Mathieu

Thank you for your delightful pictures, Indiancouple. Yes, you've done fair justice and more to the places and sights you've described so lyrically in your texts. Thanks to you, I think you've put Nafplion, Paros and Antiparos all on the top of our 'must visit' lists, not to mention the Hotel Aetona and it's very kind, generous and hospitable hostess. I loved the pics of the ancient theatre and play; thats definitely something I'd have been interested to see.

Nevsehir, Urgup and the Hotel Esbelli are all familiar to me as I visited all and am glad for a revisit through your eyes. Glad that you all were staying at the Esbelli. It is a marvellous hotel. I would have stayed there too but was already booked to stay in Goreme at the Hotel Kelebek in a cave suite overlooking the gorge and sunsets. It was wonderful.
I can just imagine what you're going to tell us about this wonderful area, and am looking forward to your report. Thanks again for the pictures.

M

indiancouple

Day 11 (Monday, July 4th): CAPPADOCIA :
Awoke at leisure and reported for breakfast at 9:30 am. Excellent breakfast spread, with lots of fresh fruits, all kinds of breads, cereals, juices, omelets of infinite variety, range of cheese and coffee.

Requested Sajid to arrange for a car rental, and within minutes the rental man was there, and handed us the car keys. Very cheap and efficient. By 10:30 am we were off, first stop being at a jewellers' shop downtown. Hotel had advised that best exchange rates were to be obtained there, and we converted our Euros into Turkish Lire there.

Sajid had planned the day for us. He had given us a decent map of the area, with all the recommended stops clearly marked. He had even suggested the sequence in which we should cover the sights, and we found no reason to doubt his knowledge of the area. So we followed his itinerary to the T, and made our first stop very soon at Devrent Valley, where we viewed the fairy chimneys from two separate vantage points. This was our first sighting of the strange rocky landscape of Cappadocia, and it was exciting and impressive.

Our next stop was at Zelve Valley Open Air Museum, where we bought our tickets and went in for a hike. As recommended, we skipped Valley No. 3, and focussed on Valley Nos 1 and 2. It was a nice walk, going in and out of various tunnels and cave houses, climbing up and down stairs. People had actually lived in the cave houses here at one time, and the structures were very well preserved and interesting. It was an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable hour's hike.

When we emerged from Zelve Valley, we sat down at a small shop there for some cool drinks. An old lady was rolling out a thin bread at that shop, which caught the eye of the ladies. They flocked around her to see what she was making. Turned out to be a Turkish dish called "Gozleme", a dish that we were shortly about to fall in love with ! The dough was rolled out into a thin piece, about 18 inches in diameter, and then stuffed with potatoes, spinach etc, folded once over and then dry roasted over an iron griddle. It looked good, and tasted even better. We ordered several more. The ladies each tried their hand at rolling out gozlemes of their own, with considerable success. Delicious stuff.

Next stop was the Pasabagi Fairy Chimneys, which was easily the best sighting of weird rocks, mostly in the shape of the phallus. Large number of 3-headed phallic rocks, of all sizes and orientations. Walked all around taking pictures. How to describe it - lovely, weird, obscene, dramatic, outer-worldly, or all of the above ? Whatever it was, I am sure there is no place on earth like this, and it was a fascinating sight to behold. Easily the most picturesque spot in Cappadocia.

From there we headed to Avanos, reaching there by 2 pm. We were looking for Chez Galip's pottery workshop, and everyone in the town knew where it was. Most famous artist of Cappadocia, whose fame spreads far and wide all over Turkey. When we reached there and strolled inside, we were surprised to see the maestro himself seated on a potter's wheel before a small audience, giving a demonstration. Looked a carbon image of Albert Einstein.

Mr Galip did an encore performance for our benefit, then his assistant took us for a tour of the workshop, culminating in their display room where objects were for sale. Mr Galip reappeared, dropped some vases on the floor from a height to demonstrate how sturdy they were, and presented small pottery pieces to the ladies with his autograph. Also saw some of his famed "Ladies hair collection", for which he exists in the Guiness Book of Records !

We were all permitted to try our own hand at the potter's wheel, helped by some of Mr Galip's assistants. All in all it was a very enjoyable tour, and a super slick marketing job. We were tempted to buy a few of the pottery on display, but we were grossly late for lunch and very hungry. The collection on display was huge, and would have taken a while to make a selection. So we decided to move for lunch, promising ourselves that we would return later today or tomorrow to make our purchases.

