“Happiness is A Wonderful Thing Which Multiplies on Being Shared”!.
Its been a year since we went to Turkey ,but the memories still remain fresh in my mind.Everyone loves to travel but its extreme pleasure to share the travel experience.
26th October 2015 we booked our tickets to Turkey in gulfair.We had planned customized itenary to Turkey with the help of Chevi travels.
Istanbul airport
The moment we stepped in the airport ,we felt like it’s a red carpet invitation for some amazing sites awaiting for us to see.The unique dressing style and the beauty of the Turkish people left me in a awe.Everyone owed a friendly smile on their face which made us forget that we are on a place which is extremely new to us.We were picked up from the airport and dropped at stone hotel in istanbul in midnight .
Early morning for the breakfast we preferred to have it out in the terrace under the walnut tree.What a feel ,having our breakfast along with the healthy nuts falling directly from the tree on the plates.kids had fun in breaking the shells of it.Our guide welcomed us and gave a brief description about our itinerary in turkey.
BREAKFAST UNDER THE WALNUT TREE
We had 5 guides in our full tour of turkey.Need to mention about the guides in turkey ,they are doing an outstanding job.They are highly educated and speak very good english.They give us details of historical sites and specifies us about their culture ,ultimately they want us to enjoy their country.
Fun-filled Istanbul….
Istanbul has abundant historical sightseeing spots and we had too little time to squeeze them all in our two days .
Our 1st day tour started by walking along the beautiful streets of Istanbul,enjoying the restaurants,shop,cafes. The streets have more of European influence and attracts many tourists and locals. We took a tram which is the most common transport in turkey and reached to the bosphorous cruise.the tram line connects almost all of the sights frequented by travelers.
EXPLORING ISTANBUL STREETS
Bosphorous cruise
It is the most overlooked touristic attraction .A stay in Istanbul is not complete without traditional and unforgettable boat excursion up the bosphorous,the winding strait that seperates Europe and Asia.It was a 2 hour non-stop tour and we enjoyed the sightseeing along with the music in the cruise.
GETTING READY FOR THE CRUISE TRIP
Blue mosque and Haghia Sophia:- Blue mosque is one of the best view in the city.Onewould love to admire and gaze at every angle of it.
INSIDE THE BLUE MOSQUE
Grandbazzar and spice market
Its an incredible mixture of colours,scents ,languages,tastes which will leave us breathless.
Ephesus tour
After our 2days in Istanbul we took a flight and reached Izmeir airport .There we were picked up and were guided to other places by private luxury coaches.
Virgin mary church
infront of the church
The house of virgin mary is located on the top of the bulbul mountain 9km ahead of Ephesus.The shrine of virgin mary enjoys a marvelous atmosphere hidden in the green.It is believed to be the place where mary spent her last days.A holy feel enlighted us as we stepped in this place and we lit a wish candle and also wrote all our wishes in a paper and hanged it on the wishwall. Pilgrims drink from a spring under the house which is believed to have healing properties.
wishes are written and tied in the wall
After spending 30 mins in the church our next stop was at the gates of Ephesus.Its a one mile walk down the hill to explore the location.we were two families with two kids each,to our surprise the history of the place attracted our kids more than us.They eagerly enjoyed the narration of the guide about the roman era and the place.Its a religious center of early Christianity.We were astonished by the roman theaters which could accommodate about 10,000 people at a stretch and the way its built so as to give the effect of dolby sound.
We were astonished by the roman theaters which could accommodate about 10,000 people at a stretch and the way its built so as to give the effect of dolby sound.
AT ONE OF THE ROMAN THEATERS
Pammakale an unforgettable place…
We were transported from Ephesus to Pammakale via a private bus and reached pammakale in the night.The hotel is a family run guest house offering great hospitality.The chef who was a fan of shahrukh khan,had a softcorner for us as we were Indians and made a special dinner which included spicy chicken .It was a delight to have mouth watering dishes that too near the pool,I would describe this as my best ever dinning experience.After the dinner we were in no mood to sleep and decided to explore all alone in the night,without having any idea about the place.It was such a lively place ,we saw many nationality people giving a friendly smile and walking in the streets. We could hear the dazzling sound of water amidst the silence prevailing in the night. The richness of the soil is seen in the pommegranets grown everywhere.
SPECIAL DINNER SERVED FOR US BY THE CHEF
We kept walking as we didn’t feel to stop and suddenly were dumbstruck when we saw the cotton castle in front of us,the view of it in the night was awesome.Though the lighting was dim we enjoyed the beautiful setup lake down the mountain. The glimpse of the place made me restless and I was waiting to get back to this wonderful place.
AT THE ENTRANCE OF COTTON CASTLE
Adventure everywehere
The next morning we were picked from our hotel in a minibus where we enjoyed the company of some Japanese girls .We had cultural interaction with them and were really happy to know the respect they have for our culture.
We reached Karahayit to see the red water spring where the water comes out at 42degree celcius and rich in minerals .The thermal spring water is good for bone and skin diseases.
The spring waters, which are the significant resources of Turkey, in Karahayit and Pamukkale occurred as a result of active geologic movements in Aegean RegionThe cleopatras pool
We missed the opportunity to swim in the top of ancient roman ruins because of the time and the extra fees they charge to enter the pool.However we managed to taste the water which was like soda,by pumping the water from the pool.We then rested by laying under some tree shade and here we go to the most adorable place ever “the cotton castle”.
Cotton castle
My thirst to see snow mountain is fulfilled by seeing this big snow white mountain .The white colour is due to the calcium carbonate deposits.
This place is extraordinary by virtue of its outstanding natural phenomena-balmy,profoundly mineralized water elegantly cascading from springs and creating pools and terraces which are visually spectacular.
We started to walk along the main course of the mountain but were forbidden to wear shoes as these may damage the deposits. The travertine pools are at the top of a cliff which looks like,from a distance ,that it is made from chalk .It was a wonderful experience and kids were so excited to bath in the natural thermal pools everywhere in the mountain.
We then hurried back to the hotel to pack our things to start our next journey to Cappadocia which is around 10 hours drive from Pammmakale in a specially arranged luxury van.
Cappadocia
It was in the midnight we arrived at mustafah hotel in Cappadocia.It was an awesome hotel but we were not able to rest a bit , as we had our balloon tour planned at 4.30 am.
The balloon ride though expensive is something which one shouldn’t miss as it’s a life time experience where we float silently above the Cappadocia moonscape dotted with villages,vineyards and fruit orchard.
At the end of the ride we were given certificates for flying and share a traditional champaigne toast with the pilot and other crew members to a successful aeronautical adventure.
CERTIFICATES FOR COMPLETING THE ADVENTEROUS RIDE
Cappadocia is unique in its own way and it offers you an unforgettable experience in a truly unique land.we loved the sight of fairy chimney’s, exploring underground cities,pottery training,onix jewellery shops and the goreme open air museum.
WALKING AMIDST THE VINEYARD
The places in Turkey are unique in its own way.Though we managed to cover few of them still some beautiful places are left for us to explore in our next trip to this magnificient Turkey.
It was the best trip we have ever done,we gained such a wealth of information about this wonderful country.If ur in a holiday mood and would love to go to a place which has all fun at one place no more doubts ..its Turkey….
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty ,charm and adventure.There is no end to the adventures we can have it only we see them with our open eyes. ”
-Jawaharlal Nehru
Thank you,dear GOD for your wonderful creation .Let the humanity enjoy its beauty without destroying it.