Turkey Sept – Oct Cappadocia, Ankara, Istanbul

I was sorry to be getting to the end of a trip that I loved. I read several trip reports that inspired me and countless posts about Turkey and thank everyone who takes the time to write reports and answer questions. I’m sorry to say that I don’t remember all the names of the trip report writers but I did enjoy reading them and learned something from every report.

I will continue to read reports and posts for two reasons: I enjoy reading about other people’s experience and will be looking for ideas for my return visit to Turkey.

Underground City Tour/Goreme Open Air Museum Visit a Local School Discovery Series Art of Pottery in Asia Minor/Optional Whirling Dervishes

Our three nights in Cappadocia passed in a flash. This area is everything I expected and more; it’s unlike any other place I’ve visited. I’d love to return and just hang out for a few days and talk to people who live there. The caves, the religious art in the tiny cave churches, the tufa formations – all were fascinating. But the highlight for me was the hot air balloon ride over spectacular, surreal scenery.

From the tour info booklet: “The holy grottoes of Cappadocia once housed the largest community of monks in Asia Minor. From here missionaries spread the Christian faith as far as Ethiopia. Some 300 beautifully frescoed churches and dwellings for 30,000 people were carved from the soft volcanic pinnacles between the 4th and 14th centuries. Beneath these fanciful shapes lie even more wonders—underground chambers, even entire villages, some 14 stories deep!

Residents fashioned bedrooms, churches, and storerooms from the rock, connecting it all with an elaborate labyrinth of passageways. You'll see a host of churches carved more than 1,300 years ago, still boasting lovely frescoes. Some of the houses remain occupied today, and some of the ancient storehouses still provide shelter for grapes harvested from local vineyards.”

We saw only one cave that is occupied today and that was from our hot air balloon. There are cave hotels and we visited the terrace of one at sunset (I think OAT uses this one sometimes.) I think staying in one for a couple of days would be fun.

Being claustrophobic and a bit stiff in the joints, I opted out of the tour of the underground city. Our leader told us we would have to stoop to walk through the passages and there was no turning back. I enjoyed the time in a shady outdoor cafe drinking apple tea (50 cents) and listening to four people at the next table converse in Turkish. There are a lot of shhh sounds, like Russian or Gaelic; it’s a pleasant language to hear. Or — maybe they were speaking Russian.

I enjoyed the Goreme Open Air Museum (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Some of the frescoes in the tiny cave churches are primitive and some are quite detailed. There was a good deal of red and blue, probably natural dyes from local plants. Our guide said that artists were hired to paint in some of the cave churches but many were painted by local worshipers.

After going into a few churches we were free to wander in and out of cave homes for a while. Some were quite large and had “built-in” stone furniture, e.g. a dining table. I took a photo of an old wooden door in the side of a cliff and thought it was an interesting photo. I sent to my daughter and asked what she thought of. She answered “The Flintstones.” I had been thinking of something mysterious, like a cave full of treasure or wall art, but now I can’t get the Flintstones out of my mind.

After Goreme we visited an elementary school. These children were among the happiest, most outgoing that I’ve seen. They were at recess when we arrived and ran to meet us shouting “Hello” “Where do you live?” “What’s your name?” Even in the classroom, they were excited to have visitors and talked and sang and danced for us. The teacher was very patient and kind with them. Our visit to a school in Fiji was similar, although the children were younger. However, in Egypt, the poor little kids sat at their desks, not speaking, with their arms folded under the glowering looks of their teacher. A couple of boys got excited when we were leaving and shook hands with a few of us. In Fiji they all hugged us. In Argentina, the kids were controlled to a degree. They were quiet in the classroom but a few of the boys started wrestling and fooling around when we went outside. Someone in the group commented that the Turkish children were the happiest they’d seen.

The next stop was at a pottery atelier. An employee demonstrated how they shape a pot on the wheel and then what it would look like after painting and glazing. The pottery was beautiful and expensive. I bought nothing — too expensive and too fragile for me – too many opportunities for breakage before getting home.

About fifteen of us took the Whirling Dervish optional that evening. It was okay, mildly interesting but seemed overpriced ($30), not something I would do again or recommend.

