In our last post you read how much we enjoyed Istanbul. But Turkey is a big country and we wanted to see more. So we focused on the beautiful southwestern coast. Since it was August and it was hot — no brainer.
We put together a list of places to see and gave it to our new friend, Batu. He’s a professional guide from Izmir that my friend Peter from LA introduced me to. He gave us a good route to follow. So we hopped on a plane and headed to…
Cappadocia (August 3rd through 5th)
Wow! This place is from another planet.
Cappadocia is in the middle of the country. It is ancient. People have been living here since 3,000 BC. Everywhere you look caves puncture the hillsides. The nature of this volcanic rock is that it’s soft, but firm. Inhabitants carved into that rock to build homes, endless tunnels and ancient churches.
Even our hotel was carved into the hillside.
Batu introduced us to Çem Samdam; a local guide, born and raised here. He really made our visit come alive by sharing the area’s history and taking us to sights that we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. And beside, he was smart and fun.
Çem (pronounced ‘Gem’) told us about the early Christians who escaped persecution and chose Cappadocia as their home. They dug underground churches to protect them and painted beautiful frescoes on the walls. The fact that they are so well-preserved and accessible is astounding.
Çem also introduced us to a local rug merchant and pottery factory.
Cappadocia is also known for its hot air balloon tours that typically fill the morning skies. Unfortunately due to Covid they weren’t flying. Next time.
I could go on and on about this magical place, but I also have to mention the underground cities…
From about 400 BC to 1400 AD, the inhabitants of this area built a series of tunnels and rooms that reached well into and below the hillsides, spreading for miles. They were used mainly as protection against invaders.
One morning we descended from the hot desert, down into the cool caverns below. We were transfixed by the labyrinth of interconnected tunnels that went further and hundreds of feet deeper into the rock. It was truly an underground city that was so well engineered that there was a continual cool breeze flowing past us at all times.
There was something about being down there that had an impact on both Kelly and I. The amount of work that went into carving these passageways. The fact that many people called this their home. What were their lives like? Did they live in darkness? For us it was like descending into another world. Respect.
We could have spent more time here, but it was time to go. We flew to the Izmir airport and picked up a rental car. For the next few weeks our plan was to head southeast and explore the coast.
Next stop…
Çesme (August 6th through 8th)
Çesme is a little coastal resort town a short distance south of Izmir; a popular vacation destination for Turks. It’s also located very near the Urla wine region — Turkey’s answer to the Napa Valley. Not exactly. It’s tiny.
We found a little hotel on the waterfront and settled in for a couple of days.
Çesme was a little touristy for our taste, but it grew on us. I found a routine, starting the day diving off the boardwalk for a swim in the crystal clear Aegean. Heaven. Then Kelly and I walked through town to find lunch, then off to explore the well-preserved local castle.
Urla
The next day, we explored the Urla wine region and stopped at three different wineries for tastings. Can you imagine the uphill battle these wineries face in a muslim country where drinking is discouraged? But history shows us that this land was inhabited by the Greeks thousands of years ago and the vineyards have been growing there ever since. The wines were good, but the passion and determination of the winemakers was greater.
After stopping for a gourmet lunch at Vino Locale, a quaint restaurant in the middle of nowhere, we purchased some wine and drove back to Çesme.
On our last day, we drove to Altinkum Beach — regarded by locals as the best beach in the area.
When we arrived, it seemed like the best way to enjoy the day was to pay a fee to one of the local beach clubs to use their umbrellas and enjoy their food and beverage service.
Kelly splurged and treated us to a deluxe cabana next to the water with pillows and shade and ‘all you can eat and drink’ for $200 for the entire day — or so said our waiter. At the end of the day we were presented with a much larger bill. But after a lively discussion with the manager, where the waiter agreed he gave us the wrong information, we paid the $200 and escaped.
Selçuk and Ephesus (August 9th)
A few hours drive south of Çesme is the town of Selçuk; home of the great ruins of Ephesus. It is one of the most well-preserved Roman cities in the world. In its time, it was a large, bustling commercial trade center on the shores of the Aegean. Though, due to silt build-up over the years, the ocean is now a few kilometers away.
Ephesus thrived from around 100 BC to about 300 AD. You can still stroll through the marble streets, tour the homes of the wealthy (at least what’s left of them), and even visit the community toilets where the locals gathered to do their duty and share gossip.
We walked slowly through the city listening to a Rick Steves’ guided tour downloaded on our iPhones. It was a great place to let our imaginations go wild.
In town, we also visited the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, where we found many detailed sculptures and artifacts excavated from the nearby site. It was worth a visit.
But then a really interesting thing happened…
As we were leaving, a gentleman approached us and asked if we were interested in buying some ancient coins and rings that he dug up from the local hills. We said no ‘thank you.’ He was persistent.
