"Turkey Absolute" Absolutely

It was time for another adventure and this year took me to Turkey. Turkey was the obvious choice – moving clockwise around the Mediterranean, having conquered Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, it was time to begin the southern arc towards Africa. Of course, I had experienced a taste of Islam in the art and architecture of Spain, but Islamic traditions and customs were new to me, especially visiting the country during Ramadan. So, booking my fifth trip with GAP Adventures, “Absolute Turkey,” I flew from Toronto (via Frankfurt) to the one-time capital of Turkey, Istanbul.

I realized I was no longer in Canada, then when leaving the airport, the taxi driver leaned back and offered me a cigarette. From the windows of the taxi, my first impressions of Turkey formed from young couples stroll arm in arm along the beautiful waterfront, a room prepared for enjoying sunsets over many of the city of minarets and domes. The streets were full – full of locals, tourists, and vendors with tables loaded with knock-off Lacoste, Burberry, and cologne. Studying art history at the university, there was no discussion about my first stop – the Hagia Sophia. Nearly 1400 years ago started this monument seen Byzantine emperors

empresses and enrich the walls with gold and loot from around the world, followed by the conquest of the Ottoman sultans and their conversion into one of the world's most famous mosques. Mosaics of Christ, Mary, the saints and apostles, are interspersed with medallions with the calligraphic form of the Islamic faith. There was another icon of art history, which took me around the corner from the Hagia Sophia to the Archaeological Museum. The 'Alexander Sarcophagus "is a landmark known to many students of Art History – for its exemplary three-dimensional carving and for his subject of Alexander the Great in battle with the Persians. That night saw the gathering of the" Absolute Turkey "group consisting Canadians, Americans, Brits and an Aussie and is led by our local guide Ibo. We realized that our tour coincided with Ramadan, when we tried beers – a request which was unfavorable answered that evening.

We woke the next day ready to show us Ibo Istanbul on foot. The first stop was the Süleymaniye Mosque, where shoes were removed prior to step on the carpet. What made this ornate Mosque "human" were two men vacuuming of the

If I was planning on a good night's sleep, it did not happen. It was not a direct train from Istanbul to Ankara and stopped at least once an hour. After a journey of swaying back and forth on the top bunk and try to get my contacts on a moving train, we arrived at our destination, where our driver was waiting Mathin with the minivan. Stop at the second largest lake in Turkey, Tuz Lake, our legs stretched out in a sea of salt, which is paved at the height of the water. Four hours later, we saw in the distance Piller-like geological formations of Goreme and after checking into the hotel and eating lunch, we went to one of the most Turkish of Turkish experience – the Turkish bath. Sauna – good. Massage – good. Soapy water slopped into a pillow on my back – good. Stores on the back and douses of cold water – not expected! Dinner

Night took us home from a local family where we were served soup, lamb, and baklava.

Before sunrise the next morning, eight of us arose at 4:15 to be picked up and taken to the site where our hot air balloon would fly us over central Turkey. Huddled together in the chilly morning, we understand hot cups of coffee and tea before we were separated and taken to our balloons. Driving on, we saw a huge flame expanding the limp balloons, causing them to life. Climb into the baskets, we were off. The flight was smooth over with a panoramic view over the countryside. An hour later, finding a landing spot was a different story if we were one of at least 50 other balloons in search of land at the same time. "Ten minutes" was mentioned at least twice until we finally landing, interrupting the champagne celebration of another group that had just landed balloon. Toast the flight with our own glasses champs and we got our certificates (which we had survived?) And returned to the hotel and member of the rest of the group for a tour of the Red Valley. Our last day in

the Cappadocia region began with a visit to Uchisar fortress even more impressive views of the valley offered. Then we were treated to a display at a local carpet manufacturer before going to the Open Air Museum of Goreme, where churches and other houses were built in the mountains. The day was not complete without a visit to the Turkish Folk Night, which I equated to a combination of Medieval Times and So You Think You Can Dance: Turkey.

We left Cappadocia and piled back into the minibus, where our next stop was the underground city of Derinkuyu. Once home to approximately 20,000 individuals, the city drops 197 meters, and while we were on the eighth and lowest level, the power went out so we are in complete darkness. Fortunately, what felt like minutes were just a few seconds and the lights came back on, to our great relief. We then out for a walk in the Ihlara Valley, which I hike last year, the Samaria Gorge and Irini compared in terms of vegetation and towering rock walls around us. Four hours after the end of our hike, we arrived in Konya and visit the Mevlana Museum, where the

founder of the dervish (whirling dervishes as) is buried sect. Arriving at our hotel in Kanlioglu, we on the way to an authentic Ramadan dinner (pizza and Fanta, of course) and happened on a local festival in the central square.

