Top Takeaways (Twenty One) - Turkey & Greece

Like the last time we came to Turkey and Greece, we are sad to leave! We didn’t get to do any proper island-hopping this time around so I know we will definitely come back at some point. Below are our top takeaways.

The magnificent Celsus Library in Ephesus, Turkey.

1. We love the food in this part of the world! Besides Japanese, Greek / Turkish is definitely one of the most unique and delicious cuisines we have enjoyed. Alex and I can always get down with a Greek salad, kebab or mezze platter washed down with a glass of Raki or Ouzo!

2. Sadly, the dishes we love so much are not as healthy as we remembered. The amount of olive oil used during our Turkish cooking class was scary and it was impossible to avoid massive portions of (admittedly delicious) bread served alongside every meal.

3. Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, potentially the world’s oldest mall, is a fascinating place. We had fun wandering through the maze of shops (well, at least I had fun!) for a couple hours. I even made a few purchases...which always involves an interesting negotiation process on price. (Alex had more fun with that part I think!)

4. April still feels like winter in Turkey! We definitely expected warmer temperatures given our proximity to the Mediterranean but Turkey was just as cold as New York would be during this time of year. The weather improved as we moved into Greece, but it was still too cold to hit the beaches and islands we had been planning on visiting!

5. It’s easy to be awed by the historic ruins and artifacts scattered throughout both countries. Walking through the ancient town of Ephesus and exploring the Acropolis were definitely highlights of our trip.

6. Tea drinking is basically a required pastime in Turkey. The small, tulip-shaped glasses containing Turkish tea were easy to find during any time of day – on café tables, in restaurants and even on trays being delivered to shop-owners in the Grand Bazaar!

7. Both Turkey and Greece have locally produced wines – who knew? While darker and dryer than some of the wines we are used to, we definitely enjoyed being able to try something local besides Raki / Ouzo!

8. People are pretty friendly. While the language barrier was more difficult in Turkey than Greece, we had a pretty easy time getting around and everyone we spoke to was very helpful. Even the hawkers who tried to sell us trinkets or convince us to eat at a specific restaurant left us alone quickly after a simple “No thanks.” Many even told us to have a nice day (as opposed to some of the less friendly hawkers we ran into in India and Southeast Asia...).

9. Unemployment is bad - really bad - in Greece. Despite a 25% overall unemployment rate and a nearly 50% youth unemployment rate, we didn't notice many adverse impacts in Athens. There weren't any protesters or an abnormally large number of homeless people. We were prepared to see some effects of the country's perilous economic position given a nearing debt payment deadline but the touristy areas have largely been isolated from the rest of the country's woes.

10. Athens had WAY more tourists visiting than Istanbul. I think a lot of people still view Istanbul as an incrementally exotic destination, but we find them to be more similar. Didn't matter to us though - just meant we had a shorter wait for our kebabs than our gyros!

Peak: Ephesus (Turkey) and the Acropolis (Greece) - hard to decide which one we liked better!

Pit: Cold weather in Turkey - we weren't ready for temperatures in the 30s!

Next Stop: Budapest, Hungary

Selçuk and Pamukkale

Skeptical about our rental car reservation given our experience in Cape Town, we woke up early on Saturday and prepared for a long wait at the airport Budget counter. We were honestly shocked at how smooth and pleasant the experience was - we were on the road by 9:30am! Alex easily remembered how to drive on the right side of the road again and we made it to Selçuk in less than an hour.

After checking in at our hotel, we walked to check out the nearby historical sites. Our first stop was The Basilica of St. John, constructed in the 6th century over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was pretty cool to be standing in Turkey, a very Muslim country, and walking through church ruins left by the Romans. Basically next door to the former church was the Ayasuluk Castle, which overlooks the entire town of Selçuk. There wasn't a lot remaining besides the fortress walls and former mosque, but the views were spectacular.

Standing in front of the mosque inside the castle.

Looking out over Selçuk.

Castle views of the valley.

The third sight we visited was the İsabey Mosque, constructed in the fourteenth century and one of the oldest architectural works remaining from the Anatolian period in Turkey.

While we've seen many mosques during our travels, this was one of the few with such a nice courtyard.

Ready for a hearty lunch, we heeded the advice of our hotel receptionist and drove to nearby town Şirince for a home-cooked Turkish meal. With sweeping views on the village nestled in the valley below, the restaurant was a great find. We ended up ordering a traditional Turkish breakfast, which is basically ten plates of fresh vegetables, cheeses, olives and various oils and jams served with eggs and freshly baked bread, which we watched being made. After a filling "brunch" we walked around the town before heading back to our hotel to grab a taxi and explore the main attraction, Ephesus.

