Follow My Way: Escape in Turkey- Loose yourself in the historical melting pot of Istanbul and the delightfully strange surrounds of Cappadocia

Turkey 2012

My trip to Bulgaria was thrown to the wind as numerous individuals pointed me towards Turkey- were Europe transitions into Asia. It was a fantastic whirlwind trip with little preconceptions and lots of learning.

Having missed my first flight, I’d like to say because of a delayed train but onus definitely starts and ends with me, I had just 6 days to explore. I spent three nights in Istanbul and three in Cappadocia.

The bus trip from Burgas in Bulgaria to Istanbul in Turkey, was perhaps the only particularly tedious and tiresome part, but in saying that the border crossing was a valuable experience. Particularly as it highlighted difficulties faced by Turks in not being part of the European Union. As I'm sure most of you know their membership bid has been a major controversy because it would shift wielding political power and potentially mean greater muslim integration-- amongst other things.

Istanbul

Contrary to probably the majority of opinions I wasn’t particularly taken by the city itself. I just felt the city was decidedly touristy and, despite the Asian side retaining a less western feel, overall I didn’t experience the culture shock I’d imagined. I guess given Istanbul is a thriving city of 15 million and sprawling it lacked some abstract level of authenticity I'd expected…. Perhaps that is somewhat misleading though as there was certainly numerous language challenges as English is spoken by very, very, few individuals and admittedly my view was exceptionally narrow due to time restrictions as well as being confined to the major tourist attractions surrounding the CBD. Nonetheless, obviously, the history and architecture Istanbul has to offer remains exceptional and thus needless to say it is still a must see for all (just keep a flexible schedule).

…Before reading on, note, that everything should be taken with a grain of salt as I didn’t take a single audio or guided tour…

Surprisingly my highlight was the Basilica Cistern. Built in the 6^th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I it is an architectural and engineering feat I found uncomprehendable.

Me in the Basilica Cistern- close to Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia would definitely be a very close second. It was simply fascinating to see the mixture of orthodox patriarchal and typical Ottoman Turk (Islamic features) design. It is an architectural feat that is said to have changed architectural history- marked by it being the world’s largest cathedral for a thousand years thereafter. Its design merely reflecting it’s equally tempestuous history.

Inside the main Hagia Sophia dome. Notice the Christian motif above the round arabic sign.

The Blue (Sultan Ahmed) Mosque I found less interesting but still impressive and strikingly beautiful. It was built to surpass and proceed Hagia Sophia. Despite the colloquial name, I found the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior less impressive than other designs found in Topkapi Palace.

Blue Mosque from within the entrance court yard

The Blue Mosque from within Hagia Sofia.

Topkapi palace was sensational… I thought however the experience was ruined by the sheer number of tourists. It was a modern day battle as people threw their bodies around to get the best view or a step ahead in the line. In spite of the viewing challenge the quality of design and palace riches was eye boggling.

The entrance to Topkapi Palace and only the beginning of the crowds to come.

Inside Topkapi Palace in the courtyard near one of the libraries.

Tiles in Topkapi Palace

A good demonstration of the palaces riches and stunning tiles- in a library at Topkapi Palace.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to climb Galata tower, as I arrived too early, or go inside Dolmabahce Palace, because unbeknown to Ailleen, my roommate, and I, it isn’t open everyday of the week. In hindsight, missing Dolmabahce was frustrating, as I had several days before led Parker, a very amenable American and as it turned out an exceptional travelling buddy, straight past it in search of Taksim square. A hunt that required in our case, lets say due to an insufficient map, seemingly endless hill repeats. Regardless I very much enjoyed loosing myself in less traversed portions of the city and “Sweaty Parker” quickly learned that accompanying me would be somewhat both physically and emotionally rough- haha.

Parker at the top of our final hill- just 5 mins from Taksim Square.

Taksim Square

The Grand Bazaar- one of the largest and
oldest covered bazaars in the world.

Spice Market Istanbul

Blah Bridge- which I walked every day from Bada Bing over to Sultanahmet.
Invariably it was always packed with men fishing.

Cuisine experience: Contrary to some other blogs I thought the corn from street stalls and the sesame bagel/pastry rolls were both near horrible. However the muscels w rice are a must try... When ordering what we call a Kebab try to specify that you don't want hot chips...Generally cuisine on the Asia side was of a better quality and seemingly almost always fresh. For a treat try ‘Ciya Sofrasi’- peasant style dishes that come highly recommend by various food critics.

