Day 6

We had originally planned on visiting Pamukkule and Aphrodisias on this day, but when we woke up the weather was just nasty and we decided that it would probably be best to save this for another trip. When chatted with the hotel owners again while we ate the delicious breakfast and then bundled up. Our plan was to visit the Selcuk Museum, the Isabey mosque and the ruins of St. John.

The Selcuk museum was just a few minutes walk from the hotel, which was a good thing because the rain was really coming down. The museum is filled with artifacts and statues from Ephasus. Anyone visiting Ephasus should absolutely visit this museum. It's small but very well done. We met a very pregnant cat that I think lives in the courtyard of the museum. Anyone heading to Selcuk soon should keep their eye out for some new kittens roaming around the musem! We stopped in the little cafe and had a Nescafe and then bundled up again and headed for the ruins of St. John.

St. John's This site is directly below the old fortress and is quite large. One can only imagine what the church must have looked like in its heyday. Many of The columns are still intact. After looking around for a bit we wandered over to the Isabey mosque, one of the oldest Mosque's in Turkey. We were the only ones there and it was quite cold inside so we didn't stay very long but I'll admit that I was kind of underwhelmed. It's hard not to be jaded after seeing some of the huge mosques in Istanbul!

We headed back to the hotel and decided to drive back up to Sirince. I wanted another fruit wine to bring home, and the weather was starting to clear a bit and we wanted pictures of the landscape from the drive up. The town was nice and quiet when we arrived. We stopped in a small winery and sat on colorful pillows near the brick fireplace and sampled a half dozen fruit wines before settling on a mulberry wine to bring home. I hated the leave the warmth of the fireplace!

We strolled around the little town a bit, purchased a few olive oil soaps from an older woman in one of the shops and then stopped at a small shack for some fruit jam. We ended up eating lunch at the restaurant just above the stand, and the waiter kindly pushed our table close to the large fireplace that stood in the middle of the room. We had a lovely lunch of kofti, rice pilaf, country bread and strawberry wine. As we were getting ready to leave we saw a few tour buses pulling in and were glad that we were able to experience the town before the mad rush of tour groups.

We went back to town and took a small nap. We then went to the little souvenir shop in town to purchase a few of those Turkish lamps that seem to be sold everywhere. The owner asked us to sit and have tea with him after we made our puchases, and we sat and talked for probably close to an hour. We found the Turkish people to be very warm and friendly and some of the highlights of our trip include just chatting with people we met along the way.

The store owner told us about a small restaurant just across the street and we decided to have our dinner there. The first floor was mainly takeaway, but the second floor was nice and cozy. We both had an Urfa kebab with rice and bread with Efes beer, followed by rosehip teas. The food was really good.

We strolled the town, saying our goodbyes because we would be leaving the next day. We stopped for some delicious baklava and then headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready for our early morning flight.

We really enjoyed Selcuk a lot. The town is small but it was filled with locals, not tourists, and felt very authentic, especially compared to Kusadasi. The restaurants were good and it's close to many sights; it made for the perfect base.

tracy: are the lamps able to be used in the U.S. with our electricity? Do they have to use an adaptor? I'm not really much of an electrician, but just wondering.

Just looked at your photos. You certainly did not need me tagging along -- you did just fine on your own. I especially like some of the shots of ancient ruins.
PS: Heading to Rome/ Florence/ Venice/ the Veneto in 1 week -- can't wait.

opaldog, unfortunately the lamps cannot be used. I bought two of them; a small tabletop lamp and one that hangs from the cealing. For the tabletop lamp I just cut the cord off and am using it for decoration. The hanging lamp, however, is fitted with a tealight holder so it can be used for candlelight.

tedgale, I'm sure you are so excited! Did you figure out where to stay near Bergamo? I got your email but unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with that area and couldn't be of any help. I'm envious....Rome is a favorite of mine and I have not (yet) been to Venice. I look forward to seeing all of your pics!

