Turkey June 2018

Just a note here, this post has taken on a life of it's own and is MUCH longer than I intended. So, get yourself a cup of coffee and settle in for a read ...

Kaş 

Last view of the cats of Istanbul, very early in the morning we were heading to the airport and down to the Turquoise Coast and the beach!

We hired a car at Dalaman airport and (carefully - being right hand drive and driving on the wrong side of the road for all of us) headed to the coast. This was the first view of the sea. Could not wait for a swim!

But lunch first. Fethiye.
Fethiye is located on the ancient city of Telmessos and was known by that name until 1934.

Beer at lunchtime - in this climate a necessity.

There are numerous rock tombs in the hills and mountains around the city. This is the 4th century BC Tomb of Amyntas carved into a bluff in 350 BC by the Lycians, and an easy walk from the road. Delphi and Jacques walked up but it was mid afternoon, really hot and I cheered them on from the shade of a white mulberry tree.

Eventually, after getting lost, language barriers, misunderstandings, we found our way to our villa and were presented with this view....  worth it.

A couple of kilometres outside of Kas, it is perfectly located with it's own semi private cove. No beach, so no waves, just perfect swimming.

First swim happened very shortly after arriving. The first of many.

A main house with the lounge, dining, kitchen and patio, the bedrooms are off to the side in a separate wing. Each bedroom with it's own bathroom and view of the water and airconditioning. Paradise. (Derya Beach Villa on Airbnb - thoroughly recommended)

Stray cats which we adopted and fed.

Neighbourhood dog that checked in on us regularly.

Home for a week. A few days during that week I opted to stay home while the boys went exploring. Can you blame me? I do like ruins and exploring but not when it's too hot. Then I'd rather just swim and hang out in the shade.

But not all the time. I did manage to stir myself and I was very happy that I did!
 Myra ...

In the province of Antalya, situated near to the town of Demre, Myra consists of a spectacular Greco-Roman amphitheatre in remarkably good shape.

 

 

Many of the decorative theatrical masks remain.

The rock tombs date to the 4th century BC and are carved into the mountainside. Today they are rough hewn rock but in 1840 an explorer described them as painted in red, yellow and blue. 

   
Hidden away in one of the rooms behind the amphitheatre we found sheep! Keeping as cool as they could on a really hot afternoon. I sympathised.

St Nicholas Church, Demre, Antalya

Built in AD 520 the church and the tomb of St Nicholas were built on the foundations of an older church where St Nicholas served as Bishop. Now days it is a museum and an ancient Byzantine church which has been excavated after having been completely buried by silt. St Nicholas was the inspiration for Santa Claus.

Being 16 feet or so below ground level, it was wonderfully cool.

Dog doing what dogs do ...

Heading home, the mountain road overlooks Demre - plastic tunnels growing tomatoes, as far as the eye could see. It is called 'protected cultivation' and we saw it throughout the countryside, not much open farming at all. I suppose economically it makes sense, but it's not attractive. Progress, they call it.

 

 Mostly for me it was a really relaxing holiday

We did stay home for dinner a couple of evening, but mostly we went into Kas and tried somewhere new each time.  My personal favourite - Turkish pancakes, gozleme. I would go back just for these.

Shopping happened ..

A few more tombs ...

And before I knew it, it was time to go home (minus the camera which got left behind in the car and made it's way home to me via South Africa in December!)

Some notes, South Africans can apply for a free visa online. www.e-visa-turkey.com. British citizens can also apply online, but it costs approximately £12, or it can be purchased at the airport when you arrive if you forget to do it beforehand (guilty). The local currency is Turkish Lira. We are already planning another family holiday, perhaps not this year, but next year definitely.

Turkey June 2018

ISTANBUL

At last! I was so excited to finally get to Istanbul. Meeting up with friends Delphi and Jacques from South Africa, we spent a day and a half in this amazing city. Not nearly enough time to see everything but enough to give a taste. Even though it was early summer, it was already well into the early 30 degrees C. Too hot for me actually, I would go back in Spring or Autumn.

First things first, we stayed at the Empress Theodora Hotel just down the road from the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, so it was easy to walk everywhere though the tram station was a 2 minute walk from the hotel.

