Turkey — My Travel Stories

Istanbul

Istanbul April, 2024 Incredible Istanbul Here we are, 30 years after we switched our honeymoon destination from Turkey to Portugal after some terrorist activity made us nervous. Despite the rampant inflation (our taxi driver told us how the price of milk went up tenfold over the past three years), there’s a lot of action and a positive vibe here. Street vendors and restaurant staff stand outside their shops trying to entice us in.

Cappadocia

Cappadocia April, 2024 Captivating Cappadocia Cappadocia seems right out of a fairytale with its unusual landscape full of magical rock formations and unbelievable refuges. The Silk Road ran through here which brought invaders galore trying to lay claim to these lands. The ingenuity of the generations upon generations of locals is remarkable.Nowadays, it’s a tourist haven. There don’t seem to be any locals here except those working in the tourism sector. But that’s ok.

Ephesus

Ephesus April, 2024 Extraordinary Ephesus Ephesus is a pretty magical place. Walking the streets here takes us back 2000 years. It’s beyond impressive how advanced the inhabitants of this place were. It always blows my mind how archaeologists can stitch together history by painstakingly unearthing rocks buried metres below the ground we walk on today. Not only that, but how they can identify the different occupants and rulers of a place layered through time.

Pamukkale

Pamukkale April, 2024 Purifying Pamukkale In ancient times, Pammukale’s big draw was its hot springs and nothing has changed in the last few millennia. People still flock here to dip in the healing, mineral-rich waters full of calcium, sulfur and silica. Lots and lots of people here in the water…and of course no chlorine or other such chemicals to keep it clean. Let’s hope the natural chemicals and minerals can do that job while also healing us pilgrims of our various ailments!

Antalya

Antalya April, 2024 Antalya Abounds with Archaeology We feel like we’ve hit full on summer in Antalya with hot weather (38C) and blue(-ish) skies but locals look surprised when we comment on how hot it is. This is not hot, they tell us. Come back in a month to see what hot is. Capping one end of the Lycian Way (famous trekking route), this resort area is very popular with Russians.

Kaş

Kaş May, 2024 The Kaleidoscope of Kaş Five minutes after arriving in Kaş, I was ready to settle in for a good, long stay. This is a laid back rocky beach town with a nice hippy vibe and a crazy surf when windy. Kaş sits about one third of the distance from the start of the Lycian Way, a 520 km walking route from Fethiye to Antalya. We are driving…with a bit of hiking mixed in. Our first night in Kaş. Nothing beats sunset by the water with a beer in hand!

Fethiye

Fethiye May, 2024 Fabulous Fethiye Nature continues to guide our wrap up of Southwestern Turkey, with our base at the start of the Lycian Way. Of course there are ruins around and about that deserve a bit of exploring but around here, we were mostly in canyons, atop mountains and at the beach! Saklikent Gorge is another spot reminiscent of Utah for us.

Şanlıurfa

Şanlıurfa May, 2024 Saintly Şanlıurfa So far, Şanlıurfa feels like the most authentic place we’ve been, untainted by the power of western tourists. Hardly any English is spoken in this Southeastern Turkish town, considered to be among the most devout cities in Turkey. Prophets, bazaars, music and beautiful architecture make this town a real draw for Turks of all stripes from far and wide.

Göbeklitepe

Göbeklitepe May, 2024 Göbeklitepe: Ground Zero Enough about the ancient peoples we’ve encountered in Turkey; the Hittites, the Lycian’s, the Greeks, the Romans, the Ottomans that shaped this country and culture. Let’s go way back to where everything we didn’t know about civilization really started.Before global warming, there was an ice age…and then things warmed up about 12,000 years ago and set a new stage.

Trabzon

Trabzon May, 2024 Tea Time in Trabzon Our time in Turkey is winding up on the Black Sea Coast. This is yet another completely different place in terms of geography, culture, food and even language as there are a whole lot of dialects spoken among handfuls of villages that are spoken nowhere else. In this region, it’s all about the tea. We were lucky enough to be here during harvest and got to see all the action related to this important crop.