Operation Wanderlust

After a leisurely Turkish breakfast at Villa Daffodil, we departed to Oludeniz (“Dead Sea” in Turkish) via dolmus (shared van). After expending copious amounts of energy sitting on the bus for 40 minutes I arrived in Oludeniz famished and the first order of business was to eat lunch in order to avoid another low-glucose situation. Fortunately for us near the bus stop was a donor kebab establishment which ended up being my favorite of the trip. I even convinced Marc to split a third wrap between the two of us.

With full bellies we continued on to the beach where we decided to walk to the Blue Lagoon nearby. We soon learned that it would cost us another $10/person to enter the lagoon area so we decided to stay put on the public beach which was deserted due to the shoulder season. We splurged for an umbrella and two chairs and spent most of the time talking with an American couple and a British family that were seated near us. Marc attempted to swim in the sea but the cold water kept him from taking more than a quick dip. Ezra, who loves taking a bath at home, screamed bloody murder when we tried to put his toes in the waves.

The American couple, Burt and April, was from Portland, Oregon and the wife was actually on the nearby mountaintop waiting to parasail when we arrived. We spent a lot of time looking at the sky with Burt waiting for a blue sail to emerge. They actually had done quite a bit of traveling so we traded stories and advice about new destinations. The British family had a 15 month old son named Oscar. Ezra and Oscar hit if off since Ezra was a rock eater and Oscar kept eating the sand.

By 5pm the sun was obscured in the clouds and it seemed like a good time to head back. Once back in Fethiye we of course looked for food and arrived a local restaurant where we tried pide for the first time. Pide is referred to as “Turkish pizza”. Marc was disappointed that we were going to miss the sunset on the Tombs of Amyntas but we managed to fit in all in. On the way we passed several Lycian sarcophagi in a small park and one in the middle of the street. These sarcophagi have distinctive shapes and design patterns and are found in various places along the coast. The Tombs of Amyntas are Lycian burial vaults carved into the rock and were very beautiful with the warm glow from the sunset. At the tombs we ran into our South Korean friends and watched the sunset over the mountains and Calis Bay.

Lodging: Villa Daffodil

After a relaxing morning at Melrose Hotel to counter the hectic previous day, we continued on with our journey by picking up a 12:30pm bus to Fethiye on the Mediterranean coast. While waiting for the bus we spent some time talking with two friendly solo South Korean travelers. The bus took us through beautiful, mountainous countryside. The scenery was breathtaking in places and Marc and I both wondered when we would actually hit the coast. Much to our surprise we could still see the mountains when we arrived in Fethiye; the merger of water and mountains created a spectacular coast line.

While checking in to the Villa Daffodil we conversed with the animated former Colonel who owns the hotel; with his two employees standing behind him we felt like were addressing the captain of a ship! Later we discovered that we were one of only seven guests. After getting settled we put Ezra into the stroller and took a walk on the board walk. Near the marina Marc noticed increased security, catering, and people walking around with 007 badges. Putting two and two together, we figured out that the next James Bond installment – Skyfall – was filming in Fethiye! Unfortunately, we didn’t run into Daniel Craig or Rachel Weisz but it added some excitement to the trip.

Since it was getting late our search for a restaurant was on, especially since I was approaching a critical “food mood”. For the uninitiated, this is a low-glucose condition where if I don’t eat I end up enraged at my travel partner. Some might call it a “Code Red” situation. We were on the search for a restaurant listed in the Lonely Planet guide. I was a little on edge at this point since my last meal was hours ago and I wanted to stop at just about any place. Marc reminded about our quest for good food and we finally found our destination, Deniz Restaurant (Deniz means sea in Turkish). It was almost 8pm and there were no customers so I was a bit skeptical, especially since we were about to eat seafood. Marc asked for a menu. No menu. Instead they showed us the mezes we could choose from and then peeled back a blanket on a large ice chest that revealed the freshly-caught fish we could choose from. After some discussion, we selected a red snapper and waited for our meal. We were not disappointed. Our waiter, a Jude Law look-alike, was very kind to us and even took Ezra for a few minutes when he became fussy so I could enjoy my dinner.

Not a bad way to end the day.

Lodging: Villa Daffodil

The three hour bus ride from Selcuk to Denizli went surprisingly well. As usual, Ezra made friends with two women who were happy to hold him for a bit. Near the end of the ride he started to get antsy and we kept him occupied with the secret weapons – Brown Bear, Brown Bear and cheerios. In Denizli we switched to a dolmus for the 45 minute ride to Pamukkale. As we meandered through town picking up passengers the dolmus started to get crowded, and Ezra started to get unhappy. By the time we hit the highway he was screaming and BA was at a loss. We were getting various suggestions from all sides – He’s hot; Here’s some water; He wants to be by the open window; Give him to me, I’ll hold him. Finally, we yanked him out of the ergo and pulled his pants off. The rapid cooling seemed to calm him down.