Tracy

<i>So, what is in the shop?</i>
Tracy:
Are you sitting? At the entrance to he Priene road, there stood alone, of all things, a <b>Wrangler outlet store!</b> You know how seemingly isolated all that area is...and to be heading for a truly outstanding piece of ancient history...we did double-takes. Maybe it closed for lack of business, or perhaps you took a different entrance.

Sorry you couln't get to Aphrodisia or Pamukkale or Pierre Loti...now you MUST return. Welcome to the ranks of Turkey lovers!
Stu

Hi Tracy,

We did not get to Angkor Wat as we had planned.

I am still just sick about it, and I do feel bad for the Thai people because of the damage that the airport occupation caused. It might have been a once in a lifetime opportunity for us because I just don't know that I want to spend that much time on an airplane ever again If I do go, I will have to find another gateway city. We enjoyed Bangkok, but I feel no need to go back.

I am really enjoying your TR, thanks for sharing it with all of us!

I know exactly how you feel about the long flights. We have all of these ideas for October but our flight home from Turkey took so long due to all of the layovers that I don't really want to do a long flight like that again for awhile. I'm thinking I need something non-stop or maybe even staying in the states and heading over towards Oregon and Washington. But then I think of France or Romania...

Interesting about Bangkok! I would love to go to Thailand, but I have this thought that Bangkok wouldn't be a favorite of mine. I really enjoyed Istanbul but feel that I've seen most of what I wanted to see and if I go back to Turkey it will be cappadoccia or another part of the coast.

Stu, that is hilarious!!! How I missed that I don't know. And you are right, Priene is out in the middle of nowhere so I couldn't imagine seeing anything too commercial, let alone a Wrangler outlet!

Tracy

Okay, I need to finish this so here goes...

Day 7
We wake up early and drive to the airport. Our flight leaves around 8:30 am and we told National Car Rental that we would drop the car off around 7:00. We get to the airport and Matt starts panicking because apparently nobody bothered to show up to accept our car rental and so we just park it in the parking lot and write them a note to stick on the counter with the keys. So far so good because our credit card was charged accurately, but we were very nervous about doing this.

It's finally nice and sunny on the coast so it was highly annoying knowing that we were going back to rain in Istanbul. The flight is uneventful and we arrive at Sabiha Gokcen airport on time. After waiting quite awhile for our luggage we walk outside and it's a mess. There are people everyhwere. We were on a flight that looked to be at least 80% military and there were busses and young guys in military uniforms everywhere. And on top of it all it's absolutely pouring and freezing outside. Oh, and did I mention that I ended up catching a cold a few days earlier? I was in no mood to stand around trying to figure out the public transportation and told Matt that we were getting a cab whether he liked it or not. We found a cabbie and predetermined a rate and were on our way.

Now, before I go any further I want to say what a mistake it was flying into this airport. I posted advice on which airport to fly into and then took it upon myself to ignore all the kind advice and chose SG airport because the times were more convenient. Big mistake. There isn't much public transportation, the busses that we needed don't run as often, and overall it's just not a good choice for a tourist wanting to be in the Sultanahmet area. I think, though, that what I really wish we had done is tried to book our flight out of Izmir so we wouldn't have had to go back into Istanbul for one more partial day. We had to wake up early for flights two days in a row and it just wasn't a good decision on our part. So for anyone wondering which airport to use, please do yourself a favor and choose Ataturk!

It took well over an hour and a half, and when we finally got to the Sultanahmet area he couldn't find our hotel so we drove in circles and he would ask various people. After about 20 minutes of this we finally get to our hotel, only to find out that he wants to charge a much higher rate. We gave him our address before we got into the cab so DH wasn't having it and they end up bicking outside the cab, in the rain, until luckily someone came up and needed to turn down the street the cab was blocking. They agree on a rate, DH is now in a bad mood, and we check into the hotel.

