Istanbul, a unique destination

Istanbul, and Turkey - unique destinations (May 10 to June 2, 2000)

Istanbul REALLY is in a class of its own. Among the world's great metropolis, only Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) has been one of the greatest since Antiquity. Only Istanbul straddles both continents of Europe and Asia. It is exotic, yet familiar, fascinating but not intimidating to the traveler. Divided by the straits of Bosphorus, Istanbul forms the proverbial bridge between east and west. Known as Byzantium then Constantinople for over2 thousand years, it is now a bustling center with a population approaching 12 million.

As a travel agent, I won, at a March 2000 trade event, a free roundtrip ticket on Turkish Airlines from Miami to Istanbul, a route inaugurated in 1999. I had already been to Turkey twice before, but only to Istanbul (in August 1993), and to Istanbul, Izmir, & Kushadas1 in June 1997. I decided I would discover more of Turkey, and of Istanbul itself too during three weeks I could take off, from May 10 to June 2.

Surfing the internet, I met two interesting tour operators, one in Istanbul, the other in Kushadas1. They would help me put together an unforgettable trip through the country. Actually, Mehmet and Bülent of LODGING TURKEY not only became my tour operators throughout Turkey (except in Kushadas1), they became my friends, hosts, and future business partner. I planned and booked trips for clients in Turkey later on, in the year 2000 and up to last summer (July2005) when my sister and her family (again) visited Turkey, and I arranged their tours through Mehmet.

This trip still concentrated on Istanbul, as the city is a world of its own, a transportation hub for all Turkey, and I had to go back there once in the middle of the 23 day trip to recuperate a bag Turkish Airlines misplaced. My entire itinerary is as follows:

Istanbul & side trips to Edirne (Adrianopolis) and Bursa during 5 nights at the Lamartine Hotel in Taksim. Then I flew to Kayseri to explore the unique KAPADOKKYA area in Central Anatolia (Asian Turkey). I stayed at the Perissia hotel in Ürgüp four days, from where I explored the Güreme Valley, the underground city and cave churches, in addition to Nevshehir and the Kizilçukur Valley and surroundings plus Ortasihar and Old Ürgüp, all during my first and second day there. On my third day, I visited Göreme National park, Çavushin and Uçhisar - possibly the most unusual and unique town I have ever visited. These days were tiring, let me tell you; a lot of walking, wooden stair climbing, cave exploration with little light, and lots of sun outside, with the ever present camels to remind you of the desert heat, after coming out of the cool caves,
underground cities & churches.





CAPPADOCCIA




On my 4th day in Ürgüp, we drove back to Kayseri, the biggest city in that part of Turkey, with a major airport. From there, I left the Capadoccia Area on Turkish Airways. We first flew to Ankara, the capital of Turkey since the 1920s. It's in the middle of Anatolia, in a mountainous area. The view of Ankara from the air on a clear day is spectacular. The city is perhaps prettier seen from the air than on the ground, where, in many ways, it looks like other large Turkish cities.

The Turkish Airlines A-320 then took me from Ankara to Istanbul, where Bülent was waiting for me, and took me to the EuroPlaza Hotel, a wonderful hotel in Pera (the former Greek neighborhood), with fabulous views of the Golden Horn and old Istanbul

I spent 6 days and 5 great nights at this hotel, which has a great health club, pool and restaurants, and a strategic location, close to Taksim, but with easy access, down the hill to the older sections of Istanbul.

On Monday May 22, I flew from Istanbul to Izmir, where my other tour operator friend was waiting for me for the one hour or so trip, along the rugged Mediterranean coast, to the port of Kushadas1. That was to be my base for the next 6 days. From there, I took several day tours to Söke, Priene, Militos, Didyma, unique Pamakkule, and Hierapolis via Selçuk, and Ayd1n.

On Saturday May 27, I headed off to Bodrum, a beautiful old town with a famous imposing castle, now as much a beach and boating resort as a historical town. I spent 3 days and 2 nights at the Arcade Hotel in Bodrum The hotel's owners, Ahmet and his wife, in addition to the bar staff (who were all from the same area of Turkey on the black sea), and I, all came to know pretty well during those 3 days. The hotel WAS Bodrum - embodying the town's old, typical architecture, ocean views with the street bazaar activity at a close but safe distance. But the hotel owners and staff were the highlight, though Bodrum is beautiful and unforgettable, especially with the great sunny weather I enjoyed.

From Bodrum, I took yet another exhilirating road trip across the coastal mountains and cliffs, this time to Fethiye. From Fethiye, I continued on to Kash, another spectacular Turkish resort on the Mediterranean. My hotel was high up on a hill, with one of the most stunning views on my trip (which had several stunning views from hotels).