We headed quickly to Goreme for lunch, and sat down at a cafe highly recommended on this forum, called "Nazar Borek". The food was very good, and offered a wide variety in Turkish cuisine. Had their yogurt drink called Ayram, which was great, and was to become our regular meal accompaniment from then on. Had vegetable kebabs with rice, Boregi (a stuffed pastry), and various mezhes. Very good food. Otherchelebi of this forum (a great Turkish expert and very helpful man) had recommended that we try some vegetarian manti in Cappadocia, and I looked for it wherever we ate. Unfortunately, everywhere that we went, only the meat-filled ones were available. Have to return someday to try manti without meat, as it sounded delicious.

After lunch, we strolled through Goreme village, going in and out of various shops. We also shopped around for Hot Air Balloon operators. Ended up booking with Sultan Balloons for Euro 95 per person (the hotel had quoted a much higher price for another Balloon company). Telephoned our hotel to cancel the booking that they had made, and bought tickets with Sultan for the next morning. I had read good things on this forum about Sultan Balloons, so I felt safe.

By now it was 6 pm, and we went to explore the Goreme Open Air Museum. Roamed around for almost an hour. Shape of fairy chimneys was very different here. The place was used as churches and monasteries at one time, and it was remarkably intact. We were less interested in the frescoes, and more in the odd shapes and the landscape beauty, which we enjoyed immensely. Sat down at a cafe near the exit and cooled down with slushes and juices.

As we left Goreme, we stopped briefly at the edge of Love Valley to take pictures. A sea of phallic-shaped structures ! Then headed off towards Uchisar, stopping on the way at two different panoramic viewpoints recommended by Sajid of our hotel. Both viewing points were excellent, and gave superb aerial views of the Cappadocia region.

Reached Uchisar Rock Castle by 7:30 pm, and decided to climb all the way to the top. It looked far more difficult than what it was, and we made it to the top in no time. This is allegedly the highest point in Cappadocia, and offered views of the entire region from atop. Excellent sight, and well worth the climb. Do not be daunted by the height as seen from outside - the climb is really not bad at all. The sun was beginning to set as we climbed down, and the scenery was very pretty indeed.

As we came down, we raced towards Red Valley, to try and reach the sunset viewing point before the sun went down. All along the way, we could see the sun slowly go down into the horizon, so in effect we enjoyed the sunset as we drove. However, by the time we reached the viewing point, the sun had just disappeared into the horizon ! We were late by about 5-6 minutes.

We were not far from Urgup by now, and we drove back there, going straight to town center for dinner at Somine's restaurant. Had a meal of Mezhes, Turkish Pide, Baked Vegetables, and dessert of Baked Apricots & Walnuts with icecream. Downed with the mandatory Raki.

For a change, we went to bed early, and fell asleep by 10 pm. It had been a magical day, with perhaps the most exciting sightseeing activity in this whole trip. We had very high expectations from Cappadocia, and it had not let us down. A must-see destination for anyone going to Turkey. There is no place quite like it on Planet Earth.

indiancouple

cvilletravel, I am glad for your sake that Heimdall has chipped in above, giving much more details about Antiparos. I was persuaded by Heimdall to choose Paros and Antiparos over Naxos, and now you have an expert's endorsement about Antiparos.

Mathieu, glad to know you liked the pictures of Greece that I posted on this Trip Report (I mean the link to the pictures).

billbarr

Thank you indiancouple. I have enjoyed your review immensely. I'm especially pleased you enjoyed Greece so much and look forward to reading your continuing adventures in Turkey.

Also, I am fascinated with your photograph of dinner in Athens. Have you noticed the ghost in the picture, standing just behind the seated lady in red?

Bill

indiancouple

Thanks billbarr, and the "ghost" in the picture is obviously the product of a slow shutter speed, causing a moving person to get superimposed over a still person ! Did not notice any real ghosts on the streets of Athens !

cvilletravel

Thank you Indiancouple and Heimdall for additional info on Antiparos. My husband is really keen on beaches. He wants to stay at a hotel that is right on the beach, but I cannot find any directly connected. It's good to know that some beaches tend to be 10 minute walks or so from the hotels on Antiparos. That's not very far of a walk at all. I'll be sure to check out the websites that Heimdall recommended.

