Turkey
(25/08 - 14/09)
After six months in Asia, four months in Africa and seven months in Latin America, we slowly begin to organize our return home when we realize that the world tour is missing one region: the Middle East. Considered the cradle of civilization, we were not seeing ourselves missing the beauties of the former Ottoman Empire. Starting with Turkey. Located between the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea, this country between Europe and Asia is a cultural crossroads with diverse influences. From the Bosphorus to the Cappadocia, from palaces to mosques by thousands, here we are, ready to open the doors to a world renowned for its kindness and hospitality.
Contents
Istanbul (25/08 - 01/09)
And it is of course with the must-see Istanbul that we start. Far from having left me indifferent five years ago, I can't wait to introduce Anouck to this fascinating city. But first, a few well-deserved days of rest to recover from this interminable journey and celebrate... my 28th birthday!
Then it's time to put on our hiking sneakers and get to the matter. Direction Sultanahmet, the historic heart whose central square is the undisputed emblem of the city. Dominated to the south by the Blue Mosque and to the north by the Hagia Sophia, it is indeed THE district not to be missed! And it's first from above that we first decide to admire it.
We then get closer to these buildings so representative of the cultural richness and historical heritage of Turkey. Formerly Byzantium and then Constantinople, Istanbul has known multiple identities and still today houses many vestiges of the past and buildings whose architecture testifies to the different empires that seated there.
Hagia Sophia in particular perfectly embodies this evolution. Originally erected as a Christian basilica in the 6th century, it was later transformed into a museum and then into a mosque where Byzantine frescoes and mosaics stand alongside the golden cupolas. Day and night, the monument dazzles us.
Opposite, the Blue Mosque built between 1609 and 1616 is one of the 3113 mosques in the city (there are more than 80,000 across the country!). Unfortunately, we were only able to observe it from the outside, the interior being under renovation. We will therefore have to come back another time to contemplate its magnificent blue ceramics from which it takes its name (inside photos from 2016).
The next day, we decide to get away from the crowds a bit to discover another, more authentic side of Istanbul. Located on the edge of the Golden Horn, the ancient Greek quarter Fener and the former Jewish quarter Balat, both listed as UNESCO World Heritage, quickly give us the impression of navigating a parallel universe. For a morning, we thus trade our status of tourists for that of observers. No more crowded streets and mosques, room for laundry hanging above cobbled streets, colorful houses, small cafes, antique shops, artisans and other small traders. In short, inhabitants’ everyday lives.
Religious buildings are not to be outdone with the Bulgarian iron church of St. Stephen, several synagogues, the glowing Greek high school for boys, and above all, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, still considered the mother Church of Greek Orthodox Christianity.
On the way back, we marvel at the Imperial Süleymaniye Mosque, whose design for Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent began in 1550 and lasted seven years. With its 4000m² and its four minarets, we are completely speechless in front of so much beauty! And it is not the call to prayer that will make us say the opposite!
A little further, a neighborhood mosque continues to disorient us. The atmosphere is so calming and rejuvenating that we could stay there for hours!
But what would be a visit to Istanbul without a visit to the famous Grand Bazaar? As soon as we walk in, we see the expanse of one of the world's largest shopping centers. It's hard to not get lost in this maze of spicy corridors where more than 4000 overcrowded shops have been set up. But even more difficult to resist all these colors, these smells and these flavors!
And as a good international shopping capital, Istanbul has no shortage of places to shop. We therefore take the opportunity to shop at bargain prices, in order to reload each backpack by at least five kilos. The opportunity to walk the long İstiklal Avenue (3 kilometers!) and the very lively districts of Taksim and Galata whose attractions are no longer to be bragged about.
And then there is the famous Galata Bridge, recognizable among all. Connecting the historic peninsula and its oriental architecture to the more modern and European part of the city, it offers a breathtaking panorama of the Bosphorus. We gladly stop there to observe the boats and the dozens of fishermen casting their lines in the water.
Our stay ends with the experience of a hammam. For three hours, we let ourselves be pampered by combining sauna, steam bath, washing, exfoliation, jacuzzi and massage. No wonder the Turks perform this ritual every month, it is so enjoyable!
And if Istanbul has seduced us in many ways, what can we say about our ecstatic taste buds! Turkish cuisine, far from being limited to a simple kebab, offers a wide range of choices, not to mention restaurants that receive customers like royalty! There is of course the traditional breakfast, which is more like a brunch in view of the quantities. So much food on the menus! And the inevitable tea, a real institution throughout Turkey often accompanied by small pastries.
