Posts tagged ‘Europe’

May 2

Guzelyurt

We have two nights books in Goreme, Cappadocia, but having left Istanbul a day early, we now have two nights to fill in. There is nowhere on the way that is standing out, except for a small village on the fringe of Cappadocia called Guzelyurt. It has a population of about 4,000 people, sitting ontop of the hills. The village is gorgeous and lives up to its translation: ‘beautiful land’.

The buildings are a blend of stone houses built amongst ancestral ruins of ancient cave homes. We find the Osmanoglu Hotel, a 200-year-old stone house (which in the scheme of things is young). We are warmly welcomed and shown two rooms, richly furnished in traditional turkish style. They exude comfort and after Istanbul, it’s just what we need. How can we refuse; the rate is good and from the moment we walked in we were treated like family.

We are asked if we would like to eat dinner at the hotel. With only 8 rooms there is no menu – you get whatever the special of the day is – and we sit down to a sumptuous home cooked meal. Salads, bread (of course) as well as chicken and lamb, it seemed to go on and on. We ate and chatted with the family, as all are keen to improve their English. The meal was so good we agreed that this would be our dinner option the following night as well. Ten year old Fahti was very keen to chat in English and was great fun. By the end of the second night we had them doing the chicken dance (it will take too long to explain how we got to that point).

Not far out of the village is the lhlara Valley. Christianity, which was introduced to the region by St. Paul, met much resistance in the early years. The Christians hid themselves in places like Guzelyurt and the surrounding Ihlara Valley. The valley suddenly appears on an otherwise flat and rocky landscape, and although looking inhospitable, persistent farmers grow crops and graze sheep and goats. Out of nowhere a lush forested valley appears. The 100m decent into the valley is via a steep set of terraced stairs. Katrina, who is not so good with heights, isn’t very comfortable, so we sandwich her in between Don and I and make our way down (quickly). We divided our exploration of the valley into two days – This first afternoon, we followed the floor of the valley along the river for about 8km, stopping off to climb up into rock dwellings and churches, many with well preserved frescoes. The detail, colour and craftmanship in this work dates back to the Byzantine era.

Selime is situated at the end of the Ihlara Valley, and is host to one of the most important churches in the region, the Selime Cathedral. We climbed the rock faces to visit wine cellars, homes and churches This is a unique place, with volcanic eruptions leading to tectonic movements that left the surface of the region covered with a layer of volcanic rock. The same volcanic activity led to pressure and heat being put upon the limestone causing it to crack and create naturally spouting springs of hot water, which we tried out at Ziga .

The characteristics of the region are due to volcanic eruption producing tufa outcrops, which were moulded by wind, erosion and other natural forces and created the strange and colorful Fairy Chimneys (polite name for otherwise phallic looking mounds). The Ihlara valley is a result of this disintegration that created a canyon with a deep base. The fast flowing river is between 100 and 200 m deep and it divides the valley into two. For those that didn’t know – I love geography, sorry to bore you!

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May 1

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Road Trip across Turkey

We made a smart move by taking the ferry from Istanbul across to Yalova. The 90min ferry ride saved us the hassle and stress of facing the Istanbul traffic and probably took several hours off our trip.

We are never sure how far we will get in a day; the car nav system calculates out the route, but seems to assume the speed limit is 50km per hour! If this is the case, the Turks need to quickly invest in speed cameras (we haven’t seen any yet, we hope)! To begin with, we were a little apprehensive to match the speed of the average driver; whether the signs say 90km or 110km, the traffic is moving at a comfortable 120km to 130km. Of course, there are plenty of drivers who whizz by us when we have cruise control set on 130. For some unknown reason the are generally always black Merc’s or BMW’s!

We drive east for a good 8 hours, with Don and I tag teaming on the driving. We are impressed with the road infrastructure, which consists of dual carriageways most of the way. Every road we take seems to have some form of major upgrade going on. We certainly get the impression that the Turkish economy is on the way up, unlike its Greek neighbour, so we are told.