TDudette

Enjoyed the photos of Greece very much.

indiancouple

Glad you liked the Greece pics, TDudette. Will post the Turkey photos once the trip report is done.

indiancouple

Day 12 (Tuesday, July 5th): CAPPADOCIA :
We were booked for a Hot Air Balloon trip this morning, which takes place at the crack of dawn. This meant getting up at 3:30 am and getting ready, as the Sultan balloons pick-up vehicle arrived dot at the appointed hour of 4:15 am. The vehicle picked up more people as we went along, and we reached the takeoff point by 5 am.

The balloons started getting inflated one by one. There were three balloons of Sultan scheduled to fly that day, and we were in the last one. The first two balloons got airborne, and we realized that there were only about 12 of us to go up in the last one, which was nice as it was the least crowded. Struck an acquaintance with the wife of a US Congressman, who was traveling with her grandchildren. The pilot of our balloon was a skilled skydiver, and seemed to be very experienced. Our balloon lifted off at 5:45 am, and very soon the skyline was littered with balloons taking off.

There must have been atleast 35-40 balloons in the sky that morning. The sight of these balloons was as pretty as what appeared below us. The next 75 minutes were fantastic, in fact, pure ecstasy. It was a great experience to see this unusual landscape from atop. Clicked lots and lots of pictures. Words would not do justice to what we saw, and I will not try to put it in words. You simply have to experience it. We finally came down at 7 pm, received a glass of juice, certificates of having completed a balloon ride, and were dropped back to our hotels.

Had breakfast upon arrival at Esbelli Evi hotel, and then slept for an hour. The owner of the hotel, Suha, had arrived from out of town, and he met us and greeted us. Seemed a sweet soul. We all left at 10:15 am for Kaymakli underground city. According to our hotel people, it was less crowded and less claustrophobic than the more famous Derinkuyu underground city. As DW can get claustrophobic, I decided to risk entering Kaymakli instead of Derinkuyu. We reached there in about 45 minutes, and went inside. We all enjoyed the experience. There was a Chinese group just ahead of us, with a really good English guide, and we just tagged behind them. Very interesting to see an underground city 4 storeys deep, with kitchens, air shafts, stone doors etc, which would house 3000 people at one time.

From Kaymakli, we drove to nearby Derinkuyu underground city. Our friends went in, but we opted to stay out. Found a shop where another lady was making gozleme; feasted on them, washed down with cold drinks. Our friends emerged within an hour, and said that they had enjoyed this too, and that it was not at all claustrophobic (perhaps because the crowds were very thin that day).

It was 12:45 pm, and we started another long drive to reach Ihlara Valley exactly an hour later. Left the car in the car-park, and descended down the stairs to the canyon floor. It was a 4 km level walk to Belisirma village, and we embarked upon it. A lovely walk beside the river at all times. It was cool and pleasant inside the canyon, and turned out to be an easy walk after all.

Shortly before we reached Belisirma, we stopped at a tea-garden for rest. They had placed tables inside the river, where you could sit and dip your feet in the water. We all had some tea, relaxed, watched the ducks, and then walked the remaining stretch to Belisirma. We had problems finding much vegetarian food there, but we somehow managed to get some vegetarian lunch. Then took a taxi from the village back to the car park.

We started the return journey at about 4 pm. We had originally planned to go back to the sunset point where we had missed the sunset the previous evening, but everyone voted for going back to the hotel and enjoying our suites for a change. So we drove straight back to Urgup, reaching by 6 pm. Napped for an hour, and then just lazed about in our suite. Had some beer on the patio.

At about 9 pm we left for Goreme where we planned to have dinner. We chose the Alaturka restaurant, which has good reviews on Lonely Planet. The ambiance was great, the restaurant looked fashionable, but the food did not live up to its setting. We returned to Esbelli Evi, settled our hotel bill (as we were to depart early next morning), and retired to sleep by 11 pm. Cappadocia had been one of the best stopovers in this entire trip, and exceeded our exalted expectations. We felt satiated.

indiancouple

Day 13 (Wednesday, July 6th): ISTANBUL :
Had an early breakfast, said goodbye to Suha and his excellent hotel, and left for Nevsehir airport in a vehicle arranged by the hotel. We had an uneventful Turkish Airline flight, which landed in Istanbul at 11 am. This was the third time we were at Istanbul airport in this trip, and thankfully this time we were staying in the city.