“See a ritual dance performance by the Whirling Dervishes, monks of the Mevlevi sect of Islam founded in the 13th century. During the dance, called a sema, the dervishes believe that their souls are released from their earthly ties and are free to joyfully commune with the divine. The dervishes spin shoulder to shoulder, both around their own axis and around one another, representing the Earth revolving on its own axis while orbiting the sun. The dancers are silent while performing the sema, accompanied by drums and chanting, as the ritual gradually transforms itself into rapid, spinning ecstasy.”

I think it’s an interesting concept but not too interesting to watch.
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Next day: Optional Ballooning over moonscapes/Carpets & Kilims, Home hosted lunch. Tufa formations of Pashabag

I’d been undecided about taking the balloon ride and had taken a poll at home. All of my family said to go for it except one grandson, the most adventuresome, said he wasn’t sure that I should do it. He may have been thinking of my fear of high places and wondering how I would react – as I was myself. We had to let our tour leader know two days before the flight and he said that once he made the arrangements we could not cancel without being charged. So, I made the decision to go and didn’t waver despite the jokes (One woman offered to notify my next of kin) and concerned comments from my group mates. (Are you really going to that?) Fourteen of us booked. We had an early wake up call and had to be in the lobby ready to go by 5:45. We were picked up and taken to the Kapadokya Balloons office. Coffee, tea and cookies were served until we were called to board a vehicle and then rode up and down hills in the dark to the balloon launch site. I drank just enough coffee to wake up and ate a couple of cookies. There was space for fourteen in a basket (divided into two sections with a section for the pilot in the center. They brought us into the field where the balloons were being prepared and told us not to cross a line. It was fun to watch many colorful balloons inflate and lift off one by one as the sky began to lighten.

When our turn came, we clambered in awkwardly. I don’t think anyone was graceful but I know I had a hard time getting my leg over the edge and almost fell into the basket. The pilot instructed us on the position to take if we were to have a rough landing.

Lift-off was as smooth as if someone above was gently pulling us into the air. I became so engrossed in the view of the sunrise and the other balloons drifting at different heights that my fear disappeared. I was surprised when a woman from our group said that she’d also been afraid of heights but was enjoying the ride.

We sailed through the sky at various heights and sometimes nearly close enough to the rock formations to reach out and touch the stone. As the sun rose, the colors of some stones, changed from deep rose to light pink and we could see bands of colors in the lower rock formations, as if someone had painted wide stripes onto the rock. Our pilot, a Welshman named Mike, was certainly adept, he brought us from panoramic views of the tufa formations and towns below to low close ups and turned the balloon so neither side would miss interesting views. He was in constant touch with the ground crew, keeping them informed of our height and location.

A TV commercial came to mind: cost: $180, experience: priceless. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. When our hour was up we watched as other balloons descended. Flat-bed trucks were driving along beneath us and one balloon slowly landed on the back of one. A friend had said her group had landed on the back of a flat-bed truck and I couldn’t picture it, but there it was. And our turn was next.

A truck found a level spot beneath us and when we were close to the ground three men grabbed the ropes on the side of the basket and “walked” the basket over to the truck bed. We didn’t even feel a thump when we landed. The pilot told us to be careful when we got out of the basket onto the truck bed because there wasn’t much space. I was the last out on our side and the handsome young man who’d helped the others off said to put my arm around his shoulder. Well, I wouldn’t refuse that offer, but was amazed when he lifted me out of the basket and then stepped off the truck and put me down on the grass. What service!

We celebrated with champagne and cake and were awarded certificates. So, a great morning for me, well worth getting up before dawn.

Back to the hotel for a quick clean up and breakfast before boarding the bus at 9:30. Our first stop was a carpet cooperative in Avanos. We saw some women weaving and then went into a large room with seating along two walls and lots and lots of carpets in the center. We were offered a beverage and the few who had developed a taste for raki chose it. I think I had apple tea. Many of the carpets were beautiful and must have cost a lot of dollars since the small kilim I looked at cost $210. The silk carpets were especially beautiful with lovely shades of gold and green and intricate patterns. One of the men from our group looked at a few carpets and said they were good quality. His wife said he works in textiles so I guess he knows.

Home-hosted lunch

We broke into small groups and mine included our tour leader, which was fortunate because the hostess and the friend who was helping her serve spoke no English, so our leader was our translator.

