Touch Down Istanbul

Bridge over the Golden Horn and Galata Tower.

Sheri, Curtis, and Norma jetted out of Portland at o’dark thirty (thanks Nadine) and caught a flight to New York then a 10.5 hour jump to Istanbul. Unfortunately there was a two hour delay which stretched out what was a long trip to start with. We touched down in Istanbul and rolled into the Polat Renaissance Hotel which is located at the edge of town on the shore of the Sea of Marmara. Sheri loved the Olympic sized pool; Norma enjoyed the sea view from the room; and Curtis pigged out in the executive lounge.

We took in some sights which included the Hagia Sophia which is a monstrous 1500 year old church which has been switched over to a mosque.

It is full of history and has been added onto a hundred times and buttressed up and its art has been created, covered over, and uncovered again. The floors sags and the columns are crooked and the paint is peeling.

The central dome is 15 stories high

Sultans were crowned here and even Obama has visited. There’s a hole in one column where if you insert your thumb and spin it around you get your wish (like birthday candles on a cake).

We saw some other sights including Topkapi Palace where they have the famous Topkapi dagger. The sheath for the dagger is gold and studded with diamonds and rubies, and the handle is decorated with three emeralds the size of chestnuts. Topkapi Palace is where the ruling Ottoman Sultan lived. His residence, along with his mother, was in the harem along with several hundred eunuchs and 300 to 500 concubines. So there was never a dull moment there.

The Blue Mosque

We went to an underground cistern that was built 1400 years ago. It was nicely lit and at one end they had used a large stone block as a column base and on the side of the block was a fabulous carving of the face of Medusa. Mysteriously the block was installed with the face upside down.

Haggling in the Grand Bazzar

We took a boat up the Bosphorus to near the Black Sea. The Bosphorus is something like the Columbia River Gorge and it is the geographic divisor between Europe and Asia. The water was quite busy and the boat made a few stops and ended at a village on the Asian side.

After a fish lunch and trudging up to a fortress castle we hopped on a water taxi and crossed back to the European side. The plan was to catch a bus to Istanbul touring along the European side of the Bosphorus. Well it was an hour wait for the bus and then it was packed to the gills and traffic was horrendous. After a few hours we arrived at a tram and escaped the bus and connected to the commuter train that took us to our hotel where a few beers poolside took off the edge.

We were all impressed as to how modern Istanbul is and generally how nice and organized it is.

Turkey is an Islamic country, mostly Sunni, and everywhere we’ve been at some point we hear the call to prayer. So far when the prayers start the locals are unfazed and carry on chatting and smoking and doing whatever it is they’re doing. We did see an Islamic funeral. Some men were sweatially shoveling dirt on the grave.

Islamic Graveyard

There were three Imams and each one in turn sang out or preformed the service or proselytized. While one Imam was speaking the others chatted on their cell phones.

Turkish is Tricky

Cappadocia

Sheri and Curtis jetted down to the City of Kayseri in the region of Cappadocia. Sheri being an adventurous type opted for renting a car for a week. Turkish drivers are a bit loose with the rules and traffic police (polis) are few and far between. The horn is the most important piece of automotive equipment; turn signals and staying in your lane, not so much. We quizzed the rental car guy (with hand signs) about which way to go and pulling out of the agency, Sheri proceeded to run the first red light we came to. We stopped buy the DPET service station and two young eager female attendants filled us up. Half a tank (22 liters) in our Fiat Linea was $50.00 ($7.80 per gallon). Stunted, we rolled out to Goreme, a town in the heart of Cappadocia. The big deal around here is the odd rock formations shaped like huge 80 foot high slender cones. There are also an assortment of other teetering rocks and the like.

Zelve Valley Monasteries

Pasabag Valley

Unfortunately somebody coined the terrible name for these as “fairy chimneys or fairy castles”. To add interest, about 1300 years ago some folks started carving these things out and living in them. This got totally out of hand such that these ferry castles have been hollowed to be multistoried habitations, churches, stables, monasteries, pigeon houses, granaries, vine cellars, etc. etc. Looking around you’re more likely than not to see some hole carved in the rocks. So much so that many have collapsed. There are cave hotels (Curtis saw no value in paying to stay in a cave).