We had arranged for a car pick-up (complimentary by our hotel), and the representative was waiting with a sign. Made it to our hotel, the Millennium Suites in Sultanahmet, by noon. The manager of the hotel Alper Ozturk was waiting for us. First he gave the bad news, i.e. they had goofed up and overbooked their property, and we would have to spend one night (out of 4 nights) in a hotel across the street. Then the palliative : there would be no charge for this first night, and he was also throwing in a free Bosphorus cruise to make up to us. It was somewhat beyond the call of duty, and appeared to be a genuine mistake, as no hotel would otherwise waive off a night's rent and give a cruise for free deliberately. The hotel across the road looked the best on that street, so we accepted (we were really given no other alternative). We dumped our luggage in our rooms (which were just OK in size and appearance), and went for lunch to a nearby restaurant called "Ocean 7". Our hotel was on Abiyik Caddesi, which is a street lined with hotels and restaurants, and a lively part of Sultanahmet to live in.

After lunch, we walked first to the Kocuk Aya Sofya Camii (also called the little Aya Sofya), which was a very pretty small mosque. Then walked to the nearby Sokulla Mehmet Pasa Camii, another lovely mosque in the neighborhood designed by Sinan. Also very pretty, and you hardly go out of the way to visit these two little gems.

Then walked to the Blue Mosque, which was just 5 minutes on foot from our hotel. This was huge, and we spent a good deal of time inside, sitting on the carpet and admiring its grandeur. However, I felt that the Blue Mosque looked more imposing and grand from outside (as opposed to inside), especially when seen from afar, where its proportions and scale came in full view. A lovely monument to photograph, which I did every time I went past this mosque for the next 4 days !

As we emerged from the Blue Mosque, the impressive structure of the Aya Sofya stared at us in our face. I had planned on leaving the Aya Sofya for another day, but our friends wanted to see it the same day. So in we went. This was a much more spectacular monument, a church converted into a mosque, and well worth exploring. We visited every nook and corner, including the galleries on the top. Lovely frescoes, fairly intact. The painting on the walls and ceilings looked more earthy and antique, and overall I found it to be a much more impressive monument than the Blue Mosque.

We had covered a lot of monuments for one day, and we sat down at a cafe outside for an hour to rest. Had some good Turkish coffee. Then started walking on the "happening" street of Sultanahmet, namely Divan Yolu. A very very lively street. A short way down, there was a park/plaza on one side, where there was a lot of activity going on. We sat down and had our portraits sketched by a roadside artist. Then walked up and down Divan Yolu, and soaked up the atmosphere of Istanbul's evening.

We had identified an Indian restaurant on Divan Yolu for the evening, called "Dubb". We had not tasted Indian food for the last 2 weeks, and were craving for it. Had a lovely meal. Requested the Indian chef to make it as spicy as he could, and we gorged till our bellies could take it no more ! Then walked back to our hotel and retired to sleep by 10 pm.

indiancouple

Day 14 (Thursday, July 7th): ISTANBUL :
Woke up late and got ready. Alper at Millennium Suites informed us that our rooms were ready, and we could shift our hotel whenever we wanted. We first went for breakfast at the Millennium restaurant - it was a sumptuous spread. Then our luggage was transferred from the hotel across the street to Millennium Suites. After experiencing one night in the other hotel, we had been expecting more or less similar stuff here, but when we entered our rooms, we were blown away. The rooms were almost twice the size, and very tastefully decorated. The toilet and the toiletries were excellent, as was the upholstery, linen etc. Even fresh flowers in the room. Once in the room, you can be forgiven for thinking that you are in a five-star property. Excellent, and most unexpected.

Discovered that the Manager, Mr Alper, was also the part-owner, and it was a new hotel just 10 months old. Alper was just 31 years old, and had his heart set in the hospitality industry. He was certainly doing an excellent job; in fact his entire team of people were super, so warm and friendly, and never said no to anything.