Although after dark the streets become a little quieter, Istanbul is far from sleeping. The city lights up, the establishments come alive, and we let ourselves be carried away again by this unique atmosphere, between modernity and tradition and where the East meets the West.
Selçuk, Ephesus & Fethiye (02/09 - 07/09)
It is sad but totally won over that we leave Istanbul to continue our Turkish adventure. Head for the coast, and what better than a night bus to travel? The service is amazing (special mention for the rolling cart offering snacks and drinks), but the barely reclining seats make the trip difficult to bear.
After 12 hours of transport, we finally reach our destination: Selçuk (pronounced Seltchouk). Located on the Aegean coast 50 kilometers from Izmir, this small town immediately charms us. Despite the fatigue, we decide to explore this village where authenticity and calm prevail. We are warmly welcomed by the imam of the mosque who hastens to welcome us and offer us water and sweets on our arrival.
And as we are no longer close, we go to the adjacent site of Ephesus, enough to jump 3000 years back. Founded around 1000 BC, this ancient Greek city is one of Turkey's most precious archaeological gems. There are impressive remains, a sign that the city played a major role in Antiquity. Ephesus was indeed an important religious, administrative, social, port and commercial center. We thus discover the great theater with its 25,000 seats, the largest amphitheater in the ancient world, which musicians now adore for its excellent acoustics. Then we cross a street dotted with marble columns before reaching the highlight of the show: the Library of Celsus. Destroyed by an earthquake and then renovated from the broken pieces, the finely crafted ensemble is truly breathtaking.
The steps follow one another, and we quickly take the road south to the region of Fethiye, known for its many beaches and turquoise sea. There we meet our host Ertan, who will never stop going out of his way to make us feel at home. So in addition to an extra free night, he'll insist on making us dinner every day.
The next day, the four of us are therefore finding ourselves in an old non-air-conditioned car at 35°C crisscrossing the surroundings of Fethiye.
We make our first stop at the ghost village of Kayaköy, once inhabited by the Greeks before the Turkish War of Independence in 1922 forced them to leave the country. Abandoned since their departure, the site is now in ruins but retains a certain soul. Located on the hillside, it requires a bit of a climb to get to the viewpoint where the sea and hundreds of other stone houses are revealed.
The hike turns into a bucolic (and gourmet) walk when our two new friends decide to pick us delicious figs from the trees.
Then it's time to freshen up! We first follow the coast to Ölüdeniz, before continuing to Butterfly Valley and its crystal clear waters and finally to Kabak beach where we will get to have a good swim. A very beautiful afternoon, and in good company.
Before leaving, Ertan shows us around the weekly bazaar. This is the market where the locals come every Sunday for shopping. Oranges, olives, onions, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini and watermelon are the star products of the moment and clearly give us mouth watering for the meal ahead.
Antalya (07/09 - 08/09)
After four days with the locals, we say goodbye to Ertan who does not hesitate to invite us for the next summer. Needless to say, since our arrival, Turkey has given us a real lesson of hospitality!
We continue with a three hour bus ride to Antalya, the tourist capital of the Mediterranean and one of the busiest seaside resorts. Nicknamed the "Turkish Riviera" because of its 9 million visitors per year, the city is indeed one of the most attractive in the country. Like Istanbul, it was successively coveted and occupied by several empires (Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Ottomans) whose traces are still visible today. Particularly in the old town of Kaleiçi, which houses various churches converted into mosques, a tower from Roman times, and the mythical Hadrian's Gate, a triumphal arch built in the image of the emperor of the same name. Incredibly well preserved, the monument consists of three richly decorated arches.
Nearby, countless restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, craft stores and Ottoman houses litter the cobbled alleys in which we take pleasure in strolling.
Below is the old port rehabilitated into a marina, but we prefer to contemplate it from above to observe the round trips of the boats. The view of the mountains facing us is remarkable.
Returning from the city center, Anouck takes her courage in both hands and decides to overcome her fear by going to the hairdresser. The storefront is not the most engaging, but after several minutes of discussion and almost four hours of work, the result is more than satisfactory!
The wardrobe bailed out and the hair cut, we're ready for the next episode: Cappadocia! And it is again by night bus (hopefully the last) that we make our 10-hour journey.
