Memories of Greece and Turkey.

Posing in front of the Parthenon, atop the Acropolis in Athens.

Yasas! Merhaba! Hello! This is the diary of my trip to Greece and Turkey in 2014, my brother's and my annual trip this year.

We had a fantastic time and I was so relieved about that!  Since I was retired, I had time to plan each and every day of this 28 trip!  It was a LOT of research and planning  - I think I set a personal record for how much time and effort it took!  But, I am proud to say that from a logistics perspective, everything went smoothly - our flights arrived on time, our rental cars were waiting for us as promised, our accommodations all worked out - from hotels to guesthouses to apartments.

A Day on Büyükada.

On our island *tour bus*.

We arrived in to Büyükada after about a 90 minute boat ride from Kabataş.  I, we, had done exactly zero reading on what there is to do or see here.  Personally, after nearly 4 weeks of pretty much constant sightseeing, I'm happy to spend a day doing nothing but sitting at a cafe and people watching or just sitting on a park bench and watching the world go by.  I would welcome any chance to just decompress a bit.

The Boat Trip to Büyükada.

Today was our last day in Istanbul; we leave for home bright and early tomorrow morning. I cannot believe that it was four weeks ago that we landed in Athens. Time really has flown by and well, that's because we've had a blast!

I had deliberately left this day open on our itinerary. Since we didn't have a chance to visit Dolmabahçe Palace yesterday, I had originally thought we would do it today but unfortunately, it's closed. So, I mentioned a day trip to the Princes Islands - following up on a suggestion by my Turkish friend, Ayşe.  Bro had no objections to taking a trip outside the city so that was how we spent today.

A Museum and a Park.

Feeling good! After our very satisfying, finger lickin' good luck of tavuk kanat aka grilled chicken wings, it was time to go back to doing more sightseeing.

We had to head back to Gülhane Park which is where the The Istanbul Archaeology Museums are located. Of course, I told Bro that I knew the way back and I did but we somehow ended up several blocks out of the way - way past Çemberlitaş Hamamı on Divan Yolu Cd. Thankfully, we had plenty of energy to recover from our detour. That and it really was a pleasant day for a stroll in the city.

My Istanbul Food Obsessions. Tavuk Kanat and Lokum.

When in Istanbul, I eat. I have loved Turkish long before I ever set foot in the country, but since my first visit back in 2008, I have grown to appreciate the culinary tastes of this country even more.  With each visit, I bring back a new food obsession with me.  On my first visit it was the ice cream and bilek ekmek.  On my second visit, it was döner kebab and fırın sütlaç. On this visit, it's tavuk kanat aka grilled chicken wings and lokum....but not the cubed stuff sold in boxes targeted at tourists.

A Most Grand Palace. Topkapı Sarayı.

It was more sightseeing today. We started at another of Istanbul's historic gems - Topkapı Sarayı (Palace). We headed back on the tram towards Sultanahmet, getting off at the Gülhane stop. From here, it's barely about a five minute walk, uphill, to the entrance to Gülhane Park. Inside, is a street that leads uphill to Topkapı Palace.

Exploring, Discovering, Enjoying.

The Grand Bazaar.

There's only so much sightseeing that you can do before you reach overload. I've learned that with Bro and I, every other day or so, we need some downtime. That doesn't meant not doing anything. Instead, it may mean that we just wander about town without a specific agenda in mind. Such was the case after visiting the Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Basiica Cistern this morning. Rather than packing in more sightseeing, I left our afternoon open.

A Really Big Underground Pool. Yerebatan Sarayı.

Located stone's throw from both the Aya Sophia and Sultanahmet Cami is another of Istanbul's Historic treasures. Known in Turkish as *Yerebatan Sarayı* which translates as *Sunken Palace*, the Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city and supplied water to its ancient residents. The cistern was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. It gets its name from a large public square, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed.

The ticket booth is at street level.  We bought two tickets and took the stairs down.  As we descended, the air felt increasingly damp and you could smell the stale water. 

I remember coming here in 2008 and told Bro a bit about it as we stood in line waiting to buy our entry tickets. But I didn't want to give it all away because it's quite something to experience just how massive this cistern is.

A Grand Mosque. Sultanahmet Cami.

Our visit of Istanbul's heritage landmarks started today with Aya Sophia.  From there, I led Bro across the plaza that separates the former church from its true Islamic counterpart - Sultanahmet Cami or as it's more popularly known as, the Blue Mosque.

The One. The Only. Aya Sopia.