We took our shoes off and left them on the porch/entry before going into the house. We were served a cold yogurt soup, then a hot chicken soup, then white meat chicken and some vegetables and then home-made baklava. I have a feeling the chicken was from the backyard. It was a nice lunch and that was the day that I gave up eating baklava – it was too good and I was becoming too fond of it.

There were photos of the family and of the wedding of the son of the house. The wedding album was interesting – very glamorous shots, no candids. I noticed a few blue eye charms, including one large one hanging over a doorway.

After lunch we drove to a couple of villages that are characteristic of the area, which also included shopping ops. There were plenty of small shops and some refreshment stands offering beer or tea or fruit juice. I bought a blue eye bracelet and a few of the tiny, colorful bowls that I now use to drop my watch or earrings into. There was an array of brightly colored items decorating a leafless tree and I chose a large glass “blue eye” hanging on a braided rope. I wrapped it in bubble wrap and put it in my carryon. I got through security in Ankara, Istanbul and Paris but was stopped in Atlanta. They had to unwrap it, inspect it, put the carryon back through security, wand me, pat me down etc. I got the wand and pat down in CDG too, but it was because I’d forgotten to take my watch off so set off the alarm.

We drove up a hill and went onto the terrace of a cave hotel. It was nearing sunset and we enjoyed a wonderful view, so sunrise from the hot air balloon and sunset from the terrace of a cave hotel – a good day for beauty. The hotel looked interesting but it didn’t look like there was anything within walking distance other than a stand directly across from the hotel advertising Turkish Viagra.

Day 17 Transfer to Ankara/Visit Hittite Lands and Hattusas/Explore the Yazilikaya Open-Air Cult Center Wednesday, October 14

On the way to Ankara we stopped in Hittite land. The Hittite civilization rivaled Egypt’s during the 2nd millennium BC. We first visited the ancient site of Hattusas, capital of the great Hittite Kingdom—a powerful empire of the Ancient Near East that ruled from about 1600 to 1200 BC. “Located high on a rocky summit, Hattusas offers a wealth of archaeological treasures that have been recovered from this former center of the kingdom, including records offering extensive details concerning political and religious aspects of the culture.”

After lunch at a village in Bogazkoy, we continued on to Yazilikaya, a sacred Hittite sanctuary of two chambers enclosed by natural rock formations. Hewn out of the rock are depictions of deities and a stone relief of King Tudhaliya IV that stands twelve feet high. Archaeologists estimate that the Hittites used this locale as a revered shrine as early as 1250 BC. I have no notes on the lunch but remember it was not a buffet and remember giving my dessert, baklava, which I’d quit eating a few days before, to the man sitting across from me and his wife scolding him for eating two desserts.

We walked through an open-air cultural center featuring representations of the Hittite pantheon. The Hittite people revered up to 1,000 gods and goddesses. The major spiritual beings-such as Teshub, the Thunderstorm God, and Hepatu, the Goddess of the Sun are depicted more frequently in sacred sites throughout the region.

I really liked this stop. Imagine driving over hilly, winding roads to visit ancient stone ruins located high on a rocky and desolate summit on an overcast and misty day. This is where the Thunderstorm God was worshipped. It didn’t thunder but it did rain. We stood in a light mist as our leader explained how and when the city wall and the huge stone gate were built. We’d just learned that the location of the gate was to slow down enemy chariots, when it began raining a bit harder and someone said “It’s raining” and bolted. Then we all ran for the bus leaving our leader standing alone on a big boulder looking at us like the wimps we were. At another stop we walked up worn smooth stone stairs and squeezed between two enormous boulders to see the carved images of the Hittite gods.

I think this is where I lost the rubber tip for my trekking pole. It was on the pole before I left for this trip, but not when I returned. I remember the pole sinking into sand between rocks and having to pull hard to get it out.

The Hittites spoke eight languages, had written laws, no capital punishment, but practiced slavery.

Day 18 City Tour/Farewell Dinner Thursday
Ankara is an old city (founded in 2000 BC) with several Roman ruins scattered throughout the metropolis. Archaeologists have found artifacts that date back to pre-Roman periods but it is a big and modern city with art galleries, symphony orchestras, theatres and heavy traffic.