At about 10:30 am we left the hotel, and walked over to the Hippodrome area, clicking pics of the Blue Mosque from outside. Then went to the Basilica Cistern, which was fabulous. Never seen an underground water tank which was so beautiful. Crazy emperor to have invested in those lovely columns all over a water storage tank ! Anyway, it is beautifully maintained, with a few feet of water and lots of fish everywhere, and pleasant walkways with subdued lighting all over. Most unusual sight, and very enjoyable. After roaming around, we rested briefly at the Cistern cafe inside, sipping coffee/O.J.

We were due to depart on the Bosphorus cruise that afternoon, and we slowly made our way back to the hotel, picking up some fruits on the way for the boat journey. Had some sandwiches packed at our hotel too. The vehicle pick-up for the cruise arrived at 1:40 pm at the hotel, and were at the pier 20 minutes later. It was a decent boat, with about 25 passengers in all, so not at all crowded. It offered a combined cruise of the Golden Horn plus the Bosphorus.

The cruise started at 2 pm from the Eyup pier. We sailed down the Golden Horn all the way, going under the Galata Bridge, and joined the Bosphorus. Then sailed north on the Bosphorus, sticking closer to the European shore. Saw the lovely Dolmabahce Palace from outside, the exclusive "resort club island" on the way, and various other exotic buildings Continued sailing north until we passed the 2nd bridge over the Bosphorus, where we turned around. It was a lovely cruise, offering wonderful sights, with crisp air and crystal clear waters everywhere.

After turning around, the boat stayed closer to the Asian shore during the return journey, and it was interesting to contrast the two sides. We docked briefly at Kanlica, which is famed for its thick yogurt. There were shops offering the same at the docks, and we tried some of it, but found nothing so fanciful about it. Then the boat sailed again, and made another stop at Maiden's Tower. We got down, climbed the steps of the Tower, looked around, and climbed back down.

As the boat neared the end of its journey, slightly after 5 pm, we were informed that we could either go the full length to Eyup (where we had started), or alight at Eminonu.We opted for the latter. It had been an enjoyable cruise, and certainly a must-do in Istanbul. I believe that several varieties of this cruise exist, and one should choose any one which interests them.

The Spice Bazar was just at the Eminonu pier, and that is where we headed next. We walked the complete length of the L-shaped Spice Bazar, and gave all the shops a look over. We desisted from any shopping today, as we did not want to lug our purchases around the rest of the evening. But we did make a mental note of shops to return to later. Then we sat down at a cafe for almost 90 minutes, slowly having ice-cream and coffee, and watching people go by.

At about 7:30 pm we started our trek across the Galata Bridge, which divides modern Istanbul and the ancient city. It was a lovely walk, with people fishing on both sides, all along its length. After walking till the halfway point, we descended the stairs, and walked the remainder at the lower level, where all the restaurants were located. Never seen more aggressive salesmen anywhere, as we experienced while crossing those cafes !

On reaching the other side, we took the old furnicular up the Tunel, to emerge on the famed Istiklal Caddesi. As we started walking on that street, we could feel the electricity in the air. Fabulous place, full of people, even on a Thursday. Touristy no doubt, but you have to come here to see what modern Istanbul is like (perhaps not really representative of "modern" Istanbul, but a far cry from the ancient areas of Sultanahmet). It was hard to walk here without bumping into people all the time. Performing artistes on the street-sides everywhere, and nice shops lining the street. A very enjoyable stroll indeed. After walking the complete length of Istiklal until Taksim Square, we retraced our steps.

Every travel site had recommended that a visit to Istanbul is complete only if you visit a meyhane one evening (which is a typical Turkish tavern). One area where these meyhanes are concentrated is the Nevizade area just off Istiklal, and that is where we ventured. Sat down at a meyhane called "Cumhurriyet", on a pavement table. The street was quite narrow, and lined with meyhanes, one after another. Packed to 300% of its capacity ! We had two rounds of Raki (this is the real stuff !), with several mezhes (fried potato cheese croquettes, olives and mushrooms, jalapenos, hot red chilly paste etc). The ambiance was lovely, and live music was playing at several meyhanes nearby. Everyone appeared in a party mood, which was very infectious if you sat here.

