10 nights, 7 places, a group of great people & a country that amazes - my tour through Turkey was incredible.
After spending a couple of extra nights in Istanbul, Ecebat was the first stop for a trip to Gallipoli. Gallipoli is always going to be a special place for Australians to visit and my time there was no different. To be taught about the ANZAC landings on these beaches is one thing but to see the idyllic landscape now is both hard and easy to imagine how it was a century ago. The memorials are very moving especially the displayed quote by Ataturk, the eventual founder of the Turkish state. He stated "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours... you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well".
I opted out of the trip to Troy as I had heard it wasn't that impressive. No worries though, just across the river from Ecebat we found the Trojan horse used in the movie. Way more interesting! Next stop was at the small harbour town of Ayvalik. While not a big town, watching the sunset from our rooftop terrace and having a UNO/bullshit tournament certainly made the night a fun one.
Selcuk was the place for the ancient ruins of Ephesus and delicious gozleme. Equally amazing? Perhaps. These well preserved ruins are yet another example of the incredible talent and expertise that people thousands of years ago possessed in order to create something so magnificent and so out of the realm of modern architecture. Oh and if you were wondering, the gozleme was spinach and feta and absolutely delightful.
Our next destination was a complete shock! The natural calcium formations gave Pamukkale's mountain a bizarre but very cool look. Think a snow field in the wind down of the season. You have to walk up with no shoes. Initially really cold, the water trickling down the mountain quickly heats up and makes the climb quite tricky in parts. The sunset provided picturesque views and definitely made this town an unexpected wonder of the trip.
Ah and yes! Next came the conservative town of the Whirling Dervishes! A traditional ceremony given the upmost importance in Konya. The literally whirling men were a sight to see once in your life. I reiterate 'once'. The repetitiveness of the ceremony certainly wore on us after a long seven hour bus trip. However, it was definitely worth sticking with it to the end to see the locals chant and pray along with the Dervishes. I'm still wondering how none of the dervishes fell down from dizziness though!
So last but certainly not least is Cappadocia! Love, love, love. This extraordinary place was completely bizarre and different to anything I had ever seen before! Houses and defence formations made out massive rocks. Quite smart considering if they were under attack they blended into the landscape and really who would think to look in the rocks. Despite mum being paranoid that I would go on a hot air balloon ride my lifelong warnings from her have definitely stuck. I ended up trekking up the mountain to see sunrise and the rise of the balloons. Definitely didn't feel like I missed out on anything despite having my feet firmly planted on solid ground. Oh and our group now has a local pub in Goreme, Fatboys! An Aussie/Turkish owned place. 5 meals to be eaten while there, 5 meals eaten at Fatboys. Also a fun late night dancing and drinking with the local staff and a few of us!
Phew, big blog! Hope you weren't bored because I certainly wasn't during my time in Turkey!
