Aya Sofya - 31 May 2008

There was one main attraction that we had yet to visit: Aya Sofya, so it was the focus of our tourist-beating early start this morning. Built in the 6th century by, possibly, 10,000 men it was, for over 1000 years, the largest enclosed space in the world. The dome spans 30m and rises to nearly 57m above the floor, approximately equivalent to a 17-storey building, a truly amazing feat of design and engineering for the time.

Like the Blue Mosque, the main dome rests on semi-domes but the significant difference is that the Blue Mosque has four huge pillars supporting the dome whereas the Aya Sofya appears to have none.

Built as the greatest church in Christendom, it was converted to a mosque when the Turks took the city in 1453 then deconsecrated and classified as a museum by Ataturk in 1934.

Although it has suffered a chequered history some magnificent mosaic works remain.

The remaining ‘must-do’ was a Bosphorus Cruise so we headed back down to the waterfront. The first boat we came across had a man intercepting likely punters and offering a 2-hour cruise to the second bridge, with a half-hour stop for YTL30; we pressed on. The next boat salesman offered the same deal for YTL20, but we pressed on as we had done our research the day before and knew that just past the bridge was a boat offering a 1½-hour cruise for YTL7.50

So we paid our fare and enjoyed the ride out of the Golden Horn, across the Bosphorus to the Asian side, up under the two huge suspension bridges and back again. I would not class it as unmissable if you were short of time in Istanbul but it was a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of hours.

Since we were at the bridge that crossed the Golden Horn, we walked across to the far side, the Beyoglu area, then caught a tram and funicular to Taksim Square and wandered back downhill to the bridge with a detour to the Galata Tower.

There has been a tower on this site since 528, the current one being constructed in 1348 and repaired and restored a few times since. The views from the top are worth the YTL10 charge.

Up until this point we had managed to avoid the entreaties of the carpet salesmen and on the walk back to the hotel wandered through the Cifte Hamam (Double Bath) that sits by the square between the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque.

It is home to a government run display of carpets from the various regions of Turkey and, unlike the carpet shops in the city, the carpets are all displayed for you to wander through and inspect. From what we can work out, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has scoured the museums of Turkey and the world for the best examples of Turkish carpets and kilms and then commissioned copies of these culturally important works. Fatal mistake! One of the carpets leapt off the rack and said, “Buy me.” The next day before we left Istanbul, we went back for another look, only to find all the racks bare and to hear that they were packing up and leaving. So we pointed to the empty space the carpet had occupied and said that we wanted that one. A few seconds later it appeared from a pile and we had done the proper tourist thing, visited Turkey and purchased a Turkish carpet.

Topkapi Palace - 30 May 2008

All the advice we had read said that the Topkapi Palace and especially the Harem suffered from long queues unless you were up with the chickens. So we were, and were standing at the ticket office when the booths opened a few minutes before 9 a.m.

As is so often the way in the Middle East, the ATMs dish out ‘big money’ (YTL50) but no one has change and everyone wants ‘small money’. However, this was a government run museum and I was first customer of the day so the cash-drawer would be flush with change, or so I thought as I tendered my YTL50 for an entrance fee of YTL20. “Small money, small money” was the only response from the other side of the glass. Reluctantly using my last 20 I paid up.

Again, the advice was to go straight to the Harem to beat the queues but there was no one there so we wandered around the display of carriages and through the old kitchens. Emerging back into the Second Court we saw that the Harem booth was open and the few people that had been queuing were on their way into the Harem. Once again I flashed my 50 only to hear the dreaded “small money” cry. However, since I knew that he had already served some others, he must have had some 20s at least so I offered a 10 as well as the 50 to get two 20s in change. What a ridiculous situation, the major tourist attraction in the largest city in Turkey and they cannot give change for a YTL50 note.

Still, we had our ticket and it was time to enjoy the delights of the Harem. In the Sultan’s time it was a feast for his eyes in a totally different sense from that which the tourists enjoy today. Perhaps he, too, was admiring the walls and the tile work and gilded surfaces and not the occupants – who knows?