Got up after a few drinks, and walked a little further to a vegetarian cafe called "Zencefil". Got excellent food here (zucchini with basil, spaghetti with tomatoes, lentil patties), which we enjoyed. Then took a taxi back to our hotel, reaching there by midnight. It had been an eventful and enjoyable day in Istanbul. More such days were in store for us.

indiancouple

Day 15 (Friday, July 8th): ISTANBUL :
Got up still later today, and reported for breakfast at 10 am. After another satisfying meal, we walked the 5 minutes to Topkapi Palace. We entered at 11 am, armed with an audio guide. We had an excellent tour of the entire complex, lasting about 3 hours. Really enjoyed the harem section, and the Treasury rooms with all the opulent items on display. The audio guide was useful, but even without it, the signages and descriptions posted everywhere were really quite adequate. This is the number one sight at Istanbul, and it did not fail to satiate. Emerged at 2pm, tired but satisfied.

Near our hotel we had spotted another branch of the Indian restaurant "Dubb", with a slightly different cuisine. Decided to give it a try, and it turned out to be much better that the one on Divan Yolu. Totally stuffed ourselves, till we could barely walk. We took a taxi to the Spice Market, where we shopped for exotic teas, olives, dry fruits etc. The ladies had underestimated the weight of their purchases, and when they were done, the groans emerged about the heavy bags ! So we took another taxi back to the hotel, to dump our purchases in our rooms. Ended up relaxing for about 90 minutes in the hotel, before venturing out again.

Finally left the hotel at 7:30 pm, taking a taxi yet again, to Eminonu. We got caught in a traffic jam. However, the taxi driver was great, and an expert at weaving his way through the thick jam, and got us there fairly quickly. He was a very talkative guy, who spoke decent English, and we enjoyed conversing with him and picking up tid-bits about Turkish culture. We boarded the 8:30 pm ferry from Eminonu to Kadikoy (on the Asian side), reaching there in about 20 minutes.

The Asian side surprised us. We had expected dull residential neighborhoods, but the place was just about as lively as the European side. Here the people were mainly locals, as this is not a very touristy part of Istanbul. However, it was full of life and energy. Asked our way to reach Guneslibahce Sokak, which was supposed to be the "action" street of Kadikoy. This place was similar to the Nevizade meyhane area that we had visited the previous day. Lined with sidewalk cafes, and bursting with activity.

We went to "Ciya Sofrasia", a reputed establishment here, and took a pavement table. Had one of our best meals in Turkey here. There was a self-serve Mezhe bar (like a salad bar), with an infinite variety of delicious mezhes. Take whatever quantity of whichever items you want, and you pay by the total weight of your plate ! At no other place had we encountered such a variety of mezhes, all vegetarian, and all so delicious. They placed a huge sized pita bread on the table, along with an unusual black mulberry soft drink. Eating so much pita bread with a large assortment of mezhes was ample dinner for all of us. Then we had a Turkish dessert called "Kathmer" which was absolutely divine. Never tasted anything like it. Pistachios layered on some dough, cooked, and topped with cream. Sinful to the core, but all great things in life are such ! Best item that we had tasted in Turkey, along with Gozleme.

It was getting late, and we were kicking ourselves for not having come here a little earlier in the evening. We would have liked to explore the area a little more, and maybe visit a few drinking establishments to check out the atmosphere. While we were eating, we were approached by numerous young boys, asking for a few Lire of money. They appeared joyful and prank-ish, and also wanted us to click their pictures with our camera, sometimes in very naughty poses ! Unfortunately, the last ferry back to the European side was due soon, and we had to grudgingly make our way back to the pier. Took the last 11 pm ferry to Karakoy, on the European side (the ferries to Eminonu had stopped much earlier). From Karakoy, we walked across the Galata Bridge at night, which was very pleasant, and took a taxi from Eminonu back to our hotel. Once again a thoroughly enjoyable day at Istanbul.

Mathieu

Indiancouple, this is the first Istanbul trip report I've read where the writer has been been there for 3 days and has not encountered a single pushy carpet seller. Good for you ! I ran into one within an hour of leaving my hotel on Day 1, and was the first of many to come, lol.
Still enjoying your report, and your food descriptions are mouth watering. Turkish breakfasts are the best ever, especially the dried mulberries and other fruits and vegetables and spreads.

indiancouple

Mathieu, we encountered several carpet sellers everyday, but none that were obnoxiously pushy. Of course, many would walk up to us and politely request that we take a look in their carpet store, but would not press the issue any further.