In Pamukkale we found the Melrose Hotel, dropped our stuff, enjoyed our customary post bus ride drinks, and got a shuttle ride to the South Entrance of the Hierapolis complex. Hierapolis was founded around 190 BC by Eumenes II, king of Pergamum. It evolved into a medicinal center that prospered under the Romans and the Byzantines. Recurrent earthquakes affected the city and it was abandoned after a major tremor in 1334. Highlights included the Roman theatre, Temple of Apollo, and Antique Pool. The theatre was built in two stages between 60 AD and 352 AD by emperors Hadrian and Septimius Severus. It had seating for 15,000 and featured an imperial (VIP) box, which is where I imagine Joaquin Phoenix giving a thumbs down to a defeated gladiator. The Temple of Apollo had an oracle tended by eunuch priests. The source of inspiration was an adjoining spring called the Plutonium, dedicated to Pluto, god of the underworld. The spring released poisonous gas, seen as a direct line to Hades. Temples dedicated to Apollo were often built over sites with geological activity, such as at Delphi. The focus of Hierapolis was its sacred pool, which is now a swimming pool. Visitors can still swim amid submerged sections of original fluted marble columns (as I did). The pool was shaped by a 7th century AD earthquake. The water temperature is warm (96.8F).

The highlight of Pamukkale is the network of white travertines that wind down the mountain. Travertines are terraces of carbonate material deposited by mineral springs. Pamukkale means “cotton castle” in Turkish. Hierapolis was built on top of the white mountain which can be seen from Denizli, 20 km away. From a distance, it looks like an otherworldly ski resort. People have bathed in these pools for thousands of years. In the mid-twentieth century, hotels were built over the ruins of Hierapolis, causing significant damage to the travertines. An approach road was even paved over the terraces. When the site was adopted by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1988, the hotels were dismantled and the road was removed and replaced with artificial pools. Other travertine terraces include Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone NP, Badab-e Surt in Iran, and Huanglong in China

Although initially reluctant, BA, Ezra, and I ended up walking down the dedicated path over the travertines. Wearing shoes in the water is strictly prohibited to protect the mineral deposits. Watchful guards angrily blow their whistles at unsuspecting tourists who ignore the rules.

Lodging: Melrose Hotel

Ephesus is considered one of the best-preserved classical cities in the Eastern Mediterranean region. At its peak, Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and boasted 250,000 inhabitants. The goddess Artemis was heavily worshipped here.

Our host from Nilya dropped us off at the Upper (Magnesia) Gate and we spent two pleasant hours meandering our way through the ruins of Ephesus to the Lower Gate. We arrived early to beat the heat but by 11am the sun was beating down hard and we couldn’t imagine visiting in June or July. Additionally, we navigated around various tour groups that tended to clog up the different buildings and boulevards. Later, we heard that in the peak season up to 30,000 visitors to Ephesus can be disgorged from cruise ships at Kusadasi in a single day. Yuck.

Highlights included the Odeon, Curetes Way, Library of Celcus and Great Theater. The Curetes Way was the primary boulevard of Ephesus, lined with rows of shops and pedestals displaying statues of honored citizens. The way was named for the demi-gods who helped Lena give birth to Artemis and Apollo. Celcus Polemaeanus was the Roman governor of Asia Minor early in the 2nd century AD. His son, Consul Tiberius Julius Aquila, erected the library in his father’s honor after the governor’s death in 114. The library held 12,000 scrolls in niches around its walls, making it the third-largest library in the ancient world after Alexandria (Egypt) and Pergamum (Turkey). The Great Theater was reconstructed by the Romans between AD 41 and AD 117. The first theater on the site dated from the Hellenistic city of Lysimachus. The cavea (seating area) was capable of holding 25,000 people, with each successive range of seating pitched more steeply than the one below, thereby improving the view and acoustics for spectators in the upper seats. Interesting fact: Archaeologists often estimate a city’s size by multiplying its theater’s capacity by ten.

Upon finishing our visit we strolled through the shady tree-lined path to the Lower Gate. Nilya has an arrangement with one of the gift shops to call to be picked up. When we returned to the hotel we announced we were heading to the bus station to travel to Pamukkale (the town). The guys called the bus station, determined that we had ten minutes until the next bus, and went into overdrive. We threw our stuff into the van and zipped over to the station, where our driver honked at a Pamukkale (the bus company) bus which was exiting the gate. Turned out this bus was actually heading to Istanbul and we had time to board our bus to Pamukkale (the town). Last minute antics like this are only possible in the shoulder season!

