Our 2011 trip to Turkey,Madrid and Valencia
 

Starting with the T.R. about our trip to Turkey(may 28 to june 8); Madrid(june 8 to 12 and 15 to 18); and Valencia (june 12 to 15).

A warning: English is not my first language, and I ask for your benevolence in front of my errors (or horrors).I hope this report can bring some good information for fellows interested in those places.

Lets start with some basics of the trip, before entering the specifics of each country/city.

As usual, we bought our air tickets from Iberia; doing Montevideo-Madrid-Istanbul(may 27 and 28); Istanbul-Madrid(june 12) and Madrid-Montevideo on june 19( an early flight at 2.20 a.m.).

All flights were uneventful, starting 1 hour late on may 27,but arriving on time to Madrid on may 28 and making a connection without any problem to Istanbul, arriving at 5.30 p.m.

Return flights were also uneventful and as planned, but some dear friends had great problems due to volcano ashes reaching Uruguay from Chile(they had their flights cancelled many times and finally came to Uruguay via Rio de Janeiro some 4 days later.
Thanks to the ashes, we shared some time in Madrid and two wonderful day trips to Alcalá de Henares and Aranjuez.

In planning the trip, I used many excellent reports or advice from many persons in this forum, such as Otherchelebi,Ekscrunchy and Lincasanova.Lincasanova,a resident in Valencia give us some excellent tips on the city an opinions on our(really good) hotel there,the SH Ingles.Thanks tou you all !!!

To follow: Turkey, a most beautiful surprise.

Obviously I should have written "Our 2001 trip to Turkey and Spain".

For any reason,the report appears twice in the forum,please,lets continue in this.

Once again: 2011 not 2001!!! Sorry.

Looking forward to your report!

Turkey: a most beautiful surprise.

Not that our expectations were low; on the contrary, we had high expectations because everyone we know liked Turkey; but it was even better than we expected. Hotels were excellent, transport was clean and efficient; food was good and not expensive( alcohol is expensive).We visited some marvelous and unique destinations, and were able to see treasures almost incredible.

The trip: We were on a guided trip we searched in Montevideo through our travel agent.They proceed trough a wholesaler in Madrid who went to an operator in Turkey; sounds complicated but worked as smooth as silk; of course this is a standard procedure for our travel agent, not something they invented for us.

Following advice from friends and fodorites(and against the advice of others); we choose a hotel in Taksim area for our stay in Istanbul(three nights on tour plus two extra nights on our own).We were more than happy with the Taksim area;full of action,restaurants,with good public transport.
Not being used to the country or the town, we choose the best hotel available for the tour, the Elite World(5 stars) not to be confused with the Elite World Prestige(4 stars),who is next door on the same pedestrians only street (both are some 2 blocks from Taksim Square).Now that we know the city, a somewhat less expensive hotel in Taksim or Sultanamed area could have done equally well, but we really enjoyed the Elite world.
Other hotels were “only option” for the tour, but they were very good or excellent(names to follow when reporting each city or place).

Istanbul(first stay):

Saturday:We arrived from Montevideo, via Madrid, almost exactly 24 hours after departure; were received at the airport and taken to the hotel perfectly, by a Spanish speaking person; as the tour started and finished at the airport.
The airport is really good and only my wife(Candy) had to pay for the visa(she is Spaniard); being from Uruguay, I don’t pay .
We did our check in, have complimentary turkish delights in the lobby, refresh , and were out to make a preliminary visit of Taksim square and Istiklal pedestrian street.
We started to feel really comfortable, safe and made the first of many long walks in this commercial zone.
We walk until night has arrived, had a quick dinner of kebab sandwiches and returned to the hotel near 10 pm(no jet lag for us).

We were on the balcony of our room, overlooking a big portion of the city and many mosques when we heard for the first time the call to pray.The call to pray ended being something really impressive, that we waited for every day(5 times a days in fact, as even the one at 4 or 5 in the morning can reach to us in bed).Unforgettable; but nobody really seems to stop to pray.

