Anyone been to Turkey?

[lunaria]

My family and I are thinking of going to Turkey in the fall. Anyone been there? Is it worth going to? I have always wanted to go.. seems like a good cross of Europe and Middle East.

Last family trip was to Thailand. WOW, would love to go back there but thought Turkey sounded different and fun :)

thanks

[Ohana]

We went to Turkey about 10 years ago. It was beautiful and amazing. I would love to go back someday!

Istanbul is a very cool town. We took a few cabs but walked around quite a bit, too. It was a beautiful city, and the people were very helpful and friendly. The food is also fantastic (we ate mostly from food stalls and restaurants filled with locals).

Our family went as a package deal where we stayed in Istanbul 3 days, went on a cruise for 3 days, then spent 4 days in Athens. Without a doubt, Istanbul was the highlight of our trip.

[pocket]

I honeymooned there in 2003 - wow, it was incredible! It's not that expensive, completely gorgeous, historically fascinating, amazing archeological ruins, mediterranean beach resorts, fantastic food and great shopping. Also really clean, good roads, great bus system, no real worries about hospitals or political violence. And did I mention clean? Like in Istanbul shop owners actually scrub the sidewalks in front of their stores with water twice a day.

[tlew12778]

Here is a post on Istanbul (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8478). We went in August 2007 and I loved it. We will definitely go back but it's also only 2 hours from us... I never did a recap on here so I will copy and past from my LJ since the post is locked:

Istanbul is an absolutely incredible city. The best thing ever is being gently woken up at 5AM to the call to prayer. DH who sleeps like a log never heard it and as tempted as I was to wake him up, I never did. Basically they sing:

"God is greater, I bear witness that there is no lord except God, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, Make haste towards prayer, Make haste towards welfare, Make haste towards the best thing, Prayer is better than sleep**,God is greater, There is no lord except God"

** this part they only sung in the morning prayer. The other four times in the day that this is sung is without this line.

It's really amazing being in a country where religion unites everyone. I mean, Italy is essentially Catholic, but a lot of people really hate the church and especially its political power. Whereas in Turkey, religious consciousness is just a part of life whether you are a believer or not. Everything stops during the call to prayer and you just listen.

Anyway, we started out our trip with 2.5 days in Istanbul. To see the city well you really need 3-4 days.
This was our guesthouse - Ahmet Efendi Evi (http://www.ahmetefendievi.com/). I cannot wait to stay there again. The owner, Mehdi, is awesome. His whole thing is to provide your home away from home and he really tries to help you organize your days to get the most out of your stay. We paid 60 euro per night.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/IMG_0465.jpg
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This is the view of the blue mosque from our window:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010252.jpg

We arrived around 12 and tried to figure out the best way into the city center. The stupid guide book we had was written in 2003 so it was totally outdated. I never checked the copyright date when we bought it. It said that a taxi was like $9 (everything in Turkey is in USD, GBP, or EUR). When I asked what I thought was the information desk, the guy told me that it was more like $25 and that instead I should take the shuttle servce which he was offering for 50 euro round trip for both of us (since we had to go back to the airport on Sunday to catch a domestic flight). But, skeptical as I am, I decided to call the guest house and ask them. They said that a taxi is more like 25 LIRE which is like 14-15 euro and that it just so happened that Mehdi was already at the airport picking up another couple and did we want to hitch a ride. So for the same price as a taxi, we got a transfer.

The airport is about 30 minutes from Sultanhamet which is the historical center of the city. We got there, settled in, and decided to spend the evening on the Asian side of Istanbul. Istanbul is divided by the Bosphorus (which leads to the Black Sea) and the Golden Horn. They are really the same body of water but they sort of form an L so it changes names. The Asian side is on the other side of the Golden Horn and it is famous for its sunset views over Istanbul.

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Btwn the Asian side and the European side, there is this little island called Maiden's Tower. The leggend is that the emperor Constantine had a daughter that he loved very much. He dreamt that she would be bitten by a snake and die. So he had this island created for her where she went to live for many years. One day a basket of fruit was delivered to her... and hiding it in was the snake that took her life.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/IMG_0450.jpg

After that we crossed back over (the ferry is like a metro there... costs 1.30 lire each way) and had dinner near our B&B. I had thought that food would be cheaper and better in Turkey but alas, it was not to be. Meals average out to be about 60 euro for two people and the quality isn't that great. Even when you go to local places the spices and ingredients are pretty much the same old drill - bay leaves, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and onion or garlic. Sometimes feta and/or yoghurt.

