Day 11, 3 May: Bikes and a Boat on the Bosphorus

Our last full day in Turkey :(

We kicked off the day with a foggy trip along the Bosphorus, the stretch of water that runs through Istanbul, and separates Europe from Asia.  This gave us the opportunity to get a better perspective on some sites, and see a number of sites that are only visible from the water.

The Bosphorus Bridge was built in 1973, and is only open to vehicles.  Pedestrians are only allowed on it once a year by ballot, to cheer on the Istanbul Marathon.  Apparently a few years ago, the bridge was packed solid with supporters when it started to sway under the weight... Ugh!

Along the route are a number of castles and summer houses built for the rulers of the day.  These are now dotted between the multi-million dollar houses and nightclubs for the rich and famous.

Also on the Bosphorus this morning was the Savarona, the ship that belonged to Ataturk.  This beautiful ship is still used by the President of Turkey, and was a striking feature of the Gallipoli Peninsula for the ANZAC Commemoration.

It was certainly a new experience to share a river with an operating submarine (actually a little creepy) and it left us wondering where they fit in modern warfare - they seem like something you only read about in the 20th century!

As we hopped off the Bosphorus tour we headed into the Spice Market - the aroma in this market was amazing, with fresh spices, dried fruit and sweets on show.  No wonder the food here is so good!







Istanbul was in a minor state of chaos for most of the day with roads closed, traffic jams, and incessant beeping of horns.  We hadn't seen or heard of anything around the city, but there was unquestionably a cycling race on... the last day of the Tour of Turkey.  If I hadn't organised the itinerary then there is no way I'd believe it was a coincidence, as Andrew ditched the opportunity to see another mosque and spend time in the Spice Bazaar in favour of watching Mark Cavendish lose the race, but win the tour.

Our afternoon was spent at Dolmabahce Palace, built between 1843-56.  This 'modern' palace was built to replace Topkapi Palace and visiting royalty and dignatories are still hosted in the Grand Ceremonial Hall, with Europe's biggest chandelier of 600 crystals and weighing 4.5 tonnes - quite a sight!

As we waited to enter the palace we witnessed Turkish entrepreneurship at its finest.  Rain started to fall, and the other two members of our tour group headed off to find an umbrella, assured by our guide that they were 5 lira.  We all had a laugh when they came back 10 lira lighter... Inflation because "it's raining!".

Thankfully, our guide then stood in the cold, wet queue on our behalf while we grabbed tea... Definitely above and beyond.  Having said that, every one of our guides have been exceptional - knowledgable and so professional.  We quizzed one of them along the way, and learned that to guides must complete a 4 year Bachelor Degree to learn all the history and sites of Turkey, followed by a 40 day practical component in the area they want to specialise, and then pass English exams.  Only then are they accredited professionals.  It shows the commitment that this country has to tourism!

So, all that is left on our last evening is to grab a few more photos and a couple of souvenirs, and pack the bags before heading home tomorrow.  Why do these trips have to go so quickly?

Love M & theBunch xxx

Day 10, 2 May: Walking Istanbul

How much can you fit in one day in Istanbul?  Today we did the walking tour of the historical sites of Sultanahmet, and it's hard to believe how much you can pack in when you have to!

Our tour started with the Topkapi Palace, established on the top of one of the 7 hills of Istanbul in 660BC by the Greeks. 

The palace is unassuming from the outside, but when we passed through the first of the three gates the area opened up to a stunning garden, filled with tulips. This was the public area of the palace, with a large courtyard that the local people would have been able to access.  

The gates to the second courtyard were only accessible to Ambassadors and Statesmen for official business.  This was the ceremonial courtyard in the palace, and could be viewed from the 'Justice Tower'.  The courtyard was used for everything from funerals, to the annual Baclava ceremony on the 15th day of Ramadan, where huge trays of Baclava were handed out to each of the 400 guards in the palace.  No wonder they needed 800 people in the kitchen!

The area also included the harem, filled with concubines who were carefully scrutinised by their potential mother-in-law, trying to identify the most beautiful and hard working.

The third gates led to the 'Enderun' or inner palace - the Sultan's private area.  Future Statesmen also lived in this area, young boys who were brought from the country and through initial training had proven themselves to be smart.  Those that didn't fare well in the early training were sent to the army, but their names were changed so they could never return to their family.

The buildings in this area all featured the beautiful ceramic tiles that Turkey is known for. The blue geometric patterns that adorn every wall, and are so well preserved or restored.

Next stop, the Underground Basilica Cistern - one of the most amazing sites in Istanbul. This was built by the Romans in the 6th century to store water, particularly during the winter months.  This enormous  underground space was filled with up to 100 000 tonnes of water, filled via the aqueducts.  It was turned into a museum in 1985, with the 336 columns now lit up to create a stunning underground effect.

The Hippodrome connects the main sites in the Sultanahmet, and was the main horse and chariot racing arena (hippo - horse, drome - racing), and extends 450m from Hagia Sophia to the University.  Racing used to occur 8 times per day - 4 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon, and would be viewed by the imperial family.