Sunday: We had breakfast; a very good Turkish buffet breakfast(plenty of options, including the ever present cucumbers, tomatoes, various cheeses, at least 6 or 7 different preparations of green, black and mixed olives, dates, nuts, dried figs, breads that are a dream, cold cuts, hams, honey, fruits, pastries and many other things).

At 9 a.m. the bus of the tours operator arrives, as planned, we go to other hotels for more passengers and made our first visits: the spice Bazaar ,the “New” Mosque (just in front of the Bazaar)and then proceed to made the Bosphorus Cruise.
It was a relatively short visit to the Bazaar, and we don’t buy anything, as we plan to return on our own, when returning to Istanbul in a week; but we were overwhelmed with the colors, the aromas and the actitude of the booth owners, trying to sell something to you even if you tell you are not interested; a completely new experience for us, and a very enjoyable one.

The visit to the “New” mosque is not part of the tour, and we just take a look in order to take some pictures from the exterior.

The Bosphorus cruise is a most beautiful experience.Starting at Eminonu(“old side” of European Istanbul)at the head of the Galata Bridge, ended on the other side of the straight.

It lasts more than one and a half hour, and the weather was somewhat cold; but anyway the views of the palaces, woods, hotels and houses are magnificent.Plenty of terraces and cafes on the waterside, with people taking brunch.
We feel the views can resist a match with any other in the world.

Today’s tour ends in the “New” side of the European Istanbul; a few meters from Dolmabache Palace,and we decided it is good to visit the palace today.

There is a pretty long line for buying tickets, but we people watch, and also do some ship watching,as ships passed really near the palace.
Finally,we have our tickets(20 tl each);(2.3 tl per 1 euro); and proceed with the visit to the palace.
Visits are always with a guide( we choose in english as the only other option in a Turkish speaking guide); and we cannot follow the speech, because of the size of the group and the guide not speaking good English.
But the tour is enjoyable even without explanation, and some rooms are outstanding.We even saw the part of the palace where Ataturk lived in his last years.Ataturk,the national hero and founder of the modern Turkey is ever present in pictures, paints, flags and monuments, you can even buy silk ties with Ataturk’s face.
A really good part of the visit is a garden full of peacocks; with the males doing their beautiful show for both their females and the tourists(we tourists seemed far more interested than the female peacocks).

Out of the palace, we decided to walk to the hotel.From our position,we can see the Marmara hotel,a landmark in Taksim; and it seems it is a short walk. There is now a beautiful sun,30 ºC,and the route is a continuous climb that leaves us thinking why we didn’t take the funicular.
There are two funiculars serving the Taksim and Istlikal area; and later we mastered its use, connecting with the tram.
We did a little walk in Istlikal and returned to have a very good dinner in the hotel,included in the tour.
That was the end of a really good day.

JELopez: Excellente! Looking forward to "traveling" with you in this report!

To Ekscrunchy and others Fodorites:
I was told via e mail by jelopez33(a good friend of mine)that for some unknown reason his account in fodor's has been cancelated (because of report is out of guidelines) have anyone seen such a problem in his report???!!!
Plus,his mails to fodor's hasn't been unswered.A really extrange situation.If a fodor's editor sees this note,please,solve this situation so he can go ahead with the report and his participation on the forums,as I think we all know he is a very responsable person.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have reviewed jelopez33's account and trip report and have reinstated it. I apologize that this was taken down in error.

How strange.. I hope he posts soon so we can enjoy tales from his trip.

Hi everyone!
Good to be back again!!! Will post soon.

I was wondering how i had missed it before.

jelopez33, nice to have you back. I am looking forward to the rest of yor trip. And thanks for the honorable mention on your first post.

Also, please tag this trip report Turkey and Spain. Otherwise many other people may miss it altogether.

Monday:
Today the day is clearly split in two parts: a visit to the Sultanahmet (“Blue”) Mosque, to the Cisterna and a first contact with the Grand Bazaar; and, later, we will be going by bus to Ankara,Turkey’s capital city.

The visit to the Sultanahmet Mosque; and the park surrounding the mosque, plus the Hyppodrome is a highlight of the tour.
The mosque is a marvel from any point of view, and access is easy and without any special requirement for women( not necessary to cover the head); but of course, no shorts allowed for women.We all put our shoes in a plastic bag and take the bag with us.

