Trip Report Turkey - Aug 08

Old Nov 15th, 2008, 08:00 AM
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Trip Report Turkey - Aug 08

FYI MY 3RD TIME TRYING TO POST THIS – SCRUBBED THIS VERSION IN CASE A FILTER WAS FLAGGING “BAD” WORDS…FASCINATING IF THAT WAS THE CASE.
I'm not very good at keeping track of details but feel I owe at least a little update as pay back to all the Fodorites who were so helpful to me during the insane planning phase of our family vacation in Turkey this summer. So (without much-needed spellcheck) here goes:

The four of us - my husband, two teenage daughters and me, landed in Istanbul around 9th of Aug. First apprehension alleviated: It was not scorching hot. We stayed at the charming/funky Empress Zoe and lolled around on the roof overlooking the mouth of the Golden Horn in a constant breeze, feeling pleasantly jet lagged and under no pressure to accomplish anything. (We get even lazier as the trip goes on.) Mis-apprehension #2 - the dreaded construction noise from the 4 Seasons, much posted about, was not heard from. Newsflash: construction is done. Mis-apprehension #3 - again based on posts and notes in guidebooks, that the call to prayers would rudely invade our sleep. On the contrary, they were so supremely beautiful, especially in the area of the hotel which enjoyed a kind of call-and-response effect when the various mosques started the prayers a moment or two after each other. (Interestingly no one on the street knew the exact translation.) Missing them still I have periodically revived the memory through other travelers’ clips on Youtube (g-d bless Youtube.)
Apprehension #4 - and this one fully realized - that the dollar would continue to sink against the Euro right up to the day we left. Well, and then some. We were definitely there for the bottom and were pretty much busted by the half-way point of out trip, cutting back on "good" meals and my ideas about rugs and glass lamps. (Okay, I got one of each – the former a gorgeous camel blanket from Noah's Ark, but confess to greedier ambitions.) We also had a couple of nice meals, if I can find my receipts - here they are... Mozaik was one (across the street from Noah's Ark). In fact we went twice. Sorry I can't remember what we had. But let me be s-xist for a moment here - not only were these the two best meals we had in Istanbul but Mozaik has the BEST looking waiters, especially the two brothers with the gorgeous noses and thick black pony tails. You may know the ones.

But I digress. I'm embarrassed to say how little else we "did." The four of us aren't really those "doing" kind of travelers. We wandered around mostly aimlessly, browsing the markets, drinking apple tea (addictively) in carpet shops (thinking there were actually apples in it – sure), patting cats (some neat white ones with one green eye and one blue) and talking a LOT about whether Barack Obama had a snowball's chance in h-ll of being elected. This - and what a scary guy D-ck Cheney is. Thankfully Sara Palin hadn't really hit the scene yet so we didn't have to try to explain that one. The other topic was the Kurdish unrest, which given that most of the people we met were Kurds, we got some interesting takes on. Things were clearly getting steadily more complicated in Turkey (couple more bombings) and at that point incredibly suspenseful in the US so for political junkies who love cafe debates, we were very much at home. We did make it to the Grand Bazaar (almost lost, starting to get a panic attack), the Blue Mosque ("Mum, I thought you said it was going to be blue") and the Cistern ("This is totally Riven!") all of which have been written about. It's also trite to say Istanbul is a crossroads city - but it's wonderfully true, isn't it? Like the sight of my big wild-haired summery American girls lined up for ice cream at the McDonald's fast-service window alongside tidy black-veiled women in raincoats. What a great world. The girls were not crazy about the male-dominated street scene in the Sultanhamet, but were too lazy to seek out neighborhoods with more of their gen-x counterparts, so that will have to wait til next time.

After 4 days, plane to Kalkan, on south west Med (“Turquoise”) coast. And a big thanks here to the famous Murat who put me out of my trip planning hysteria (to the point of buzzing tourist destinations on Google Earth) by recommending a modest edge-of-town pension named Balikcihan that turned out to be just perfect for us. Run by wonderful, lovely Atty (think Merrill Streep in Mamamia) who took such good care of us - scrounging mosquito netting from a fishing boat, moving us twice (better digs each time) when the town shut the water off, and drove our feverish daughter to the doctor.