He then explained that it had been a tough year for him because of COVID and that we would really be helping him out if we would purchase his finds; he agreed to sell us these artifacts for a greatly reduced price. He was a sweet man and seemed sincere so we caved.
We purchased several pieces and rationalized our purchases as experiential and somewhat of a donation, if nothing else — and what a great story to tell. Beside, each piece was truly beautiful and unique.
I’m not sure if buying these pieces was the right thing to do, or even if it was legal. Hopefully we didn’t accrue any bad karma. We love our little 2,000 year old treasures — or are they absolutely amazing knock-offs?
Next stop…the seaside resort town of Antalya, the second biggest city in Turkey.
Along the way, we stopped at Pamukkale near Denizli. It’s a popular attraction that is mentioned in all the guidebooks. Google images showed pristine natural pools of cascading crystal blue water over white travertine terraced pools…
The reality was much different. Large tourist crowds shuffled through the slippery pools in their ill fitting swimsuits. Most pools weren’t even filled with water, let alone overflowing. It was hot and gross. We didn’t even get our feet wet. We quickly jumped into our hot car and sped out of town.
By sunset we were in…
Antalya (August 10th through 12th)
It was hot. I mean really hot.
We weaved our way through the traffic-jammed city, AC blasting, towards the historic town center. Antalya was bigger than we thought and we were anxious to find a place for the night.
Finding a hotel on the fly is fun and nerve wracking. You see a place that looks good, walk in and ask to see a room. More times than not, the bed is too small or the room smells or something makes you say no.
Sweating profusely, we walked by a hotel with a pool and decided to call Villa Perla our home. Our room was small, but the AC worked. That was all we really cared about. It was late so we meandered down to the hotel restaurant and enjoyed a nice glass of wine and a delicious dinner. The heat persisted into the evening even with huge, loud industrial fans aimed right at us.
But the highlight of the evening was listening to a musician singing beautiful Turkish ballads. Seated a few tables in front of him were two nicely dressed women. Suddenly, one of them began to softly accompany him in an impromptu duet. She had a sweet and magical voice.
Kelly and I laughed as we often do when we find ourselves immersed the magic of the moment — where the reality of our adventure washes over us. What a wonderful world we live in and how lucky we are to be on this journey together.
But the next morning, the magic dissipated.
We woke up to discover the wifi didn’t work in our room. Our only choice was to hang out at the pool in the heat where the overly attentive manager wouldn’t leave us alone — insisting on doing everything for us, even cutting up Kelly’s fruit before he’d let her eat it. The poolside music was blaring 80’s pop. Kelly had a work deadline. And the only coffee available was Nescafé.
She lost it.
“Time to go. Let’s find a beach!” I said. She wholeheartedly agreed.
We drove west along the coast. Batu told us about some nice Roman ruins along the way named Phaselis, so we pulled over and explored.
The ruins contained some wonderfully preserved walls, a small amphitheater and a rocky beach that allowed us to cool off, mid-road trip, in the refreshing water.
Phaselis is one of many Roman ruins that dot the Turkish shores and countryside. It certainly represents one of the things we both love about Turkey — it’s a country that has been at the crossroads of civilizations for thousands of years. The Greeks, the Romans, the early Christians, even Attila the Hun spent time there.
Olympos (August 13th through 16th)
After checking out the next few villages, we settled on Olympos — a low-keyed beach town that I would have felt at home at in my 20’s.
Our hotel, Olympos Tatliya Pansiyon was simple, with rows of one room cabins laid out behind a large restaurant.
As with many Turkish restaurants, traditional seating is on the ground with low tables and pillows. It was nice to sit back and relax.
The real beauty of Olympos was the beach. We had to pay a small entrance fee to walk through the Roman ruins on the way to the pebble beach, but when we arrived we were presented with the clearest water we had ever seen. Blissful.
We decided to settled down in Olympos for the rest of the week. The heat was a determining factor in everything we did. A local acquaintance recommended a nearby restaurant situated next to a stream. She said it was a nice cool place to hang out for an afternoon. She was right.
Selale Restaurant sits on a tree covered hillside with natural streams literally running through it. Dozens of decks with low tables and large pillows were suspended over the cascading waterfalls. It was beautiful and cool. We hung out there for hours.
Ölüdeniz/Fethiye (August 16th through 19th)
Once back on the road, we visited the super cute town of Käs to have lunch. If we had more time we would have spent a few days (and if you ever come this way, you should). It was delightful.
Then we were on to Ölüdeniz. We found a well-placed, simple hotel with a nice pool owned by a sweet muslim woman — The Sunset Apart.
Ölüdeniz is a popular tourist spot that butts up against Fethiye, with wide sandy beaches and LOTS of parasaillers. I mean they were everywhere. You could look up and see 40 or 50 of them floating in the sky.
