Last Day - Beach and Hamam

Today I spent relaxing on a lovely little beach near the hotel.  It is in a little lagoon near the marina and an easy five minute walk from the hotel.  Bonnie and I went down about 11 and stayed till well into the afternoon.  For 12 lira ($6) you get a chair and umbrella and we got two right on the water.  The water there is crystal clear with a lovely view of the mountains.  We laid on the beach reading and occasionally going in to cool off and about 3:00 I left to go try a traditional Turkish bath - hamam.  That was quite an experience!  I was escorted into the women's area and given a changing room and told to take everything off.  The little Turkish lady who was my attendant then gave me a little wrap to put on to get into the hamam itself.  It is a huge, marble walled, floored room, hot and steamy, with a number of marble sinks at floor level.  She took me in and took my wrap and then indicated that I should douse myself with the warm water.  She then disappeared!  So I had a good dousing, using some soap they had there.  When she returned she had me get up on the large marble slab in the center of the hamam area and she did the "peeling" which is a very intense scrubbing with a loofah that is very coarse.  She scrubbed every inch of me, taking off a layer of dead skin.  When that process is done you then go back over to the little sink and rinse all the dead skin off.  After that back to the marble slab and this time she covered me in soapy bubbles - she has a soapy mixture in a little plastic tub and she puts what looks like a thin double layered towel into the soapy water and somehow squeezes it out so that you are completely engulfed in bubbles.  She then massaged me all over with the bubbles, head to foot on both sides.  After that another rinse procedure and then she gave me two towels to wrap up in and we went back to the entry area where I awaited the masseuse who gave me an oil massage.  Also all over, every inch, with a lot of oomph!  I must say, when I left there my skin was baby soft and my muscles felt quite invigorated from the vigorous massage they both did.  Neither the masseuse nor the lady in the hamam spoke a word of English so we managed all this with hand signals!  I loved the place itself - all white marble - walls, ceiling, floor and in the main hamam area the roof is domed and there are holes in it where the sunlight streamed into the room.  That hamam has been there for about 700 years, so they claim.  The whole experience was like something out of a movie!

After Bonnie got back from the beach we all went shopping (or rather Bonnie shopped and I tagged along, having done mine in Istanbul).  Then we went to dinner at a lovely restaurant on the cliffs overlooking the water.  Great food and once again we were surrounded by Russians!  Nary a word of English has been heard during our time here. 

Must be off to bed now.  Have to be up at 4 to be ready for the driver who will pick us up for our early morning flight, which leaves at 7.    Pics today are me and Bonnie at the beach, a couple of shots at the beach of the scenery and me at dinner.

Museum and Mosques and Bazaar

Today we went separate ways, as Sky and Bonnie went off to a large, sandy beach which was a 45 minute bus ride from where we are staying.  I did not really want to bake in the Mediterranean sun on a 90+ degree day, so  I chose to go visit the Antalya Museum, which is a phenomenal archeological museum, with a truly impressive collection of artifacts from the Stone and Bronze Ages through the Hellenistic and Roman periods and Byzantium, as well as collections from the Ottomon Empire in the 17-18th centuries.  They have prehistoric artifacts recovered from many archeological digs that have been done in the Antalya region over the past 30 years, which includes a real wealth of statues, frescoes, tools, implements, coins, sarcophogi, burial grounds, religious artifacts etc.  There is a Hall of the Gods, with remarkable statues of Greek and Roman gods that are in wonderful condition. The museum is listed in the guide book as a "must see" and I get why, as it contains some stunning material.  I spent nearly three hours in there engrossed in the history and enjoying the air conditioning!  On my way there I wandered through the old city where we are staying visiting a couple of old, but still active, mosques on my way out.  This part of the old city is known for its "fluted minaret" which is unique to Antalya.   As I looked out over the water today I was delighted to see the mountains much more visible than they have been thus far.  There was not as much mist around them so you could actually see them rather than simply see the silhouette of them.  They are quite stunning to look at and, alas, my camera does not begin to capture how impressive they are as you look toward the horizon.