By the time we had emerged from the far end of the Harem back into the main squares of the Palace, the place was indeed over-run with tourists. We finished off the other areas in the Palace then headed off for another wander around the city.

We followed the tramlines up the main street as far as the University, followed the walls around and down to the Bazaar area and down towards the waterfront to find the Spice Bazaar, a delight to the nose as well as the eyes.

Istanbul - 29 May 2008

We arrived at the main bus station, some distance from the historic area of Istanbul and I set out to buy an Akbil, the Istanbul equivalent of the London Oyster Card. Finding the Akbil booth was no problem, finding out why he would not, or could not sell me one was a major problem. Even with the assistance of another Akbil customer who knew a few English words, the solution defeated us.

Instead, we purchased tokens to ride the Metro to the end of the line then walked a while to connect with a crowded commuter tram that terminated a few stops before we wanted to, declined to fight our way into the next over-crowded tram and then finally made it to our destination stop. Another short walk and we were finally at our hotel having decided it would probably have been easier and quicker to have put our lives in the hands of a local taxi driver. On the other hand, half the fun is conquering foreign systems, even if you do have to pay for the Metro and the Tram when the Akbil would have allowed a free transfer.

The hotel kindly let us check in earlier than we had anticipated and it was great to freshen up before we set off to explore historic Istanbul.

First stop was the Bascilica Cistern, an amazing underground reservoir built in the 6th century and then ‘lost’ until re-discovered in 1545. The roof is supported by 336 columns which were purloined from various ruins and thus have an array of different capitals and two have bases formed from blocks with Medusa heads carved in them. Clearly it was not intended that anyone ever saw these things under 80,000 cu m of water, but now the tourists (us included) flock to wander through and take photos of Medusa.

One of the most iconic images of Istanbul has to be the Blue Mosque with its 6 minarets. It is dome upon dome upon semi-dome and a visual treat from the outside. Inside is where the name comes from, as much of the tile work is blue.

It was time to eat so we sat down to lunch at a street-side restaurant. After ordering we were presented with what looked like a huge pita bread that had been inflated. It is called Lavas bread, served piping hot with yoghurt based dip and is absolutely scrummy.

It is a pleasant stroll from the Blue Mosque through the Hippodrome to the Grand Bazaar, the largest covered bazaar in the world, with over 4000 shops, miles of streets and alleys, a mini-city within the city. As one would expect in any such souk in the Middle East there is plenty of hard-sell to be had from the traders attempting to sell you their wares.

We emerged unscathed and unencumbered and returned to our hotel for another early night to catch up on our sleep.

Pamukkale 28 May 2008

The reason for the early start this morning was that our next stop, Pamukkale was 3-hour’s drive west of Selcuk. Pamukkale; literally “Cotton Castle” is the name given to the calcium terraces formed as the geothermally heated, calcium rich waters flow down a hillside above the town.

The waters have been a ‘health spa’ for centuries drawing the tourists and the ailing to this spot. In ancient times the settlement was called Hierapolis and because so many sick went there and not all recovered, the cemetery just outside the old city is one of the largest in the world (over a square kilometre), far bigger than would be expected for the size of the city. These two features are the reasons that this area is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The problem with the site is that it is very prone to earthquakes and, if you stand at a certain position, the location of the first theatre, built into the hillside and completely destroyed by an earthquake can be clearly seen to the left; while, to the right, the new theatre dominates the view.

Naturally, the current tourist trade provides a steady business for the pool, which charges YTL20 for a 2-hour dip. The pool is a shady oasis in the hot and dusty surroundings and was bustling even though it was not the peak of the tourist season. The ambience was somewhat spoiled by bodies in bikinis that should, more appropriately be hidden in kaftans. Why someone would wear a bikini when the belly rolls almost obscured the bikini bottom is beyond me; for the sake of delicacy I have spared you a photo.

New Zealand lost its famous Pink & White Terraces in the Tarawera eruption of 1886 and so it was great to get an appreciation of what used to be there.

The signs are very confusing; it is not clear whether you are allowed to walk on the terraces or not as they show a boot crossed out and say “Slippery floor”. However there is one place where it is clear that you are allowed to wander as there is a path that leads down past some artificially created pools to the village below, and that was the path we took to catch the local bus that would take us to Denizli where our next (and thankfully, last) overnight intercity bus trip departed: a mere 12 hours to Istanbul.

