We took a trip to Turkey in mid April and spent 19 days in the country. We visited Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Ephesus, Pergamum, Izmir, Pamukkale, Myra, Antalya, Perge, Cappadocia and places in between.
It was one of our favorite trips. The country is beautiful, full of history yet a recently created country (the 1920s) and the Turks are warm hospitable people. We covered 2,000 miles over 19 days and spent 3 nights in most hotels. There was only one one-nighter and a couple of four-nighters, so the pace was busy but reasonable.
I forget the name of this Mosque. It's on the edge of an up and coming neighborhood where a lot of professionals and artsiefartsie types live. The suspension bridge is one of two major suspension bridges across the Bosporus and connects the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
There is a lot of water around Istanbul, it is divided into three sections by the Bosporus Strait and the Golden horn. The way it looks reminds me of a big San Francisco.
There are a lot of hills in Istanbul.
The interior of the Hagia Sofia. It was built as a Byzantine Church about 1500 years ago. It has been a Mosque for about 500 years. The flights of stairs on the scaffolding give some idea how big it is. If you put the Statue of Liberty inside the building there would be 31 feet of clearance over her torch.
Cute kids and teacher in one of the Ottoman Palaces we went through.
The main passage way of the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar was started one year before Columbus "discovered" America. 3,800 shops that vary from high end Jewelry stores down to tourist trinket shops.
It was clean, well lit and the vendors weren't obnoxious.
There was lot to see and many monuments at Gallipoli. Our Aussie and Kiwi friends know about that place.
Atatürk was the founder of modern Turkey and was also an Ottoman Empire Lt Col at Gallipoli who had more to do with the Allies defeat there than anyone else. Take a minute to read the monument, it's moving.
Downtown Focha. A beautiful seaside town
More downtown Focha.
Old Greek theater at Pergamon.
The library at Ephesus. Ephesus was an important city in early Christianity, but it was there long before that.
Truth in advertising. A common line from the vendors was "Cheaper than Walmart, better than Target." They have a sense of humor too.
A waterfall into the Mediterranean right on the edge of Antalya, a big city.
The Roman theater at Aspendos, about 40 minutes from Antalya, is probably the best preserved Roman theater. The picture doesn't show much of the seating area which is in good condition. The important part is the stage building in the picture. It is one of very few still standing and this one is in excellent condition.
One of many highlights of the trip was a 1 hour 30 minute hot air ballon ride in Cappedocia. If the scale looks strange, it's because that is a 24 passenger balloon.
The concept of being held up in the air by a nylon bag with a big azzed fire in it is a strange concept.
We were about 30 feet from that rock spire, the balloon on the other side was about as far from the other side.
Lots of photo ops.
These guys aren't afraid of rocks.
The camera was tilted, not the balloon. Mike, in the yellow shirt, has been flying balloons there for 9 years. Before that he had many years experience in other countries including his home, England.
We had lunch and spent part of an afternoon with a Turkish farm family about 30 minutes from Cappedocia. Those ladies had rough hands, a firm handshake and warm hearts.
Back in Istanbul at the Blue Mosque.
Inside the Blue Mosque, pictures absolutely can't do it justice.
More Blue Mosque, check out the size of the columns.
The Romans built an underground cistern at the end of their aqueducts into Istanbul (then Constantinople) 1,500 years ago. It is about 50% bigger than a football field in either direction and is still there. This picture is one gallery. I'm glad my digital camera goes to ASA 3200.
There were ferry boats everywhere on the Bosporus. This picture was taken from one boat and you can see two other boats nearby. The ferry fleet is part of the Istanbul transit system.
The main bridge between the Golden Horn and the main part of Istanbul is a popular fishing spot. Lots of tackle rentals on top. There were guys in suits taking a break to fish on the way home after work.
The lower level of the bridge had a metric [censored] of nice restaurants and shops. The lower level was open in the middle so boats could go under the bridge.
It was one of our favorite trips. The country is beautiful, full of history yet a recently created country (the 1920s) and the Turks are warm hospitable people. We covered 2,000 miles over 19 days and spent 3 nights in most hotels. There was only one one-nighter and a couple of four-nighters, so the pace was busy but reasonable.
I forget the name of this Mosque. It's on the edge of an up and coming neighborhood where a lot of professionals and artsiefartsie types live. The suspension bridge is one of two major suspension bridges across the Bosporus and connects the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
There is a lot of water around Istanbul, it is divided into three sections by the Bosporus Strait and the Golden horn. The way it looks reminds me of a big San Francisco.
There are a lot of hills in Istanbul.
The interior of the Hagia Sofia. It was built as a Byzantine Church about 1500 years ago. It has been a Mosque for about 500 years. The flights of stairs on the scaffolding give some idea how big it is. If you put the Statue of Liberty inside the building there would be 31 feet of clearance over her torch.
Cute kids and teacher in one of the Ottoman Palaces we went through.
The main passage way of the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar was started one year before Columbus "discovered" America. 3,800 shops that vary from high end Jewelry stores down to tourist trinket shops.
It was clean, well lit and the vendors weren't obnoxious.
There was lot to see and many monuments at Gallipoli. Our Aussie and Kiwi friends know about that place.
Atatürk was the founder of modern Turkey and was also an Ottoman Empire Lt Col at Gallipoli who had more to do with the Allies defeat there than anyone else. Take a minute to read the monument, it's moving.
Downtown Focha. A beautiful seaside town
More downtown Focha.
Old Greek theater at Pergamon.
The library at Ephesus. Ephesus was an important city in early Christianity, but it was there long before that.
Truth in advertising. A common line from the vendors was "Cheaper than Walmart, better than Target." They have a sense of humor too.
A waterfall into the Mediterranean right on the edge of Antalya, a big city.
The Roman theater at Aspendos, about 40 minutes from Antalya, is probably the best preserved Roman theater. The picture doesn't show much of the seating area which is in good condition. The important part is the stage building in the picture. It is one of very few still standing and this one is in excellent condition.
One of many highlights of the trip was a 1 hour 30 minute hot air ballon ride in Cappedocia. If the scale looks strange, it's because that is a 24 passenger balloon.
The concept of being held up in the air by a nylon bag with a big azzed fire in it is a strange concept.
We were about 30 feet from that rock spire, the balloon on the other side was about as far from the other side.
Lots of photo ops.
These guys aren't afraid of rocks.
The camera was tilted, not the balloon. Mike, in the yellow shirt, has been flying balloons there for 9 years. Before that he had many years experience in other countries including his home, England.
We had lunch and spent part of an afternoon with a Turkish farm family about 30 minutes from Cappedocia. Those ladies had rough hands, a firm handshake and warm hearts.
Back in Istanbul at the Blue Mosque.
Inside the Blue Mosque, pictures absolutely can't do it justice.
More Blue Mosque, check out the size of the columns.
The Romans built an underground cistern at the end of their aqueducts into Istanbul (then Constantinople) 1,500 years ago. It is about 50% bigger than a football field in either direction and is still there. This picture is one gallery. I'm glad my digital camera goes to ASA 3200.
There were ferry boats everywhere on the Bosporus. This picture was taken from one boat and you can see two other boats nearby. The ferry fleet is part of the Istanbul transit system.
The main bridge between the Golden Horn and the main part of Istanbul is a popular fishing spot. Lots of tackle rentals on top. There were guys in suits taking a break to fish on the way home after work.
The lower level of the bridge had a metric [censored] of nice restaurants and shops. The lower level was open in the middle so boats could go under the bridge.
