My cultural class ended on January 23rd leaving us with two and a half weeks of freedom before classes began. The possibilities for travel around Europe were endless! Oh wait, Turkey has a strange and unusual visa system the details to which I will not explain. The end result is me not being able to leave Turkey until March 1. Therefore, my past 10 days have been spent traveling around Turkey!
Stop 1: Cappadocia - Land of the Fairy Chimneys and Cave Homes
After moving into my apartment near the University, I flew to central Turkey to a small town called Goreme. We spent four days making the most of a tourist town during the off season - taking advantage of cheap prices and extreme friendliness.
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| Town of Goreme |
ACTIVITES IN CAPPADOCIA:
1. Hiking - The landscape in Goreme is unlike any I've seen. The rock formations make for some excellent hiking and very interesting buildings.
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| Example of a typical home in Goreme |
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| A canyon near our hostel that we spent a lot of time exploring! |
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| Fairy Chimneys |
3. Turkish Night Show - We were talked into an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink, dancing Turkish night show. Was it super touristy and a bit cheesy? Yes. Did we have a lot of fun? Absolutely.
4. Motorcycling - Somehow I was allowed to pay $30 dollars to rent a motorcycle scooter for three hours and ride around the open roads. Am I glad I did it? Yes. However, I am quite glad I passed very few cars and potholes. Not to worry parents, this was a one time experience.
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5. Underground City (Derinkuyu) - A quick bus ride took us to the underground city of Derinkuyu. While it is unclear exactly when the city was built, many presume it was a shelter for Christians avoiding persecution. It is made up of a series of tunnels and caves that can house up to 20,000 people. The city reaches 8 stories below ground although less that 20% was open to public viewing.
6. Outdoor Air Museum - We spent about two hours exploring the small community of churches and monasteries built into the rocky hillside.
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| Cave Churches |
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| Cave Churches |
7. Lots of card playing and tea drinking!
Stop 2: Pamukkale
After bidding adieu to our hostel in Goreme, we took a bus to Pamukkale ("Cotton Castle" in Turkish). We ended up spending a full 24 hours in Pamukkale, although given the off season and the depressing nature of the town, an afternoon would have been sufficient.
Pamukkale is known for a giant, white rocky cliff with many thermal springs. We hiked up the cliff in coats and bare feet letting the warm water trickle over our feet. At the top of the face we also had the chance to explore the ruins of Hierapous - a roman city that dates back to the 5th c. BC.
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| Looks like snow, Feels like rock |
Stop 3: Selcuk (Ephesus)
From Pamukkale we took another bus to Selcuk, an idylic town about 2 miles from the ruins of Ephesus. We stayed in a great hostel and spent much of the first afternoon wandering the streets of the town.
On our first full day we walked the mile and a half to the ruins of Ephesus. Ephesus is one of the largest Roman ruins of the Mediterranean and housed more than 500,000 people during its peak. It was eventually converted to a Christian city.
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| Library of Celsus (2nd c.) Commissioned as a Mausoleum for Julius Celsus |
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| Ephesus Ruins |
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| Temple of Domitian Dedicated to 1st century Roman emperor |
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| Pamucak Beach (Aegean Sea) |
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| Entrance to the Basilica |
We were told that Izmir was not a touristy place to visit during the winter because it a modern and liberal city known for its beaches. However, we had a great time wandering the boardwalk and people-watching in cafes.
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| Waterfront of Izmir |
Back to Istanbul
The only things I have to say about the bus ride back to Istanbul are:
- very nice bus....but broken AC
- would have taken 4 hours by car..... 9 hours by bus
Thankful for wonderful weather and company during my 10 days traveling!
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