Off to Turkey

by Will Wilkinson on April 30, 2008

After the Nudge forum tomorrow afternoon, Kerry and I are off to Turkey for about a week and a half. The deafening silence you will hear is me on a beach worrying about work. Anyway, we’ve made absolutely no plans, other than arranging a rental car in Istanbul. For all I know we’ll be sleeping in it. If you’ve been to Turkey and know of awesome stuff to do and see, please report below. If you can (in)validate guidebook stuff, that’s terrific, but if you know anything weird, out of the way, or word-of-mouthy, even better.

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    Rent some motor scooters and drive around Cappadocia.

    Most of the good artifacts are in Berlin, so the ruins and museums tend to be disappointing, but you may find more impressive things as you move south down the coast from Istanbul.
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    In Istanbul a visit to the Higia Sophia is an absolute must - walking into it for the first time is comparable to walking into St. Peter's Basilica for the first time, awe inspiring in sheer scale (and this was built 1000 years earlier).

    If you go to the Grand Bazaar or the Spice Market you *will* get a tourist experience and you *will* get ripped off - it's still fun though. If you'd like a better deal try one of the local markets - I found one on the east side of the Bosphorus that was authentic, though I'm afraid it was with the help of a local friend and so I don't have the directions offhand.

    If you have the time, the means, and the historical interest, Cappadocia is worth visiting for its underground cities and ancient monasteries.

    Hope this helps,

    Dave
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    Head down the coast, past Fethiye, and stop in the town of Olympos. Stay in a tree-house room and hit the beach. Fresh orange juice and good food, abundant beer, blissful beach, clear water, and cheap.It's definitely on the tourist trail (the Aussie-run bus company Fez stops there on its way north to Cappadocia, but Olympos was certainly the highlight of my time in Turkey.A few days in Istanbul, a couple at Ephesus (amazing ruins), and a few in Olympos would be a well-spent trip.
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    The blogger black sea lived in Turkey for a time and is either moving back now or has already done so. You should ask him for tips.
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    If you're the sightseeing type, you do want to see the standard Istanbul things. Hagia Sophia is a marvel of engineering; the Dolma Baci is a wonderful over-adorned mess; Topkapi Palace is worth the lines just for the size of the emeralds.

    Also: take a ferry in the Sea of Marmara and go to the Princes Islands. They'll try to sell you lemon squeezers and roses on the boat -- you can get a cute old-fashioned carriage ride on the island, see painted houses, and have probably the best coffee in Europe.

    If you get the chance, go to a pudding house late at night. The Ottoman Empire, like many empires, got elaborate with food -- and they perfected hundreds of varieties of pudding, made with everything from rosewater to chicken breast.
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    How awesome! I know nothing of Turkey, but have a fabulous time.
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    Just three suggestions:

    (1)

    If you are at all interested in antiquities, then one word: Ephesus.

    The remains of Ephesus are simply astonishing. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. And if you make it to Ephesus, you MUST tour the recently excavated terrace houses - even though it involves a small additional fee. If you can get a good guide who can help explain what you're seeing, so much the better.

    Warning: there will be lots of other tourists there. And lots of cats. Cats are as ubiquitous in Turkey as mosques and roadside trash.

    (2)

    Still going with antiquities:

    The tomb-sanctuary of King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, built on the top of Mount Nemrut, not far from Adiyaman. Absolutely staggering. And lots of related stuff nearby. And there may well be no other tourists around - it's kind of remote.

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    Forget the spice market and suchlike tourist traps in Istanbul. Go to one of the open-air markets in an outlying town - the more outlying the better. Again, a good English-speaking guide is helpful.

    Just look sufficiently confused, and one is likely to appear.

    P.S.: Hagia Sophia is a necessary stop, of course - but it's also very depressing - partly because of deliberate desecration, and partly because of relative neglect. It takes a lot of imagination to imagine what it must once have been like.

    The Blue Mosque, a few blocks away, is in much better shape.
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    I highly recommend you to visit Fethiye and It's surroundings. There is a perfect beach called Oludeniz Lagoon as well.
 

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