I walked to the museum which is a couple of miles away and walked back stopping at the bazaar which was teeming with people by late afternoon.  I enjoyed a gelato and poked about some of the stalls in the bazaar.  By then I was getting tired and hot so came back and enjoyed my G&T while waiting for the girls to return.  When they got back and got cleaned up we went just down the street to a lovely garden restaurant that had simply delicious food.  Bonnie got duck, with a beef carpaccio appetizer, and I had a goat cheese and broccoli soufle followed by Beef Wellington.  The food was excellent and the atmosphere gorgeous.  At about 8:30 we were serenaded by the call to prayer coming from two mosques nearby, with the restaurant's mood music continuing in the background!  It was quite an array of sounds!  The girls are going to go out later to enjoy the nightlife, while I am enjoying relaxing in the hotel courtyard and reading.  Today's pics include the mountains in the distance, the fluted minaret, a shot of the interior of one of the mosques, the wall of icons from the museum, and Bonnie and I at dinner with shots of our signature dishes!

Beach and Boat Ride

Today was a real vacation day!  Slept late, enjoyed leisurely Turkish breakfast down by the pool in the courtyard of our hotel and then wandered down to the harbor to find a boat cruise.  We went out for two hours on the boat, which was truly lovely.  The coast here is volcanic cliffs and the mountains on the other side of the harbor are shrouded in mist, but their shadows rise up magnificently on the horizon, looking like something out of The Mists of Avalon!   The water is crystal clear and deep, deep blue.  After we got off the boat, I had my daily dose of Turkish ice cream and we walked the couple of miles to the closest beach, which took us about 40 minutes or so.  There we were able to rent three beach chairs and two umbrellas for very little and spent several hours lying by the Mediterranean Sea, cooling off in the water when necessary and enjoying people watching and relaxing.  There is a bar right on the beach so Bonnie and Sky enjoyed late afternoon cocktails (I waited until I got back to the hotel where the owner has better quality gin!) It is amazing how very few English speakers there are here.  This is apparently not a vacation spot much visited by Americans/English/Canadian/Australian because we never once heard English.  Mostly Turkish, Russian and German.   We stayed on the beach until 6 PM and then walked back into town and got cleaned up and went to dinner at a place our driver had recommended.  It is popular with the locals and we could see why.  Excellent Turkish grill and the prices were cheap!  So by 10:40 we were back at the hotel and I'm ready to read for a bit and go to sleep!  Pics are me and Bonnie on the boat, and scenes from the boat cruise and a view out over the beach as we were leaving this evening.  

Arrive Antalya

Today was a much more restful day than any so far!  I was able to sleep in this morning which was a luxury.  Then I went to the fitness center which felt good after a week of no exercise.  Then I just relaxed in the hotel reading the New York Times and resting before the trip to the airport to get the flight to Antalya.  I met up with Bonnie and Sky at the airport.  We arrived in Antalya at 4:30 and were met at the airport by a driver who brought us to our hotel.  We LOVE the hotel.  It is right in the center of the old city, inside the old castle walls.  The streets are stone and narrow and very quaint, with lots of shops and restaurants and activity.  The hotel itself is two old mansions that were refurbished into a boutique hotel.  There is a lovely courtyard with a pool and tables, a poolside bar -  a great place to sit and read and enjoy a drink or coffee.  We wandered down to the marina for dinner, passing through the many night markets that are all over this part of the town.  No dearth of shopping opportunities here!  The marina is beautiful and there is a breathtaking vista across the water of mountains  on the other side of the bay.  They were shrouded in mist and looked quite magical.  We found a really fancy restaurant (Arma) up on the hill (where a wedding was underway) with a large patio out over the water so we had dinner overlooking the harbor, watching the yachts come and go and the sun set over the mountains.  It was quite entertaining to watch the wedding as well.  To say it was lavish is putting it mildly!  The restaurant has a trained white dove that swoops around periodically looking very romantic and somehow managing not to land on anyone's table!  Bonnie got creme brulee for dessert and the waiter brought the blow torch to the table to cook the top of it.  Quite a performance!  Then we wandered back to the hotel, considering it a minor miracle that we were able to retrace our steps!   Without a map, it would be very easy to get lost down here.  I'm hoping tomorrow to get out and try to get my bearings.  All these winding little streets begin to look alike after awhile!  I've included pics of Bonnie and Sky in front of the hotel and at dinner and a couple of shots of the marina at the harbor.  We can already tell we are going to love this place!  Our driver says it is a very popular vacation spot for Russians and Germans.   As I am writing this the last azzan (call to prayer) is being chanted from the mosque that is right around the corner.  The call to prayer punctuates the day in Turkey - it is quite lovely.   We're not sure what we're going to do tomorrow, but we do know we want to go out on a boat - there are many of them down at the marina and they take people out for cruises.  Deciding which boat to go on will be the trick! There is a lot to do here and we've only got three days!  

