seeing next month & would be interested in a 1st hand report of it. Thanks!

Just curious as if you had to pick just 1 favorite thing from your trip, what that would be?

otherchelebi

ms_go, we will be going to the opening reception of an exhibition not too far away from Villa Zurich. We are planning to park the car at the car park on siraselviler and walk to the gallery and back.

if you see this message and send a note back before 5:30PM, we can meet in front of your hotel and take you with us.
If we do not see you there, we will come to your hotel 18:30-19:00 to see if you are there.

We will be in a light green Subaru Forester 34UK8428 plates.

bon_voyage

Ms-go, your report and photos are a treat! Did you see Urgup and if yes, could you compare & contrast to Goreme?

ms_go

otherchelebi, sorry we missed you at 5:30. We've just come back in (6pm). We will be down in the lobby at 6:30.

Debs, there was no extra charge for the Kremlin exhibit. It is off to one side of the grounds, so you kind of have to look for it. It is not a large exhibit--one room--but it has some interesting items and is worth a visit.

One favorite thing? Wow, that's a tough question. The interior of the Ayasofya, for one. DD says Cappadocia. The food... Saturday night on Nevizade Street and Istiklal Caddesi... Very hard to choose just one thing.

Thanks for the kind comments on the photos. We have two cameras: a Canon XSi Digital Rebel and a Panasonic Lumix TMC-ZS3. The photos we've posted so far (a very small sample of the hundreds we've taken) are from both of these. DD has been taking some very nice photos with her iPhone as well, but I haven't been able to download them to my computer yet.

ms_go

bon_voyage: We actually didn't see much of Urgup, except from the air. But from what we've read, we don't think it's entirely dissimilar to Goreme. Both are well-located and have a ton of accommodation options... don't think you'll go too far wrong either way.

otherchelebi

We were in the lobby and did call you. But i respect your preference to not meet in person. Hope you enjoy the tulips and the rest of your stay in Turkey.

ellen75005

bon_voyage,

We stayed in Urgup and drove through Goreme several times. Goreme has a different feel; not better or worse, just different. It seemed a bit bigger. There was more of a main street than in Urgup. And Goreme is right in the middle of the amazing rock formations. Having said that, I'd stay in Urgup again because the Melekler Evi Cave Hotel was one of the best hotels I've ever seen. I really don't think you could go wrong with either one, and they're only about 10 minutes apart.

bon_voyage

Thanks, ms-go and ellen, Turkey and Cappadocia in particular have been on my radar screen for a while now.

taconictraveler

This has been a very lovely report, and full of info as well. What a treat to see those lovely photos. How I would love to go to Turkey. It's on my list, and I guess I'll now put it up closer to the top. Many thanks for all your effort. Safe journey.

BeniciaChris

ms-thank you so muchfor a wonderful report & spectacular pictures-It brought back many fond memories of our trip to Turkey. I am glad you made the balloon ride-It was a once in a lifetime experience.Makes me want to go back to Turkey & see more of the wonderful country & its people-Chris

bobthenavigator

Butler beat Mich. State---yea !

ms_go

Thanks for the nice comments. We had a lovely last day in Istanbul and arrived home late this afternoon, minus our checked luggage. Sorry for slowing down on the report and photos. We'll try to finish this up over the next few days.

Bob, we're trying hard to stay up for the game, but I'm not optimistic.

ms_go

<b>Saturday, April 3</b>

We woke to a partially cloudy sky and were immediately thankful that we’d decided to go for the balloon ride yesterday. Originally, we had planned to do it today before our flight.

We enjoyed one last breakfast on the deck, and then packed up to leave. Faruk, himself, drove us and two other couples to the Nevsehir airport—almost exactly 30 minutes away. We’re used to having to arrive well ahead of our flights, but Faruk assured us that leaving the hotel around 10:15 (for an 11:55 flight) would be plenty of time. It didn’t sound like a good idea, but he deals with this every day and we don’t...and he was right.

As we landed in Istanbul, the clouds were beginning to recede off to the east. It would be sunny for the rest of the trip.