We found the "salesmen" of restaurants to be far more pushy and aggressive, and relentlessly trying to draw us into their eatery. Specially in the series of cafes under the Galata Bridge. However, we found these "pushy" people to be generally quite humorous and harmless, and we never felt offended or distraught due to their efforts. Guess we are more accustomed to this kind of behaviour in India, where such store aggression is not unheard of.

TDudette

Am loving this report. In Greece and Turkey, we were approached but never accosted by people selling their wares-fur coats, flokati rugs, carpets and gold. We encountered much humor among the vendors.

Your comment, "The pilot of our balloon was a skilled skydiver, and seemed to be very experienced" gave me a mind pictue of the pilot diving out of the balloon with 12 people on his coat-tails!

indiancouple

TDudette, thankfully the pilot stayed put ! He did complain that flying a Hot Air Balloon was boring compared to skydiving; that put us at ease about his abilities.

As for humor amongst vendors in Istanbul, the best one came from a shop owner in Spice Bazar, who shouted : "We have everything in here except for customers; please come in !".

indiancouple

Day 16 (Saturday, July 9th): ISTANBUL :
Today, after breakfast at the regular hour, we left for the Suleymaniye Camii by taxi. We were approaching the end of our trip, the feet were getting tired, and the taxi fares of 9-10 Turkish Lire between 4 people seemed very light.

This is one of the prettiest mosques in Istanbul. As we entered, we found the interiors very different and very beautiful. The paintings on the ceilings appeared very fresh, and of very soothing hues. The curved arches with red/white marbles or with brown/white marbles, the stained glass windows, the overall upkeep and maintenance, and the absence of hordes of tourists, all contribute towards making this one of the best sights in Istanbul. Something not to be missed, and probably more worthwhile than the Blue Mosque.

After emerging from this mosque, we headed straight for the Grand Bazaar, which was a short walk away. This was our penultimate day of the trip, and we had promised the ladies loads of shopping time today. What better place than the Grand Bazaar ? Entered at 11:30 am, and spent a good 4 hours in there. Aside from the shopping, strolling inside was a pleasure, and we were enjoying the sights and the lanes and alleys as much as the purchasing. We bought a nice Turkish kilim (rug), lots of Turkish towels, a hookah, Turkish tea-cups, and various other souvenir items. Sometime in between, we managed to grab lunch at the Ambrosia Cafe inside the Grand Bazaar (next to the famed Fez Cafe), of sandwiches, baklava and Turkish coffee. Finally, after a marathon shopping session, we dragged the ladies out, as the bags were getting too heavy to carry. We boarded a tram for the first time in istanbul, went two stops to Sultanahmet, where we alighted and walked to our hotel. Dumped the shopping, and relaxed for a few hours.

Left the hotel again after 6 pm, and walked to Divan Yolu. Once again boarded the tram to Sirkeci. A short walk brought us to the Hodjapasha Cultural Center. We had booked tickets for the Whirling Dervishes show later in the evening over telephone, and had to pick up our tickets. We roamed around the streets for some time, just ambling here and there, finally re-entering the Cultural Center before show time. Had free drinks and lokum sweets in the foyer, after which we were ushered inside. The show started at 7:30 pm. It was a small and cute circular auditorium, which the viewers seated all around the periphery. A very interesting performance which lasted an hour. Appeared to be authentic (although we are no experts on such items), very soothing, with religious overtones. I was glad we witnessed it.

It was our last night of the trip, and we wanted to repeat the meyhane experience off Istiklal Caddesi. So we once again walked across the Galata Bridge, and took the furnicular up the Tunel, to reach Istiklal C. It was 9 pm on a Saturday night, and Istiklal was a riot of people and revelry. Went first to the rooftop bar called 360 degrees. Excellent fashionable place, with killer views. Served super Raki cocktails (I had one with ginger, cucumber and ice which was extremely good). High society crowd of Istanbul in full regalia.