There are a number of monuments down the middle of the Hippodrome, including this Egyptian obelisk from 1493BC.  When this gift was first sent from Egypt it was significantly taller, but there are markings on the base that show how it was broken during the month-long trip (only a couple of kms though!) from the port to the Hippodrome.

The Blue Mosque is one of the most visited and recognisable sights in Istanbul.  Officially known as the Sultanahmet Mosque, it is known by tourists as the 'Blue Mosque' due to the 21 000 blue tiles that cover the interior walls.  It's one of the largest of the 3000 mosques in Istanbul, with the second largest prayer space.

The Blue Mosque is still used for prayer, but thousands of tourists also trample through it every day with head scarves on, shoes off, and cameras clicking.  In some ways, this made it feel quite disrespectful, but it's one way to demystify the Muslim faith.  

As a predominantly Muslim country, the 'call to prayer' can be heard 5 times per day, the first around sunrise (before 5am), and the last around 10pm.  Years ago, this call would come from atop the minorettes around the mosque, however today a PA system does the job, however every call is still live - never pre-recorded.  Muslims then come to the mosque, clean their face, arms and feet, and pray.  If a prayer is missed it can't be made up later, and it's believed that you won't be as successful as you might have been otherwise.

The Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) is a fascinating space, built by Constantius in 360, destroyed by fire, and then rebuilt by Thosidius II in 415.  Originally this was a Christian place of workshop - the first church with a central dome, a magnificent structure that symbolised the cosmos, and 2 supporting domes.

When the Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque, thankfully the decorative and figurative mosaics were covered by a thin layer of cement, rather than destroyed.  It was used as a mosque until 1931 when Ataturk declared that the space should be secular.  It's quite strange to see the combination of Muslim and Christian symbolism in one place!

Today the Hagia Sophia is a museum, and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, along with countless other sites in Turkey.

In the centre of the floor of Hagia Sophia was this large mosaic made from different types of marble - who would have thought there were so many!

Final stop - The Grand Bazaar, built in 1461.  32000 m2, 60 streets, 4000 shops (2500 of which sell jewellery) and more scarves, rugs, pottery, turkish delight and cheap souvenirs than you can imagine.  

Despite their being millions of people in Istanbul, and thousands of tourists, we were reminded how small the world is when we bumped into a friend from Brisbane, Michael Carr & his son Mason three times during the day, including in the maze of the Grand Bazaar.  Last time we saw 'MC' was in January when we bumped into each other on holidays in a little town in NZ... Crazy!

You can't leave Turkey without experiencing a Turkish bath or 'Hammam' apparently, so as good tourists we obliged this evening.  Certainly an experience, but not one that you want a camera for...

Love M & theBunch xxx

Day 12, 4 May: Reflections on Turkey

The plane trip home is always good for quiet reflection on a jam-packed trip.

Turkey wouldn't have been on our agenda this year, except for the Gallipoli ballot, and while this gave us tickets to a very special event, this trip has given us so much more.

In the last 11 days we've reflected on ANZAC Spirit and what it means to be Australian, thinking about the sacrifices that so many men and women have made, and continue to make today.  While ANZAC Cove isn't the site of he most significant losses in our history, it is somehow a beautiful and fitting place to commemorate our service people.  This part of the trip was so memorable, and we'll reflect on it every ANZAC day from here on.

Our time through Troy, Pergamon and Ephesus opened up the pages of the Ancient History books and made them real.  Today there are only ruins, some destroyed, some partially restored, but in each case there is a genuine interested in preserving the stories that accompany the places that shaped our world.

Cappadocia... What can I say?  This place is amazingly beautiful, and thankfully protected as a National Park.  Cappadocia really makes you marvel at the diversity of our planet, and it's fabulous to see that the hot air balloons have taken off as a low impact way to view the site.

And finally, Istanbul.  A modern city jam-packed with people and culture, that is protecting its history for the world to see.  We could have spent days here, and still not have scratched the surface.

Overall, Turkey given us an amazing 11 days of great hospitality, memorable experiences and fascinating history... So glad we came!

Love M & theBunch xxx

Day 9, 1 May: Cappadocia to Istanbul

If you're not in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, then the next best thing is to watch the balloons rise with the sun.  Andrew ran off to the top of a hill to capture them rising above Goreme, while Alex and I preferred to make the most of our roof of our cave hotel.  It is a truly stunning sight, and the photos below give you a better appreciation of just how many balloons are in the area.

The early morning light also gives whole new perspective on the rock formations - just incredible!

Our tour guide collected us this morning, and ran through out itinerary as we headed to the first destination, at which point we realised we were on the wrong tour.  Instead of a Castle and an Open-air museum, we were headed to another walk through a valley and another underground city.   