Our first stop was at the Mausoleum of Ataturk, a tribute to the founder of modern Turkey. Ataturk (originally named Mustafa Kemal) helped lead the nation during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and transformed it into the secular republic that stands today. He was Turkey’s first president and is today its most revered historic leader. Indeed, from banners in Istanbul to statues in smaller cities, we saw Ataturk’s likeness many times. I read quite a bit about Mustafa Kemel before the trip and learned a lot more from our Turkish trip leader, who is a great admirer.

The mausoleum, high over the city, is enormous. Our trip leader said several times that it was not what Ataturk wanted, but that the people wanted to build an impressive memorial to honor him. And it is impressive.

Local artisans created the statues, adornments, and reliefs throughout the complex that combine ancient and modern architectural styles. There is a large colonnaded courtyard, a Hall of Honor with mosaics of gold leaf on the ceiling, floors of colored marble, and a 40-ton sarcophagus. A group of statues near the towered entrance represent the three strengths of a nation—defense, productivity, and education. Construction of the Mausoleum was begun six years after Ataturk’s death and was completed nine years later, in 1953. In that year, with great honors, a gun carriage bore the remains of Ataturk to his final resting place.

Our next stop was another fine museum. From my tour info booklet: “The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is the finest Hittite museum in the country. It details the many cultures that have inhabited this region, starting as far back as the Paleolithic Age. The museum houses a priceless collection of artifacts from Neolithic, Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Persian, Galatian, and Roman times. The two buildings themselves, a caravansary (an overnight site for caravans) and a bedesten (covered bazaar), are Ottoman structures that date to the 15th century.”

My favorites here were on the lower floor: the coins and the delicate gold jewelry. They had some master craftsman working in gold. The gift shop sold reproductions of some items from this area.

I wandered around the gardens outside before we walked up a hill to a market. There were small shops selling textiles, jewelry, tea glasses, string bags and fruit and spice stands and traditional Turkish handicrafts. I saw some metal pendants on cords that looked like the images of the Hittite gods we’d seen carved into the stone walls in Hattusas. One shop had nice dyed silk scarves and one sold beads, which pleased a woman in our group who makes jewelry.

While we there schoolchildren in their uniforms came marching up the hill waving their colorings and chatting to one another. They didn’t pay us much attention so I guess a group of tourists is not an unusual sight for them.

Our farewell dinner was held in a restaurant in an old stone building near the market where we’d been in the afternoon. It was very good, a nice antipasto and then tender beef with assorted vegetables. On the drive back to the hotel our trip leader asked if we’d had a good time. Everyone answered YES! Then he said “Now you know what to say to people when they ask why you went to Turkey.”

Some flew home from Ankara and some of us returned to Istanbul. I had a few more days on my own and loved my cozy room in the Hotel Dersaadet in Sultanahmet. I spent a lot of time on the rooftop terrace, mesmerized by the sunset, boats and ships on the Sea of Marmara. It was fun for me to walk the side streets up to the Hippodrome and the Blue Mosque and walk through the Arasta Bazaar and take another route back. None of the salesmen were high pressure, but most invited me in the shops “to look.” I only went into one and was surrounded by everything kilim: pillow covers, purses, shoes and luggage. It was similar to seeing a sea of turquoise jewelry in the Southwest.

There was a large shop in the neighborhood that had beautiful textiles in the window. After passing it a few times, I went in and inquired about a silk ikat pillow cover. The owner/salesman showed it me and I asked if it had been made in Turkey. He said yes. The silk covers came in several sizes and patterns and he said to take some and sit on the bench and take my time. There were no other customers so he sat across from me and we talked. He was the third generation of his family in the textile business. Without trying to sell me anything, he showed me a couple of rugs and told me how they were made and why one would cost more than another. He was especially proud of the towels – the softest I’d ever felt. I should have asked the price, maybe I could have bought a small one for a special souvenir. It was a pleasant, educational experience. I bought two pillow covers, which I enjoy.

It had been a wonderful trip — I enjoyed every minute. Our trip leader, a young man who was educated in Turkey and the U.S. was excellent. He has a laid-back, can handle anything, personality and a dry sense of humor. I think we were mostly a congenial group.