The hotel is nice and basic. We didn't want anything fancy or expensive because it was our last night and we had a shuttle picking us up at 3:30 am so its not like we spent a lot of time there. The Zeynep Sultan Hotel Istanbul is nice enough, and when I walked in to my delight I immediately see the hotel cat sleeping under one of the lobby chairs. I pet the cat while DH checks in and arranges for the shuttle and then we head to our room. Small but nice, and the heater was much better than the one at the Hotel Bella in Selcuk which was a good thing because it was pretty cold and rainy day.

This was, by far, the worst day we had. It was just plain cold and it rained almost non-stop the entire day. And because we were tired from the early flight we were just not in great moods. We did all of the major indoor sights at the beginning of our trip, and we considered the palace but after the long drive in we just wanted to stay closer to the Sultanahmet area. In retrospect I wish we would have taken a Bosphorous cruise at the beginning of our trip and saved the Bazaars for our final day. We ended up going back to the Bazaars just for lack of indoor things to do. They weren't too crowded, but we had already purchased everything that we wanted to purchase and we were in no mood to haggle with the salesman so after about half an hour we had enough and went back to our hotel for a much-needed nap.

We woke up and it was still steadily raining outside. In better moods, we decide to suck it up and head back out. I bundle up and out we go. We head towards a cafe for some baklava and tea and then decide to go back into the Blue Mosque one last time. It's just so beautiful and serene in there...and it was dry.

Our final dinner was at a restaurant mentioned in my guidebook. As usual, I can't remember the name but it was quite good. I have a pistaccio kebab and Matt had an Urfa kebab. The waiter brought out a big plate of hot flat bread with sesame seedson it that was amazing. We finish it off with a glass of hot tea and toast to yet another sucessful adventure.

It finally stopped raining so we wandered around the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia one last time just as a call to prayer starts. My eyes start to fill with tears of joy and sorrow because we would soon be leaving this wonderful country and we had such a good time. The people were so friendly, and not just when we were purchasing items. They genuinely seemed interested in talking with us. The food was excellent and some of the sights top our lists as some of the best we've seen. Overall we fell in love with the people and culture of Turkey and gave our trip 4.5 stars...I had to deduct half a star for stupidly flying into Sabiha Gocken airport!

Thank you to everyone for your help planning this trip. I honestly feel that I have fodorkites to thank for making our trips so successful, and without reading some of your wonderful trip reports I don't know if we would have ever found ourselves in Turkey.

Thanks for reading!
Tracy

Hi Tracy,

What a wonderful trip report. DH and I leave on Wednesday for a week in Istanbul and Selcuk-- we're planning a very similar vacation to your's so your report has been absolutely invaluable. So glad to hear you had such a great time, and thanks again for "paying it forward" with the Fodorite trip report! We'll do the same when we return.

Tracy...

Great report. It brought back lots of memories of my trip to Turkey in 2007.

Hi Tracy,

I am happy to hear that you had a great time and also for sharing very detailed trip report and encouriging people to go to Turkey, Thank You....

Isabels Cell phone question: mobiles of foreigners are not lucked for a certain period so you will be Ok using your own. However having a local sim might be cheaper to call domestic numbers and avoid roaming charges.

Jeff's Cappadocia question: Jeff if you are not starting touring right away, probably better to take shuttle and than get your rental car. Agents might try to sell tours which is perfectly fine, surely is not the only way to explore the area but if you are into history and also have limited time and probably do not feel like driving a guided tour is excellent option too. Or mixing two options also works well for some others.

Happy travelling,

Murat

Thanks everyone! Kris, I'm sure you will have a fabulous time. Marcy, now I need to go back to Turkey and visit Cappadoccia! And Murat, I feel honored to have been able to visit Turkey and look forward to future trips.

Tracy

Any ideas of what the weather should be like in 4 weeks? I am hoping for warm weather, but not sure what to expect in Istanbul? I really dont want to rely on the weather sites.

Tracy, thanks again for sharing your experiences. Nice report! Good information. You really made the best of some less than perfect weather.