As we hopped off at the first stop, there was an enormous clap of thunder, lightening, and then the icy rain came.... what a contrast to just hours before.  All of a sudden, neither the valley was nor the open air museum looked appealing, so a couple of calls to the tour company, and we were heading to Istanbul earlier in the day, giving us an extra afternoon in the city.

One of the iconic images that appears all around Turkey is the 'Evil Eye'.  The blue glass charms can be found everywhere - keyrings, bracelets, on tea cups, and ornaments, and are meant to protect the wearer from the evil eye curse intended to cause injury or misfortune.  In this shop they almost looked like Christmas decorations!

We arrived in Istanbul in the late afternoon, and hit the streets straight away to make the most of the light before sunset.  The first thing that struck us was the volume of people.  You expect to find pockets of busy-ness, but there are literally tourists and locals everywhere.

Of course, the other thing that stands out in Istanbul is the mosques.  This photo is of the 2nd largest mosque, Suleymaniye - you certainly can't miss it!

Heading over to Galata to get a better view of the city, there were hundreds of locals fishing from the bridge.  Unfortunately, lots of fishermen doesn't equate to lots of fish - I think I saw one in a bucket!

We finished the day at another stand out landmark, Galata Tower, just in time for the obligatory daily GFP!

Love M & theBunch xxx

Day 8, 30 April: Cappadocia

The GradyBunch love an early start, especially when it means we're heading off for one of our trip highlights - a balloon ride over Cappadocia.

Many of you will be aware that I'm terrified of heights, so I was a little nervous about being stuck in a basket hanging from a pile of inflated silk.  However, if Bonne (my Mum) can go hot air ballooning in Turkey, then so can I!

I'm not sure when ballooning became the 'must do' here, but clearly it's now a huge business.  Each morning there are literally hundreds of balloons drifting across the sky, thanks to the hard work of thousands of locals on the ground.

By the time we arrived at our launch site, the majority of balloons were in the air - such a pretty sight in the sunrise.  

Our balloon was slowly taking shape, and we hopped in... Moments later our pilot uttered 'I'm sorry, we cancel, it's safety' pointing towards a large gaping hole towards the top of the balloon.  The collective sigh of disappointment from the 12 passengers was loud, but I'm just so grateful that the person who flies the balloon has the final call on safety!

Hasty phone calls, and another balloon appears.  By this time, it's nearly 2 hours since the first balloons were launched, and the skies are starting to clear.  This meant we had magnificent uninterrupted views across the Love Valley and the whole Goreme National Park - a World Heritage listed site.

An amazing and unforgettable experience for all of us, that somehow didn't test my fear of heights at all, although I'll admit that I only looked down once...

The 'fairy chimneys' are the result of volcanic activity and the erosion of sedimentary rock beneath the basalt caps.  Over time, the fairy chimneys will continue to erode, form and fall.  From above, we were able to get a full appreciation of how far the formations stretched, and how magnificent this area is.  So glad we came down here!

The great thing about a balloon ride at sunrise is that the rest of the day is still free to explore.  Our itinerary today included a hike through the Rose Valley, lunch prepared and served by local Turkish women and then a visit to the underground city.

The hike down the Rose Valley was a fabulous way to spend the morning.  The weather was perfect, skies were blue, and it was so nice to be out and active in the fresh air.

Getting up close to the rock formations we could see the 'Pigeon Houses' that were carved into the side hundreds of years ago.  These were built to allow people to collect the pigeon eggs, and droppings for use as paint.

Historically, the predominant religion in the region was Christianity, so there are many tiny churches and chapels carved in to the rocks.  This particular one was tiny!

Some of the rock formations that have previously house locals are now becoming very dangerous and are uninhabitable. Apparently though, if you have enough money and the right connections, you can still buy sites and many are being renovated and converted to hotels (although I think the formation below is beyond hope!).

Our tour stopped at Pasagi - our guide's favourite site.  Here we could see the chimneys forming, with rows joined together that will eventually erode and separate.  You can see the consistent line of the heads of the chimneys, where the basalt sits on top of the sedimentary rock.

This was also the site of a monastery many years ago, and we were able to enter a small house, with the kitchen, living areas and stable still clearly identifiable.

This town and country have their sights clearly set on the Tourism market, and some operators have really managed to build the end to end experience.  Lunch was held in King's Valley on a small farm that belongs to the owner of our hotel, a balloon company and tour company.  Local ladies prepared an amazing vegetarian meal of yoghurt soup, stuffed eggplant and capsicum, salads, a chick pea dish and a pumpkin dessert.  Fabulous food, in a setting that you'd find in a Spicers Hotel!

Last stop for the day was the Kaymakli Underground City.  It's hard to believe that 4000 people lived in this maze of underground rooms that go down to over 30m deep for weeks on end.  The first few rooms and initial overview was enough, and the thought of tight tunnels further down saw us take the option to resurface pretty quickly.  No miners in this house!!!

Dinner at a great local restaurant, and a short walk under a starry night, and our Geography/ Earth Science lesson was complete...

Love M & theBunch xxx