ISTANBUL- more mosques? right this way!

Me outside the Hagia Sophia

ivan inside the Hagia Sophia

Ivan outside the Blue Mosque

 Me, inside the Blue Mosque

 The tulips were in full bloom

The walls were still there! (this is the Hagia Sophia)

We did things kind of opposite in Istanbul.  Day 1, I had to work and stay on the ship, so Ivan went inside the Hagia Sophia.  It cost about 9 Euro and the line was huge, but worth it!  Day 2, Ivan had to stay onboard, so I went inside the Blue Mosque.  It was free and the line was about half the size, i got the good side of the deal.  There is SO MUCH to see in this place, but we really only made it this far.

 http://www.hagiasophia.com/

I wish we could have seen more, but a short and sweet trip to one of the most beautiful and old buildings in the world, made it worth it!

TurkeyTurkeyTurkeyTurkey

My visit to Turkey proved Phil’s Osophy “The most amazing things that can happen to a human being, will happen to you, if you just lower your expectations.”  Phil Dunphy

I had zero expectations for Turkey.  I thought it would be like our other travels in the Middle East, and I had recently been to Tunisia and ignorantly thought it would be the same. 

Now that I’m here, I hear our world traveled guests say, “The best Roman ruins are in Turkey.”  And I agree.  Here are the cities we visited in Turkey:  

Alana

Antalya

Kusadasi

Istanbul

Cannakale

Alana

Sites Visited: Aspesdes (old Roman Ampitheatre) 

City of Side Museum and Ancient ruins: Agora, Ampitheatre

The water was so beautiful and the views were breathtaking. 

If I wanted to come escape the world during vacation, and had enough money, I would seriously consider coming to Alana.  There are so many resorts across the water, which was turquoise and so clear, I wanted to jump in in the beginning of April.  There were restaurants along the water, and daily “cruises” or party boats on the pier. 

the food is very similar to Greek food but not as fresh, things are picked, stewed and you can't really tell what it  is when you eat it, unless it's clearly a fish (this was actually delicious sea bass)

Antalya

Famous for Archeological Museum, Beautiful beaches and Shopping

It is also one of the most visited cities in the world! (makes perfect sense to Americans, because I’ve never heard of it..)

We walked through the bizarre and down to the waterfront, beautiful!  It was quite a large city with TONS of shopping and resorts, too.   

Kusadasi

Sites Visited: Epshesus, St. John’s Basillica, Virgin Mary House, Terrace Houses, Turkish Restaurant, Shopping at City Center

Epshesus is totally worth a visit! One of my favorite archeological ruins visited so far!  Kusadsai is an amazing town for history lovers, shoppers and vacationers. 

Downtown:

Terrace Houses:

Cannakale

Sites Visited: City of Troy (Ruins), Downtown Troy, City of Gallopoly

The horse that was used in the movie Troy is found downtown, which is pretty cool!  Gallopoly is green and beautiful and has lots of memorials for the Azuca Battle and the city of Troy had some pretty good ruins and there were puppies and cats roaming all over the place-pretty typical of Turkey. 

The beach:

Ruins of Troy:

A local feeding cats:

I want to get the word out: Turkey is an amazing country and you should highly consider it while planning your travels!!  AND, if you lower your expectations about something, every good thing that could happen to a human being WILL happen to you! 

Pompaii vs. Ephesus

Ancient City of Pompaii

Location: About 20 minute drive from Naples, Italy, or 1 hour drive from Sorrento, Italy

2^nd most popular Archeological Site in the World

Originally a city in 74 B.C. and covered in a volcano- Mt. Vesuves and recovered and restored in the 20^th Century. 

 

An archway with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

I was impressed with how large the city was and some of the detailed left behind still!  You could still see the numbers (addresses) on the buildings and homes.  Many things weren’t restored as well as they could be.  In fact, one of the only things that had undergone “complete” restoration was a brothel house.  And the Romans did not hold back any picturesque frescos.  One thing I keep learning at these sites is: Whatever the Romans did, the Greeks did first. 

 

In such case, I am very proud to be 1/16^th Greek. 

Ancient Ruins of Ephesus

Location: Kusadasi, Turkey 

I visited it second and was so glad because these ruins put Pompaii to shame! 

Much of the restoration was done by grants from other countries.  St. John’s Basillica was restored by a grant from a man in Lima, Ohio and the Mansions- Terrace Houses, were made into a museum and Archeological workplace by Austria. If you like jigsaw puzzles, this is the job to have! 

The ancient Library

The old Amphitheatre

Results:  The Ephesus in Kusadasi was really amazing!  The columns and pillars were elegant and the terrace houses- with 16 bedrooms each and giant gardens and dining rooms, made me want to go back in time!  Believe me, more in Turkey will surprise you!