February 13-17th, 2019
We left for Istanbul in the evening on the 13th. Mark and I finally tried out the airport shuttle and although the timing was closer to 45 minutes than 30 it was a steal of a deal. 250 lek (roughly $2.50) per person! We got to the airport and there was no line for Turkish (woo hoo!) so we checked our free bags and made it through security with enough time to enjoy sandwiches and pejas before our flight. Our flight was late getting to Istanbul and the customs line at the airport was packed. The long line, plus the two hour time change meant that we didn't get to our hotel until after 2am.
Thursday, February 14th
We got up and enjoyed breakfast (included!) at the top floor restaurant of our hotel. There are windows on 3 sides so we had a teriffic view of the city while we ate. We went back to our room and had a rest before heading out for the day. We found a small local cafeteria for lunch. We ate minced meat wrapped in mint leaves, cous cous (super buttery and delicious!), chicken and lentil soup, meatballs and chickpeas. The water came in small plastic containers with pull away lids, much like a pudding or jell-o cup would. Although all of the food was delicious, something didn't sit well in my tummy. We also believe that because we were tourists that we had been ripped off. The place had tons of locals in it and advertised really cheap prices but when we received our bill it was way more than we were expecting. Surely all of the working class Turkish locals stopping in on their lunch hour weren't paying these prices. We questioned the owner but didn't get anywhere so chalked it up to traveling and continued on our way.
Next stop was the basilica cistern, a huge underground cavern for storing water. On our way we stopped in a shop with tons of handmade glass trinkets. Frank Sinatra was playing (what're the odds?!) So the only logical thing to do was to sneak into the downstairs showroom and dance like no one was watching. After our little detour we continued toward the basilica cistern. It was very wet and very dark inside. While there we learned that thousands of slaves had lost their lives while being forced to build the cistern and because of this there was a memorial dedicated to them. In addition, the Turks believe that Medusa's head will ward off enemies so two of the pillars in the cistern were constructed with her face on them.
After the cistern we walked to the blue mosque (it's absolutely massive!). I appreciated visiting because the outside walls are large information boards that explain the history and origins of Islam. I did a lot of reading and ended up learning quite a bit. After we stopped for a Turkish tea.
While there a man offered to take us to the bazaar so we accepted. He told us that his family had a sweet shop and asked if we would come inside. We did however there were no sweets, but instead hundreds and hundreds of rugs. He offered to make us a tea and all of a sudden 3 or 4 men emerged all rolling out rugs in front of us. HELP! We're on VK. Why would we want to buy a rug?! Sorry sir, but I don't think it'll fit in my backpack. We headed back to our accommodation so that I could take some medicine (my tummy still wasn't feeling great from lunch). We set out walking toward the other side of the city so that we could enjoy the harbor. This was also where we'd be meeting our food tour guide (shout-out to mom and dad for the birthday money so we could go on one of these!) We spent the next 4 hours touring the city trying all kinds of fabulous dishes. First was borek (byrek) with cheese and aryan (salted yogurt mixed with water)- a really popular drink among locals.
Next, we had meat inside a warm pastry puff (so delicious)!
After we tried a cold "meat" wrap with onions and paprika paste, tomatoes, "salad" (which is really just lettuce), pomegranate molasses and spicy sauce wtapped in a tortilla. I got mine without spice. I put meat in quotes because it's actually a vegetarian wrap that they call "meat". I didn't love this one.
Our next stop was an indoor sit down restaurant. While there we tried mezze (dips and apps with bread) while drinking lions milk (raki mixed with ice cubes and water so it turns white). It's a very strong sipping drink and I did not like it. I let Mark finish mine and I drank a turkish coffee that was delicious. They don't have coffee beans in Turkey (if they do they come from Brazil) so they use powdered coffee and boil it in the water which means you never finish the bottom part from your cup because it is all the grounds.
After sitting for awhile we got up and stretched our legs. We stopped at an outdoor vendor and were brave enough to try lamb intestines grilled and put on a sandwich (so warm and flavorful!) We really enjoyed them!! At this stop we also had mussels filled with rice and spices. Our guide told us to squeeze a lemon on these and they were fabulous.
We walked a long way to get wet burgers (burgers soaked in tomato sauce only available on one particular street in Turkey).
This burger joint is opposite Taksim Square, which is where the protests started many years ago.