And, Murat thank you for responding to my Cappadocia question. I would go in October for at least 3 days. I'll probably rent a car and tour on my own. But I may consider a tour for part of it as you suggest.

I plan to fly on the direct SunExpress flight from Izmir. They don't show their October schedule, but I believe it's on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Do you know if that is correct?

I think that the inexpensive shuttles only meet certain Turkish Air flights, not SunExpress. So I'll probably have to pay for a private transfer/shuttle or just rent the car at the Kayseri airport. Perhaps some hotels provide free pickup/transfer service other than the ones that meet theTurkish Air flights, but I don't know.

I'd appreciate any thoughts anyone might have.

Jeff

Jeff, Sun Express summer timetable is valid till 25th October.
There is a shuttle with advance booking, so ask your agent to book the shuttle as well. Yes the 3 days weekly dates are correct.11:35 from Izmir, 13:20 from Kayseri
Yes some hotels do offer one way transfer for 3 days or more stay.

Intex: weather is already getting pleasent. In 4 weeks time some areas will be warmer some will still have in between weather with april rains, really unpredictable as for example this year we hardly had any winter in Cappadocia.

Having something light and to keep you warm for the evenings is always a safe way.

Happy travelling,

Murat

ProperTravel:
Are you located in Istanbul or another area?
If you are familiar with Istanbul, any thoughts on the GALATASARAY - BEYOGLU area, where we have rented an Apt?
I have looked for threads on restaurants, but most are older from 2006-2007. Any recommendations on good ones we should not miss?

Hi Intex,
Galatasaray and Beyoglu are is nice and interesting life almost goes on 7/24. There are many nice restaurnats along the way. At Pera area more modern and world cuisine. Next to Flower Bazaar, fishmongers street nice to strall around and at the end on the right hand side street called Nevizade have more than 40 restaurants and many locals are also there. Looking at ambiance and menus should be fine to spot a good one. Furthermore at Istiklal Haci Abdullah is a nice one, no alcoholic beverages though but Haci Baba closer to Taksim do serve alcohol too. A great view of Mikla top floor of The Marmara Pera is nice even for a drink.

Happy travelling,

Murat

Wow how amazing and the pictures are wonderful. My husband and I are traveling to Istanbul next month and hopefully the weather will be nice. I am so overwhelemed by all of the things to see and do, I just want to do everything when I am there! Ephesus is a place I really want to see but I dont know if it will be possible to do in one or two days since our trip is a total of 6 days! We are doing the Bosphorous for sure! Great report!

Thanks travelinfool4u! You will love Turkey. I wouldn't worry about the weather too much. It was kind of annoying when we were there but we didn't let it get in the way. When I think back on your trip the weather doesn't even come to mind. Istanbul is wonderful. Just make sure you are prepared for the weather and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Tracy

Tracey,

I am resurrecting your trip report to ask you a question about Selcuk.

We are going to Turkey next yr and my only quandry is where to stay to visit Ephesus, Prienne, etc.

I know you have read my trip reports in the past and know we are luxury travelers. We also will have more time in Turkey than you did.

We had thought about Kudasasi and the Kismet Hotel, but then rethought about Selcuk or Sirince.

We normally like lots to do and action, but this trip will be a long one ( what am I saying , all my trips are long!) and we will be in alot of locations that are busy.

So I was thinking about Sirince and the Nisanyan as it looks quite charming and we do love charming as well as action packed places. It looked like Tuscany to me! We'd stay in one of the houses.

Even though that will only be 2 nights out of the itinerary, I just want to be sure its not too dead of a town and that we could walk easily to dinner in the town.

While researching Selcuk, I did not find any hotels that were upscale enough, but if you know one please share. Seems like Selcuk may be easier to navigate, but perhaps I am mistaken.

I know you ended up really liking Selcuk, but once you saw Sirince, were you glad you stayed in Selcuk or once you saw it , you knew you'd be equally as happy in Sirince as well?

Asl always enjoy your reports and I am inspired to see such a young person as yourself really travel alot!!!