Ephesus was originally an ancient Greek city and dates back to the tenth century B.C. A former trade center in the ancient world and later a Roman city and epicenter of Christianity, the town deserves its tourist reputation. We spent about three hours walking through the ruins and learning about the ancient city. We've seen some pretty amazing sights during our adventure but nothing that is almost two thousand years old! We again followed the advice of our hotel receptionist and started at the top gate, working our way down to the bottom gate, where we could catch a minibus back to town. We took an excessive number of photos - often hoping to wait out other tourists - but below are our favorites!

One of the many archways that stood the test of time.

Saw this beautiful building along the main road in town.

We waited a long time and came back twice to take this shot of the Celsus Library without anyone else around.

I quickly ran up to the Library so Alex could get a picture of me.

We totally lucked out when we grabbed the first tourist we saw and got this shot before a massive teen tour descended upon us.

The remains of a square market, right next to the library.

The formerly grand marketplace from above.

The theater, naturally.

Last shot of the theater as we left Ephesus.

We grabbed a bottle of Raki, our favorite black Liquorice-flavored Turkish liquor and walked back to our hotel to have a drink and watch the sunset. Finally, we ended the night with dinner at Agora, by far the best meal we've had in Turkey, and probably one of the best during our trip!

We sampled every meze option available. Every. Single. One. Was. Delicious!

We woke up early again this morning and left the hotel by 9am to complete the three hour drive to Pamukkale before lunchtime. The drive was easy and scenic and we enjoyed the unexpected mountain views as we approached the town. Once we arrived we quickly realized there really isn't much in Pammukale besides Hieropolis and the springs - we had trouble finding an open restaurant for lunch at noon! We ate an unmemorable meal and quickly drove up to the park.

Pamukkale literally translates to "Cotton Castles" and the naturally occurring hot springs and travertines have been used for bathing since the second century B.C. Hierapolis is an ancient city built at the top of these springs where ruins still remain.

The main amphitheater with a great view of the mountains in the background.

Looking out over the town of Pamukkale from the top of the springs.

The water was much warmer than we expected, but we still opted not to swim given the 50-degree air temperature!

We decided against hang-gliding but still appreciated the awesome panoramic views.

I think this shot explains the name "cotton castles."

While we loved the scenic views and got to explore some additional ruins, we thought Hieropolis was a definite second to Ephesus - it just doesn't compare in scale or grandeur.

We had an easy but long drive back to Izmir and returned the car, checked in to the airport hotel and grabbed a quick dinner. Now it's time to rest up before our 6am flight to Athens tomorrow!

Izmir

Sarah and I spent a quick two days in Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey and our “home base” for our visits to Ephesus and Pamukkale this weekend. The two days went by even faster because we didn’t do much yesterday. We arrived to pouring rain and almost freezing temperatures…so we decided to have a restful afternoon in our hotel planning out the rest of our time in Europe. (I planned to be even lazier than that by watching TV for a few hours but our hotel only had Turkish-language channels!)

After we dropped our bags at the Walk In Hotel, we walked over to Adil Muftuoglu for a traditional Turkish lunch. Sarah found this place on TripAdvisor and we were so happy with the meal we got – they serve hearty meat dishes with ample sides, which was perfect on a cold, rainy day. That’s pretty much it for Thursday, but the slower afternoon did us both some good.

We woke up today to clear skies and set out to see the city. Our first stop was Kordon, a promenade by the water not far from our hotel. We saw lots of police barricades and men in uniform as we approached but everything seemed calm so we stayed on course. As it turns out, there was a police graduation ceremony here today so there was much fanfare and celebration: parades of officers in heavy riot gear, motorcades and low-flying helicopters doing stunt maneuvers (there were also what must have been rookies riding bikes and segways…not exactly a show of force!). Some officers on the scene thought we needed to partake in the celebration so they gave Sarah some flowers and me a Turkish flag to wave – when in Izmir…!

Sarah posing by the windy water with our new gear.

Our next stop was the Kemeraltı market. There were seemingly an endless number of winding alleys with small shops – it was nice to see more of Izmir, but we both thought it didn’t really compare to some of the markets in Istanbul. From here we headed back to the water to see Izmir’s Clock Tower and the Yali Mosque. There is a reason this is considered by many to be the city’s center – the park around the Clock Tower was beautiful (albeit overrun with pigeons!).

Izmir's Clock Tower.

The Yali Mosque's lone minaret.

After a stop for lunch at one of the cafés near the Clock Tower, we continued walking south to the Asansor. This sight is just an elevator built in 1907 that was intended to help elderly residents deal with Izmir's topography. But given its excellent views of the city it has become an attraction for tourists to see too.

View of Izmir from the top of the Asansor.

We liked this lamppost we saw up there that had been visited by another "S&A" couple.

Sarah snapped this great picture of the small street leading away from the Asansor on our way out.

We called it an early night again tonight because we have a busy couple days ahead of us. We’re picking up a rental car in the morning and driving down to Ephesus, then staying overnight nearby and driving to Pamukkale on Sunday before heading back to Izmir. Will be a bit of a whirlwind (and driving in Turkey should be another adventure) but we’re looking forward to our last few days here!

