I finally decided that even if work continues to be slow and I get laid off, we know from experience that we can live on one salary, and heck, if it came down to it, even on 2 unemployment checks. So I refuse to live my life stressing like that, so we are going on vacation, dammit.
It’s looking like Turkey, most likely Istanbul and Izmir, the first full week of April. Anyone have Turkey-specific travel advice? I am open to suggestions other than Izmir, but I really do want at least a bit of beach time, dammit. (Certain people - ahem, Kyla - have said their piece that we should go to Cappadocia rather than Izmir, but that apparently involves a lot of hiking/walking on uneven turf, and I have a screwed-up left leg from an old injury that leaves me sore and gimpy after walking for more than a couple of hours on uneven ground. So a bit of hiking is probably OK, but I’d like to minimize the gimpiness if possible.)
Tell me about sights, food, places to hear good music that aren’t horrendously touristy, anything that comes to mind. I haven’t even really started reading up yet. Also, if anyone knows where I can download podcasts to teach myself a bit of Turkish between now and then (hah! this should be amusing), that would be great, too.
Every year I go to Olu Deniz. It is beautiful, small and close to a town called Fethiye. It is one of the best places in the world for paragliding and the beach and lagoon are really beautiful. There are local old villages and historic sites to visit in the mountains and Fethiye has some amazing fish restaurants around the harbour. In April it will be sunny and warm but not overwhelmingly hot like in the summer. Most people who go to this area end up returning year after year because they love it so much.
Eva Luna - My sister used to live in Turkey. This is a cut & paste I made to the poster Indian when he asked about Istanbul. If you have any specific questions, I’d be glad to relay them.
My sister says any taxi driver should easily get to Hagia Sofia and back. The Turks pronounce it Aya Sofia. Or ask to be taken to Sultan Ahmet, which is the area where all the main tourist attrraction are, within easy walking distance. There’s the Blue Mosque, and the Aya Sofia is across the park from the mosque. Behind Aya Sofia is Topkapi palace and the archeological museum and a pathetic zoo you shouldn’t waste your time at. You should easily do these in an afternoon and are the must-see tourist attractions. At this point you’re also within walking distance of the Grand Bazaar. In Turkish that’s called Kapali Carsi. That will have all kinds of tchotkis. To say “I don’t want it” say “istemem”. Or click your tongue at them. That’ll get rid of annoying people selling crap. The bazaar has carpet merchants, brass, gold, etc. If you need a break, there’s Istanbul University that has a nice book market with a quiet tea garden. That’s right off the Grand Bazaar. All around Sultan Ahmet are small hole-in-the-wall restaurants with good food, and a good restaurant in Topkapi Palace.
If the weather is good you can take a ferry up and down the Bosphorus. You take a short trip for an hour or two. Don’t be intimidated by all the soldiers with guns. The have a conscripted army and have to do something with all those guys.
Must Sees in Istanbul:
Aya Sofia
Blue Mosque
Topkapı
Dolmabahçe Sarayı
Fatih Cammi
Çemberlitaş Hamamı
Please note: Turkish has two 'i’s, one is the regular i (pronounced “ee”) and the other is an undotted ı (pronounced “oo” but in the back of your throat). Confusingly, the ı is on the same place on the keyboard as our i. Watch out for this when you’re trying to log into your email or whatever. The letter C is pronounced like our J, so cammi (mosque) is jammi, not kammi.
To order food, say “[food]-istiyorum, Lütfen.” (Eesteeyorum, lootfan). Some common food terms are ekmek (bread), *tavuk *(chicken), *su *(water), *peyniri *(cheese). You will also see signs for dondurma, ice cream, everywhere.
To introduce yourself, say “Benim adım [your name]”. To ask for the bathroom, say “tuvalet nerede?”. Hospital is hastanesi and airport is havalimanı.