Words are not enough to describe the mosque interior, both simple and impressive.Columns are huge, the biggest we have ever seen; you can take pictures as far as you don’t bother people on the praying zone.

Then we go to the park connecting the mosque with the museum at Hagia Sophia(closed today).
The view from the benches in this park is world class; one we will never forget(we returned here when we were in Istanbul on our own, one week later) .
After this stop, the guide took us to the Basilica-Cisterna (Yerebatan Sarnici); once again a very good and interesting place(included are the two columns wit upside down Medusa heads).There are some 336 colums; and classic music is playing, as there is an excellent acoustic in the Cisterna.

We have a good lunch in a nearby restaurant(included in the tour) and had a short(1 hour) visit to the Grand Bazaar, enough for a first contact .

Then it was time to start our transfer to Ankara; bus was our choice and we are happy, as the trip was interesting, looking at towns and crop fields, with hills and mountains a constant(plus,the persons that opted for airplane transfer, were requested to leave their hotels in Istanbul at 4.30 a.m. tuesday, to reach Ankara early in the morning and start the tour of this day with us).Another plus was that with the bus we crossed the Bosphorus bridge,with good views.

On arrival to Ankara we registered at the selected hotel, the Radisson Blu, we refresh and go to have dinner, a really good buffet.The hotel is a really good one,and our room(1107) has outstanding views over a park.

Tuesday:
We had our buffet breakfast(with almost everything you can desire); and at 9.15 a.m. started our visit to the Museum of Civilizations.Little rain starts.The museum is not so big, but really good, and as also our guide is well versed in history we enjoy the visit; plus,I saw many things related to a site that always was of interest to me: Catal Huyuk (sp?); seeng things I have only seen in pictures was really moving.

Then, we went to the Mausoleum of Ataturk.It is difficult to put in words how solemn and big the complex is.We all know how much the people of Turkey loves Ataturk; and how important he was in developing a modern country from a decadent empire (I assume not everything was perfect, but he was really important in modern history,no doubts).The complex includes a museum showing many presents governments sent to Ataturk, the recreation of battles, even clothes that pertained to him.
The soldiers on duty seem to be giants sculpted from rocks; they are standing without any movement.
We saw many groups of kids from schools, and all female teachers were dressed as muslims, may be just coincidence or a new regulation?.
We were told there were no other significant monuments in Ankara,mainly a modern city, and we leave for our visit to Capadocia.

We made a stop for lunch, and as usually, we found the facilities extremely clean, food was good( a cheese bread was super!) and almost any stop along the highways includes a little Mosque.

Arriving to Capadocia we made a stop to visit an “underground city” in Orzonak, before arriving to our hotel,the hotel Dinler once again a very good hotel, where we will stay for two nights.

May be the underground city was the least interesting visit of the day.Not that it was not interesting, but cannot compare with Ataturk’s Mausoleum or the Civilizations Museum.

Wednesday( june first):
We wake early,and from our window, we have a magical view; more or less 50 ballons are emerging from behind a little mountain, for a balloon ride that is almost mandatory, and we were really dumb not doing the ride(we had safety concerns, unjustified of course!).

Today we started our visit at Goreme Valley visiting three chapels excavated in the rocks, with paints on the walls(1000 A.C.), the landscape is magnificent, and this will turn even better of course!
We visited a cooperative of artisans that make jewels and then had lunch.

Then we proceed to the “Love Valley”(fairy chimneys are outstanding,nature at its best); via the natural fortress of Ortahisar(sp?),where Christians in the first century found refuge from the roman soldiers.
Then we visited the “Valley of Imagination”; once again with nature sculpted rocks of amazing forms.

We also had a stop at a school of tapestry, where we learned how those beautiful carpets are made; the ones made in silk can reach prices of 10 to 20 thousand euro; but they are jewels, and a person can spent 1 to 2 years in the process of making a single(big) carpet.

After a buffet dinner,(as usual); we decided to attend a show of “Turkish dances”.It was “for tourists only” ,LOL, but any way interesting and a young lady danced really well.Included were “derviche dances”; and we didn’t fully understand what was going on, as there is a ritual before and after the whirling; but our guide promised to explain the ritual in full when visiting Konya,the city where Mevlana lived and started his movement.