I woke up rested and raring to go.  By the time I got out of the shower, Bro was ready to go in. We had a quick breakfast of eggs, bread and jam, yogurt and fruit and tea. It's become our de facto breakfast menu on this trip and even on our previous trip to the Baltics during which we stayed in an Airbnb apartment in Tallinn.

To Water.

View of Yeni Cami and the fish restaurants.

We ended our first full day of sightseeing by spending along the Golden Horn.  After visiting Süleymaniye Cami, we walked back to Yeni Cami.  I wanted to take Bro to the Galata Bridge to see the fishermen who congregate along its sides to cast their lines in to the water below.  It's quite a sight to see.

It's been 6 years since I've been here but I still remembered to take the underpass to cross the street.  It's basically a shopping arcade.

Süleymaniye Cami....Finally!

We finally made it to Süleymaniye Cami. After lunch, we successfully retraced our steps back from Rüstem Paşa Cami. Hard to believe but true!

We entered back through the same arched entryway and this time, instead of going straight towards the cemetery, we turned left and headed towards the visitors entrance.

Rüstem Paşa Cami.

Looking up at the archway above the entry door.

With Süleymaniye Cami closed for lunchtime prayer, we headed to Rüstem Paşa Cami instead. It was back to the chaos of the streets.  So many people out and about shopping, eating....going about their daily business.

Somehow, we had ended up in the backstreets.  As best we could, we were both making mental notes of our surroundings as we would have to retrace our steps to get back to Süleymaniye Cami.

Finding Süleymaniye Cami.

My original itinerary for today had us visiting Süleymaniye Cami as the first thing we would. By noon, we had yet to make it there. I was determined to go as this is one place in Istanbul that I have never been to. So, after we got Yeni Camii, the Plant and Pet Markets, and the Spice Bazaar out of the way, it was time to go to Süleymaniye.

Plants & Spices.

D

id I tell you Bro loves plants? It's undeniable he has a love for all things green, flowering, and fruiting and lucky for him, he has a green thumb to go with it so pretty much anything he plants, grows and flourishes. His latest obsession is with grafting trees and one of his recent favorite trees to graft is the mulberry....which they have plenty of in Turkey.

Yeni Cami (New Mosque).

First morning in Istanbul. I had a great night's sleep. Though our neighborhood is bustling with activity during the day, it's dead quiet at night. I opted to sleep on the living room couch so I could open the window. The temperature during the night was perfect for me.

Yesterday, I had asked Pelin for a recommendation on where to go to have a *real* Turkish breakfast.  So far, Bro has only had tourist meals.  I want him to have a taste of the real thing.  Pelin recommended a place called Van, named after the Kurdish city in Eastern Turkey.  Located just around the corner from the apartment, we had passed by it on our walk yesterday. Turns out it's a very popular place for locals to come for breakfast. Perfect!

Istanbul, Here We Come!

It was another early morning rise today. We left Cappadocia bright and early at 6am to catch our 8am flight from Kayseri to Istanbul. I can't believe our time in Cappadocia is over :-(

Yesterday, we had purchased our tickets for a ride on a shuttle van from Göreme to the airport. Bro and I were at the hotel's front entrance a few minutes before 6am. No one was in the office - too early for Erdoğan. So, I left the room key in the room and pulled the door closed. I left hoping that was the okay thing to do.

Uçhisar & Pigeon Valley.

It was our last afternoon in Cappadocia. We had seen and done a lot in the two plus days we had been here. I had reached the stage where I would have been happy just sitting in a cafe and whiling the rest of our stay here. Understandably, Bro wanted to make the most of his visit as he, like me when I was first here, has no idea if he will ever be back.  So, there was one place left to go - Pigeon Valley.  The name had kept coming up in conversation and even though I knew that by now, seeing Pigeon Valley was not really going to add much to Bro's overall Cappadocia experience.  I had been here before and while it's a nice place, it most certainly pales in comparison to either White or Rose valleys.  But, there was no way that I would dream of stopping Bro from coming here.

Baglidere (White Valley)

The last time I came to the White Valley, I arrived on the back of a flat bed tractor driven by my friend Şahin who lives and works in Göreme. We had come with his cousin, Ersin, to gather firewood.   It was a crisp fall day and most certainly gathering wood gave me a whole different perspective on the place.  Earlier that same week, I had come with the two of them and two other tourists for a hike from Göreme through Pigeon Valley to White Valley.  It was a full day outing which I really enjoyed.  So, this was my third visit to White Valley.

Göreme Open Air Museum.

We saved the best for last! Today, we visited what I would consider as the pièce de résistance of the cultural landmarks in Cappadocia - the Göreme Open Air Museum.