Ephesus - 27 May 2008

Feeling much more dead than alive we arrived at Irzim to be hustled off the intercity bus onto a mini-bus that clearly had been held back for us. This took us to Selcuk where we were, at last, met by a man with our name on a card. He took us to the local agency where we had to find a change of clothes for the hot day ahead. Although the itinerary promised that we would, once again, be taken to our hotel this was not offered, as the hotel was some 30-minute's drive away. Had we known, we could have kept a change of clothes accessible.

Eventually the rest of the day's tour party arrived and we set of for Ephesus, along with the many other tour buses and the disgorged contents of 4 cruise ships in the harbour. The place was packed, but according to our guide, only about 50% of a really busy day. There are some magnificent structures and, although they are all reconstructions, they do give an impression of the original grandeur of this ancient city.

The temperature was probably in the high 30s so it was very pleasant to spend some time in the local museum looking at the artefacts that have been discovered at Ephesus. Two features of the collection are the almost intact statues of Artemis that were discovered buried here, some miles away from the site of the Temple of Artemis. The original temple site is just that, a site and one column, all that is left of what was once described as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. As is typical, much of the solid marble temple has been recycled into other buildings including the nearby mosque that we visited later that day.

But, before then it was time for another commercial break; this time a carpet showroom. The sell here was distinctly softer due mainly to the fact that the presenter was born and brought up in Australia so better understood the psyche of the audience.

We were presented with a fascinating array of carpets from the different regions and an explanation of the different colourings and patterns. We also say the technique used to unravel the silk thread from the silkworm cocoon. Most intriguing.

After the aforementioned visit to the mosque it was time to be delivered to our hotel, in a fabulous location right on the waterfront. The fact that we were so tired after a long day in the sun and the bus ride the night before, coupled with an early start the next morning meant we did not get any benefit from the facilities and location: sleep was our priority.

Other-world landscapes - 26 May 2008

The roar from the burners of hot-air balloons encouraged us outside on a beautiful morning to see the colourful spectacle of 17 parties of tourists having an amazing view of the Capadoccian formations as they glided slowly along the valleys in their balloons.

We were collected by a new guide and taken to the Goreme Open Air Museum. This complex was once a theological training school with a number of churches; a multi-story Nunnery; and a multi-storey Monastery all carved out of the soft rock and fairy chimneys. Compared to yesterday the tourist hordes and queues were a tad tiresome but the waits were worth it to see the amazing frescos in some of the churches.

A couple of viewpoints followed: A panoramic view over Pigeon Valley with its many fairy chimney dwellings; and then a look at Uchisar Castle. The castle is, again, an outcrop of tufa stone that had been converted in to a multi-storey “apartment block” with 12-15 rooms per family. Understandably, they were not best pleased when the government moved them all out to new, modern 4-5 room dwellings after a major rock collapse killed a number of those living in the cave homes.

As we had a different guide and tour party today, we ended up back at the same Jewellery factory as yesterday. We skipped the repeat visit and had a walk around Uchisar instead.

Lunch was an amazing affair in a restaurant (Uranus) carved out of the rock. The speciality is a dish called Guvec, which is meat, peppers, tomatoes, spices etc cooked in an earthenware jug which is covered with a tile lid, sealed on with bread dough and slowly cooked for 3 hours. A great production is made of the jar being wheeled to the table and the chef breaking open the dough seal and serving the contents: an experience not to be missed, if you are in the vicinity of Avanos.

It was time for another commercial, so we visited a pottery on the banks of the Red River at Avanos. There are abundant supplies of red clay from the river and white clay from the surrounding hills and, together with the wonderfully detailed hand-painted patterns; the potteries here turn out a colourful selection of ceramic ware. We were particularly taken with a Hittite styled wine jug (possibly called Halkali Ibrik) that was basically a big donut with a base added and a handle/spout attached to the top. However at YTL3300, bargained down to YTL2400, we left it on the shelf.