For this last part of our stay in Istanbul, we picked the Hotel Villa Zurich in Cihangir, an area just to the east of the Istiklal Caddesi and south of Taksim Square. It is filled with cafes, restaurants and bars, with a much more local feel than Sultanahmet and seemingly even steeper hills. We quickly settled in and set out to see the Beyoglu area in the daytime—a walk that took us all over the area from Taksim Square to the fish market and other parts over a couple of hours. DD was hungry, so we decided to seek out a specific “fast food” restaurant called Durumzade, featured in Anthony Bourdain’s recent segment on Istanbul. Our initial attempt failed, but we persisted, and with the help of a produce vendor in the area we finally found it. I had tried durum the previous week, but all of us agreed this was far better.

Now, it’s safe to say that none of us left on this vacation “well rested.” Whether due to midterms, papers and the SAT test or work “emergencies,” we were all a little frazzled to start with. And while we didn’t come into this trip with a “do-it-all” mentality, we did generally try to make the most of our time. Today, that began to catch up with us. Although we were energized to be back in the city, we were definitely tired. After a rest, we headed out for dinner on Nevizade, as we’d enjoyed the atmosphere the previous Saturday evening. This time, we tried Imroz, which was fine, but we liked our previous meal at Boncuk better. DD, tired and still full from her lunch, barely ate anything. We were back at the hotel and in bed by 10:30—a little sad for a Saturday night in Istanbul, but it probably did us some good.

ms_go

<b>Sunday, April 4</b>

A spectacular weather day in all regards—hardly a cloud in the sky, and the temperatures topped out a perfect level for walking around (never saw a weather reading, but around 70F??).

The Hotel Villa Zurich serves breakfast in its eighth-floor restaurant, with picture windows that provide a wonderful panorama of the city—from the Asian side to the Marmara, from the old city almost to the Bosphorus Bridge. On this beautiful morning, we were treated to a view of the fog slowly lifting over the Golden Horn, revealing the mosques and monuments of Sultanahmet.

Our “must” for the day was the Chora Church/Kariye Muzesi and its mosaics—perhaps the best preserved of their era. But first, we had to get there. It is located a good ways from many of the major sites in Istanbul and not on any of the tram or metro lines. While it is accessible by bus, we decided the most expeditious route from Cihangir would be by taxi. The hotel called us a taxi, we hopped in, and announced our destination (in Turkish, and backed up in writing)...and the driver looked terribly confused. Nevertheless, he took off quickly through the winding streets, honking and weaving around other cars. Finally, he stopped near Taksim Square and asked a police officer, who rubbed his chin and looked similarly perplexed. This is where Rick Steves actually came in handy. His Istanbul book, which includes a whole section on the church, also includes a map. We pulled it out, showed it to the officer, and he proceeded to rattle off a string of directions to the driver. And off we went, at breakneck speed. He stopped once more, on the other side of the Golden Horn, to ask another taxi driver for specifics, but eventually we made it.

By now, the small church was filled with tour groups, but we were able to negotiate around them and ponder and appreciate these late-Byzantine era works of art. Not long after their creation, the church was converted to a mosque and the mosaics were plastered over, not to be restored until the past century when the building ceased functioning as a mosque—thus, their remarkable state of preservation. It takes a little work to get here, but this is not to be missed.

It is just a short walk up hill from the church to the old city walls—so that’s where we headed. The walls stretch for some distance, although they require navigating some steep staircases. We headed up and walked around a bit, until my fear of heights (and, more specifically, my fear of descending steep, open stairs—a balance thing...) got the better of me and we spent more time examining the walls from below. On the north side of the wall, we noticed a number of men heading towards the nearby pigeon bazaar—many with birds in tow; some in cages and some hand carried.

From here, we hailed a cab and headed back to Besiktas, with two objectives: to see some tulips and then walk over to the Ortakoy area. We specifically asked the driver to take us to Yildiz Park, and he seemed to know right where to go. Turns out, he dropped us at the Yildiz Mosque, next to another park, but it didn’t seem to be the park we were looking for. We walked downhill and then back uphill, asking a museum agent and several locals for Yildiz Park, and they all pointed us back to the park at which we had been dropped off—so in we went. It was a nice enough park, with some tulips and nice local kids who wanted to know our names. But it was clearly not where we’d intended to be. So, we headed down to the waterfront and walked, and walked, all the way to Ortakoy along the crowded sidewalk (although thankful not to be in a taxi, as the traffic was barely moving). Along the way, we found the entrance to the “real” Yildiz Park and made mental note for later in the afternoon.