Whilst I am prattling on about driving, it’s worth mentioning the things they don’t do well. Marking the severity of a bend would be at the top of the list. They like to throw in the odd hairpin, I think it’s to make sure you’re awake!

They also don’t give you much warning when two lanes are dropping to one. We’ve also learnt that witches hats in the left lane for no apparent reason indicate a police checkpoint. The police randomly pull vehicles over to check papers. We pass many where the police are standing around having a chat and don’t look all that interested in pulling anyone over, they seem to ignore us as well, we think the french number plates are a good deterrent.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

May 1

Istanbul

Warning: You must be crazy to drive in Istanbul!

So, of course we did drive! We discover that in a city of 13 Million, it’s always peak hour! The Turks are crazy drivers, crossing 6 lane highways without hesitation, there are clearly unwritten rules that the guide books don’t explain. We watch cars and more nervously trucks, weave in and out of traffic without hesitation. The last 20km takes nearly 2 hours, the last 5km, an hour of that. We thread through narrow streets in the old quarters of Istanbul to find the ANZAC hotel located in Sultanahmet. The roads narrow to one car width and impatient drivers even force us to reverse back up the street on occasion, being the tourists we are not going to argue with them!

You could spend weeks in Istanbul and not even scratch the surface of this city, so we really did not do it justice. Our accommodation influenced our decision to cut our four days into three. We did however cram a lot into those 4 days, visiting many of the highlights:

The Blue Mosque rates along with the Vatican when it comes to religious buildings. The blue Iznik tile work that decorates the interior is beautiful. Built in the early 1600’s, it’s a masterpiece. Interestingly, the 6 minarets which rise above were considered to be a sacrilegious attempt to rival Mecca. The minarets provide a focal point and these days vantage points for the loud speakers which make the call to prayer.

Topkapi Palace with its Harem, held over 1000 women, all vying for the attention of the Sultan in hope of bearing him a son and raise themselves above the mere existence of a slave. The palace dates back to 1459 and comprises a number of pavilions and courtyards. The collection of treasures amassed by the Ottoman Sultans is impressive; bejewelled helmets and swords, all glittering in precious stones. One unexpected antiquity is the staff of Moses. Katrina and I being the good catholics that we are, are intrigued to find this artifact sitting a Turkish palace among Muslim artifacts.

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The Grand Bazaar is all hustle and bustle and most entertaining. The shopkeepers are relentless in their quest for a sale and the opening lines they come up with are impressive. They never take “no” for an answer and have a reply to every polite rejection you make. In the end, Don is the only one who falls prey (the salesman in him can’t resist). He bargains for two polo shirts paying AUS$32. We are sure they still made money out of us, but we think $16 per shirt is a good deal.

The most talented people we see are the people delivering tea, negotiating their way through the crowded alleys, precariously balancing a tray with steaming sweet tea. Next is the spice markets, here the shopkeepers tempt you with sweet turkish treasures; baklava, turkish delight, nuts and traditional sweets. The colourful and aromatic array of spices available is a sensory overload. After purchasing some treats for afternoon tea we head for fresh air!

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We wander down to the ferry terminal to check out the Bospherous boat tours. We come across a boat drumming up business for its next departure. We couldn’t refuse the $5 fare and jump on. A great way to take in Istanbul and the landmarks is along the river. The food in Turkey is fresh and relatively simple. We dine on traditional kebabs, koftas, meatballs and fresh seafood. Generally a meal is served with a simple salad of tomatoes and cucumber and baked chips. Oh, and bread; how could I forget the bread! Every meal comes with freshly baked bread, its hard to say no!

The CPI in Istanbul is expensive unless you are prepared to drink turkish coffee, or instant! It’s a mission to find a ‘real’ coffee, but we do manage to find a regular place for a morning kick start. A cappuccino is TL8 ($4). The WCC (wine consumption cost) is also suffering from quality and exorbitant prices. I guess we should have expected that in a Muslim country. Turkey does produce wine, just not very good wine.

