Cappadocia is the kind of place people dream about. One look at the photos and you’re hooked. A few travelers we met planned their Cappadocia trip years in advance, and Josh and I were lucky enough to spend 8 nights in this fascinating region. People come not just the undulating and phallic rock formations, but…
Category: Turkey
Cappadocia part 1
Underground cities, fairy chimneys and the troglodyte lifestyle – what’s not to love about Cappadocia? The last leg of our Turkish experience has us in a fantasy land – a heavily touristed fantasy land but a fantasy land nonetheless. We only got a hint of this when pulled into the regional hub of Nevsehir. Soon,…
Konya: No Alcohol, No Problem!
Alcohol isn’t legally banned in Konya, but it might as well be. Only a few stores sell it, and only a handful of restaurants serve it. We found no purveyors (and you all know we tried!), but supposedly they do exist. In spite of its proud conservatism, Konya manages to feel lighthearted and even open-minded….
Pamukkale: Two Sites in One!
UNESCO World Heritage Site Pamukkale is actually two sites in one: the travertines and the ruins. The Romans walked from Hierapolis to the mineral water pools two thousand years ago, and you can still do the same today. Because there are two sites in one, why not write two blog posts in one? Usually it’s…
Pergamom and the Bad Travel Day
You might be familiar with the Bad Travel Day. Any travel writer, travel blog or tipsy backpacker at the guesthouse will surely indulge you on their particular story, and to be honest we’re no different. We knew the Bad Travel Day would come; we just didn’t think it was going to happen on this particular…
The Sirince Lifestyle
Well, we just had our second power outage in 12 hours. The change in the weather seems to really mess up the Turkish power grid. We lost power in the middle of the night, too. We were probably the only ones who noticed, since we were still awake. Turkey is funny like that. They go…
Travel Tidbits and Tips
Istanbul 1. After seeing the “Feel like a Star” Turkish Airlines commercial in Germany, we were quite excited to see if the service lived up to the claims. The commercial features a good tune that sticks hard in my head. Well, Turkish Airlines was great. Check-in was seamless, and they offered us exit row seats…
The Turkey story
We have been here a week and Turkey remains a juxtaposition, a true transitional country. We left Istanbul via a ferry ride across the Sea of Marmara to Bandirma. The ferry itself is a modern catamaran, indistinguishable from ferries in BC or Scandinavia, really. So modern in fact that you cannot buy a proper Turkish…
First Istanbul Impressions
We arrived at dawn and the airport’s bustle belied the sleepiness of the city. Istanbul strikes immediately as a crossroads city. Dumpy tenements worthy of Eastern Europe mesh awkwardly with luxury condos, all eventually fading away into the city’s more ancient districts. The airport’s international arrivals board shows the city’s true nature, too. Flights were…
Love and Barley 