We joined the hundreds or thousands enjoying the nice day on the Ortakoy waterfront, took some pictures, watched the jellyfish near the water’s edge, then retreated for lunch of kebabs. After lunch, we retreated for a little rest in Yildiz Park, staking out a nice grassy spot in the sun to read and watch the families walking and playing in the park. The city’s annual Tulip Festival began just several days earlier, and this is one of the spots (although not the primary spot) for admiring the tulips. There were many flower displays spread throughout the park—so we definitely found our tulips!

With a nod to good timing, we found a cab right as we reached the park’s eastern exit and headed back to Cihangir. It was now late in the afternoon, and we wanted to make the most of the daylight and golden-hour sun. We thought about climbing the Galata Tower for some last views of the city, but the long, long line wasn’t appealing. We quickly changed course and headed downhill to repeat one of our favorite experiences—taking the ferry over to Kadikoy. This time, it was only for a brief walk through the pedestrian streets, but we enjoyed it nonetheless, and the ferry ride provided some excellent photo opportunities.

Dinner was light and low key, at a neighborhood café.

ms_go

<b>Monday, April 5</b>

All good things must come to an end. And so, we set our iPhone alarms for the dreadful hour of 4:45. Ironically, they were joined almost on cue by a building alarm in the street below, which went on and off and made sure we didn’t fall back to sleep.

We planned to arrive about two hours early for our flight to Frankfurt—in our experience, a pretty generous lead time for most intra-European flights. Thank goodness, as we needed almost all of that time. First, while the cab cruised to the airport in record time (and at what appeared to be record speed), the traffic leading into the airport was a different story. It took about as long to go the last kilometer as it did to get there in the first place. Then, we met security lines about 20 people deep just to get in the building. Checking in was fairly quick (thanks to Star Alliance Gold cards), but the line for passport control was not so—another 30 minutes down. But the worst was yet to come. It was now about an hour before departure, so we figured we’d have a few minutes for coffee in the Turkish CIP lounge (nice lounge, BTW). The lounge agent advised us that we should leave for the gate when the flight was announced, at about 45 minutes before. What we did not know was that there was a security checkpoint at the entrance to the 300-section gates, which are used for flights to various European destinations. And when we arrived, the six or so security lines were each 50+ people deep. Every few minutes, several people would rush to the front of one of the lines, claiming they were late—only to be met by angry shouts from the passengers in line, who were equally late. One incident in the adjacent line appeared close to shoving. Not a good scene. We began to worry, but eventually made it on to the plane almost exactly at our scheduled departure time. It seems they held our flight (and probably the others) until most or all passengers had cleared—and there were plenty of others on our flight who cleared after we did. Our advice: Make sure you have plenty of time for international departures (in sharp contrast, our domestic departure earlier in the week was quick and painless).

The Frankfurt airport, while efficient, is quite a maze. We bounced around from transfer desk to transfer desk trying to get our boarding cards: “We can’t help you here. This desk is for new tickets; you must go downstairs”…“We can’t help you here; we only handle Lufthansa and you must go find the United desk upstairs.” Eventually, though, we managed...and were soon on our way back to Chicago. Our checked luggage is still somewhere in Europe.

It was a wonderful, if too short, vacation, and a great introduction to Turkey.

We will be back in the next few days with some formal reviews, overall impressions, the rest of our photos, and other points of wrap up.

yeshekathy

We're off to Turkey in 3 weeks. Love your blog and your photos!! How do you find the photo site? We are finding uploading photos soooo slow when we are away? Do you pay an annual fee and get a faster upload?

ms_go

Thanks, yeshekathy. Uploading speed can be pretty variable, and a lot depends on the hotel's connection. All of our hotels had wi-fi, and the speed varied quite a bit depending on location in the facility and time of day. We have several hundred photos from each day between the three of us, but I only loaded a few for this very reason. Of course, I could make the photos smaller using Photoshop, but in the end my time spent on this would be about the same. I do pay a small annual fee, but that provides more in storage benefits than things like speed. After using one photo site for a few years, I "auditioned" a few others two years ago--mainly because I didn't like all the ads on the site I was using. I've found this one to be no better or worse in speed than any others I've tried. This is more of a "pro" site (which I am definitely not!), but I chose it for the ease of use and presentation.

Enjoy your trip! I wish I was going back in three weeks.

Day two and our luggage has still not been located, let alone delivered. We have been asked to start the claims process

HappyTrvlr

bookmarking