Touring The Aegean - Rhodes to Turkey, Konya & Cappadocia

In 2001 we led a tour of the Greek Islands and Turkey. This hub covers our journey from Rhodes to Cappadocia then thru Konya and Kusadasi and Ankara, then finally back to Istanbul.

16 Sep Sunday - Rhodes to Bodrum, Turkey Up around 6, to allow an early breakfast, then picked up by taxi around 7 and down to the ferry terminal. Unfortunately, no one met us there with our tickets so I had to buy another set, plus port taxes for total of $194. On board, it’s an easy ride – comfortable airplane type chairs and tables, 3 decks, with adequate air. Luggage stored in a central area, under cover. Good early morning views of the harbor and fortifications, with yachts sailing past. 8:10 sailing, supposedly 50 minute catamaran ride, but took nearer 1 ½ hrs. Probably 2/3 or more of the passengers were just heading across for the day. So, no big line for visas, though a bit of a wait to get thru passport control. Lutfi, our Turkish friend & guide, had come down to Bodrum early. So we were whisked into the minivan (8 pax), and took off north. Exchange rate about 1.45 million TL / $

Stopped in the mountains above Marmaris for superb views of the coast, and a tea break with gozleme, made by a woman in a nomadic black tent. Continued on, past tobacco fields, recently picked, with just stalks and a few ragged leaves and top sprouts remaining. Later, cotton fields just getting ready for harvest. Lots of pine trees, then olive and citrus groves. Honey sellers set up their stands all along the road, with an amazing variety of colors in their offerings.

Got into Bodrum about 1:30, to Camca Marzana Hotel, a nice, small hotel promising “60 rooms, 25 apart, 10 suit rooms, 1 King suit”), with several pools, spread across several layers, dropping down a steep hill overlooking Bodrum harbor. Great views directly out to the castle. Sign in bathroom, in 4 languages, addresses the French as “Cher’s clients”

After a brief rest, we walked into town, had oltu kebab for lunch (doner kebabs cooked on a horizontal spit over a wood fire (“the old way”). Then walked along the harbor and up to the castle. Castle of St. Peter was captured by Suleiman in 1523, so it looks like they held out a year after Rhodes did. Good tour of the castle, on a bright sunny, hot day. Several improvements since last time, though some parts a bit more run down, closed for repair, etc. The English Tower now sports a bar and long dining table, and serves an excellent grape juice. (750K lira) Finished tour just as the azan (call to prayer) rang out a little before 5 pm, then wandered separately back thru the shops.

Back in time for a swim, and watched the sunset from poolside. Good supper down by the pool – variety of mezes, and ‘hungar gulas’ as main course. ½ bottle of Villa Doluca, $10.

17 Sep Monday – Bodrum to Kusadasi Up around 8. Beautiful, still cool, morning for breakfast poolside. Took off around 9, driving up the coast, with several stops – Letmos lake, formerly part of the bay, but now mostly freshwater. Stopped for tea. Then also, along the road where there were honey sellers. Koray, the driver, needed to get some pine honey for his boss and relatives. We got some great pistachios (5 million for ½ kg). On to Didyma, at times on a really poor road. Built between 750 and 550 BC this is the second largest Apollo temple (after the one at Delphi). Present site features reconstructions from Hellenistic times 4th c BC, uncovered just over 100 years ago. Doric columns originally of marble, some of the restorations used a marble paste in molds to form the fluted rims.

Drove on, past cotton fields, with migrant workers just setting up their tents. These were not ‘proper nomads’, Lutfi informed us. Lunch in the cotton manufacturing town of Soke (SIEUR-key) – past a tea house packed with men doing little but watch us pass. Pide, kebabs and lamacun for lunch. Then another ½ to the Hotel Ozcelik in Kusadasi. It’s located right on the beach. We’ve got a suite, with sitting room and balconies directly over the beach. Nice breeze eliminates need to use the air conditioning. Went swimming for a short time, lazed out on the beach for a bit before coming up to catch up on captioning and this journal. Water here is really hard – almost impossible to soap up, and then as difficult to rinse, leaving the body feeling sticky. Somehow, shampoo did an ok job. 7 pm now, dinner downstairs in 30 minutes.

Pretty sunset, then watched bats flying around catching (hopefully) mosquitoes.

18 Sep Tuesday –Kusadasi Ok breakfast, then leave around 9 for drive to Ephesus. The founding myth is that the Delphi oracle told Andropolus to found a city where there were jumping fish and running pigs. After many travels, his boat had caught some fish and his party was cooking it ashore one night when one of the fish, not dead yet, leapt off the spit and into some bushes where it frightened a local pig who ran away. What better omen than that on which to found the major port of Asia Minor? In any case, we visited our 3rd Wonder of the World in 4 days, the Temple of Artemis. Like all the others, not much remains, and it takes a lot of imagination to reconstruct the temple from the handful of restored columns. (Other 2 were sites of Colossus of Rhodes and Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, of which even less remains today). Behind the temple are a Byzantine Basilica of St. John, and a 7th c Seljuk castle, along with a later mosque. Quite a range of history captured in one shot.

Good tour of Ephesus,(about 1 ½ hours), very crowded, then visited a ceramics. On to Sirince, once a Greek village, abandoned in 1920’s but taken over by Turks from Greece who kept the Greek character. Had a good lunch – mushrooms baked with cheese, cheese pide, lamacun, beer. Also starting point for an 8 km hike down to Seljuk.

