A LETTER TO A FRIEND
Following is a copy of a letter sent to a friend by one of my guests in which she reflects on the Let’s Talk Turkey tour.
I had the time of my life in Turkey. Our tour leader, Shirley organised the trip as she lived in Turkey for about 10 years and hosted tours for a company for the first three years. Her knowledge and attention to detail was outstanding and we would all think each day was the best only to be surpassed the next.
We had a lovely restored Ottoman home as our hotel, and being in the heart of Sultanahmet in the old city, we were within easy walking distance to all the major venues. Our breakfast view from our restaurant on the terraced roof, we had the magnificent St. Sophia church and Topkapi Palace on one side and views of the Marmara Sea with its constant sea traffic on the other. The tranquil beauty and historical timelessness of the scene is etched in my mind forever and I travel there when I am feeling a bit stressed.
We had tours of St Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the Underground Cistern over the next two days where we were assaulted with visions and history of the Roman, Christian, Byzantine and Ottoman eras by two such knowledgeable guides who brought these times and the beautiful buildings alive for us. That the buildings and gardens have been and are continuing to be so lovingly restored and maintained is a credit to the Turkish people.
We also took a ferry along the Bosphorus stopping at a seaside village for a seafood lunch. The scenery is quite mind-blowing as Istanbul has a population of 17 million and the city spreads on both sides of the Bosphorus for seemingly eternity. People live in high rises and markets abound everywhere with a fascinating range of goods for sale.
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul was amazing as it is like the Victoria Market in Melbourne but has over 2000 shops under one historic cover, is a cacophony of sound and visual delights, the owners enticing us into their shops with their smiles and questions of “how can we take your money?” It was truly a shoppers’ paradise and I can highly recommend a visit there. All the owners speak English, and are most respectful and charming even offering “chai” (black tea served in a small glass cup) whilst you made your purchases.
Our next stop was Gallipoli which was a most humbling and reflective experience for us all. We visited the war museum, the ANZACS landing beach, Lone Pine and walked through the trenches marvelling at the toughness and resilience and mate-ship that was shared by the ANZACS and the Turks. The history was brought alive by the animated stories from our Turkish guide, Kenan, who is an authority on Gallipoli, and a frequent visitor to Australia and Canberra.
It was quite eerie as we walked through the rows of graves, the plaques simply stating the young man’s age and name. You could almost hear and feel their cries and sadness in the gentle whispers of the wind. We learnt so much about the fighting, the soldiers, the courage and endurance of both sides; we paddled in the water at Anzac Cove and quietly imagined how it must have felt for these young lads thrown into war as human fodder.The memorials and statues situated throughout the area are most impressive and a wonderful tribute to the fallen. In all on amazing experience, one I highly recommend to anyone.
Our group of ten plus the owner driver of the small air-conditioned bus, (which drove us exclusively around Turkey), left Gallipoli catching the ferry over the Dardanelles to Canakkale and on to Troy. There we stopped at the ‘big horse’ and explored the ancient ruins of an old city which is being excavated. Then on to Bergama, an agricultural town, outside of which we visited the ancient ruins of Pergamum, dating back to early Roman and Christian period. It is staggering to walk the marble and granite streets, flanked by marble Roman columns, buildings and a huge amphitheatre and then the first hospital at Asklepion. Our guides hammered us with facts, dates and amazing stories which left us in awe of sights of which we could only dream.
Our next stop was the city of Selcuk, by the Aegean, then on to Pamukkale, the home of red mud thermal pools. Our hotel was magnificent, complete with its own mud thermal pool, where we sat in the warm to hot water, caked ourselves with the mud which sits on the bottom, allowed it to dry for about 5-10 minutes, then washed it off in another pool, and then had a relaxing swim in the beautiful normal pool. Our skins glistened and at our group dinner that night, we were all glowing with health and amazement. (and we all slept like babies)
Next morning, we visited Hieropolis, where we saw ancient tombs and areas of the natural springs which look like sheets of salt or snow. It is a very famous region as people travel from near and far to bathe in the waters, which are said to be healing and beneficial.
Next, we headed for Fethiye, a beautiful holiday city on the Mediterranean, where we boarded a gulet (yacht) for the next three nights.
We had cabins to share but we mostly slept on deck on mattresses, where it was cool and fresh and we were spoilt by the cook and the captain. We sailed amongst the many coves and coastline of the area, putting down anchor to swim in the sea as the whim took us, dozing and reading books throughout the day, pulling into a quiet inlet at night contemplating our taste of life as the rich and famous must do. Ah Heaven!!!!!
After our sojourn on the gulet, we headed to Antalya, a vibrant, colourful city on the Mediterranean coast where we stayed in a beautiful restored Ottoman House which sat on top of the harbour with breathtaking views from the restaurant. Again, we stayed in the Old City, which was crammed with bazaars, restaurants, museums, people and history. It was fabulous and I loved it, especially the buildings and old-world atmosphere combined with modern day life. The restaurants were fabulous, the shopping exciting and I even got lost for two hours one day as I tried to find my way back to the hotel, after deciding to just duck around the shops for a little while on my own. The streets are like a maze and after awhile they all look the same and I ended up in an area full of fascinating pensions and artistic people. Eventually found my landmark and finally made it back, but I treasure the experience even though I was hot tired and getting a bit cranky.
After Antalya we travelled through areas of hothouses which stretched for miles, as agriculture is a main industry in Turkey, as it is a country the size of NSW with a population of 60 million. We arrived in Konya which is the home of the Whirling Dervish Sect and we were very fortunate that there was a free concert that evening in a huge concert hall. We all sat enthralled at their dancing and concentration as they spin and meditate, their white gowns flowing – a very spiritual experience. We also visited an underground mall which consisted entirely of gold jewellery shops. It was a sight to behold, and was another we added to our collection of memories.
Leaving Konya we arrived some hours later in the area of Cappadocia, where we stayed at the town of Avanos in a delightful rustic (the words of our tour leader Shirley) hotel, which was a mix of French Provincial old world charm, lovingly revamped by the owner, an artist whose original paintings and sculptures dotted the buildings amongst the vintage furniture. We climbed stairs to our rooms and basked in the old-world charm.
We went ballooning next morning, leaving the hotel at 5am going to Goreme, a famous town where most tourists in the area congregate. There were sixteen in our balloon and the views of the valleys, caves, rock formations and buildings is unbelievable, surely one of the wonders of the world. Do ‘Google’ the area and find some pictures, as I cannot explain it. Whilst we were up, we counted another 38 balloons at the same time, absolutely awesome and the skills of the pilots was amazing as they all landed their balloon on the back of a waiting trailer and utility. Our last night in Cappadocia we were treated to a folklore night, with the troupes of dancers treating us to Russian Cossack type dancing with the gorgeous belly dancer being the icing on the cake (especially for the men !!!! )
We finally headed for Ankara where we visited Ataturk’s Mausoleum, a magnificent tribute to his memory, had dinner at a fascinating hill top restaurant overlooking the city, which treated us to a beautiful sunset, replaced by the twinkle of lights of a sprawling city. A half hour walk to the train station where we boarded the overnighter to arrive back in Istanbul at 8am next morning.
We returned to our original hotel and spent another 2 days doing our own thing and it was quite sad to finally say goodbye to our group as we all headed our own ways back to Melbourne and home. We made wonderful friendships, some of which I think may last.