Lets continue with this long report:
Thurdsday:
Those of our group attending the balloon ride were on their feet at 5 a.m, as rides took place really early; so persons can return to their hotels, have breakfast and reach their groups by 9 or 9.30.
As I told, everyone talked marvels about the ride, and we really regret not being there.By 9.30 we left the hotel en route to Konia; a very interesting city, where we visited Mevlana’s “Monastery”( I am not sure if muslims have monasteries, but that was the word our tour guide uses).Those interested in Mevlana’s ideas can google his name and be surprised about his ideas, and how open minded he was. Going to the city, our guide give us detailed explanations about Islam, Mevlana and the Derviches; and this illustrated everything we saw last night at the show(about the rituals and hands position, arms crossed in front of the body before starting whirling and other things).
The monastery is a jewel, and has a museum with a Prophet’s hair; we saw people really moved, even to tears and praying. Also really old praying carpets were on display.
We continued our trip to Pamukkale, had lunch and arrive to our destination , a thermal hotel (Pam Hotel).
We didn’t have swim suits and loose the chance to have a thermal bath at the hotel pool. We took our showers and have dinner, as the next day the hotel will call everyone at 5.30; in order to have breakfast and arrive early to Pamukkale.
Friday: At 7 a.m. we were on the bus like soldiers(39 persons plus the driver and our guide).
Pamukkale has two main attractions; the world known marble natural pools (Cotton Castle) and the ruins of the city of Hierapolis; very interesting and well preserved ruins from Roman times, both attractions are on the same site, and visitors pay only one ticket(our tickets wer4 included in the tour of course).

Interesting as the ruins are, the “Cotton Castle” stoles the show. Almost unbelievable how the combination of thermal waters , salts and evaporation produces those little ponds of white marble, with warm water, where we, fortunate tourists, can walk and enjoy(barefoot of course).

As we arrived early, we had the site almost for us alone, but when we leave, there were hundreds of persons arriving.

Then we proceed towards Ephesus, had lunch on the route, visit the House of the Virgin Mary, and made a stop at Ephesus, to visit what remains of the beautiful city( including the famous Library, of course).
The visit to Ephesus is another high point in the tour and no one should miss this site(bring yours hats, water, sunscreen, umbrellas and any other device that can help you against the sun) .I cannot think about what will be the temperature in July or August.

We departed and later arrived at Kusadasi; hotel Tatleses; to rest a little and have a nice dinner on the pool side.
Saturday: Saturday will be devoted to travel from Kusadasi to Bursa; the ancient capital city of the Empire.
Once in Bursa, visits included the Big Mosque, the Green Mosque the Silk Bazaar; where Candy made some shopping( silk scarves at a very good price), and the Mausoleum of Sultan Mehmet.
Our hotel in bursa was the Almira Hotel.

Tomorrow: Back to Istanbul for the second half of our stay at this city.

Sunday: We started our return to Istanbul via Highway and a ferry across the Sea of Marmara at 8 a.m.; arriving to our hotel (again the Elite world) in Taksim about 11.30 a.m.

After a new check in, we decided to visit Hagia Sophia and Topkapi palace. We studied our map, and decided to take funicular towards the head of the Galata Bridge, and then the tramway to Sultanahmed area. This route was easy,but later we found another even better; via another funicular to Kabatas ,(the end of the tramway line), and then tramway to Eminonu,Sultanahmed or the Grand Bazaar.
As this funicular starts at Taksim,in more convenient than the other,wich starts at the end of Istlikal(the pedestrian street).
Funiculars and tramways are relatively cheap, safe and comfortable( but of course crowded at peak hours).

Hagia Sophia is now a museum,(no restrictions as to wearing shoes or how women dress); and believe me is a wonderful museum, Mosaics(the ones that have survived) are wonderful, and the architecture is massive and relatively well preserved( think of some 1500 years, plus being a church,transformed to a mosque,then to a museum).Everything transmits solemnity and this visit is a real must in Instanbul.