Fairy Castle at Cavusin Village

We did a day hike starting at a Byzantine monastic cave complex (Zelve Vadisi). The place was totally hollowed out. Hundreds and hundreds of interconnecting cambers carved out and connected by stairs, tunnels, vertical shafts, ledges, etc. The monks, to get from one place to another, had to climb (monkey monks!). After visiting this area we walked on to the next geologic oddity, some balanced rocks. Along the way were many vineyards and fruit and walnut trees, all ripe and ready. We foraged unrestrained. Interestingly they don’t train up the grape vines. They’re just individual bushes.

Carved rocks near Goreme

Red Valley near Goreme

We lunched at a village and trudged on to several valleys of colored rocks and odd formations. We followed paths without a proper map but headed generally back to Goreme. About 5:30 we were running out of gas when in a canyon bottom we came upon Red Valley Tea Garden.

A friendly old man fixed us some apple tea in his little oasis of shaded tables. We bought some nuts and raisins and dried fruit. He showed us the cave he sleeps in and gave us a copy of the Quran which he put in a plastic bag. He drained our wallets that little twinkly eyed entrepreneur. Arriving back to Goreme we had a few Efes pilsners and some pide (wood fired oven bread).

Cappadocia Jandarma (police) Station

Rock cut facade in the Ihlara valley.

Motoring on the next day we checked out some villages. We tried to enter a huge rock tower castle that was closed. Curtis tried the back way but a huge Turkish hound awoke and tested Curtis’s time in the 20 yard dash. Fortunately the beast was chained. We lunched in an atmospheric old Greek house and hiked around a valley of 900 year old stone craved churches (Soganli Valley).

Old Greek House in Mustafapasa

Carved church in Soganli Valley

At the entrance to the valley a line of energetic old women dressed in scarves and pantaloons loudly entreated us to buy some of their homemade dolls. We caved and bought a couple (who could resist?).

We drove to the town of Ihlara. We stayed at Akar Pension/Motel/Camping. The truly friendly inn keeper made our stay special. We hike the length of Ihlara valley (accidently getting of the bus well past our start point and walking and hitching a ride with the propane man back).

Selime Monastery

Carved church in Selime Monastery

It’s a canyon sort of reminiscent of Smith Rocks (sort of) with all kinds of caves and churches and other rooms caved out of the rocks.

Ihlara Valley

We lunched at a café where they have little Turkish crash pads built over a small river in the Ihlara Valley.

After our walk we drove high up on to the slopes of Hasan Dagi (a 10,700 foot volcano) for sunset.

Next day we went to an underground city at Derinkuyu. The troglodytes around here took cave dwelling to new heights by digging out a complex eight stories deep. With vent shafts and deep wells they had all they needed to outlast a raid. History is complicated over the last 1500 years so any number of people could be the raiders or the raidees. So far they have found 36 of these underground cities and probably many more are out there.

Pigeon Valley

While driving around we saw all kinds of pumpkin fields in stages of harvest. Incredibly they only pick out the seeds and dump the rinds. There are piles of rotting empty pumpkins all over Cappadocia. It is the province of the elderly to pick out the seeds and dry them in the sun.

We stayed in Uchisar village which is dominated by a rock pillar. Back in the day the village lived inside the rock (kind of weird). They have moved on by surrounding the rock with pensions and trinket shops.

Uchisar Village

Balloon rides are big in this area (too spendy for nosotros), but we got up early to see 66 balloons hovering over a landscape of fairy castles.

Balloons over Goreme.

We boogied on to Kayseri and spent the night at Hotel Sur (a dump). Kayseri has no tourists. It is very strict. While we had dinner they turned the music off in the restaurant during the call to prayer. A few women looked modern with no head scarves but all had arms and legs covered. On the other hand it is quite possible for young women to look trendy with hip hugger skirts and wide belts and flashy accessories and wild colored head scrapes. On the other hand most men were sitting around tea shops for hours chatting and smoking and playing cards or backgammon or dominoes (no women here).

