Turkish Delight

Turkey was the first Muslim country we had traveled to, and hitting Istanbul, we certainly noticed a change. But the change was akin to visiting Singapore before you travel to Asia – enough difference to be noticeable and exciting, but not too different as to be hard work or uncomfortable.

Istanbul is a stunning city where the European part has had a major influence over the Asian side. The whole city feels very accessible and Western with the added special element of being… well, Muslim. Beautiful mosques dominate the skyline and the call for prayer is heard five times daily.

We visited Topkapi Palace, and the underground waterways – the Cistern. We wandered through the Grand Bazaar, ate our way through the Spice Market, and had fresh fish sandwiches under the bridge over the Bospherous River. Of course, we also sampled as many kebaps as we could, and every variety of baklava.

Jono’s parents arrived a couple of days later and we spent a couple of days whizzing round the city with them. For the following week, we hired a car and had a glorious time exploring the Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts in our own time. 

Firstly we made our way to Galipolli. This was a very moving experience and somewhat of a rite of passage for us as New Zealanders. It was certainly a very important part of our time in Turkey for Maree, who had taught the ANZAC history to many school children. We had a wonderful tour guide, a Turkish man who had married an Australian lady and now splits his time between the two countries. He had a deep personal interest and understanding in the war between the Allies and Turks, and was a wealth of knowledge.

Our next stop was Troia/Truva (Troy) where, after our guide warned us not to get our hopes up as there was not much left of the site to see (and no Brad Pitt), we all did get excited about the ruins which dated back over 7000 years.

From Troy, we carried down the coast visiting the little towns that tumbled down cliffs, fishing towns, inland towns in amongst olive groves and ancient Greco-Roman ruins. At Pamukkale, we walked up over magical while terraces and swam in the turquoise water that flowed over them.

There was great excitement from all when we reached the Mediterranean Sea – our first glimpse of it – and we managed to have two nights in an apartment overlooking the Med in the lovely little town of Kas.

Our final day with John and Maree we spent at the Southern city of Antalya. This city seemed to have the perfect combination of beautifully preserved and restored Old Town, as well as a fairly liberal, very modern and seemingly wealthy new part. Our last supper was at a restaurant set over the Bay of Antalya, and we sat there drinking Turkish wine and beer as the sun set around us.

The next day we dropped John and Maree at the airport (setting off for the next stage of their European adventures!) and headed off to the Greek Island of Rhodes. Rhodes was all that we hoped it would be – history, sun, beaches, Mediterranean food, and mopeds. We spent time exploring the medieval city, visited little towns, swam, lay on the beach and explored the island by moped.

When we got back to Turkey (a short ferry ride), we worked our way to the central part of the country, staying in Goreme where the “fairy chimneys” are found. The terrain has been moulded over time into conical mounds which people have been dwelling in for centuries. We had two days in Cappadocia, staying in a (luxurious) cave, and visiting these amazing structures which also housed frescoed churches.

Three weeks was nowhere near enough time in Turkey. The people were the kindest and most genuinely interested in you that we have met, and their love of Kiwis and Australians is humbling considering we were the enemy over those WW1 years. The Turkish leader Ataturk famously told the mothers of the fallen ANZAC soldiers “Your sons are now living in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.” Turkey certainly made us feel like part of their family.