On Tuesday May 30, I traveled my last land leg of the trip - to Antalya, Turkey's Miami or Rio: its big international beach city. Its status as one of the world's 10 busiest international airports confirms Antalya's status. Germans, Russians, Israelis, Turks and Saudis, all mingle here. It's a historic city in its own right, boasting one of Turkey's most happening artsy "old towns." And that's where I stayed.

The streets in that area are so narrow that taxis can only squeeze through some transitable streets only in the wee hours. Fortunately, my flight from Antalya to Istanbul, continuing on to Miami left at 6AM, so the cab was able to get to a reasonable distance from my place of lodging at 5 AM on my last day in Turkey. I stayed there at an exotic "hotel" or lodging: the VILLA PERLA. Its exotic owner has an unpronounceable Turkish name, which means Perla in Italian, a language she speaks fluently. Her English is also excellent.

Perla operates her place, well, just as that - her place, Villa Perla. It's a historic Ottoman House with a big, leafy green courtyard where she operates a wonderful restaurant with her own Turkish specialties. Other guests and excentric artists with very unusual backgrounds can be found at most times of the day, along with Perla herself, on a sofa smoking her long cigarettes.

This lodging is a real find: an authentic, well kept ancient structure inhabited by unusual people (to say the least) with the usual presence of its exotic owner, who must have been famous in her heyday.

So, Istanbul was (again) my next stop. Arriving from the air, over the Sea of Marmara, you see a spectacular and huge city, with lots of bodies of water, mountains, islands ... a spectacular location for a city, which can only be compared to Rio, Hong Kong, Sydney or Vancouver. Istanbul remains one of the world’s great cities and the centre of Turkey’s economic and cultural life, if no longer its political capital.

While there, there are certain highlights that just cannot be missed. These include, ranked in importance from my point of view: St. (Hagya) Sophia Museum (formerly-Cathedral). Its name means church of Divine Wisdom. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest architectural creations in the world. Built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian around 535AD, it was transformed into a mosque after the Ottoman Turks' conquest of the city in 1453. Now a museum, it is awesome in size and contains beautifully preserved Byzantine mosaics.

Nearby is the Blue Mosque, the most famous mosque in the city, built in the early 17th century, distinguished by six slender minarets and walls covered with amazing blue tiles... and also the Greek/Roman Hippodrome. This was the center of supportive events and political activities of the city in its days as the capital of the Eastern Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpentine Column are among the monuments decorating the Hippodrome. Then, also nearby is Topkapi Palace.This legendary palace of the Ottoman Sultans from the15th to the 19th centuries is now one of the world's greatest museums.

Staying in the old city, the Suleymaniye Mosque, Sinan’s masterpiece, is a stunning architectural reference, visible from a good part of the entire city. Now, moving across the bridge fromthe ancient city to the old "European" city is the Galata Tower. This cylindrical tower was the high pointin the Genovese fortifications of Galata in the time of the Crusaders and has been rebuilt many times.Today it houses an excellent restaurant as well as a wonderful panoramic view of Istanbul from its tower's balcony.

So we are now in Beyoglu. A vintage tramway can take you along the old "grand boulevard"to Taksim square - Beyoglu's northern highlight, and possibly modern Istanbul's main square. Nearby youwill find Dolmabahce Palace, the 19th century rococco residence, replacing Topkapi, of the Ottoman Sultans,and the place where Atatürk, the father of modern Turkey, died in 1938. Beautifully situated, with 600 meters fronting the Bosphorus, the palace boasts a fabulous ballroom, and ornate Victorian furniture throughout, embodying the Turkish assimilation of European culture.

The Rumeli Fortress or Fortress ofEurope features within its walls park like grounds, an open-air theatre and the minaret of a ruined mosque. Stairs lead up to the ramparts & towers. Mehmet the Conqueror had this fortress built in only four months during 1452, preparing for his planned siege of Constantinople.

Back in Old Istanbul, the Grand Bazaar, is Istanbul’s legendary bazaar and just one of many mega bazzars. But with its fame and location, its various labyrinths of over 4000 little shops make it unique. It has everything an Oriental market could offer, including the epitome of high pressure sales tactics. This is a place where the aficionados of bazaars can enjoy using their most sharpened bargaining skills; that is, if you're into that type of thing. Otherwise, skip the bazaars and carpet dealers.

That is, unless you want to suffer the most extreme harrassing sales tactics on earth. If a beautiful young man or woman tries to pick you up in a nearby church, don't flatter yourself. They didn't find you attractive, nor are they prostitutes. These are the most beautiful and sexy of a carpet dealer's extended family, taught basic English, and dressed to kill -sent in to churches, restaurant toilets... everywhere. There, they pick you up, and before you exchange a few compliments, you're inside Uncle Mehmet's carpet shop. And once you're there, a half dozen ugly, fat Turks won't let you out easily. So, be careful.

There's so much I could say. But that would be impossible to condense into this one posting. No serious traveler can miss Istanbul, or the treasures and natural beauty found all over Turkey.