The Grand Bazzar is a nice place to wander through, but the Egyptian Bazzar is a better place to get a fair price. It is down by the Galata Bridge, an easy walk downhill from the main area of Sultanahmet.
I very much agree with the recommendations so far. Too bad you can’t do Cappadocia, but there’s a ton of great stuff in Istanbul, including the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia, etc. I also thought the Palace Cisternwas an amazing feat of Roman engineering, and well worth the visit. And while you are in Turkey, you must try the national dish, Kokoreç. When I visited Turkey, my Turkish friend didn’t tell me what it was until I had already eaten it, but it’s all good. Also, if you are going to Izmir, you are practically next door to Ephesus(as in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians). Even though at the time of my visit I was already an agnostic and well on my way to atheism, I found it awe-inspiring just to be in such a historic place.
Yes, you MUST do Ephesus – you’re right there! Of all the ruined cities in the world I’ve visited, it’s the one where I could most easily imagine what it was like 2,000 years ago… a lot like Michigan Avenue in Chicago today, I’d say!
Istanbul is a wonderful, friendly city. Of course do Topkapi and Aya Sofia, and also consider taking the ferry across to that neighborhood where up the hill is a 100-yr-old mansion built by some Egyptian. Such a trip will give you a good feel for Istanbul’s geography.
Bodrum is kind of St. Tropez-ish, so you could probably skip it.
Cappadocia is a bit far afield, but you could take a comfortable train there from Izmir, I believe – certainly from Istanbul. If you do go, you won’t be disappointed. It’s unforgettable. Walk around and talk to some of the folks who live in the stone “smurf” houses! And don’t forget to see the “underground city”!
Cappadocia is one of the most amazing things I’ve seen, but what I recall from being there is that the very first thing you do upon arriving at the underground city is descend about eleventy billion flights of stairs to get to the deepest level of the city. (This was 15+ years ago, so my memory is hazy; more recent visitors can add their own recollections.) So I am reluctant to recommend this to Eva Luna not knowing how she can handle stairs with her bad leg.
It does sound fabulous, but I am somewhat reluctant to attempt it this trip because of the leg (to give you an idea, I went to the Alhambra in 2005, and I was quite gimpy after tromping around Granda all afternoon). My boyfriend (Tom Scud - consider yourself outed!) has been there before, has lived in Turkey before, and is also pretty familiar with my capabilities and endurance level, and he concurs.
Also, in 2005 I did a crazy amount of schlepping around Andalucia in a week - Granada, Cordoba, Malaga, schlepping around the Costa del Sol, and then home via London/Kent. It was fun, but I was pretty tired after all that schlepping, so I’d like to reduce the amoung of schlepping to 2 major cities, and maybe a shorter trip or two to attractions nearby, preferably including beach. My understanding is that Cappadocia is beautiful, but really isn’t where one wants to go to the beach. Plus it’s kind of a schlep from the other places where we are going to do in a one-week trip.
Maybe I’ll love Turkey so much that I’ll just have to keep going back and checking out new stuff.
I didn’t visit the western parts where you’re going to be, so I can’t add much. However I will suggest that you get a copy of Scotch and Holy Water and take a read through. There are some fascinating locations to visit in Turkey and I’m betting that it’ll be a lot easier to get to them now than when that book was written. Gaudere had a thread asking about places to go a while back, and Turkey came up quite a bit. Here is a link to that thread that also has some links to places in Turkey that you can look at. Have fun!
It’s been near 10 years now but we spent two plus weeks in Turkey and Greece visiting primarily sites of Classical importance, Pergamum, Troy, Ephesus, Tarsus, Laodicea, Smyrna, Sardis, Pamukkale and so many more to the west. In looking for it online, I don’t see our itinerary but I do see others by a similar name that provide excellent pictures and descriptions of the sites. Rather than link to them all, just search on “Footsteps of Paul Turkey” and you should find a wealth of examples.
Also, if you are going to Izmir, you are practically next door to 