Sour lamb kebab from Ciya.

Taken at the food markets on the Asian side of Istanbul

Cappadocia

Cappadocia was enchanting. The landscape is exceptional in that it is forever changing--at once both spectacular and spellbinding. (I admit on this occasion I would have enjoyed Phil's and now Lucy/Eric's geological insight). Cappadocia is, however, perhaps more ethnologically fascinating due to the lack of information and gaps in understanding about the civilisations that dwelled there.

Despite also having exceptional numbers of tourists, especially within Goreme, remarkably Cappadocia and Goreme national park nevertheless retain a feeling of isolation and authenticity…although this aspect may perhaps be dependent on ones willingness to do it alone (without a tour group) and on foot.

Cappadocia is known for its “fairy chimneys” which are a result of volcanic activity and erosion. The basalt formations being soft in nature allowed for them to be shaped into homes and points of refuge for local communities. The resulting churches, underground cities and tunnel systems are nothing short of captivating.

On my first day in Cappadocia I joined Luke and my room mates Lauren and Carmen on a day trip to Ihlara Valley. The valley lies an hour south of Goreme and the four of us hired a car to undertake the journey ourselves- it was fantastic!

Luke watching Lauren & Carmen burrow to no
where in the Underground city of Derinkuyu.

Lauren at Ihlara valley car-park market

At the top of Ihlara Valley

Relaxing after lunch in a bungalow on the river at Belisirma within Ihlara Valley

Carmen soaking up the serenity in Ihlara Valley

Carmen and Lauren coming down from a Cave in Ihlara Valley

At the Northern end of Ihlara Valley

A church on the Western Side of Ihlara Valley. It is believed the first signs of monastic activity in Cappodocia date back to the 4th century. Many churches feature leading examples of post-iconoclast Byzantine art.

A local man and his sister showed us the fish they'd just caught and
explained how fishing is their hobby and done using nothing but your hands.

A random shot within the Valley

View from the top of Ihlara Valley in the late afternoon

Hot Air Ballooning :-)

Dawn hot air balloon ride

I splurged on the chance to appreciate the size of the civilisation from the air... but to be perfectly honest I would say its not value for money and you get a much better appreciation of the sheer ingenuity and physical triumph of these structures from being up close and personal with them. All the same the balloon ride is still great, weather permitting, but the novelty of the ride is perhaps the fact that everyday between 50-100 balloons take to the air. The view is magical as the already stunning landscape becomes dotted with colourful glowing mushrooms. Unfortunately the balloons seem to somewhat overshadow the real reason you took to the air in the first place.
... arguably the balloons also seem to have a negative impact on the environment, causing tangible degradation from running into cliffs and clipping the tops of trees. This seems to be in direct conflict with UNESCO statement on its World Heritage Site stating that "Although the area has been extensively used and modified by man for centuries the resulting landscape is one of harmony and consideration of the intrinsic values of the natural landforms."

My nameless French friend who I met on the hair raising car ride in from Kayseri airport.

As evidenced my second day in Cappadocia started with a balloon ride but the day turned out to be even more enjoyable and spectacular as I ventured to see as much as possible in the time I had left on foot. Fortunately by chance Parker had booked the same hostel as me and as such we spent the morning together. Which entailed several hours wandering not entirely lost but slightly unsure of where we were. First in search of Zemi Valley, which we never found, and then successfully through the love valley up to Cavusin.
In the afternoon I wandered from Cavusin through Rose and Red Valley, although unfortunately I couldn't do all of them, as well as Gulludere and Aktepe Hill. The most impressive church is Kolonlukilise and is simply a must see for the size and design in my opinion are unrivalled. This is so despite the lack of artwork.

Note, I did not do the open air museum which is said to be spectacular but at no point did I feel at a loss- see for yourself below.

The famous phallic symbols found in the aptly named love valley.

"It is believed that the first signs of monastic activity in Cappadocia date back to the 4th century at which time, acting on the instructions of Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea (Kayseri), small anchoritic communities began inhabiting cells dug into the rock. Later on, in order to resist Arab forays they began banding together into troglodyte villages or subterranean towns such as Kaymakli or Derinkuyu which served as places of refuge." (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/357)