While walking our guide gave us a lot of information about Istanbul. Although they claim it is a very secular place it really isn't. Greeks and Jews were persecuted here, so much so that most of them moved away from the capital and out of Turkey altogether. (There are only 30 synagogues as compared to 3500 mosques). There are many, many radicals in Turkey who believe Allah is the one true God and will not allow any other gods to be recognized. Because of this even the Catholic Church has a sign with the word "Allah" on its doors.
After walking off the calories from all of our tasty dinner treats (yeah right!) it was finally time for dessert. We tried baklava with nuts and with pistachios and a white blob that is a dessert made from chicken breast. It wasn't my favorite.
Julia, the only other girl on our tour, didn't have the stomach for either so opted instead for tricky Turkish ice cream. The vendors use these long metal spoons as scoops and just as you think they're going to plop one atop your cone they pull the spoon back as quickly as it came. This happens for a few minutes until the tourist becomes utterly exasperated and then finally the tricksters top the cones. It's pretty funny to watch.
The tour ended in pouring rain but that didn't stop Julia, Mark and I from exploring the bar scene. We found a great spot with live music (although we had to sit outside under an awning atleast there were heat lamps). We made our way to one more bar and this time we were able to sit inside. The only downfall was that patrons are allowed to smoke inside. The smoke didn't keep Mark and I from dancing to the music though. It was a great night!
Friday 15 Feb
We got up and had a lovely breakfast at the rooftop restaurant in our hotel. We got ready, checked out and headed to the spice bazaar. There are TONS of spice merchants surrounding you on all sides, up and down the long hallways.
We sampled turkish delights and delicious chocolate treats (they reminded of us malted milk balls but better) there was a nice man who took us in, gave us tea and let us smell many different herbs and spices. I bought a jasmine ball that expands in tea and some deliciously smelling love tea. Mark and I then stopped at a local pop up for lunch. We both had lamb kebaps, but they were different cuts of meat seasoned with different flavors.
We then walked, in the pouring rain, to the grand bazaar. It is a HUGE indoor maze of vendors galore. Mark and I both haggled. I ended up with a purse and Mark with a travel size magnetic chess set (I will not be playing with him).
After leaving we walked back to our hotel to catch the shuttle to the airport. Our airport experience was unintentionally complicated as always! Our driver dropped us at the international terminal instead of the domestic terminal- we didn't know. We tried to drop our bags but the scanners wouldnt recognize our tickets (obviously). We asked an attendant for help and he didn't know why it wasn't working so he told us to stand in the check in line (but we already checked in online) the line was hugely long and this amazingly kind gentleman at the front let us go ahead of him. The attendant scanned our passports and then informed us of our problem. Quick. Run to the domestic terminal. Woof. Down the stairs through the buildings. We snuck into the closed bag check line and dropped my bag and what a godsend the security was right in front of us and it was super tiny! They do small securities right in front of your gate because they send you through a big check on your way into the airport. The best part? Our flight was delayed 20 mins 🤣 and now.. our gate has changed and our flight has been delayed 45 mins.. 🤣🤣 We took off more than an hour late and did a lot of sitting on the runway before takeoff. While in the air we hit a lot of turbulence. Our flight tried to land twice but had to abort both times. I was getting really nervous because the airline didn't tell us anything. Finally the pilot made an announcement saying that due to wind conditions we weren't able to land and that we would try once more. Third time was not a charm and at this point the captain announced that we were rerouting to Ankara, the capital.
We landed and everyone started clapping. It was 10pm. We waited awhile on the plane because we weren't sure if we would go back to Istanbul or stay in Ankara. We are currently in the airport and they are telling us they will try again in one hour to fly to Nevesehir. All this stress calls for chocolate, obviously.
We got on the flight to Nevsehir and took off about midnight. We made it safe and sound to Cappadocia and once again, everyone started clapping when we landed. While waiting outside for our hotel transport the cutest little kitty came and snuggled up in my lap. ❤️
We met our hotel transport and it was a huge party bus, however, Mark and I were the only ones on it. 🤣
Our driver drove really, really fast on the open roads and through the carved rock. We arrived about 130am. Our hotel is carved into cave rock so our room is all rock and has a huge turkish bath inside. It's all marble and it's super warm and wonderful. Unfortunately it's now 2am so I don't think we'll be able to enjoy it.
Saturday 16 Feb
Our hot air balloon ride was cancelled so we "slept in" and headed to breakfast with a beautiful view. Our hotel, Hermes Cave, provided a decadent spread with multiple jams, dips and toppings for breads, plus cheeses, dried fruits, turkish style eggs and meats. It was overwhelming and lovely!