Walked next to the Nevizade area again, and selected the "Boncuk" meyhane. This was on a yet narrower street than the one we had visited two days ago, and Saturday evening caused the place to be just overflowing in every corner. In fact the place looked crazy - never seen crowds like this anywhere in Turkey ! I don't know how we ever managed to get a pavement table there; just sheer luck and timing. On our adjoining table sat 4 old Turkish men, who were a lot of fun. They kept a running conversation with us throughout, and they were full of life and humor.

We feasted on mezhes and Raki for one last time. There was gypsy music playing everywhere, including live performers at our meyhane. The old men next to us were swaying and dancing while holding on to their seats, and obviously having a lot of fun. We could see crowds singing aloud from just about every meyhane visible. It was a packed Saturday night crowd, and they were all out for fun.

We were full after the mezhes. At 11:30 pm we decided to call it a day, and took a taxi back to the hotel. We had almost a full day of activity still remaining, but it was our last night out.

indiancouple

Day 17 (Sunday, July 10th): ISTANBUL (last day of trip)
Another late arousal and breakfast. However, we had to do all our packing, and leave our bags down at the reception. The hotel staff willingly carted them down the steps. We wanted to see the Chora Church, and our friends wanted to do some leftover shopping. So we went different ways today.

DW and I got into a taxi and drove to Chora Church. It was an interesting old church, and a pretty sight. The reviews that I had read about it were perhaps more hyped than what it appeared to me, but anyway an interesting spot to visit. Had some coffee in their cafe outside after the visit, and found a taxi with some difficulty for our return journey. We alighted at the Cemberlitas Hamam, as we wanted to experience the Turkish hamam on our last day.

We opted for the full treatment for both of us (with oil massage and everything), costing 99 Turkish Lire each. There were separate sections for men and women. I was shown to a small room, where I could remove my clothes and valuables, lock them in, and emerge with a pestamal around me. Next was ushered into the main Hamam room, where I sat on the marble slab in the center for about 10 minutes, sweating it out due in the heat. The attendant arrived, doused me repeatedly with warm water, and proceeded to scrub my body with a scouring pad. Layers of dirt were exfoliated (never realized I had so much filth on me !), followed by more water dousing, and then a foamy bubble scrub.

I watched like a bewildered child, and did whatever I was told to do, as I had no idea what to expect next. The attendant instructed me to now have a bath in the shower room, and departed reminding me to give him a tip when I was done (which was irregular, as tips are included in the price paid). I had my shower, and went next into the massage room. There were multiple beds there, and I was massaged alongside an Egyptian dentist, with whom I struck a conversation. The masseur was excellent, and he smoothened out all the kinks in the body caused by the last 17 days of touring.

Then back to the shower room, and then there was optional time to go and sit in the Hamam again on the marble slab. I did it briefly, but did not feel inclined to repeat the water dousing routine again. So I departed, went back to my locker room, and changed back into my clothes. I was done, and had to wait in the reception area till DW emerged from the ladies section some 30 minutes later. I understand that the Cemberlitas Hamam is quite authentic, and well regarded in Istanbul, and we certainly had a great time.

We walked back to Divan Yolu park, where we had promised to rendezvous with our friends. They had also experienced the hamam at the same place. We went into a Baklava store and had some baklavas packed to take back to India. They sat in a cafe and had an average lunch, followed by some heavy ice-cream. Wanted to eat Gozleme and Kathmer during the final meal in Istanbul, but could not locate either of those dishes.

We slowly walked back to our hotel. Alper had called a vehicle to drop us off at the airport around 4 pm. We bid goodbye to Alper and his team, for we were very impressed with the hotel and its service, and departed for Ataturk. The Turkish Airlines were not fussy about the grossly excess weight that our baggages were carrying, and we had an uneventful flight back to Mumbai, reaching at about 5:30 am the next morning, India time.

This completes my Trip Report about the glorious 17 days that we spent. I would be happy to answer any questions that any reader may have.

indiancouple

Given below is a link to some of our Turkey photographs :

https://picasaweb.google.com/indianc...CIKT45i8zM_EWg

JoyC

Wonderful, wonderful report!! I am saving your Greece report in my file for our trip next year and forwarding your Turkey report to my sister for her upcoming trip later this year.

Thank you for the tip regarding Blue Island Divers....glad to know about the boat rentals. We did this during a trip to the Amalfi Coast and again in Hvar, and I must say those were very memorable travel moments for us!

Where are you headed next?