The ANZAC Hotel is an old Ottoman styled wooden house, common in the older areas. None of us are particularly precious travellers; we know you get what you pay for and ANZAC house is no exception. At €45 per night, divided by three, its cheap. The room is a reasonable size, the bathroom clean, even if a little quirky, with the shower encompassing the entire bathroom. However, the third bed is a rollout and does not end up being very comfortable and the biggest issue we had with the place is that in the top floor dining/common area the staff are smoking, heavily! After an early dinner on our first night we head upstairs to relax and catch up on emails only to be overwhelmed with smoke. Hence, we ended our stay a night early.

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Apr 27

Gallipoli

We really didn’t know what to expect from Gallipoli and it is an overwhelming experience. I am not going to write much because I think everyone’s journey here is their own.

The peninsula is dotted with cemeteries and monuments recognising both the Allied and Turkish soldiers who lost their lives in over 9 months of fighting. Standing on the beach at ANZAC cove and looking up the steep cliffs, you can understand why the efforts to gain an advantage along this coastline were futile. You also appreciate the tenacity, bravery and stoicism these soldiers must have had to endure the conditions and remain for as long as they did. You certainly leave humbled and grateful that our generation has not had to experience a war like this. Gallipoli, it truly is worth the effort and a must for all Australians to visit.

Gallipoli cost the Allies 141 000 casualties, of whom more than 44 000 died. Of the dead, 8709 were Australians and 2701 were New Zealanders. The Turks suffered 251 000 casualties, of whom more than 86 000 lost their lives. Countless thousands had been evacuated sick from the various diseases which had plagued both sides, especially during the long hot summer.

Poppies ANZAC Cove

ANZAC cove, day after ANZAC day

Don on the beach at ANZAC Cove

Fact Reference:http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/tgallipoli.html

Apr 27

Commute to Turkey

When we calculated the distance to Turkey and the list of things we wanted to see within the 6 weeks Katrina had with us, we realised that our best option was to high-tail it across the continent.

We left Venice with the intent to keep on driving for as long as we could. From Italy we need to cross Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria before we enter Turkey, where our first stop is Gallipoli.

The Slovenia countryside was very pretty and maybe worth a visit sometime, but we quickly cross the border into Croatia. Everyone raves about the Croatian coast,but we can’t say much for the scenery along the motorway, as it starts to become more sparse and bleak the further east we travel.

We stopped at a roadside café to refuel the car and ourselves. Between the pictures and words we could decipher on the menu, we end up with chicken schnitzel (I think)! Katrina points out the Croatian dress code; tracksuit pants, trainers, t-shirt. Jeans are obviously reserved for more formal occasions!

As evening approaches we have crossed into Serbia and we will need to stop somewhere for the night. We pass by Belgrade (the Capital) and we decide that we won’t be stopping here, as it’s one high-rise after another, looking very depressing. We eventually detour into Kragujevac, 20km off the motorway, thinking it would be a bit smaller (and nicer, only to discover it is the 4th biggest city in Serbia). The tourist highlights are apparently the tennis courts, first high school and the Cineplex!

With the aid of the nav system we find the centre of town and a couple of hotels. The first is full, but the second has rooms for Aus $55 and looks reasonable. We check in and head into the bar for a night-cap, where we discover there are very different non smoking laws in Serbia (probably none at all). We are greeted with a wall of suffocating smoke in a crowded bar, with everyone watching a basketball game. Our distaste for the smoking is obvious and we are ushered into the restaurant where there is less smoking, but still smoking!! There is also live entertainment; a cover band belting out 80’s hits in both English and Serbian. They do a pretty good job of Pink Floyd’s – ‘Wish You Were Here’ (but we are not sure we do).

The next morning we are back on the road, with only Bulgaria to cross. The CPI has got cheaper, but this is (unfortunately) in direct correlation to the quality and this continues the further east we go. In desperation for a reasonable coffee, quick meal and clean toilets we opt for McDonald’s in Sophia. None of us are Maccas fans, but they do pride themselves on worldwide consistency – however, we don’t think the Maccas quality control team has visited Sophia in a while!

Who thought I could write so much about a road trip….anyway, we arrive at the Gallipoli peninsula early evening.