Turkey was incredible. I had no idea what to expect. I had heard about Istanbul and the spice markets and beautifully tiled mosques. That was only the beginning, it was all that and so much more.
Let me give you a little view into how we plan each leg our our trip. About two weeks before a new country we mention to each other in passing that we should probably start planning for the next country. Then we put it off for another week because we are trying to soak in all we can about where we are presently. About three days before we get to our new country we get serious. We Google “0ne month itinerary in Turkey” and look for something that fits us. We compare a couple of sites together to get the not to miss places. We then come up with a loose schedule and consider the transportation options. We then start looking on Booking and Airbnb for places to stay. Hopefully we get the first half to 3/4 set in place before we arrive. We always check the cancellation policies in case something comes up after we arrive. If we are lucky we have a connection to someone in that country who can provide insider tips. That’s how we planned Turkey.
-Start and end in Istanbul.
-Rent a car after Istanbul to travel around the country.
-Visit 12 different locations.
-Start in Istanbul and travel counterclockwise following western and southern coast along Mediterranean Sea then cut back inland northeast to the center of the country and finally continue northwest back to Istanbul. 2400 miles!
There are many pluses to driving: 1. you can purchase more things and leave unneeded things in the car 2. you have a flexible time schedule 3. roads are great in Turkey 4. listen to books on CD for long stretches. I highly recommend Becoming by Michelle Obama.
We loved it all. Istanbul was full of activity and life. We visited many historical sites and learned about the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empire’s. So much of it is still beautifully preserved and restored. I have never loved learning about history, sorry Dad, but seeing it firsthand made it come alive and seem real. We then drove to Selcuk to see Ephesus, another ancient city. Understanding the geography and the proximity to Egypt, Israel and Greece made it all make so much more sense.
One of the highlights of our trip was visiting my cousin and his wife in Urla. Their family has a home there. She grew up in Turkey and showed us around and introduced us to some of the history and culture of the country.
Before heading down the coast, we stopped off in Pammakale. This area has travertine rock formations created by mineral rich thermal waters. Also a Roman spa city founded around 190 BC. There were many tourists but we were glad we visited.
The Mediterranean coast is filled with sweeping views and coastal fishing towns. In several towns we saw fishermen coming off their boats to sell their fish to the locals on the docks. One of our favorite cities was Kas. It was very picturesque. There were markets and fishing boats in the harbor, as well as mountains surrounding the city, and beautiful beaches. The Lycian way, which is a 340 mile hike that goes along the coast, comes right through this area.
After leaving Kas we went to Olympos, a town that has held onto the hippie tradition of the sixties known for their treehouses. We stayed in a sweet cottage amongst fragrant orange blossoms. It was owned by a delightful, quirky couple who made us a delicious dinner. We wished we could have stayed longer.
We then left the coast and headed to Cappadocia. Honestly at this point I had seen a lot of rocks and history and didn’t know if I had capacity for much more. But Cappadocia was so unique. The history and geology of this area was very different from the other places we have visited. We hiked in and around these interesting rock formations and into underground cities marveling at the ingenuity of people 1800 years ago.
We left Cappadocia and drove to our last stop in the UNESCO world heritage city of Safronbolu. This is a very quaint city with lots of Turkish delight shops, apparently where the popular dessert originates. The 18th-19th century architecture in the Turkish Ottoman style is very well preserved and so is the traditional lifestyle.
The hospitality and generosity again humbled us. One example was here in Safranbolu. In our hostel, they provided us with slippers to wear while we were in the home. I really liked them and asked if they sold them in town. Remember we had a car so we could accumulate stuff. The gentleman working that night said he would ask. In the morning the innkeeper told me he wanted to give me the slippers as a gift to remember them by. After fumbling over myself to explain, I just said thank you and accepted his kindness. This is just one example of the many interactions we have had during our travels here. As we spoke to many people while we traveled and told them we were from America, almost everyone said please tell your friends and family it’s safe here and to come visit. We had nothing but positive experiences and we would recommend a visit to Turkey.
We loved everything about Turkey.
Our Travels Abroad 