Turkey

Hello everyone! I am writing this from Stockholm, having arrived here two nights ago from Ankara. We had a fascinating time in Turkey! From head spinning Istanbul, to the curious rock formations in Cappadocia and the modern capital city of Ankara, we were surprised and delighted by the land, people and culture of this crossroads of the world.

We had a fantastic guide named Ayberk. He met our cruise ship when it first docked in Turkey and was our leader at Ephesus and Istanbul. Maria was still our tour director but he was our guide. We got to Istanbul in the late afternoon and the next day we had a very full day of seeing the Spice Market, Blue Mosque, hippodrome, Sultan's Palace, Haga Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and the streets of the city. Because traffic was terrible, we ended up taking the tram once, which was also an experience! Each place was amazing; the colors, scents, art work (from the Egyptian obelisk at the hippodrome to the colorful, awesome interior of the Blue Mosque to the glorious mosaics of Haga Sophia and lovely gardens and displays at the Sultan's Palace) combined with the panoramic views of the city and waterways made the day a whirlwind of impressions and memories. That night we had a delicious "farewell dinner" at a wonderful restaurant that overlooked the water. The food was a treat, even though every meal we had had been excellent, and the wine just kept coming. Our entire group got along so well that we truly didn't want to say goodbye to anyone. We didn't stay late however since most of the group had very early flights to catch.

The next day, Ayberk and the 8 of us who were taking the post trip flew to Cappadocia (spelled Kapadokya in Turkey). Since it was morning when we flew, we could see the beautiful landscape. We saw mountains and then large agricultural tracts. After landing, we drove straight to the area's main attraction, it's geologic uniqueness. The strange rock formations made from volcanic material are very strong but people have carved cave homes in them for hundreds of years. Some of them reminded us of Bryce Canyon's hoo-doos. After settling in our hotel ( a lovely modern complex with swimming pool that caters to tour groups) we went for a late afternoon hike. By then the heat had moderated and we were quite comfortable. Over the next 2 days, we hiked above and through the formations and visited a ceramics studio, went into the famous underground city, and spent time at a local school that is supported by Grand Circle. The school was so much fun - children are the same all over the world - and afterwards, the principal invited us to walk down the block to see the local oven where all the families in the town bake their bread. The women of one family were taking their turn and they graciously shared some fresh out of the oven with us! Yum! Of course mixed in with all the hikes and sightseeing were plenty of shopping opportunities. On Tuesday we packed up and drove to Ankara, stopping on the way to visit several Hittite sites. The Hittites were people who lived in central Turkey around 1500 BC. For those of you who have been to Egypt, they were the people who Ramses II claimed to have defeated in the most important battle of his reign. The ruins we saw were very impressive, with carvings, wall frescoes and bas reliefs. We arrived in Ankara that night and the next morning went to Turkey's historical museum that contains most of the relics found at the sites. It was amazing. We also visited Ataturk's mausoleum. He is their George Washington, having led the independence movement in the 1920s. He accomplished some huge changes and reforms in a very short time; we both want to read more about him. While in Ankara, we stayed at the 5 star Hilton hotel and our room looked down on the Iranian embassy which was quite interesting!

Thursday morning Jon and I slept in while the others took early flights. We had a leisurely breakfast and then I took the opportunity to use the treadmill before packing and heading to our own flight to Stockholm. As we reflect on our time in Turkey, we realize how much we had learned about a beautiful land about which we only had had fuzzy image just a week ago. In some ways it is very modern and in others traditional ways are still in place. It is rich in agricultural resources and in minerals. It is in a very strategic geographical location. It is a nation with a secular government and a huge Islamic population. There is great national pride in their history and their hero, Ataturk. We saw only a small part of the country but we know that there are areas of extreme natural beauty including unspoiled bays and valleys. Turkey has a great future ahead of it!

Here are some photos. From the top, left: one of Istanbul's mosques, Cappadocia, some kids at the school, a stone lion at the Hittite ruins, and our group at our last dinner together. Our guide Ayberk is next to me.

Added photos: top left: land at Cappadocia (looks like our Painted Desert, doesn't it?), one of the homes in rock (or one of the seven dwarfs?), one of the village women baking bread, in another village we found ladies selling handmade dolls, and two girls in the street in Ankara on their way to school; our friend Bob is in the background.