It was way too long since seeing the sea before, so we went south on the Mediterranean coast, Antalya, navigating some very, very narrow streets along the route. Hoping for the tram, a few of our visit to the National Archaeological Museum, which has some great images and had carved sarcophagi. After being bred, we walked to the beach where the Efes beer purchased and consumed under umbrellas between dips in the Mediterranean. More drinks were enjoyed on the hotel balcony overlooking the sea for dinner.

barge. We used both the boot and the warm waters of jumping from the side and swim in monstrous caverns where dolphins were known to the birth of their young and bats circled above, from the site in the dark depths (yes, it sounds very dramatically). We passed over a sunken city once inhabited by the Lycians and then climbed many stairs to a castle built in the mid-fifteenth century. After docking at "Junk Harbour" (it was not the most picturesque location, but made for later that night and early the next morning), we had a dip in the captain's family prepared a seafood dinner. Discover that vodka and Fanta had a great mix, we ended the evening dancing on the upper deck, glass in hand, and enjoy a fantastic view of the Milky Way and thousands of stars before our attention on mattresses and fall asleep under the Mediterranean stars .

Early fingers of the sun woke a few of us in time to the beautiful sunrise, which causes the surrounding countryside to morph into shades of purple, blue, and pink look. After a swim before breakfast (and a dolphin observation), we have taken and

were driven to the restaurant of the captain's brother on the beach where we swam, sunned and ate a fabulous lunch of pizza, Fanta, and fries. Back aboard the minibus we drove to the seaside town of Kas, where we checked into "old" huts.

The next morning began with a five hour drive to Pamukkale. After a rest by the pool, Ibo took us on a tour of Heriopolis, a fashionable spa town of the Hellenistic period, famous for its thermal baths. After a walk around the agora, the theater and necropolis, my feet in a thermal pool (watch out for security because I did not pay). Next we visited the World Heritage Site of Pamukkale or "Cotton Castle" – white terraces of calcium carbonate which we from above downwards, while the sun set.

A three hour drive the next day saw us arrive at the town of Selcuk. We are the oldest mosque in Turkey, followed by the magnificent ruins of the Basilica of St. John, which, when completed, would have been the seventh largest cathedral in the world to explore. After lunch, we visited the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, one of the

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the local museum. When cooled in the afternoon we visited the site of Ephesus – is the main street of this historic city and ends at the iconic Library brought good memories of my first trip here in 2007.

The next morning began with a run past the Temple of Artemis for breakfast and then a fashion show at 9am local leather factory and a stop at a store onyx. Tonight stay in Kas was restored Ottoman mansion converted into a pencion. The view from our room looking over the Aegean Sea and the distant Greek island of Lesbos was visible. A few of us explored the market, which was filled with fruits, vegetables, home baked products and tools. Of course I found the Puma store in town and fortunately it was a haven of safety when a knife fight broke out just outside the doors. A brilliant dinner Kalamari (a vodka and Fanta) was consumed before returning to the patio of the hotel for a few glasses of wine every day to end.

After a delicious breakfast on the terrace, we

Enriched by the story, the next morning on board the boat across the Dardanelles, the narrowest point of the Bosphorus which separates Europe and Asia, and drove to the sites of Gallipoli. A personal and poignant moment came for us as a member of our group took her family name on the monument which the British soldiers who died in Gallipoli honored. It was also an important moment for our Aussie, who returned to those who were deceased at ANZAC Cove. Walking among the graves and reading the messages carved into the stone was a poignant moment – many were formal, citing biblical passages, while others are personal, like "Well done,

Ted. "We visited the war trenches where on occasions the Turks and the Aussies were only meters away from each other for almost nine months the siege continued. Back in the minivan, our driver Mathin sang a haunting song about the siege, which was supposed to be sung by a Turkish soldier every night. One night, an Aussie has not heard the song on the other side of the channel and thought it was his bullet that the song ended. Five hours later, we arrived back at our original hotel Istanbul, Ramadan is set to end at sunset. Thousands of families filled the square between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. We have all the tour ended with a fantastic restaurant, seated on plush cushions, and we toasted vodka Fantas memories our adventures. Leaving Istanbul the next morning was an experience that two guys, a minivan, and a pug dog involved – but that's another story.

Turkey was everything I expected and more. Studying classical civilization at university, I always heard of the Persian Empire as "the others" or "the enemy", but seeing first hand the vibrant culture of Turkey, both today and over the centuries, it is clear that

this country has flourished through its interaction with cultures from around the Mediterranean and Asia. Would I recommend this trip to find an adventure filled with new experiences, traditions, and people – "absolutely."

There are more pictures at the bottom of this page

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Submited at Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 at 6:00 pm on Middle East by samantha
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