Trip Photos

Photo pages are linked to at the end of each entry, or they can be found in this directory:
http://sandboxautomatic.com/scott/

Start from the bottom of this page and work your way up for the proper chronology.

6. Ankara

We wanted to stop in Ankara for really only a few reasons: to split up the drive back to Istanbul and to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations which covered the Bronze Age up to about the year zero. Very fascinating stuff, and it neatly tied up our adventures elsewhere. Ankara was a pleasant surprise; neither of us expected much but it had some really nice old Ottoman architecture and our hotel was the cheapest either of us have stayed in anywhere in the world. $6 a night!

Ankara Photos

5. Derinkuyu

Quite simply, Cappadocia is one of the coolest places on the planet. A 250x150 mile area in the center of Turkey that formed millions of years ago from the activity of three area volcanoes. The volcanoes never really erupted in lava, but spit out ash, enough to eventually form very soft mountains all over the area. First settled in the late Bronze Age, people have been living in cave-like holes in the rocks ever since. The rocks have been eroded over time into chimney-like cones. There are over 1000 rock churches in the area, ornately decorated with scenes and alters from the Byzantine area. St. Paul and St. Peter brought Christianity to the area. The natural beauty of the place is stunning and coupled with the weight of 3000 years of history, it a little overwhelming. Add in ancient cities that go eight stories or more underground, full of elaborate tunnels and all manner of rooms, and it gets a little ridiculous how truly remarkable it all is.

We spent almost 2 days in the area hiking around the river beds and exploring these cave dwellings and churches. Much of the area is not roped off or anything and you can just stop on the side of the road and explore. Very cool.

Derinkuyu Photos

4. Eğirdir

Drove about 6 hours, a long hot drive to Eğirdir, or more accurately an island approachable by causeway on the lake next to Eğirdir. This area is the heart of the Lakeland area, or the Lake District of Turkey, comparable to England's lake district. Reminded Chris more of Switzerland than anywhere in Turkey. We stayed at Peace Pension, the proprietor a Turk now living in New Zealand, but back running the place on a long vacation. We got in late, had a crispy fish dinner (a local specialty), and crashed. Next day, went for a swim in the lake and got on the road for another long drive, eager to get out to Cappadocia and be able to hike around before nightfall.

Oh yeah: on the way to Eğirdir we picked up a hitchhiker, a Turk who was hiking in the area. We asked him where he was going and he said Denizli, which was only a few miles down the road. He then explained that he was on a train, dropped his glasses out the window, got off the train and walked back to where he dropped them, found his glasses with one of the lenses missing, and now was attempting to catch up to the train. We would not have believed this ludicrous story if not for the missing lens, which he showed us about forty times.

Eğirdir Photos

3. Şirince

Drove a good portion down thru Selçuk, took a late-day swim on a big beach, and popped up to Şirince, a small mountain village known for the local fruit wine (nothing to write home about, the regular white wine was ok). The town is beautiful, all the buildings white with terracotta roofs, goats walking around on the narrow & steep cobblestone streets. It feels ancient, like many places in Turkey, and probably is.

We stayed at a "pansiyon". We asked the proprietor (also the local school director) if was ok to camp on his property and pay less than if we stayed in the room. Initially he agreed, then balked at the idea wondering aloud if the goats would eat us. Forty Turkish lira, two beds and a bathroom, quaint.

Next day, EPHESUS, a natural highlight of any trip to Turkey, and a highlight of mine. Ancient city founded around 300 BC, population of 500,000 at it's peak around the year 100, a true dynamic civilization with plumbing, a library, several temples, baths, a stadium and an ampitheater. A truly remarkable collection of ruins, in amazing shape. Walking around it's not too much of a struggle to imagine the place in it's heyday.

Şirince Photos

2. Assos

We got kind of late start, drove out of Istanbul on Monday afternoon, down the coast of the Sea of Marmara and across the Dardanelles on a ferry. Assos is a spot on the Aegean coast, an ancient city. We got there just before dark, winding along the mountain roads with views of the Aegean and the Greek Isle of Lesbos across the way. Followed signs for "camping" and found a place with four canvas army tents set up on a pavillion on the beach, 40 lira including breakfast. The tents had actual beds in them. The town was a beach town/tourist location lined with beach front restaurants, a variety of hotels/pensions, and lots of trinkets for sale. Mostly Turks vacationing there, lots of couples.

The ruins of the ancient city of Assos are up a hill overlooking the sea, features a temple in honor of Athena and a small ampitheater that looks like the coliseum in Rome. There are a few columns still standing on the temple, the views are ridiculous. If I was building a temple, that's the spot I would choose.

Assos Photos

1. Istanbul

I stayed with Chris and Jenna in Istanbul for a few days before Chris and I embarked on the road trip. The city is large. It reminded me of New York, has a limitless, endless quality, the feeling that wherever you are, you're only experiencing a microscopic portion of it at any time. Istanbul is the only city on two continents. It's cut in half by the Bosphorous, and straddles Europe and Asia culturally as well as geographically. It's a Muslim country that feels very European, a liberal city where some women cover their heads in scarves. Part of being in Istanbul is traveling back and forth across the water on ferry boats (the word is feribot in Turkish). I got the best haircut/shave of my life in Istanbul.

First full day hit up Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Went out for dinner in Taksim, a very hip neighborhood on the European side, then for drinks.

Sunday woke up late and took a ferry out to Heybeliada, one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara close to Istanbul. Walked around the island for a good few hours and back along a trail on the water, cliffs dropping down to the ocean.

Istanbul Photos

Maps

Here are a few maps to get your bearings. The first is of the country of Turkey which you will note shares borders with Bulgaria, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia and Georgia, and is surrounded by water on three sides by the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Map #2 is our driving route through Turkey and Map #3 is a closer-up version of the driving route.

(Click on the maps to enlarge)