Back in the real world we stopped at Monk’s Valley to wander amongst the fantastical fairy chimneys with their conical basalt tops that do look like a bunch of monks in their hoods hustling across the landscape, but forever frozen in time.

Smaller formations that are equally surreal were to be seen at our final stop, the Derwent Valley. Looking like something out of science fiction, it is no wonder that this area has featured in films such as Star Wars.

Back at Urgup we had a hour to fill before our next overnight odyssey, this one 13 hours to Izmir, so we wandered the shops and were, as is normal, accosted by the traders in an effort to get us into their shops. Succumbing to the charms of Oktay at Elmas Cini we saw that he had a beautiful Halkali Ibrik in traditional Hittite patterns and colours, the same size as the one we had seen at Avanos for a much more acceptable price. Complete with a 32cm dish to stand it on, we left with our wallet only YTL260 (£122.38) lighter – a saving of £860 over the tourist-trap prices.

Capadoccia - 25 May 2008

The bus arrived at a major bus station somewhere in Capadoccia and we were a trifle unsure of what we were supposed to do or, in fact, if we had arrived at our destination. We later learned that we were in the provincial capital of Nevsehir. The bus officials were asking questions which we either did not understand, or if we did, did not know the answer to. As we were trying desperately to match words we were hearing with words on our itinerary, a helpful young man appeared on the bus saying our name. He was the local agent and had come to this place to ensure that we stayed on the bus until our final destination of Urgup. Once there, he took us to our hotel to give us a chance to freshen up and change for the day ahead.

The bus that collected us from our hotel had an Aussie and two Canadians on board and we added to the collection from the Colonies to complete the small group for the day who set off to explore this part of Capadoccia. A UNESCO World Heritage site since the 50s, this area is characterised by the soft pumice ash layers which, in conjunction with occasional basalt topping combine to create fantasy shapes known locally as Fairy Chimneys. The trace minerals colour the layers green, red and purple and the hard basalt topping protects the softer pumice below from the weathering effects of the elements.

We were dropped at the top of Rose Valley and enjoyed a 4km stroll down to Cavusin at the bottom which was oldest Christian settlement in the area. The locals moved out of their rock houses in the 60s and the houses have unfortunately fallen into disrepair as erosion has eaten away walls and ceilings.

After lunch we had the obligatory tour group stop to worship at the shrine of commerce, this time in the form of an Onyx and Jewellery factory and shop. We drank the hot tea, gazed admiringly and left with our wallets intact heading for the infinitely more interesting Kaymakli Underground City. Discovered only comparatively recently this is an amazing network of streets, rooms and passages carved out of the soft layers of ash. Built as a defensive hiding place, this city once housed 5000 people and has a passage running 9km underground to another similar underground warren, Derinkuyu.

Our last call was Mustafapasa where there are many dwellings made from or cut into the Tufa rock. It looked very similar to Matera in Italy, albeit on a smaller and possibly scruffier scale.

The Yasemin Cave Hotel, a decent climb above the centre of Urgup, afforded us a great view of the surrounding area and the gathering thunderclouds that eventually unleashed their pent up energy. If you are in this area, we recommend staying at this delightful little family-run hotel.

Off to Turkey - 24 May 2008

Today was a day of firsts. First flight with BA, first departure from the new Terminal Five at Heathrow, the first time we were to be met at an airport by a driver with our name held up on a card and the first time a driver did not meet us with a raised card as agreed. And, it was our first trip to Turkey and first visit to Istanbul.

It seemed that half the passengers on our flight into Istanbul were being met by drivers holding cards with names on and although we slowly walked up the line and back down again, our name was not to be seen. After waiting a polite amount of time we rang the local travel agent – oh, the convenience of cell phones - only to be told that the driver was at the airport. The agent called him and found that he had left already. Eventually he returned, found us, and whisked us into Istanbul at break-neck speed.

The agent had arranged transport on an over-subscribed shuttle bus, which took us to the main bus station where we boarded an overnight bus that was scheduled to deliver us to a destination in Capadoccia 12 hours later. The bus had an attendant as well as the driver and we were served tea and cake before settling down for the night and coffee in the morning, along with frequent cups of water.