After being home a few months, images and memories of Istanbul and Cappadocia still surface and I think I really need to return. I’ll be watching the Turkey posts and making notes on different places to visit next time.

Flight home. The hotel made arrangements for a car to the airport. A couple who were taking the same Air France flight to CDG shared so it was not expensive. It was a short ride to the airport and after checking in, the three of us had coffee and I bought some lokum for my family. There were samples and it was very good, although expensive.

Security at CDG was very slow, they were checking almost everyone going through and checking lots of carryons. It didn’t leave me much time to walk around before boarding.

This has never, ever happened to me before. Both flights left on time and the flight to Atlanta arrived early. I got to immigration and there was ONE person ahead of me. I stepped right up and handed over my passport. The unsmiling officer put it into the reader, looked at the screen then holding the passport looked at me and said “Why did you go to Turkey?” I wondered why he asked and stammered a bit and then said “It’s beautiful — to see the historic sites.” He then said. “Could you get alcohol, beer?” I nodded and he stamped my passport and gave it back to me.

Next, the luggage zoomed out. I grabbed my bag and breezed right through customs and went to the Delta counter to check in for my last flight. I had separate tickets and needed to check in and get my suitcase tagged. I’d booked the 8:30 pm flight because if the Paris flight had arrived on schedule, I would not have made the 5:30 flight. I asked if there were any seats left on the 5:30 flight. The Delta clerk checked the computer and said “One, but I’ll have to charge you $50.” I said okay and got rid of my suitcase and got over to the gate. They started boarding about ten minutes later and took off on time. I rode an hour sitting in the last row across from the lav, but it was better than hanging around the airport for three hours.

The end of a happy journey.

Luisah - I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your impressions and wonderfully detailed trip reports. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences.

I believe you mentioned in part I of your trip report that you travelled with Pachatours. While we like to travel at our own pace and stay a few days in between sites, our friends prefer organized travel. I was concerned that the pace of a tour would wear us out. Any thoughts on this?

BTW, was that cave hotel terrace in Göreme @ the Kelebek Hotel?

Hi Waggis,

Thanks for reading the report. The cave hotel is the Ahbap Konagi. Someone wrote a report recently and mentioned a different cave hotel that sounded wonderful. There are probably several that would be fun.

I traveled with Grand Circle on the trip "The Crossroads of Turkey." I travel with friends, family or solo to Europe and nearby places but like to go with a group when traveling on a longer trip that would require a lot of driving.

The pace was good for me. I had enough free time to go off and explore on my own in Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya. I don't think a tour like this would wear you out but I know there are some that would wear me out. I like to spend enough time in a place to get a sense of it, not a snapshot.

I don't remember early morning departures other than the hot air balloon day. We stayed in good hotels with four three night stays (Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, Cappadocia)and two two-night stays (Pammukale and Ankara) and a one night stay in Cannukale. There were long bus rides but I dozed and daydreamed and enjoyed the scenery. When considering group tours, I think you need to look at the itineraries carefully. I wouldn't want more than one or two one-night stays.

Hi Luisah - We're on the same page as far as travel preferences are concerned - "one night stands" don't appeal to us either. We looked at the GC "Crossroads of Turkey" tour and it almost follows our early planning with the exception that we'd be on a bus rather than in a rental car. We wanted to travel the "Silk Trading Route" from Cappadocia to Antalya.

Was Serif Yenen your tour guide? If so, do you know if he's the only one guiding this particular tour? Your input is very much appreciated.

No, Serif wasn't our guide. I think there are several and they do both the GCT and OAT (four days on a gulet) tours, which are frequent. You don't know until shortly before the trip who the leader will be.

There are several traveler reviews on the gct web site that might be helpful. The company prints the reviews without editing and I think they are honest appraisals of the trips.

I'll check them out - Thanks Luisah.

Lusiah, Thank you for such an informative post! We are interested in a Grand Circle Travel Crossroads of Turkey tour also, and your comments are invaluable.

One important question--it's Sunday today, and I'd love to know, but can't find out till tomorrow--Was your flight back to Istanbul from Ankara included with your trip?

Thanks,
Marge

Thank you, Luisah, for you very informative posts. I am in the early stages of planning an independent 3-4 week trip to Turkey and found your observations very helpful. I can't wait to taste some lokum!