Istanbul

Since vacationing in Turkey and Greece in 2013, Alex and I have been looking forward to returning to this part of the world; unfortunately, our re-entry into Istanbul was a little rough.

We left South Africa gearing up for nearly 20 hours of travel time before reaching Istanbul via a brief layover in Dubai. As our flight neared the Dubai airport over an hour past its scheduled arrival time (perhaps because our flight path completely bypassed Saudi Arabia?), we realized we were probably going to miss our connecting flight. “No problem,” I reassured Alex as we knew there were many direct flights from Dubai to Istanbul and it was the airline’s fault we had missed the flight. Turns out booking an around-the-world ticket via Star Alliance and adding connections via other airlines makes for a very complicated rebooking process. It took multiple agents from Emirates, Luftansa and Turkish Air to rebook our flight to Istanbul – for the following morning.

Spending an extra 24 hours in Dubai was not part of our original itinerary, but the setup at the Emirates section of the Le Meridian airport hotel (yes, the airline has their own hotel for situations just like ours) was pretty nice. Emirates covered the cost of our stay plus three meals at any of the 15 restaurants on the massive property so Alex and I spent the day nursing our jetlag and taking advantage of the fitness center and excellent WiFi.

Upon arrival at the Dubai airport the next morning, Alex and I quickly realized we were not yet in the clear; getting on our flight required the assistance of various agents, phone calls between all three airlines and a final sprint across the massive terminal that left me breathless as we walked across the gate. Arriving in Istanbul was no small feat!

Alex and I powered through on arrival though and headed straight to lunch near our hotel before venturing to the Grand Bazaar to scope out the shops and hone our bargaining skills. Since we remembered the hot summer weather we’d experienced in August, we were surprised to find Istanbul so chilly and wet – I needed to buy another sweater! After an early dinner at a nearby restaurant and some trip planning – we are currently rethinking our upcoming European itinerary because the Greek islands don’t seem quite as appealing in the cold, wind and rain – we raced home in the pouring rain to rest up for a day of sightseeing.

Tuesday morning we headed into the historic Sultanahmet District to revisit some of our favorite sights.

Even on a cold, cloudy day, the Blue Mosque is pretty impressive.

Looking up at the beautiful archways inside the Blue Mosque.

After a while, my neck seriously started to hurt from looking up!

We had planned to visit Hagia Sophia next but quickly remembered why we had not done so two years ago - the crazy long line! We instead walked to Topkapi Palace and spent some time exploring the beautiful gardens there.

It looks like spring but I actually couldn't feel my feet when Alex took this picture.

The gardens within Gulhane Park were full of Tulips, which Istanbul is well-known for during springtime, as well as Muscari, which looked like little purple grapes.

Colorful sign near the park entrance.

After feeling a few raindrops we grabbed a quick lunch nearby to warm up and prepare our strategy for a final session at the Grand Bazaar. Alex was a patient and expert negotiator and I left with the bag I had been eyeing. We dropped off our purchases at the hotel and walked to our evening activity: a Turkish cooking class.

Compared to the classes we took in Japan and Thailand, which were more hands-on and individualized, this class fell a little short of our expectations. We were also appalled at the amount of oil used in every dish but we still had a great time making and eating some Turkish food!

Alex is an excellent onion chopper but I steered clear of the chopping "sword!"

We woke up early this morning and were delighted to see blue skies and sunshine! Enjoying the clearer weather – though not warmer temperatures - we headed back to the Hagia Sophia, relieved to find a much short line at the entrance. We spent a solid hour just wandering through the massive church-turned mosque and learning a bit more about the building’s interesting past.

A little less crowded in front of Hagia Sophia today!

We had a hard time getting a shot of the full interior!

Checking out the imposing chandeliers overhead.

We actually had to wait in a queue to take a photo of the Blue Mosque from a small window in Hagia Sophia...worth it!

Back at the Blue Mosque, but blue skies today!

First time we needed our shades while in Istanbul!

For lunch, Alex and I headed to Orkatoy, a neighborhood on the water that our Turkish friends had recommended to us the last time we visited. We immediately recognized The House Café as the restaurant we had enjoyed two years earlier so we stopped there again and had a great non-Turkish meal. Afterward, we strolled along the water and briefly checked out the Orkatoy Mosque.

View of the Orkatoy Mosque and Bosphorus Bridge connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul

View of the Bosphorus.

We hailed a taxi to Taksim and meandered through the streets, doing a little shopping along the way, before walking back over the Galata Bridge toward our hotel.

We stopped to watch the many ferries pass beneath us.

Looking back at the Galata Tower.

We watched from our hotel rooftop as the sun set over Istanbul and finished the night with a traditional Turkish dinner – complete with Raki and a fiery clay pot entrée. Tomorrow we have an early flight to Izmir; we are sad we didn’t get more time in Istanbul but excited to explore a different part of Turkey!

Not a bad rooftop view for our last night.