In the process of being renovated, the hotel is clean and comfortable and the breakfasts were amazing. For accommodation I would definitely recommend them, not least for the centrality of the location.

Breakfast ... mediterranean, fresh, tasty and halva to finish off ... yum!

Ναός της Αγίας του Θεού Σοφίας; Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God; Hagia Sophia.

In its various incarnations, an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral,  a Mosque and from 1931, after being secularised, a museum, the most visited site in Turkey.

It is breathtakingly awesome in the true sense of the word.  Built in 537 AD for a thousand years it was the world's largest Cathedral until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.

This cat owned the place! She posed for this photograph and was completely unpreturbed by the hoards of tourists. 

Istanbul lies on the North Anatolian fault line and has experienced many earthquakes in it's long history.  There is much evidence in the Hagia Sophia of shoring up and supporting of columns. It is said that the original building was designed by a physicist, a mathamatician and a scientist - no computers..

Big brother is watching you....

Out into the glorious sunshine, hey Jacques and Delphi!  In the background the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque). Imposing.

A totally different atmosphere though. Not very welcoming.  Most women, unless they were already in hijab were requested to don this really strange outfit. I was actually wearing a black knee length dress with sleeves with a scarf, but apparently that wouldn't do.

Interesting, but I would go back to Hagia Sophia anytime.

Moving on. A quick walk around the Hippodrome - an arena historically used for horse and chariot racing and other entertainment. The original Hippodrome was built in AD 230 and was the centre of the city's social life. 

Midday, and really hot. We found the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.  Initially it was the airconditioning which attracted us, but it was actually a very interesting place, and not many tourists. Well worth a visit.

No photographs allowed so only a couple of surreptitious snaps happened.

The cats (and dogs) of Turkey are a thing. You see them everywhere. They generally don't belong to anyone but are fed by the locals.

a 2017 article in The Economist:

Turkey is not unique among predominately Muslim countries for honouring its cats, which are considered ritually clean animals in Islam. In the hadith, the collected sayings and actions of Muhammad, there are numerous examples of the Prophet’s fondness for cats. By one account, Muhammad cut off his sleeve when he had to rise for prayers so as to not disturb a feline that had curled up on his robe for a nap. In another tale, the pet cat of Abu Hurayrah (literally “father of the kitten”) saved Muhammad from an attack by a deadly serpent. Muhammad purportedly blessed the cat in gratitude, giving cats the ability to always land on their feet. Cats were considered guardians in other respects for the Islamic world: they defended libraries from destruction by mice and may have helped protect city populations from rat-borne plagues.

They are often not in the best of condition but in 2017 a law was introduced that would make it a crime punishable by jail time to mistreat, torture or leave animals without food or water.

At last, time for lunch - every meal in Turkey was a taste sensation. And beer!

In the afternoon, the guys opted for the Topkapi Palace but I was blasted by the heat so after a nap (how ancient do I sound! Just think of it as a siesta), I wandered down the road to the Gülhane Parkı Çeşmesi, a park right next to the Topkapi Palace actually. It was still too hot to do more than wander around and hang out next to the fountains.

Once the sun had set we headed into the old quarter to find dinner. The evenings are fantastic, relatively cool. We were there during Ramadan so everyone was out and about, including the cats. What a fabulous day.

 

Sorry about that ....

It's been a while. I'm sorry about that.

Last year was more challenging than I had realised. Though I love the two jobs I do, both of them require more than the 2 days a week I have set aside for them. So fitting six days a week into 4 proved more than I could deal with. Alongside that, I spent 10 days in Turkey inadvertently trying to lose the camera. I succeeded on the last day by managing to fly home without it. Fortunately for me I had left it in the car and Delphi took it back to South Africa. This also meant that I would only be able to collect it in December. Which was the main reason there have been no posts since them.

Yes, I realise it's already more than half way through January, but Dayne & Matt had a baby, Kate & Kean came to visit, and I'm still trying to fit work into more days than are available in a week. I have set some plans in motion but they are going to take a month or two to have any effect. But! I downloaded the photos and within a day or two I'll get a post out.

I'm not sure there is anyone out there, but I hope so. Part of the reason for doing the blog is a visual diary for myself but also keeping in touch with you guys.  Let me know how you are, I'd love to hear from you.