We were then picked up for our quad bike ride. Mark and I rode with a guide through the valleys of Goreme.
I was on my own ATV and while I was nervous and timid at first I eventually got the hang of it.
We went up and through the carved rocks and made a few photo stops because the views were just breathtaking.
We stopped at one spot and there was a man with a fire, nuts and hot wine so we had some while we rested (my thumb was getting so tired from the throttle!)
Our guide was so nice and even staged some really funny photos of us.
We rode through a passageway with a really, really low ceiling. I was so nervous I wouldn't make it through. We went down one really steep drop-- I was so afraid of nosediving off the bike our guide hopped on with me- thank god! On our way back to the ATV park we encountered some other atv riders. The road was narrow (definitely wide enough for two of us but I wasn't taking any chances) so I braked and pulled to the side. Mark did the same behind me. This girl comes swerving and slams head on into me. Ahhh! Both of our ATVs swerved to the middle of the path. Ahhh! Seems like I just attract accidents. She started talking to me in another language and then our guides came over to try and move the bikes apart. Best part? Besides the fact that my wrist isn't broken--- Mark got the whole thing on video. Bahahaa.
Quadbike Turkey Video
After biking we went to the Cappadocia Open Air Museum which is a collection of churches hollowed out of rock formations that date back to the 11th century. No photos were allowed but there were original paintings done on the rocks. Cool to see but probably not worth the $9 entrance fee. Ask Mark on the other hand and he'll say its definitely worth it. We decided to walk from the air museum to Goreme, a small town close by with many shops and restaurants. On our way we wandered through a small stretch of local food shops and stopped to try a gozleme, which is a tortilla with cheese cooked on a huge circular cast iron griddle. It was very tasty.
As we walked we also peeked in to a pottery shop. We made it to Goreme and wandered up and down the cute cobblestone streets in search of lunch. I kept seeing adverts for something cooking in and then spilling out of this clay pot. Mark and I finally asked someone what it was and they explained that it's a beef stew cooked inside a cast iron pot with bread baked on top. It's called pottery kebap. We ordered one and we were not disappointed. It was absolutely delicious!!
We taxied back to our hotel and warmed up with a tea before walking to Ortahisar Castle. It's the tallest point in Cappadocia.
Climbing to the top of the rock castle provides amazing 360 views that stretch on for forever. As we climbed down we got to watch the sun set and create a beautiful background of pinks, blues and yellows in the sky.
We wandered through "the ruins" on our walk back before boarding our shuttle to the airport.
Istanbul here we come!
We got back to Istanbul and taxied for awhile before reaching our causeway. When we got off of the plane our transport wasn't there so I messaged the hotel. Sure enough, he was waiting for us at the international terminal. 🤣 We got back to trusty old Alzer Hotel and the man at the front desk acted like he had never seen us before. He went through the whole check in procedure and gave us all the info for a second time. It was 1130 and we hadnt eaten so we took a taxi to Taxim where all of the restaurants, bars and nightclubs are. The first taxi offered us a ride for 70 lira (the fare should be between 25&30) so we kept walking as he was yelling after us. We found another taxi who said he'd meter us so we hopped in. When he stopped he doubled the meter saying it was a night tariff. We told him we had not heard of this and that we had taken taxis other nights and never been charged a night tariff. We paid him the original fare and exited. After finding a bar with wifi I googled the night tariff and it showed up as one of the top taxi scams in Istanbul. Good thing we didn't pay. We really enjoyed the lamb intestine sandwiches and stuffed mussels we had tried on our food tour, so we headed back to Mercan for some more. We each enjoyed an Efes beer while we ate. We walked through the stretch of outdoor bars and quickly found one with an open table and a band with guitar and fiddle. Although the singing was all in turkish it was still fun. After listening to some music and enjoying one more beer each we decided to taxi back to our hotel. We had a very nice driver who didn't try to rip us off so we tipped him extra nicely. Karma.
Sunday February 17th
We ate breakfast and then headed to the Cagaloglu Hammam, the oldest (over 300 years old!) and largest hammam in Istanbul. Visiting a hammam was something I was nervous about but wanted to try so I did some research and chose a historical hammam recommended by an Istanbul blogger. The architecture of the building itself was magnificent.
