Turkey ~ Cappadocia Sites, Göreme National Park, UNESCO, Ceramic factory

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

February 20th, continued…

(Warning, another long post)

We started our day off with the optional early morning hot air balloon flight which I wrote about and posted a separate entry on.  You can check it out here if you are interested in it. After returning to the hotel for breakfast, our entire group left for a full day touring the sites of Cappadocia.

Church carved into the side of a rock

Church carved into the side of a rock

Rock Sites of Cappadocia

Located in central Turkey, this is a region made up of several cities.  Known primarily for the natural wonders that include unique rock formations, called fairy chimneys or hoodoos, dwellings carved into the soft rock hills and underground cities. Continue reading →

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Turkey – Hot Air Balloon Ride over Cappadocia

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

February 20th, Cappadocia

Wake up call was set for 5:30 and departure for our group of 11 on the optional hot air balloon trip was 6:00. The sky was just starting to lighten as we left the hotel. A twenty-minute ride brought us to the lift-off point where the balloon was already set up and in the final stages of being filled with hot gas.

Filling the balloon

Filling the balloon

The safety instructions were simple – Stay inside the basket at all times, no smoking, no high-heeled shoes and our pilot, “Borish” was the boss while on board. Continue reading →

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Turkey ~ Along the Silk Road with a visit to a school, caravanserai, carpet shop and Whirling Dervishes

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

The internet was pitifully slow in Cappadocia, so I am playing catch-up on my blog. Warning, this is a long post.

February 19, 2014

Wednesday we traveled along the Silk Road which takes us through the flattest part of Turkey, going from Konya to Cappadocia.

School Visit

Happy faces excited to see us

Happy faces excited to see us

The Gate 1 Foundation is funded by a portion of the tour revenues.  In each country that they offer tours, they are giving back to the communities, often in the form of adopting a school in an impoverished village.  We visited one of the schools this morning.   Continue reading →

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Turkey ~ Mevlana (Whirling Dervish) Museum, Konya

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Tuesday, February 18th

My brother-in-law, Mark, turns 60 today.  We will officially celebrate with him in a couple of days with a hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia.

Leaving the coastal Aegean area, for a 5.5 hour drive toward central Turkey, the landscape slowly changes.  Cotton fields and olive trees give way to fruit trees ~ sweet and sour cherry, quince, plum and pear.

The scenery changed as we moved away from the coast

The scenery changed as we moved away from the coast

Further along the way the main crops become sugar beets, lentil, chick peas, opium poppies, and potatoes.  The opium poppies are regulated and used for the pharmaceutical industry. Continue reading →

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Turkey ~ Hierapolis, Pamukkale, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Monday, February 17th

I’m irritated with myself this morning.  I’m working on my tiny iPad to post on here trying to let Tim sleep.  With clumsy fingers I tried to edit my post on Ephesus to correct a spelling error.  Instead of touching the edit link, I touched the delete link right below it. My entire write-up on Ephesus and Kusadasi disappeared!  I’ll try to get at least part of it rewritten and posted again when I have a chance.  Majorly bummed!

Update:  I found out how to restore a deleted post – happy again.

Pamukkale is really two sites in one.  Sitting high on the side of a hill overlooking a fertile plain, it is made up of  travertine terraces formed from natural hot springs.  This is also home to the ancient city of Hierapolis. Continue reading →

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Turkey – Kusadasi, Ephesus and Terrace Houses

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Sunday, February 16th

After a quick breakfast here at the hotel, we met Ben and Yulia in the lobby.  They had already made arrangements and had a taxi waiting.  A bit of negotiating ensued regarding pricing, an agreement was struck, and off we headed to Ephesus.  The goal was to arrive before any of the tour groups so we could get our pictures with no crowds in the way. Continue reading →

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Istanbul in pictures – a make up post

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

The other day I posted about our day in Istanbul, but got extremely frustrated when the Internet Gods would not allow me to upload any pictures.  As I now sit in Kusadasi, the internet is smiling on me.  So instead of sleeping (it is 3:50 Sunday morning here while I write this), I will attempt to bring this up to date.  Here is a link to the original post on Istanbul if you missed it.

Hippodrome

Hippodrone

Hippodrome

Blue Mosque

Tim and Joanne in front of the Blue Mosque

Tim and Joanne in front of the Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque interior - the name turquoise originated in Turkey

Blue Mosque interior – the name turquoise originated in Turkey

Blue Mosque Interior

Blue Mosque Interior

Blue Mosque interior

Blue Mosque interior

St. Sophia

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St. Sophia

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St Sophia Interior

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Saint Sophia

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Saint Sophia

Basilica Cistern

Cistern

Cistern

Upside down Medusa head

Upside down Medusa head

Lunch options

Pudding Cafe

Pudding Cafe

Grand Bazaar

Grand Bazar

Grand Bazaar

New Mosque

New Mosque

New Mosque

Galata Bridge

View of Blue Mosque from Galata Bridge

View of Blue Mosque from Galata Bridge

Taken from Galata Bridge

Taken from Galata Bridge

Spice Market

Spice Market

Spice Market

Inside Spice Market

Inside Spice Market

Gratitude Moment:  Today I am grateful for amazing technology that allows us to share stories and pictures from (almost) anywhere in the world with friends and family back home.

 

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Turkey ~ Asclepion of Pergamum, an ancient place for healing

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Turkey – 2/15/14

Today we are traveling again. On the road at 8:00. It is foggy and cooler this morning as we head further inland. I pull my heavier jacket out of the backpack.  We pass through forested areas and climb over Mount Ida. Occasionally we get a look at the Aegean Sea off to our right.

As we drive our guide Erdal tells us about the education and medical systems in Turkey. Both are provided free through university level, however there are also private schools and private hospitals that charge.

Domestics abuse is a still a big problem in this country. Continue reading →

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Turkey ~ Travel day, Gallipoli, Troy and Canakkale

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Friday, February 14th

Today was mostly a travel day.  We loaded up the bus after breakfast and were on the road at 7:30.  I only had a few hours sleep before our wake-up call so feeling deprived of rest.  Throughout the day I struggle to keep my eyes open.

Gate 1 is good at breaking up any long days with bathroom stops every two hours which allows us a moment to stretch our legs as well.  Today we were in the bus for four hours passing beautiful green fields and orchards.  Barley, wheat, grapes, olive and other fruit trees are the most common crops.  The picture at the top of this page shows a sample of the beautiful scenery we passed by.

Then a stop for lunch at the small village of Gallipoli which is most known for the failed World War I campaign. Continue reading →

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Istanbul ~ a city of contrasts

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Thursday February 13th.

For some reason, the internet here at the hotel is not allowing me to upload pictures or provide links to show you what we are doing.  So until I can get somewhere that allows uploads, I will have to be happy with telling you about our day.  Hopefully this will get remedied soon as I took several pictures I am anxious to share!

We have been in Istanbul for just over 29 hours now.  Our day started early.  Our internal clocks are still not on board with being on the dividing line of Europe and Asia.  Tim was wide awake and on the computer when I opened my eyes at 5:00 this morning. Continue reading →

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