by Pete Barba

I’m not talking about the bird you just ate for Thanksgiving, rather the Republic of Turkey, that straddles 2 continents, Europe and Asia.  After visiting Greece, Egypt and Jordan, our visit to Turkey completed our tour of the eastern Mediterranean region.  Turkey is the perfect blend of Middle Eastern hospitality mixed with European familiarity, fresh Mediterranean flavors, and history that spans eons.

While we originally planned to spend a week in Istanbul to explore the political, cultural and historical center of Turkey, that was reduced to 2 short days due to our quarantine in Jordan.  Two days wasn’t nearly long enough but we filled those days to the best of our ability.  Despite still recovering from COVID, we managed to walk 20,000 steps each day, traversing the city and exploring the hidden alleyways and markets.  Our favorite sight was probably the Basilica Cistern, an ancient underground water storage area, created with marble columns pillaged from ancient ruins in the 6th century.   Large enough to hold 3 (American) football fields, the massive subterranean structure was like a cathedral without the stained glass. 

We also got to see the Blue Mosque which was unfortunately under refurbishment, and the Hagia Sofia, one of the largest religious buildings in the world.  This massive structure has been both a church and mosque through the millennia, with towering columns and soaring domes.  Finally, we did our share of window shopping in the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, and on Istiklal Caddesi, Istanbul’s upscale version of 5th Avenue.  

After too short a stay in Istanbul, we flew to Cappadocia, an area of immense geologic beauty and the hot air balloon capital of the world.  With names like “Love Valley”, this area has thousands of stone towers that are said to resemble fairy chimneys (or a phallus). Over the eons, this region has been settled by civilizations that lived both in the valleys, planting orchards and vineyards, but also in the towers and cliffs themselves, creating homes, churches and even cities, all underground.  We spent our days hiking and scrambling through the beautiful terrain, while also taking it slow to allow our lungs to recover from COVID.  

The highlight of Cappadocia is the hot air balloons.  Every morning 150 hot air balloons launch at sunrise and drift above the beautiful landscape.  Our first 2 days were fogged out, but on our third day, we got to soar above the landscape, admiring the geology from above.  Our pilot expertly guided us above and eventually into a valley filled with fairy houses, coming close enough to almost touch the stone pillars.   We sometimes hovered above the ground, skimming the rocky terrain and other times we shot up like a cork, soaring to 500 yards into the sky.  In a final show of expertise, our pilot landed our basket on its trailer to be towed away for another days flight.  Our experience will live in our memories forever.

Thanks for reading to the end.  We were saddened that our whirlwind tour of Turkey was finished, but we vowed to visit again in the future.  For now, we have tickets elsewhere….

Next up: London!  Don’t forget to check out our past stories and subscribe for future articles as well.  Find us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content!  As always, if you are planning a trip to any location we visit we are happy to provide more details and opinions, so feel free to contact us.