Mosque in the main square of Kayseri

Kayseri is next to a 13,000 foot volcano called Erciyes Dagi. We drove up to a ski area on the mountain. We trudged around some buildings where everything was under construction getting ready for the season.

Erciyes Dagi

A man approached us and chatted us up and invited us to tea. Turns out he is the Turkish part of an Austrian concern that is developing the mountain. He showed us the development plans and the “mountain room” and the museum of Turkish skiing (much like Timberline Lodge) and some photos of him climbing and skiing with a former prime minister’s son. He spoke of his hope for the resort and his theory that skiing is the perfect sport for traditional Turkish especially woman since generally you are covered from head to toe and it can involve the whole family. He spent an hour with us (would the head of Mt Bachelor do this? with someone from Turkey? I think not). Turkey isn’t perfect but this is an example of how truly friendly people are.

Santorini Island

Town of Fira and the Old Port

Seawall at the Old Port

Curtis hopped an evening ferry form Heraklion, Crete to Santorini Island. He rushed on board in the dark with all the other travelers. The ferry wasn’t crowded and Curtis bumped into Tomo who he met back in Bulgaria. Fortunately he was the same happy guy. Unfortunately since then he was pickpocketed in Skopje, Macedonia and mugged in Greece. In Patra, Greece he was accosted by one guy who put a choke hold on him while anther tried to get his I-Pod out of his front pocket. Tomo said they fought for about 2 minutes and then the muggers ran off.

Boat to Kameni Island

Curtis was conveniently met at the ferry in Santorini (it was midnight) and whisked to his hotel (San Giorgio Villa). Next day Curtis walked from Fira town down to the old port. There happened to be a festival that day and there was a free boat ride over to the chapel on Kameni Island.

Map of Santorini (it's really five islands)

Santorini is an eight mile diameter caldera of a huge volcano. It’s like Crater Lake only inundated by the Mediterranean. Kameni Island is a lava dome at the center of the caldera. It was fresh and clear. A fine walk to the sulphur fumarole on the island. The locals were visiting a chapel and then eating festival food in plastic bowls and drinking lots of white wine.

View from Kameni Island

Santorini was dead. End of the season. Most places were closed except when the odd cruise ship would arrive, and then things were buzzing for a few hours until they left. I wanted to go to Sunset Café but it was closed at sunset.

Sunset from Fira on Santorini

One day I walked to Oia. There was a stiff rude wind and a lot of dust during the 2.5 hour walk along the caldera rim. I caught a bus back.

Oia town in the distance

Ancient door on the donkey path to the Old Port

Another day I went to the town of Kamari where they have a famous black pebble beach. The water was effervescent and the sky blue. One other woman was on the beach and there were two bars open. I think it’s shoulder to shoulder here during the season.

Black pebble beach at Kamari

I walked over a big hill to an old ruined city (ancient Thera) and down the other side to the town of Perissa. I met an old priest and he showed me the church. I walked along the beach then picked out a wonderful surf side restaurant for dinner.

Surf side dining in Perissa

I caught the midnight ferry to Pireaus (Athens). People were drinking beer and carrying on at the port. I rushed on the boat like everyone else. I shared a table in a lounge with a guy. I had a Cappuccino, then laid down on the floor and slept till 6 am.

Midnight ferry departing Santorini for Pireaus

In Athens I hopped on the metro and got to the Fix metro stop in Athens then walked 20 minutes to the hotel (Athens Ledra Marriott).The hotel was on a eight lane busy street. There were a lot of tagging and empty store fronts. I checked out Athens.

View from the hotel roof top pool & cigar bar

The Acropolis

I liked the ruins called Athenian Agora. There is a rebuilt classic building with a museum and the cool Temple of Hephaestus. I had a nice lunch at a café along a busy sunny row looking across the Athenian Agora to the Acropolis.

Temple of Zeus

Temple of Hephaestus

For fun I took the fast ferry to Aegina Island. I walked to the Monastery and nearby old abandoned monastic complex. I caught the local bus to town and had a fine dinner on the water.

Waterfront at Aegina Island

Athens

Grave of the Unknown in Athens

Student protest at the Parliament Building in Athens

Wind farm on approach to Amsterdam

Is this me?