Turkey is a quite varied country. It is also bigger than it seems on the map. When we started planning our honeymoon trip, we made a list of things we wanted to see and Cappadocia came to the top of both of our lists. Then we started looking at what it meant to go there. [...]
Cappadocia is a rocky region near the center of Turkey. It is a region of sweeping vistas and gorgeous scenery. Most of these scenes are due to the nature of the rock in the region. The rock of Cappadocia is very soft. It has been eroded over centuries into valleys like the Ihlara Gorge and [...]
Continuing the series of looking in depth at the sights we saw on our van tour around Cappadocia. The main destination of the tour route we picked was Ihlara valley. It is a long winding gorge south-east of Goreme about an hour and our next stop after leaving Derinkuyu Underground City. The gorge is made [...]
As a part of our few days in Cappadocia, we decided to take a van tour on the green route around the region. The route heads south and visits a few places. The last thing we saw before heading back toward Goreme was the Selime Monastery. I don’t have as much info about this place [...]
As a part of our trip through Turkey we spent several days in Cappadocia, a rugged and beautiful interior region. We didn’t have a car, so opted to take a van tour. The green route tour that we took went through the Derinkuyu Underground City, one of a number of underground cities dug into the [...]
One of our travel goals for 2013 is to “See the World with a sense of wonderment“. For me this partially means traveling like a 12 year old. So looking at travel and the world with the fascination that children seem to be so good at. Mundane and practical does not have to mean boring [...]
I am not a foodie! Seriously, no. My tastes are base and simple. I often find having to eat annoying and a lot of stuff is way too fancy for me. I would be just as happy with a beer and a waffle as a meal that takes sentences to explain. Despite all of this, [...]
The Blue Mosque is definitely one of the main symbols of Istanbul. The six minaret skyline profile is on everything from postcards to t-shirts. The outside is very impressive, no argument. It is grand and imposing. The stacked domes of the main building rise gracefully on top of each other toward the sky. Though the [...]
One of the popular tourist attractions in Istanbul is the famous Istanbul Spice Market. It’s crowded and chaotic, but luckily it didn’t take us too long to get from one side to the other. I loved seeing all the different colors and smelling the different smells throughout the building.
Ephesus was one of my favorite parts of Turkey because I could feel the history all around me. Many pillars like these have survived for thousands of years, making Ephesus a wonderfully interesting place to explore for a few hours.