And now our vacation really gears down into a fantastically restorative pace. We did not go to Patera to see turtles, or take a lunch trip on a Gulet, or wade in icy Salkient Gorge. The big adventure of each day was moving from our terrace a few yards down to the white pebbly beach, then up to the Del Mar Café for a $5 espresso, back to the terrace to nibble the remnants of olives/bread/cheese breakfast for lunch (as well as sweetest cucumbers and tomatoes I have ever had in life), make friends with another dog, back to the beach, and finally to a cliff-site restaurant overlooking the darkening bay. (Did I mention the full moon rising over the mountain behind the town?)
Sure Kalkan is now on the "built up" side of the ledger as all the posts say and I can just imagine what it must have been like. But on our little daily route, we were not exposed to much of the glitz or Brits (lovely in person but much bemoaned for having overrun the place and tilted pricing with the pound.) The big entertainment of the day was watching the local boys throw each other off a raft and the non-locals get in and out of the water. The pebbly beach is steep at water's edge and the "pebbles" are really smooth golf-ball-sized stones that KILL the bare arch of your feet - reducing the beefiest Marine to an agonized wincing utterly comical stagger. In 6 days we never tired of this sight. The water of course was turquoise and warm (though brackish and chilly in streaks from fresh-water springs near the shore.) The food was g-r-e-a-t. Our favorite restaurant was the Kaptan, about a yard from our door step (arugula salad, seafood pasta, the Chocolate Surprise … absolutely beyond description.) Also across “town” on the same lane, what we called the "bright green restaurant" (green table setting, green umbrellas, green everything) which served an out-of-this-world fresh tuna. Sorry for not remembering the name.

I'll try to figure out how to post some photos.

Again, thanks to you all for your good advice and especially fond regards to Murat for his intuition and the generosity of his spirit.
Lydie
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 08:00 AM
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Dying to know if this time it stays up...
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 08:01 AM
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Hurry someone read it before it disappears again!
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 08:13 AM
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There are three copies of this report on this site. Just click on your name and you will find the others.
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 09:11 AM
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That's what I've been doing!searching by Lydie, by turkey, by trip report and everything but this comes up . . . so weird. anyway sorry for clogging the airways - and thanks for ending at least part of the mystery.
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 11:41 AM
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Thanks for the report, We are going on Tuesday and staying at the Empress Zoe, is there anything else you can tell us?
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 12:20 PM
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Lydie, thanks for your efforts, not many people would make so many tries to inform us.

Have you tried clicking your name yet? It will bring up all of your threads and it's a heck of a lot easier than searching.
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 03:29 PM
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HI PM - that's why I thought it wasn't working because all my other posts came up but this recent one!
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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 04:11 PM
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Happytotravel - let's see, you may want to change some money at the airport; the nearest cash machine is up the hill, past the 4 Seasons, on the other side of the grassy square between the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque (10-15 min walk). There are 2 routes from the hotel - try each way: one takes you past a little bazaar I'll mention next; the other past the side of the Hagia Sophia, which is quite handsome from that angle. People everywhere extremely friendly. We didn't find the hawking a big deal because we've been subject to much worse. Still, there's a lot of selling going on. Just be polite and say thank you. You'll be offered a lot of tea (1 cup = many years of friendship) by merchants who would like to show you their rugs. Empress Zoe staff told us the most reasonable/reputable place to by kilim etc. was at Noah's Ark - best quality for the price. For shopping in general there is definitely some bargaining to do but the climate was not like I've found in other places so the walking away thing does not typically work. A nice set of shops - that little bazaar I mentioned - is between the Emp Zoe and the Blue Mosque side of the square (west, I guess.) There's two sections - one government-set prices (no bargaining). I found the best selection for the best price was either the first or second shop on the left after you pass the cafe. I wish I could remember the name but you'll see quite a good collection of necklaces on the back wall. The Grand Bazaar is mind-blowing but truly overwhelming and I didn't find the prices so brilliant. Had to really work at it. Well my teenage daughter did - she was on a mission with talents honed at the Night Market in Chiang Mai! If you know what you're after and have a lot of stamina, there's probably nothing you can't find. Don't worry about it being hot and stuffy (like the Weekend Market in Bangkok) it's covered and crowded but spacious and ventilated. (As I've gotten older that's started to mean something to me.) As for eating, there are loads of restaurants in the neighborhood of the Emp Zoe so you don't have to go far for a bite. But it's worth searching Fodor posts for recommendations for memorable meals. The Euro is down now so if you have dollars you might feel a little freer than we did. I'm sorry we didn't make it to the fish joints under the Galata Bridge. And I failed to get my sleepy clan to the Palace, which is nearby and I hear is worth the price of admission (tho beware they charge you something like $10 to get in and then $10 to see the famous harem and other special rooms.)

I would say in general err on the trusting side - a lot of people wanted to talk or offered advise or to to show me things or guide me who didn't want anything in return - or on the occasion that they did (like to have me sign up for a day tour, for example) - it didn't matter that I didn't want to. There is a real warmth and humor to be found if you bring warmth and openness with you.

Last, about the hotel, we had the Garden Suite at the Zoe. Not spectacular or overly opulent - but charming. Breakfast is not terrific but adequate (tip: it's hipper to you bus your own table after you're done.) Staff was extremely accommodating - and strong!! - wait to you see the stairs they have to maneuver with your luggage! (No elevator.) Have some change in your pocket for the tip.

Have a fantastic time!

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Old Nov 15th, 2008, 06:14 PM
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Thanks lydie.
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