After checking out of our apartment and saying good-bye to Mamut, we carted our belongings about a half a mile to Taksim Square where we caught a taxi.  Due to our lack of Turkish we mistakenly told the driver we were headed to America when we thought the driver was asking where we were from.  This small error almost resulted in us being dropped off at the international terminal instead of the domestic terminal. Luckily, the signs at the airport are in Turkish and English so we figured it out; it only ended up costing us few extra liras to correct the situation.

Once we checked into the airport we headed to our gate but only after Marc botched going through security twice.  He forgot to take his laptop out of the bag and belt off.  The plane ride was only 40 minutes long and we entertained Ezra by reviewing the emergency landing card.  At the Izmir airport it took us so long to use the bathroom, change Ezra and gather our bags that we appeared to be the only passengers left.  After wandering around, a security guard helped us find the bus station that would bring us to the otogar, or bus station, where we would take one final bus ride to our final destination, Seluck. So, after a taxi ride, plane ride, two bus rides and another taxi ride we determined that Ezra was an amazing traveler and we would elect to tackle a more aggressive travel itinerary.

Since we are visiting Turkey in the shoulder season and there appear to be few tourists we were a bit cocky with our travel plans and did not make a hotel reservation in Seluck.  Marc picked out a place called Niyla and we were able to book the last room available (although there were plenty of options elsewhere).  Hotel Niyla was a bit more than we are used to spending while traveling but it was worth it.  The place was beautiful, the staff was friendly and it was so comfortable.  Due to the cost, the other travelers tended to be older but we still made friends with a Welsh and an Australian couple.  The staff was enamored with Ezra and grabbed him from us a few times to hold him and make faces at him.

After checking-in and freshening up, we decided to visit a few other sites Seluck had to offer and leave Ephesus for the following day.  First up was one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis.  After some unclear directions, we eventually made it but not before I mistakenly took a picture of Marc and Ezra is front of a random column on the street. At the Temple only one column remains (out of 127), which is topped by a stork’s nest.  I was surprised at the lack of infrastructure and security surrounding the Temple given its status.  Next up was a small mosque and then we walked up a hill to the Basilica of St John. Most of the Basilica that remains has been restored but it was still a beautiful place.

Now that our stomachs were grumbling we began the search for dinner.  We settled on a local place overlooking the Roman aqueducts, where we tried kofte, a Turkish lamb sausage, for the first time.  In the video you can see Ezra gobble it up.

The evening ended with us relaxing in our quaint hotel and chatting with a Welsh couple.

Lodging: Hotel Nilya

This morning we woke up to what sounded like a parade marching through Beyoglu. I headed out to pick up breakfast and discovered a school nearby. In the main plaza hundreds of students were gathered around in a circle listening to music and cheering. I also noticed that red and white Turkish flags were suspended from the windows and doorways of many buildings. Later we determined that it was an Ataturk-related holiday for children. For breakfast I ordered a cheese gozleme (pancake) from O Hala, which we ate back at the apartment.

We elected to use the stroller today. We walked down Istakli Cadissi taking in the morning activity and storefronts. We stopped for a coffee break at a small cafe. At Galata Tower we snapped a few photos. The last section of the street was rather steep. Crossing under the busy intersection via an underground mall we arrived at the Galata Bridge. While waiting for the Bosphorus Tour ferry to depart we ate fish sandwiches for lunch, freshly caught at the nearby fish market. Once on the boat it became apparent that we had accidentally boarded the ferry which traverses between the European and Asian sides of the strait. On the Asian side we appealed to a ferry employee who happily showed us to the correct tour ferry. The tour ferry was very crowded with Turkish tourists; we appeared to be the only foreign tourists. The tour sailed idyllically up to the Fatih Bridge where we turned around. After docking at the Asian wharf we quickly hopped on the ferry back to XXX on the European side.

From there we headed up into the Bazaar District of Sultanahmet. This area was very crowded and we had to fold up the stroller while carrying Ezra. In the Spice Bazaar Beth Ann got lured into a spice store where she simultaneously became intoxicated by the offerings and temporarily forgot the exchange rate. We left $41 poorer but with plenty of chicken spice and peppercorns. Continuing uphill we strolled past clothing stores (“jeans, jeans!”), jewelry stores, toy stores, and various other wares. At an orange juice stand I struck up a conversation with the two employees.

OJ Boy: Where are you from?
Marc: United States.
OJ Boy: Manchester? Very Nice!
OJ Man: United States, not United Kingdom.
OJ Boy: Oh, very nice!
Marc: Where are you from?
OJ Man: From the South.
OJ Boy: Very nice place!
OJ Man: Not very nice.
Marc: Near Syrian border?
OJ Man: Yes.