Then, we went to Topkapi Palace, a short and pleasant walk. Words cannot transmit the beauty of the treasures that the palace shows( the most famous dagger and diamond); plus many other jewels that we cannot even think that exist.Interesting that the presents given to the Sultans,were considered property of the Empire,while the presents given to women were considered personal.
Another thing of interest at the palace are the views towards the Bosphorus, which are really gorgeous.
Some objects that pertained to the Prophet are shown, and those rooms are very crowded.

We returned “home” via tramway to Eminonu, crossed on foot the Galata Bridge taking pictures of the man and women fishing in the bridge and then catched the funicular to Istlycal and walked to Taksim.
Had a really good dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and called it a day.

Monday: We went (via funicular to Kabatas and tramway) to Sultanahmed area for a second visit to the “Blue” Mosque; and enjoyed every detail even more than in the first visit.I took lots of pictures of the interior and also from the gardens surrounding the Mosque.
We proceed the to the Grand Bazaar, to buy some items we saw in the first visit(of course nothing has a price and you have to fight for your turquish lira).Those guys are really good discussing prices, but we always were able to reach an agreement with good final prices(a leather jacket, shorts, polo shirts, table linens, jeans,souvenirs).
And then we decided tu venture in the streets outside the Bazaar,the faster,the more authentic the experience turns, commerce turns more oriented towards the locals, lots of “muslim” clothes in one sidestreet and lingerie on the other!!!
Little or no Spanish,English,Italian or French is spoken(at the bazaar every person is more or less fluent in any language you can speak); we considered those streets are much more enjoyable than the bazaar,as here many locals are shopping,and prices are lower.

At the end of the day we had dinner near the hotel, in one of those restaurants that catter mainly to tourists, food is good and inexpensive(chicken, rice, salads).

Tuesday: Our last full day in Istanbul. Went again to do a little more shopping in the Bazaar area,and came back to walk a little at Eminonu,and visit the Egyptian(Spices) Bazaar.Here our shopping was concentrated in Turkish delights and apple tea( becoming addicts); once again we cross on foot the Galata Bridge enjoyed the views.Return to the hotel,rest a little and go to the pedestrian street to wander and have a good dinner in a little restaurant,Cesar salads and beers.

Wednesday,june 8: just take a stroll, enjoy the atmosphere and return to our hotel for check out and wait for the transfer to the airport.
Transfer arrives on time and the transfer was a breeze.The young lady escorted us past the first security check just to Iberia’s desk.

Our flight to Madrid was totally uneventful,and we arrived on time at 8.30 p.m.

What we think about our experience in Turkey:
What we think about our experience in Turkey:

--We found a modern and open country(to the extent a tourist can see).
--Population in young; and young people look formal and well behaved; very little tattoos or piercings.
--We were extremely welcome everywhere.
--For those who worry about bathrooms:both in Istanbul and the other cities we found bathrooms were extremely clean.
--The country is full of treasures,both archeological and in terms of landscapes.Capadocia and Pamukkale have marvels that resist comparison with any other natural marvel in the world.
--We had no problems with food;plenty of vegetables,chicken,lamb or fish; not to speak of dried fruits and nuts(almost 3 more pounds in my waistline)
--Istanbul is really charming.We will come Back!!!

This report has become too long.For the report on the second half of our trip( Madrid-Valencia-Madrid), I will open a new topic(starting tomorrow).

I will be glad to unswer any question,( but of course I will not compete with Otherchelebi, who is sooo lucky to live is Istanbul).

See you soon at the forum!!!

jelopez33,

thanks again, but please find a way of tagging this report as "Turkey"

and make sure to tag the continuation in madrid and valencia as "Spain". othrwise many people are going to miss them.

Do come again, to enjoy some other areas and hidden nooks and crannies.

OC

This report is NOT too long! I am sure I speak for many other when I tell you that I am looking forward to the next chapter!

Otherchelebi: Did you know how can I change the tag of the report? I have been unable to do it.
for sure we will return to Turkey(and will benefit from your tips,for sure).

Ekscrunchy:I always think of my reports as a torture to those who have english as his first language.Now,I will start the TR about Madrid and Valencia,two cities I know you really love.