We were saved from the crowds by driving a short distance up the coast to some amazing pebble beaches and to swim in that delicious clear Aegean Sea.
The next afternoon Kelly stayed at the hotel and I went to explore the beautiful ruins of Kayaköy. This Greek city was abandoned after WWI when the Turks and the Greeks decided they wanted to further separate their cultures in a population exchange. It’s a sad and fascinating story which I’m reading a fictional book about — “Bird Without Wings” by Louis de Bernières. It’s a great story that came alive for me while I looked out over the deserted hillsides.
Time to talk…
When I returned, Kelly wanted to talk. All this travel was wearing on her and she was exhausted. Although we’ve talked about our journey as being ‘slow travel,’ it hasn’t really worked out that way. At least to her.
I, on the other hand was having the time of my life, moving and exploring, meeting people, eating new foods…STOP! Kelly was in meltdown mode and had hit her limit. There were tears. And since we are on this journey together, we had to find a way to compromise.
To be clear, we were both excited about our road trip — a little get-away from our get-away. Well, when you’ve been ‘on the road’ for almost 9 months, living out of a suitcase, eating most meals in restaurants, trying to find Airbnbs/hotels with a king bed and good wifi, packing and moving, finding good restaurants….it takes a toll.
So we decided to slow down. More or less.
I had heard about this sweet little town called Selimiye. It was quiet with not much to do. There were some good restaurants and it was on the ocean. We decided to drive there and not move.
Selimiye (August 20th through 26th)
Selimiye was the cutest little town we had ever seen. Perched next to a harbor — a haven for sailboats. The boardwalk was lined with restaurants and guest houses with docks jutting into the harbor. During the days were filled with lounge chairs and umbrellas, and at night, with tables for dining.
It was just what the doctor ordered.
We settled on Jenny’s Place, a small B&B run by a feisty English woman Jenny who had been living in Selimiye for 30 years. It was a fun place with lots of people rotating in and out.
So we got into a routine… every morning we woke up and swam in the quiet harbor, and then sat down the best English/Turkish breakfasts ever.
Kelly was starting to smile again.
After a blissful six days we were back on the road again, on to Bodrum for our big event…
Bodrum and Sailing (August 27th through September 6th)
Imagine yourself on a sailboat…moving effortlessly through the mesmerizing blue-green Aegean Sea…wind filling the sails. It’s what dreams are made of.
My friend Peter had introduced us to Réne and Edith. They are a Dutch couple who own Flaka Sailing. We signed up for a week-long sailing trip on their 70’ two-masted sailboat, The Kaptan Yarkin. There were ten of us — three crew, Kelly and I, and a family of five lively Brits, the O’Neills.
The week was like a dream with each day flowing gently into the next. We woke up most days at dawn to hang out on deck and drink coffee. The sea was like glass. Once the sun rose, we would dive into the clear, cool water for a morning swim. When we returned, there was a delicious Turkish breakfast awaiting us. Then some sailing. Lunch. Beer. Naps on deck. More swimming. Anchor. Drinks. Then dinner. Then maybe read or whatever. Watch the sun set. Then drift off to sleep.
It was a week that allowed us to appreciate all that has happened to us. To put everything in perspective and give thanks for how lucky we are. The beautiful boat. The quiet clear seas. New friends. And a horizon that seems to stretch out forever…
Traveling during Covid
You may be wondering what’s it like to travel during the Covid Pandemic now that we’re 6 months into it. We post a lot of pictures… but where are the masks? I know many of you are a bit stir-crazy and would love to visit a foreign country or to travel like we do. So what’s it really like?
That’s a good question. Kelly and I are basically winging it. We’ve noticed that every country is a little bit different and as the pandemic ages, things change. We certainly see masks everywhere, but in the outside based cultures of Turkey and Croatia, we don’t often see people wearing masks as they walk down the street or hang out in restaurants. When we go into markets and stores, pretty much everyone wears one. A few times I’ve gone into a store forgetting to put one on and I’m asked politely to do so, which I happily oblige.
We’ve also noticed that masks and basic common sense safety measures are not politicized at all. People live their lives simply with respect for each other. We see the news on what is happening in the US and it breaks our heart. It doesn’t need to be that way and it isn’t that way where we are.
One of the biggest effects on us is that we are very limited as to what countries we can travel to. Winter is coming and we are trying to figure out where can we go that is warm and comfortable. A place where we can chill out for a few months. Our options are slim. Our hope is that countries will open up in the new year. Until then we’ll wing it.
With that in mind, we do our best to stay healthy and safe and truly wish the same for you. We know this too shall pass and Kelly and I look forward to the time when some of you will meet us on the road and we can toast to our freedom and our friendships. God bless.
What’s next…
Zagreb, Croatia