We checked out the Grand Bazaar itself, which is enclosed mini-city of stores and narrow passages.  Neither of us were very much in the shopping mood so we exited through a book store area and into the XXX Square in front of Istanbul University.  From there we meandered our way to the XXX Mosque.  Ezra was starting to get cranky so Beth Ann walked with him while I checked out the mosque interior, which was just as beautiful as the Blue Mosque.  The courtyard, gardens, and grounds were also very pretty.  From the mosque we descended down to the Golden Horn and across the Galata Bridge where we caught a taxi back to Taksim Square.

At this point, however, we became ambitious and decided to walk back down Istakli Cadissi to trendy Sulhane Street where we found the XXX 9 restaurant.  Here we enjoyed a tasty dinner of mezes on the second floor surrounded by other knowledgeable tourists from various countries (Spain, UK, etc.).  We had cheese, yogurt, eggplant, XXX, farmer’s salad, and fried calamari.  Yum.

Lodging: Istanbul Apartments

Ezra didn’t sleep very much on our first night.  In fact, we were up til 3:30am with him.  In the morning I went out to purchase nescafe instant coffee, yogurts, and packaged pancakes for breakfast.  As it was Sunday morning the streets were pretty quiet.  After eating breakfast in our living room, Ezra and Beth Ann napped on the couch while I prepared the day pack for our outing.  Finally, we headed out around 11:30am, a late start for us but we have a third traveler with us, after all!  We walked up Istakli Cassadi to Taksim Square, a central landmark of the Beyoglu neighborhood which commemorates XXX.  From there we caught a taxi to Sultanahmet.  Before getting in the taxi I asked the taxi driver to write the estimated price in our notebook, to which he smirkingly agreed.

Sultanahmet is the old section of Istanbul in which several of the major sights are located.  It also very touristy, filled with souvenir shops, hotels, and restaurants catering to visitors.  We strolled around Sultanahmet Park to figure out the locations and opening times of the various sights.  Up a small hill we got a beautiful view of the Blue Mosque and its six soaring minarets.  After that, it was time for lunch!  Unfortunately, we’ve gotten rusty since Operation Wanderlust and we walked into the first restaurant we found on the main street.  I got lamb doner kebab and Beth Ann got chicken doner kebab.  The food was mediocre and expensive (TL10) given that a doner kebab from a takeaway shop would have run us TL2.

With full bellies we proceeded to the Blue Mosque which was constructed in XXX by XXX.  Visitors are required to remove their shoes and carry them.  The interior of the mosque was breathtaking.  The large dome is intricate decorated and supported by four large “elephant’s feet” columns.  An imam was reading verses from the Koran while men prayed in the central area.  Women are required to pray in a separate smaller section in the back.  There was also a balcony open to women but Beth Ann was denied entrance.

Back outside we continued on to the Aya Sofya museum.  This beautiful building was constructed as a mosque in XXX by XXX.  Later, in XXX, it was converted to a church.  Now it functions as a museum.  The beautiful interior dome is supported by columns hidden in the walls, which gives an illusion that it is floating.  Several large medallions hang around the interior space, which the names of XXX engraved on them.  On the mezzanine, Ezra started to get antsy so Beth Ann fed him in a corner and then we let him crawl around for a bit.  After exiting the Aya Sofya we changed Ezra’s diaper at the bathroom and took a stroll around Sultanahmet.  Pleasant area but a little too touristy for our liking.  We stopped at a cafe for a refreshing apple tea and nescafe break.

After our break we managed to enter the Basilica Cistern just before closing.  This was a neat highlight of the day, an underground water storage area built by the Romans in XXX.  XXX atmospherically lit columns stand in shallow water supporting the ceiling.  An elevated walkway winds through the cistern and two Medusa head carvings can be found in the rear area.  Leaving the cistern we walked downhill to the tram.  Along the way a man motioned to me that he wanted to hold Ezra but BA didn’t think it was a good idea.  Later we realized that everyone in this country loves babies and wants to hold Ezra!  The tram took us two stops to the Galata bridge which connects Sultanahmet with XXX.  From the bridge several mosques and the Istanbul skyline are visible, as well as Asia across the Bosphorus.  Men fish from the top of the bridge, while bars and fish restaurants line the bottom level.  We stopped for a beer and tea to enjoy the sunset.  Ezra didn’t enjoy it, however, so we left before he had a full meltdown.  Across the bridge we caught a taxi up to Taksim Square.  For dinner we managed to locate the XXX restaurant described in our guidebook, where we feasted on kebabs, ayrun yogurt drinks, and a tasty salad.  Both of us started nodding off near the end of our meal so we beat a hasty retreat back to the apartment.

Lodging: Istanbul Apartments