Cappadocia (09/09 - 12/09)
Located in the heart of Anatolia, Cappadocia is a must when visiting Turkey. What could be more spectacular and photogenic than a hundred hot air balloons flying over the region at sunrise? And we have not even arrived yet when we witness this incredible ballet through the windows of our bus!
We admire the show, before deciding that tomorrow, we will be in one of them! No way we miss out on such an experience! We thus devote our morning to touring the agencies. In the end, the first one suits us perfectly, and at 75 € (against the double or triple excluding covid), we do not even bother to negotiate. Reassured (and super excited), we spend the rest of the day walking around Göreme, where we will always find sotheming to eat.
The next day, we wake up at 5am! And if our eyes have difficulties staying open during the journey, that’s not a problem when we reach our destination. Landed in the middle of a hundred balloons, we begin to measure the uniqueness of this environment.
And it's our turn to take off. As soon as we climb aboard the basket, we rise! The scene is sensational, with the first rays of the sun on one side and dozens of brightly colored hot air balloons invading the sky on the other.
As we move, we get closer to nearby points of interest, until we brush past the Red Valley and the famous fairy chimneys. Indeed, we skim a few centimeters over these geological formations carved by the wind thousands of years ago. Completely insane!
Then we climb back up to get an overview of the surrounding troglodyte villages, still with these colorful hills and huge balloons as a backdrop. For nearly an hour, we have been flying over a veritable open-air museum. The setting is unbeatable!
We take advantage of our last moments in the air before quietly descending and gently landing in a field. Still amazed, we barely realize that we have just lived an extraordinary adventure and how lucky we were to have been able to perform this activity under such circumstances...
And for good reason! The next day, we wake up again in the morning at 5:30 am to admire the same scenery, this time seen from the ground. We thus begin a night hike of several hours in Göreme National Park. The goal: to watch the ballet of hot air balloons during the sunrise and then explore the valleys to be back for breakfast. Our ambitions are quickly swept aside, however, when we realize the lack of balloons, possibly due to poor weather. We will learn later that last week, people didn’t see balloons flying for four days in a row! No question of turning back though, we continue our expedition, without the hot air balloons. Although different, the scenery is no less stunning!
After an hour's walk, we arrive at the Love Valley, a poetic name in reference to its very suggestive rock formations. Made up of volcanic tuff, these friable rocks were naturally formed by erosion and then dug in the 4th century by residents to build churches, monasteries and cave houses.
Located just after the giant asparagus field, we discover the equally explicit White Valley. And since nature has decided to take back its rights on the trail, it is with the strength of our arms and feet that we laboriously manage to hoist ourselves out of these pristine mountains.
Direction the village of Uçhisar and its original castle. At 179 meters high, it is the largest fairy chimney in Cappadocia, with some even calling it “the first skyscraper in history”. Far from the castles that we know, it nevertheless served well as a fortress at the end of the Byzantine period before being used as a habitat by local populations until the 1960s.
In addition to its troglodyte appearance, the city captivates with its intimacy and its panoramic view of the valley.
To reach our accommodation, we end up crossing the valley of the pigeons, whose breeding was once part of the inhabitants’ daily lives (as messengers or for their fertilizing excrement). Many dovecotes are therefore still visible there.
We end our Cappadocian parenthesis with a final sunrise, and we are rewarded with more than a hundred hot air balloons in the sky. A stylish departure (and stay) that we are not ready to forget!
Ankara (12/09 - 14/09)
Last stop of the trip: Ankara. And although Turkey's political and administrative center lacks the charms of Cappadocia and Istanbul, it is definitely worth a visit. The capital is indeed home to many museums and imposing mosques. The Kocatepe Mosque is the largest and most emblematic of the city, and we can only see the immensity of the building. The interior is just as captivating with its illuminated earthenware and golden writing.
And while we are not able to see the Ataturk Mausoleum erected in honor of the country's first president, nor the historic heart and its ancient monuments, we especially enjoy the bustle of the city center. The latter is full of shops and restaurants that we "try" to visit to lighten our wallet.
Our three weeks in Turkey end with this magnificent night scene which sums up our experience here perfectly: lively, welcoming, tolerant and fascinating.
Highlights
OUR FAVOURITES
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The most welcoming population of our world tour
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The diversity and tastiness of the Turkish dishes
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The multiculturality and animations of the cities
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The magnificent mosques
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The security
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The half priced quality shopping
OUR DISAPPOINTMENTS
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The night bus, not really comfortable
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The high population
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The language barrier in the remote communities
Budget