[tlew12778]

The next day, we got up early to head off to Topkapi Palace. I read (in the crap guide) that you should get there early if you want tickets to see the Haram. What a crock. There were no lines for either the palace or the Haram inside the palace. I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the Palace. It would have been much better with a guide IMO, but no one offered. It costs 10 lire to get into the Palace then another 10 to get into the Haram.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/p1010156.jpg
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This is a throne cover. Can you imagine sitting on this? It's made with pearls, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and gold.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010165.jpg

After that, we went back to the B&B to shower. Istanbul has got to be one of the most humid cities in Europe. You have to take like 3 showers per day. Forget staying anywhere without AC. You'd regret it and move fast. In the evening we had arranged to meet up with a friend of mine from grad school and her new DH. So after getting ready we headed back out to go to the grand bazaar then to the Hagia Sophia.

The bazaar is huge. I was expecting it to be more of a giant flea market but there are actual stores in there. It's like a mall (only no chain stores) and the hallways are street names even though it's not really a street as there are tiled floors and a permanent ceiling.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010171.jpg

Istanbul is the only city in the world that can claim to have been both the capital of the Islamic empire as well as the capital of the Christian empire. The Hagia Sophia was a church, turned mosque, turned church, turned museum. You can see relics from both religions and even though it is no longer a holy place, they still to do the call for prayer from one of its minarets. It costs another 10 lire to get in.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010146.jpg
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[tlew12778]

It's full of the most incredible mosaics:
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Then it was off to dinner with our friends.

The next day we decided to do a cruise down the bosphorus. Since departure was not scheduled until 13.30, we went to the spice bazaar to see what goodies we could find.

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[tlew12778]

This is outside the New Mosque which is right next to the spice bazaar:
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Then we went for our cruise. The owner of the B&B suggested we go up to Sariyer bc we'd see the entire Bosphorus that way. The last stop is actually the Black Sea but we weren't exactly trying to spend 6 hours on the boat round trip so we got off at the second to last stop. The town REAKED of fish and port smells. It was so bad that we couldn't figure out why the B&B guy told us to get off there and we quickly left on the next boat heading back. On the way back we got off at Kanlica which is famous for its yoghurt. We had lunch then headed back to Istanbul. After that, we tried to head back to the Grand Bazaar bc I had seen a pair of earrings I wanted to buy but the store ended up being closed :(. So we went back to the hotel to shower and change then off to the Blue Mosque to see if before leaving the next day. As we were about to head out at prayer time (when you cannot go into the mosque) the B&B guy showed us how to make Turkish coffee. It's weird. It has a really strong aftertaste. I still prefer espresso.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010225.jpg

There are all these beautiful palaces along the Bosphorus:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010222.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010217.jpg

[tlew12778]

This one is a mosque:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010213.jpg

Then it was off to the blue mosque. The mosque has 6 minarets (the towers from which they do the call to prayer) but you can only see 4 at a time at most (bc of the incredibly precise symmetry).
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010143.jpg

Inside, there is a courtyard.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010255.jpg

Then the actual praying area.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010270.jpg

This is the ceiling:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/P1010266.jpg

[tlew12778]

You cannot go into the prayer area. There is a small section where tourists can go to take pics but as people prayer throughout the day (sort of like a church) you cannot step into the holy area as it will nullify their prayers. Then there is a tiny womens' area in the back. I don't know if very few women go to pray or if they simply don't care to give them more space but the entire space was about 20 ft x 10 ft. Mind you the mens' prayer area is about 20 times that easily.

After that we went to have dinner at a Turkmenistan restaurant. The food was the same as the rest of the food in Istanbul though...

The next day we left for the coast. We had an 12:00 PM flight so we left the B&B around 10:30. The flight was pretty uneventful. I never bothered arranging an airport transfer to the hotel so when we got to Dalaman airport, we took the shuttle bus to Fethiye (17 lire) then were told to take a minibus to Kayakoy which is where our B&B was. Well there were no minbuses around and no apparent stops for minibuses so I called the B&B to ask what to do and they said we had to take a cab. OK fine... 25 lire later we were in the country surrounded by goats, chickens, and dogs.

The B&B was cute but for some reason the roosters start to crow at 2AM and go on all night long. This in turns wakes up the goats and dogs. So for 3 nights we basically didn't sleep. Plus, despite tripadvisor saying that there were shuttle buses to and from all the beaches in the area, there was nothing of the sort. We were told that our only option was to rent a car basically. You *can* take the bus to the beach but you have to change twice. Nice. So we rented a car for 35 euro per day. All things considered, it's not a bad price really, but we weren't exactly expecting to spend the extra 250 euro (plus gas) either.

The first evening there we had dinner in Ovacik which is the closest thing to a village near Kayakoy, where the guest house was located. The food was actually pretty good and not as touristy as it seemed.

Turkish pancakes (sort of like crepes but not as sweet):
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/IMG_0475.jpg

DH thoroughly enjoying his borek (feta filled filo rolls):
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/IMG_0474.jpg

Anyway, after 3 days, we decided to change hotels. We checked out early and paid a 4th night's penalty despite much arguing with the owner. She was a really sneaky person. When I reserved she asked that we please make a decision to confirm the reservation quickly as it was her last room left. When we got there, there were 3 rooms empty. Then as we were leaving, she said that we had to pay the 4th night bc she would not be able to find another person for that room that night, but she didn't even have guests occupying the 2 other empty rooms. But since our sleep was at a premium, we really didn't care at that point and just paid after arguing for 40 minutes.

