Right after returning from China last year, the Missus had me planning our next trip. She wanted a trip to Greece. I thought that if we were going to be gone for a month, that it would be interesting to add another Country. The thought of visiting Turkey had been on my mind for a while. As soon as the year turned and we headed into February, I started making plans. It ended up being quite a full itinerary, just the main trips and hotel info alone took up over three pages. I emailed copies of that basic itinerary to FOY (Friend of Yoso) MG, who replied that after reading the first page she felt exhausted. Cathy told me that it read like an outline for the amazing race……. With all of the planning, work, and other stuff, I wasn't able to do as much research on places to eat as I would normally do; and we depended a lot on recommendations from folks, and our explorations. The main hubs for our trips were Istanbul and Athens…….
So anyway, here's a little run down. As always, you can click on the photos to enlarge.
Istanbul:
Was our main hub for Turkey was Istanbul. To say that we were enchanted with the city is an understatement. The sincerely kind and friendly folks really made us sad to leave. As for the the locale…… let's just put it this way. This was the first photo I snapped upon my arrival in Istanbul.
That's the Hagia Sofia. We managed to visit many of the main attractions during our stays. Here's a photo of the Bosphorus from Topkapi Palace.
And a required photo of the Blue Mosque.
And of course, there's the craziness of both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market.
We also managed a short cruise of the Bosphorus on a drizzly day, which just seemed to add even more mystery and drama to everything.
We had heard so much about Hagia Sofia, and we saved it for the tail end of our trip. By that time we wondered if it would live up to our expectations…… And let me just say, our expectations were exceeded. It's one of the few places, along with Machu Picchu that we want to revisit.
I also really enjoyed the mysterious Basilica Cistern.
Along the way, we met a fish called "Hamsi".
And a dish called Sac Tava.
Selcuk – Ephesus:
Did you know that the ancient Greek and Roman city of Ephesus is located in Turkey?
Our accommodations in Selcuk were located right across the street from the Basilica of St John.
Where the Aposotle John is believed to be buried.
There's a lot of history in this area.
Goreme – Cappadocia:
Yes, thoughts of fairy chimney's and cave houses dance in our heads when Cappadocia is mentioned.
Among the hiking, visits to the underground city, valleys, and such. The most memorable thing we did was an early morning balloon ride.
Quietly floating amongst the clouds, over exotic looking terrain, this was simply unforgettable……
I also enjoyed the visit to Selime Monastery.
Climbing up into the monastery cut into the rocks led to a view that was amazing. I also took one of my favorite photos of the trip, which almost looked like the cover of a science fiction book.
Athens:
Athens was our hub for Greece. So of course there was the required visit to the Acropolis.
And the Central Market.
Delphi – Meteora:
The Missus wanted to visit Meteora, and the only way I could figure to keep that visit within two days was to take a tour, which included a stop in Delphi.
The cloudy and drizzly morning added an air of mystery to Meteora…….
And when the sun peeked out, the views were dramatic…..
Iraklios (Heraklios):
Next up was the city of Iraklios on the island of Crete.
We had two of our favorite meals in Iraklios, thanks to the recommendations of our hotel staff. The first featured twists on Crete cuisine, which worked very well.
The second featured more straightforward Cretan specialties.
On our second day in Iraklios, instead of visiting Knossos, the Missus requested that we rent a car and drive to some of the small villages. So that's what we did……
70% of the wine in Crete comes from this area.
Cretans also consume about 31 liters of Olive Oil per capita. We both cracked up when we requested a taste of various olive oils and the woman behind the counter almost poured us dixie cup sized portions of each! Good thing we stopped her, and told her we just wanted a taste. She replied, "this is a taste!"
This area is beautiful…….
Hania (Chania):
It's almost impossible to take a bad photo of Hania.
The Missus got an early Birthday present…..
And as a bonus; the really nice young man working at the shop gave a few recommendations, and the Missus found the octopus of Her dreams…..
Hania was the perfect place for us to take a "day off" from "activities" and just kick back and enjoy.
The next day was damp and drizzly as we took the bus up to Omalos through the fog and rain… and sheep….
For our hike down the Samaria Gorge, which, depending what you read is either 18, 16, or 14 kilometers. Regardless of the distance, the "Iron Gates", where the space between the sides of the gorge get to about 3 meters wide is quite dramatic. Looking up the almost straight sides towering at over 1,100 meters is simply awesome.
All of this ends at the ocean in the village of Agia Romelli, accessible only by sea.
You can see why we were sad to leave Hania.
Antalya:
Our last unique stop was Antalya, the largest Mediterranean city on the Southwest coast of Turkey. We stayed in the area called Kaleici, the old town. Here's a photo of the ruins that was located right out the window of our room.
Our initial plan was to use our one full day to visit Termessos, but the Missus had seen enough ruins by then, so we used the day to walk around the city.
So there you go………….
It's good to be home, and hopefully, after a few days to regroup, I'll have a couple of posts ready!
Thanks for reading!
I first mixed 3/4 cup of Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil with some Turkish Oregano, the last of my stash from Penzy's, 7 cloves of garlic finely minced, and some sea salt (use more then you think you'll need if you use good sea salt). I used this as sort of the marinade as I mixed it with the mushrooms and let sit for 20 minutes while I preheated my oven at 425 degrees.