Back to Istanbul

Today was another travel day.   We left Kayseri early and arrived in Istanbul by 10:00.  We visited two organizations that are part of the Fetullah Gulen movement.  The Writers and Journalists Foundation is the "mother ship" of the Gulen movement, and has been active since the early 90s.  Their ideology is aimed at creating a religiously pluralistic, democratic Turkey, with transparency in government and freedom of religion.  They themselves are pretty observant Muslims, but they are pushing for an enlightened, moderate form of Islam that welcomes and embraces a pluralistic society and promotes respect and understanding between and among religions.  They are pretty active bringing together intellectuals (college professors and other educators), religious leaders, people who work in various human rights causes, politicians and civil servants to engage in dialogue and understanding.  They have founded schools in Turkey and in other countries, both secondary schools and universities.  They are the ones who largely funded the trip that accompanies this conference.  It was interesting to hear from someone steeped in the Gulen movement opining about the problems in the current Turkish government, particularly Erdogan and the corruption scandals that accompany his regime. 

After those meetings, which included lunch, we stopped at Camlica Hill on the Asian side of the city.  Its a lovely park overlooking the Bosphoros, with a restaurant/coffee shop and park perched up on the banks of the strait.  Lovely vistas out over the water and to the European side.  After we left there we made a stop at Taksim Square, scene of the protests that rocked Turkey last year and finally wound up at the Grand Bazaar by 4:30.  We had two hours to poke about the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar.  Bonnie left us at that point to join her friend Sky who arrived in Istanbul Wednesday.  They are out enjoying themselves this evening and I will meet up with them at the airport tomorrow for our flight to Antalya.  After leaving the bazaars, we went to dinner where we had another feast of multiple courses of delicious food and then came back to the hotel, arriving about 10:15.  

I am totally exhausted at this point.  These past three days have been incredibly long and my allergies have been driving me crazy the past two days, so I am ready to sleep in tomorrow and take it easy until I head to the airport for the flight to Antalya.  Today's pics are Bonnie and me standing on Camlica Hill and a shot of Taksim square.  

Cappadocia - Underground cities and Fairy Chimmeys

Today was a LONG day, starting with alarm at 4 AM for our 5 AM departure for the airport to leave Izmir and come to the Cappdocian region.  We arrived a little after 10 AM to Keyseri and then drove for about an hour to Nevsehir, a city in the center of the Cappadocian region where we stopped at the Han restaurant and had an unbelievable buffet lunch.  Truly there was a mind boggling array of food, salads, appetizers, multiple hot dishes, veggies, fruit, a whole island full of desserts.  It was overwhelming.  Having stuffed ourselves with all that good food we then proceeded to our first stop if the day, which was Kaymakli, an underground city.   There are a number of these underground cities that were built and used by early Christians to hide during times of persecution.  They are labyrinthine underground structures in which entire villages took refuge when under siege from enemies.  The one we visited could hold up to 3500-4000 people at a time for weeks on end.  We were able to visit the first four levels of the city, going deeper with each level.  The passageways down are very narrow - we had to bend over double and walk single file to go through the passageways.  There are living areas, kitchens, wine cellars and chapels throughout the underground city.  It is quite amazing.  These underground cities were last used in the 7th century and were later abandoned and forgotten until they were rediscovered and excavated in the late 20th century.  They are truly fascinating structures, reminiscent of the catacombs in Rome.  

The topography of this region is spectacular.  Large volcanic rock structures dot the landscape.  These rock formations are distinctive and are millions of years old.  The vistas out over the rocky, mountainous landscape are breathtaking.  We stopped at a lookout point for a short break and picture taking, and I had my Turkish ice cream fix.  The ice cream is made from goat's milk and orchid flower powder, which is what makes its consistency so different from our ice cream.  After our stop at the lookout point we went to visit one of the many Cappadocian churches, which was really a monastic complex built right into the rock structures.  We visited the Goreme valley region where there is an open air Goreme Churches museum.  The complex was a monastery during the 3-5th centuries completely built in the rock structures.  We visited a variety of churches in the rock structures, some of which have beautiful mosaics still visible, although damaged.  We also saw the ancillary rooms including refectories, wine cellars, kitchen areas and classrooms where monks were trained.   The tall rock formations made perfect buildings into which to build the monasteries.  It brought to life all I studied about the Cappadocian fathers in church history back in seminary!  