The beaches in the area are nice. The water isn't as clear as I had imagined it would have been, but it was clean and really warm, close to body temp actually. The closest beach to our B&B and our subsequent hotel was Oludeniz which is the most photographed beach in Turkey as it's actually a peninsula and you can walk from one side to the other.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/IMG_0471.jpg

One day we went on the 12 Island Cruise which is basically a boat that takes you around the islands in front of Fethiye, making 6 stops along the way and serving lunch (25 lire per person). We saw dolphins!
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[tlew12778]

The rest of the time we spent at Patara which is the longest beach in Turkey (12 KM). This beach is not as packed as Oludeniz and unlike the latter, it is sandy. The waves were phenomenol.
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The area is FULL of ruins from the Ottamans, Romans, Greeks, etc. I realised that I take ruins for granted now. I barely took any photos of them. Once upon a time I would have been astounded to see something so old but now I don't even think twice when I see them. Actually, now when I see them in Milan I wonder, "oh what contruction project just blew up in their face?" bc once you find ruins here, the government comes in and has to decide what to do with them. Regardless you're not going to be building in that area anytime soon. This is why Rome basically does not have a metro system.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c142/tlew12778/vacation/Turkey%202008/IMG_0514.jpg
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On Sunday we flew back to Milan, picked up the cats, and went home to do laundry (well so that I could do laundry). And for me, it was back to work the next day :o. I'm already thinking of next year's vacation. Assuming it's the last baby-free one, I want it to be a place that it would be otherwise difficult to take a young child to. We are thinking Thailand and Laos.

[bookworm]

Tlew, I love your pictures!

I loved, loved, loved Istanbul. We only had about 2 days there which was not enough, but we crammed a lot in and hired a really wonderful private guide who gave us a lot of history. I'd love to go back, and next time I'd probably use that as an excuse to see more of Turkey (we spent a couple of days in Istanbul then got on a cruise ship)--we stopped in Ephesus on the cruise, but took an organized tour off to see the ruins so I didn't get a great feel for the place.

[tlew12778]

Thanks :)

Next time I go back will probably be for work (yay!) but only to Istanbul. When DH and I go again, we want to go on a Blue Cruise. A really good one is only like EUR 1k per week ALL INCLUSIVE which is awesome (although I found a company that quoted me 350 per person per week as well). The main problem is the best time to go is the fall and we cannot take vacation in the fall. But we were told you can see flying fish, rays, dolphins, tortoises, etc. DH would also like to visit Pamukkale.

[lunaria]

WOW Tlew.... What a recap. :D

My father will be working in Iraq (again) and it is hard for him to see us (the family) when he is over there. None of us really wants to go to Iraq to visit him so we plan trips all over the world and meet in the middle:) This trip my DH cannot go on because of his job but I am going anyways. One place I have always wanted to go was Turkey but DH refuses to visit that country. Dont ask me why but he said it is not on his top 100 places. I figured if he cant go this year, I will pick a place he would never take me.;)

The only draw back is my father will be living in a muslim country for months on end and he really doesnt want to vacation to another one. He would rather go to a place in Asia but I am trying to convince him that Turkey is well worth the visit. For goodness sake, he loved Jordan so I dont know why we wouldnt love Turkey. I will have him read your review.. thank you so much for all the information!!

If Turkey doesnt work out, I am all for Thailand and the $10 massages! hahaha

Jen

[tlew12778]

Honestly you can barely tell you are in a Muslim country. There is no Sharia law there so it's much more liberal. Most girls do not wear veils at all. There are lots of mosques and fountains bc apparently the Koran says that a man should leave 3 things behind when he dies: a son, knowledge, and something permanent that will remind others of him. My Turkish GF told me that university there is only in English or French. No Turkish at all. Also, veils are outright banned at the university (and I think in all public buildings actually). There is some controversy right now as the government wants to lift this ban. Not too many places serve pork but you won't even miss it. They eat meat and fish like it's going out of style.

But Thailand is on my list too so I can't say don't go there :)

[lunaria]

If you need a good review of thailand.. please let me know. We went to Koh Samui and Bangkok. One of the most relaxing (besdies the 23 hr plane ride) trips I have ever been on. Even beat out my honeymoon and that was reallly good. I love the Thai people. If we do not head to Turkey, I will be pulling for Thailand again.. just maybe the other coast. Phi Phi and such would be wonderful to experience.

I met a few ppl from Turkey years ago and I agree, you would never know they were muslim. And on top of it, they were very nice. :) They made me want to visit their country and get to know their customs more.

I will let you know what we choose.

[Mrs. M.]

Great recap, tlew!

I have a recap on Istanbul in my journal - post #69 and onwards. I loved it and would highly recommend it for a city trip.