Sidenote: Hammams are a very important part of the religion of Islam. One of the five pillars of Islam is prayer. Before praying muslims are encouraged to perform ablutions, or cleansings. There are two types: a ghusul, which is a full body cleansing, and a wudu, which is a cleansing of the face, hands and feet. This is why there are taps and water basins outside of many of the mosques we have visited. In Morocco, our driver, Driss, was explaining to us that each week when he returns home from a driving trip he goes to the hammam for cleansing. Hammams are separate for men and women. In Turkey there are many hammams including historical hammams and hotel hammams, which are both popular among the muslim people of Istanbul. Not only are they a place for cleansing, but also for socialization, rejuvenation and relaxation, which is why it has become acceptable for tourists to take part in this experience.)
Here's an intimate look into my first hammam experience-
First, a woman escorted me to a changing room. She gave me a colorful fabric wrap for my body and disposable panties. Since I was unsure of what to expect I had brought a bathing suit and flip flops. I asked if I should wear my own but the woman giggled and said no. I changed and exited the room. The woman led me through a massive warm room with floors and walls made of marble. The roof was a massive dome with star shaped carvings that let in beautiful rays of sunlight. We continued into a smaller "hot" room which is much like a sauna but less claustrophobic. It had marble floors and benches with walls that led into brick end eventually looped high up into arched ceilings with skylights to let in natural light. There wasn't a door to close the sauna, just a small open passageway. I sat on one of the benches, finding it hard to relax at first but eventually settling in. After about 15 minutes the woman appeared and brought me back out into the large warm room. She led me to one of the water basins along the periphery of the room, took up a clay bowl, dipped it in the warm water and poured it over me multiple times. She then led me to a circular marble wraparound platform in the middle of the room. I laid on my back while she scrubbed me with a sandpapery glove to remove all of the dirt and dead skin. "Lady, lady look!" she kept saying, motioning toward all of the dead skin she was removing. She then walked me back to the basin, holding my hand to guide me, and rinsed me from head to toe. She took me back to the bench and got out a huge cloth that she dipped in a soap solution. When she started waving the cloth back and forth above my body she was able to make hundreds of soap bubbles that covered me. She massaged my skin until it was baby soft and instead of calling me, "lady, lady" she was calling me, "baby, baby" and pointing at my beautifully smooth skin. She found a few knots and pressure points that she worked really hard to soothe and then led me back to the basin once more so she could rinse me and remove all of the bubbles. I sat on the marble near the basin while she shampooed and conditioned my hair. The head massage she provided was lovely. After, she poured warm water over my head and face and then wrapped my hair in a small towel and provided me with a larger one to wrap myself in. She escorted me to the cool room where she gave me another colorful wrap to cover my shoulders and motioned for me to sit down and enjoy some hot tea and turkish delight. I was also given a small cold drink that tasted of cinnamon and apples. It was the first time I had seen this in Turkey and it was very delicious. I went back into the changing room to get dressed. Mark and I both agreed that we were so glad to have visited the hammam and to take part in this new, albeit scary at first, experience.
After finishing, we walked and walked, happy to be outside in the sunshine. We came to the palace gardens, a beautiful, lush green area. We stopped for a thin sesame "bagel" with nutella because we'd been seeing them all over the city in carts. It was tasty and for 3.5 lira (less than 1 USD) it couldn't be beat.
After snaking our way through the gardens we headed to the seaside to walk along the Bosphorous. The water was beautifully blue but even more impressive was that in every direction we looked there was the sprawling city of Istanbul, covering Asia and Europe.
We popped into a kebab house and had a quick lunch before walking back to our hotel.
On the way we stopped to buy some of the really yummy treats we had tried at the spice market.
We had almost made it to our hotel when a shoe shiner came out of nowhere, started walking in front of us, and dropped his brush. I picked it up and hurried ahead to give it to him. He was very grateful and pulled me aside to start shining my shoe. "Oh no, no, no. It's ok." I said. We were on our way to the airport. "Please" he said. I thought he was thanking me for picking up his brush so I just gave him a smile. All of a sudden he moved me from the middle of the sidewalk to the curb and started giving me the works. I told him we really had to get to the airport. He then asked for 80 lira, the equivalent of 16 USD. WHAT?! He had been scamming us all along. He had dropped his brush on purpose so that he could corner us. I was so flabbergasted that I had been taken so easily by this man after putting up such a good fight the night before with our taxi driver. Turkish shoe shiners 1, Jaclyn 0.
Mark and I paid a small sum, certainly nowhere near the 80 lira, and took off. We made it to our hotel just in time to head to the airport. We made it through security and customs without any issues (yay!) and will soon be boarding our flight back to Tirana. What a fun, action packed weekend for us!