After we left Goreme, we went to see the fairy chimneys, which are large rock structures that look like clusters of giant mushrooms.  Their tops look like hats or mushroom tops plunked on top of the tall rock formations.  They too, are amazing to behold.  Millions of years old and just stunning to see.  

After that we went to a carpet factory where we got a terrific demonstration of how turkish carpets and kilims are made.  We watched women doing the weaving and learned how the silk thread is harvested from the silk worm cocoons and then died and made into carpets.  

After that we had an hour's drive back to Keyseri where we had another big meal at our hotel, enjoying two specialities of the region.  The first is a pasta soup, with the pastas like tiny raviolis filled with meat and served in a tomato based soup with spices and yogurt.  The second dish was a sort of Turkish burrito, flat bread with spiced meat spread on top, which you roll up with parsley and yogurt and eat like a burrito.   Delicious.  Then we had two desserts, a chocolate pudding and then birthday cake for one of our traveling companions.  We rolled up to our rooms in a food coma, and pretty exhausted from the long, long day.  For some reason, I have had terrible allergies today which my anti-histamine has not touched, much to my annoyance.  I don't know what's in the Cappadocian air, but it certainly has me sneezing, sniffling and itching like mad!  Tomorrow morning we have to be out of here by 6:45 for our flight back to Istanbul.  

I've posted pictures of Bonnie in the underground city, the two of us looking out over the panoramic view of the rocky region, some shots at Goreme and the fairy chimneys.  Also, our dinner dishes, since Karen wants food pics!

Ephesus and Izmir

Today we left Istanbul on a 9:00 flight to Izmir.  When we arrived there was some confusion about where our bus was allowed to pick us up at the airport, which resulted in a tirade of Turkish argument among our tour guides and the traffic enforcers at the airport.  The traffic enforcers won and we had to walk all the way through the covered parking garage out to the front where the bus was allowed to pick us up. That was a little bit of aerobic exercise!  We then drove the hour out to Selcuk, near the ruins of Ephesus and the Virgin Mary's house.  We went to the Virgin Mary's house first.  Its up a steep mountain in a lovely wooded area and is a shrine very popular with Roman Catholics.  Legend has it that Mary settled there in her later years, the evidence being the comment Jesus made on the cross giving Mary to the beloved disciple (John) and him to Mary as mother/son.  Since John was in Ephesus, the story goes that Mary was there too.  Also in the 19th century a German nun, who never left Germany saw visions of Mary in Ephesus and in the house in the woods and when explorers listened to her description and went there they found this little stone house.  We walked through the shrine noting the chalice and paten that Pope John Paul II had given and the rosary from Pope Benedict, and then returned to Selcuk for lunch.  The food at our lunch place was some of the best we've had yet.  It was a buffet of all kinds of delicious Turkish meats, salads, breads, stews etc.  Then we returned to Ephesus and toured through the ruins.  It was very hot, well in the 90s (which is cooler than the last time I did Ephesus!) but fascinating nonetheless.  When we got to the amphitheater, which seats 25,000 we went down on the "stage" area and it was amazing to speak and hear the acoustics in that amphitheater.  With no amplification a person who projects his/her voice can be heard clearly all the way at the top of the theater.  

On our way out of the ruins, we stopped for Turkish ice cream.  It is similar in taste to our ice cream but the consistency is very different - almost like taffy - and the guy who sells it loves to tease tourists by flinging it around in ways you could never fling our ice cream without having it land on the walls!  We were pretty grateful for the cold refreshment after the heat of our walk through the ruins.  Then we went to a ceramics factory, which has been in the same family for over 700 years and got a demonstration of how the beautiful tiles and ceramics for which Turkey is known is made and we had a chance to do some shopping there. Then we made a stop in Selcuk at a beautiful mosque, where we observed evening prayers and the imam, who is a calligrapher, gave us each a card with a blessing in Arabic on which he wrote our names in Arabic calligraphy as well.  At that point we were pretty exhausted and most of us slept on the hour's drive back to Izmir.  We stopped for dinner and finally drew up at our hotel at 9 PM.  We have to be up at 4 for a 5 AM departure tomorrow for Cappadocia so I've had my evening gin and am ready to crash!   Bonnie is so tired she didn't even want a glass of wine this evening!

I've included pictures of Mary's house, Ephesus and the mosque.  Somehow we didn't manage to do any people pics today!!