Mike and I arrive in Istanbul exhausted after a long day of traveling from South Africa. The lack of sleep related more to the 100+ free movies to pick from on the personal TV screens during flight, than the fact that we hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Our first day and a half was spent laying low and just walking around the city due to the anticipated arrival of David & Sheila (aka: Mom and Dad or Andrea's parents).

Our whirlwind of traveling began as soon as mom and dad arrived. Despite traveling for over 1 day, their arrival at noon meant they anticipated hours of sightseeing before night fall. Over the next couple of days we managed to visit the following locations and participate in some cultural activities.

Topkapi Palace: Built in 1453 this palace was inhabited by sultans until the 19th century. Our time was spent touring the harem, the kitchens, the treasury, the courtyards, and numerous other rooms. While the men were impressed with the weapons collection, the women were awed by the 86-carat diamond that initially was found in a rubbish pile and traded for three spoons, and then finally landed in the hands of the sultan. There is tons of history and additional info about this amazing palace, please visit this link.

Dinner on the grounds of the Blue Mosque & visited inside the Blue Mosque: The first week and a half of our travels coincided with the Muslim holiday Ramadan. Traditionally this is a period when Muslims choose to fast (they do not allow anything to pass through their lips) during day light hours, eating one meal before sunrise and one at sunset. During this time the evening meal takes on a festive air, many people gather near the Blue Mosque with friends and family bringing or buying food and then waiting until the evening prayer is called out over the loud speakers. At this time the eating begins. For us this atmosphere was reminiscent of a local or county fair, lots of high calorie goodies, souvenirs and lights. For more information on Ramadan click here.

The Blue Mosque is a beautiful place that continues to be used for Muslim worship. It was built by Sultan Ahmet I in 1603-17 with intentions to rival the grandeur and beauty of the Aye Sofya which is located near by. Prior to entering, one is asked to remove shoes and a scarf is offered to the women as a head covering.

Aya Sofya: Built by Emperor Justinian, with completion around 537, the aim being to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. And it achieved this purpose as being the greatest church in Christendom until the Conquest of 1453 during which time Mehmet the Conqueror converted it into a mosque. And so it stayed until 1935 during which time it became a museum. Although the outsides glory seems faded, inside it is truly amazing.

Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar: Thousands of vendors, tons of people, and a dizzying array of interconnected streets, the Bazaar district was pretty much my father's nightmare. Interestingly these Bazaars were started hundreds of years ago, portions of the streets remained covered and some of the shops still are in old buildings. Since we were on a tight budget and being a tourist deals are sparsely given, purchases were limited to food samples (Turkish delight - aka lokum, chocolate covered nuts, apricots, and dates were the main treats) and an addition to Mike's generic jersey collection (he collects them from each country's main sports team).

Boat Tour of the Bosporus: If anyone visits Turkey after reading this don't get sucked in, it was 1 1/2 hours of a very high priced boat ride without any additional information given as to the sites that were being passed along the way. However, it is a nice way to pass time before the next meal.

Basilica Cistern: Having walked over this place numerous times, we were very happy about our last minute decision to explore these underground remains from the Byzantine era. The cistern was built in 532 AD, is 203 feet wide & 469 ft long, has 336 columns arranged in 12 rows supporting the roof, and was able to hold 21, 133, 764 gallons of water. It also has a pretty fascinating history. Check out the following link for more information and the story on the Medusa column.

Kariye Muzesi: Original name of the church was Church of the Holy Savior Outside the Walls; however it is not the outside walls that make this such an amazing place. Inside this small church are numerous mosaics decorating the walls which date back to 1312. The mosaics are themed from the life of Christ.

Only hours before leaving Istanbul for an overnight bus towards Ephesus, Dad leaves his wallet in the taxi. Despite a frantic run back towards the taxi within moments of discovering the mistake, the taxi is long gone. This is only mentioned to give credit to the inherent goodness of some people. Despite almost EVERYONE telling dad that he should be "thankful that it wasn't more than a couple hundred dollars lost", or "there is no hope for return" or "what happens, happens, and to move on", about 1 week later we got an email from the taxi driver's son to inform us that his dad found the wallet. His dad doesn't speak English and was afraid if he turned the wallet into the authorities he would be accused of stealing. So over a period of 2 weeks and multiple emails on the day prior to departure dad received his wallet and yes with all of his money still in it! (It should be mentioned that only mom thought there was some hope in return and thankfully she proved us all wrong).

October 3rd - 7th
Istanbul

October 8th
City of Selcuk & Ruins of Ephesus with a detour to Virgin Mary's house

October 9th
Hierapolis (Ruins from Roman City) and Pumakkale (Cotton Castle)

October 10th - 15th
Oludeniz, Lycian Way Hike, Olympos Ruins and Chimaera

October 17th - 21st
Cappadocia region

October 21st - 24th
Tokat and Amasya

October 25th - 26th
Amasya and Ankara

Turkey Country Summary