On way back, pleasant surprise at the Cetin Doll Museum – a wonderful collection of exhibits by a retired teacher who made over 600 dolls from papier mache, and created scenes from life in a village of his childhood. Harvest, summer grazing, wedding, town scenes, etc. ending with a series of scenes from tales of Hodja.

Quick walk thru Kusadasi, tourist shops in wide pedestrian streets; stopped at an internet café, but it was so slow as to be unusable [one of the few times this happened in Turkey]. Back to hotel around 5 for another dip in the ocean.

19 Sep Wednesday –-> Pamukkale 9 am start, driving thru cotton fields, eventually reach Sardis, the Lydian capital from 680-547 BCE when captured by the Persians who made it the capital of Asia Minor. Lots of tumuli in surrounding hills, some real, some false to deter grave robbers. Croesus was last king of this rich area. Impressive ruins, large entrance gate, remains of a 3rd c synagogue, Byzantine shops.

Lunch in town, Odun Kofte, excellent lamb ground and cooked on skewers, yogurt, grilled whole tomatoes, grilled peppers. Arrive in Pamukkale around 3 or so, time to relax around the pool.

Around 6 we went for a tour of Hierapolis, then walked along top of the travertine terraces to watch the sunset. Disappointing, since there was a lot of smog (from the cement factories down the valley). All the hotels and other developments have been removed from the top last year, partly for environmental reasons. Gives much more open and scenic impression. The main hotel has also been closed, leaving just a few changing rooms, and the only swimming pool left on top.

Back to hotel, and dinner around 8- a nice terrace with views of the travertine terraces lit up.

20 Sep Thursday Konya to Cappadocia (Mustafapasha) Early start (8:30), leaving at the same time as all the tour buses. They’d been at the hotel only about 12 hours. Long day ahead. Passed large, dry salt lake, to right, jumbled volcanic hills to left., then break out to broad steppes, isolated villages providing the only trees in sight for miles. As we come over the top of a small ridge, we’re suddenly confronted by the city of Konya (600K), spreading to the horizons. Arrive about 2 pm. Visiting the Shrine of Mevlana of Whirling Dervish fame. Beautifully set amid calligraphic inscriptions and wall paintings, Mevlana and his son lie under large catafalques. Other members of his family are buried nearby. Displays include the beard of Mohammed and beautiful Kurans from a wide period of time.

Lunch at a nearby restaurant. Local speciality – firin - tandur kabob. Lamb boiled, then baked. Similar to Moroccan meschoie, and just as delicious. Served on pita bread. Then back on the road for the final leg to Cappadocia. Several caravansaries on the way

Arrived at Sinasos Hotel about 7 PM. Dinner set for 8:30.

21 Sep Friday Mustafapasha

- details of this section are in the following hub:

Spent awhile at Cavit’s shop, getting vests, and some kilim traveling bags. Then, walked to the Old Greek House for dinner – excellent food, served in traditional manner, sitting on pillows at a low round table. First meze of salad, potatoekoftes and beans, followed by cheese pie, and then karnerik (stuffed eggplant– fried, stuffed with meat and spices, then baked. Delicious), and finally, lamb koftas on French fries, with a dessert of melon and baklava and Turkish coffee.

22 Sep Saturday Mustafapasha & Cappadocia

On to Kaymakli Explored the underground city,

23 Sep Sunday Cappadocia to Ankara to Istanbul

We leave at 9 for Ankara. Sunflower harvest is well underway – piles of seed heads line the sides of roads, waiting to be run thru a thresher like machine,that spits out the seeds. The seeds are spread in large piles to dry and be sacked. Outside of Ankara, large dry salt lake. Lunch at a bus stop – clean, bright, great lamb stewed with peppers, tomatoes. Arrive Ankara about 3, another 45’ to traverse the city and get to the airport. Met another of Lutfi’s friends (the customs officer who’d warned us about antique gun laws last spring.)

Arrive at Hotel Nena about 7 – nicely located between covered bazaar and Sultanahmed. Ate at Mozaik offering a “Rockfor and walnut” salad, followed by very good lamb w/ tomato sirti. Street restaurants abound just off the main/tram street.

24 Sep Monday Istanbul

Hagia Sophia closed. City tour – Hippodrome: triple snake statue from Delphi, made from melted Persian weapons, brought here by Constantine. Sultanahmed mosque, built between 1609 and 1616; followed with extended tour of Topkapi, including reopened treasury, and the harem. Ended the day at the covered bazaar In the evening, so Audrey, Lutfi and I went to a nice quiet restaurant off the main streets. Had a good selection of mezes, followed by lamb chops. Talked til after 10, then wandered back to the hotel, getting some night shots of Blue Mosque.

25 Sep Tuesday Istanbul

Topkapi Palace closed. Visited Hagia Sophia (upper galleries closed, so best mosaics inaccessible). Then walked down to ferries, and took one over to Asian side, Uskudar. Walked along the waterfront, great views back to the other side. Lunch in a dept store café – good Iskender kabobs. Coffee on ferry on way back, then tram up to Obelisk and quick visit to the Turkish & Islamic Art museum. Then out to airport for flight home.