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Nancy and Doug Trips
Nancy and Doug Trips

Nancy and Doug Trips

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Our lifelong travel bug has given us our most prized ‘possessions’ - the many memories from business and especially family trips.
 “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” Lue lisää🇨🇦British Columbia
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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    The god Zeus
    Statues from the FountainsStatues from the FountainsThe Hall of the Mother Goddess CultsSeated Woman of Çatalhöyük c 6,000 BCSarcophogi from the Belevi MausoleumGoddess Artemis of Ephesus 1st centuryThe Parthian Monument at the Celsus LibraryAdoption Scene from the Parthian Monument

    Ephesus Archaeological Museum

    9. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    The Ephesus Museum is located just a few minutes from my guesthouse as the road from Ephesus itself enters town. It has exhibits from the Mycenaean, Archaic, Classic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman Eras. Exhibits are mostly from the finds of the ancient city. They have some very nice sculptures from the Roman era of course. There is also a stunning statue of the goddess Artemis, namesake of the nearby Temple. The exhibit on the cults was also interesting.Lue lisää

  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    Library
    The AgoraThe Agora

    Lower Ephesus

    9. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Below the Terrace houses the monuments continue. First the magnificent Library. The Agora was the central square of the city. Then the impressive Theatre which sat 35,000 and has perfect acoustics.

  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Terrace Houses at Ephesus

    9. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The Terrace Houses require another entrance ticket but are very worth it. This is what is called Terrace House 2, number 1 still in ruins. They are essentially a complex of what you could say are 8 luxury townhouses for the elite in Roman society. They have been covered with a massive plastic or glass roof and are undergoing restoration. You get a glimpse of the principal rooms and the life they led.Lue lisää

  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    Bathhouse and gymnasium
    The Curetes StreetTemple of Hadrian

    Upper Ephesus

    9. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    So, Ephesus was one of the top two reasons, with the Hagia Sophia, to visit Turkey and neither disappointed. First, the site is so vast and shows the full extent and layout of one of the largest and most important cities in the Roman Empire as the capital of the province of Asia.

    It also is very significant in early Christian history as both John and Paul lived here. Paul was here several times and his stay of three years was used as a base for his evangelism throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and the tenth book of the New Testament, Epistle to the Ephesians, was written here, Is quite possible that without Paul, Christianity may not have survived.

    Started at the upper / North Gate which is best as you go downhill to the bus to town. The top part runs to the Terrace houses where it takes a turn to the right. Some impressive ruins and you can just wander around them at will.

    Ephesus was built in the 10th century BC then taken by the Roman's in 129 BC and rebuilt.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    House of the Virgin Mary

    9. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Way at the top of the mountain above the Ephesus ancient city is a park said to have the house where the Virgin Mary lived her final years. There is of course no proof of this and a good article is found here:
    https://turkisharchaeonews.net/object/house-vir…

    In any event, it has become a pilgrimage site for many and is constantly busy with visitors who come to pray at the shrine (no photos allowed) or tie wishes to the wall with ribbons

    Very peaceful    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Leaving Cappadocia - Kayseri Airport

    8. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    At Kayseri Airport enrouute to Selcuk via Izmir. Shared van pickup for 200TL was at 1500. Flight time is 1800 and we got here about 1645. Checked in at Pegasus Airlines but they don’t allow two pieces of cabin luggage no matter the size or even if you pay a fee. Interesting model I think to speed boarding as I saw later how quickly they turn these flights. So checked my bag for free. At this airport there are only two flights leaving in the next 2 hours so will hope they put it on the right plane!

    No plane here yet but was on time according to check in agent. Plane arrives about 20 minutes before departure, everyone gets off, then we board front and rear doors at the same time according to row and ten minutes later we depart on time. No carry on certainly speeds up the process to be more like a bus service than what we are used to from airlines.

    Bit of light rain.

    Bit of adventure at the Izmir airport. My bag did not come off until the very end. I knew it would be tight so rushed to the curb and managed to flag down the bus just as it was leaving. Next one was another two hours. Got to Selcuk and a ten minute walk up the hill to my hotel at 2100.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    ATVs are popular activity
    Restaurants along main streetPottery ChickenSecond floor terrace

    Goreme Centre and Istanbul Cafe

    8. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Walked down from Open Air Museum through town. Goreme exists because of tourism with many activities at the outskirts of town, including horse riding, mountain biking, ATV rentals.

    The town is very well serviced with restaurants and shops.

    I chose a restaurant called Istanbul Cafe (and Nargile, but didn't partake) with a second floor terrace. Lunch was at 130 and will be the main and only meal with a bus at 3, flight at 6, another bus and getting to my hotel at 9, so decided a nice meal was in order. Place on the main street looked like a nice terrace on the second floor. Tried the local specialty Testi Kebabi Tavuk or pottery kebab chicken for 230TL and an Efes for 90TL. The dish is cooked in a conical clay pot they bring to the table and crack off the top and empty it on the plate. It was a very tasty stew of chicken, tomatoes and mushrooms.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    The Nunnery
    St. Barbara ChurchSt. Barbara ChurchThe Dining HallDining HallBuckle Church

    Goreme Open Air Museum

    8. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    My flight is not until the evening, so set the morning aside for the Goreme Museum. This UNESCO site is the most popular tourist destination in Cappadocia and to me is one of the highlights of the trip with a large number of churches, chapels and monasteries carved out of the cliffs that have many lovely and well preserved frescoes from about a thousand years ago.

    This region had early Christian settlements from the 2nd century then in the 3rd century became popular for the establishment of monasteries. These grew as did the population of Christians fleeing Roman then Muslim persecution. Many of the churches carved into the stone have frescoes. Most seem to date from the 11th century.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Balloon bummer 😢

    8. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Had booked Butterfly Balloon Tours months ago as one of the more highly rated outfits.

    Alarm for 0445, bus pickup at 0515. About a hundred tourists fed a pastry and fruit breakfast before the announcement comes that the flight is cancelled due to high winds. I am happy that safety is first, just a bit of bad luck. Refund was issued promptly.Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    Green Tour Route

    Treat shop stop

    7. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    As with all tours, there had to be a final sales stop. The Beyzade Kureyemis shop makes treats, especially around dried fruits, but also nuts, Turkish Delight and chocolate. They have a little talk and a sample of some 30 different things. I was impressed with the local Cappadocia coffee that has cardamon, hazelnut, cacao, dates, almonds and pistachio in it that I bought a small bag to use in the mornings as there are no coffee machines in the rooms and unimpressive stuff on offer by the time they get around to opening for breakfast at 8.
    They also demonstrated a skin oil made from Rose Oil the ladies in the group said they liked and bought. There was a display of their other natural skin care products.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Kaymakli Underground City

    7. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Doing an underground city was the main reason for me to choose a green tour.

    Caves may have first been built in the 8th–7th centuries BC. In Roman times, the inhabitants, now converted to Christianity, expanded their caverns adding the chapels and Greek inscriptions. The city was greatly expanded and deepened in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) era, when it was used for protection from Muslim Arab raids during the four centuries of Arab–Byzantine wars (780–1180). These cities continued to be used by the Christian inhabitants as protection from the Mongolians 14th century. After the region fell to the Seljuk Turks of Persia, the cities were used as refuges from the Turkish Muslim rulers, and as late as the 20th century the inhabitants, were still using the underground cities to escape periodic waves of Ottoman persecution. When the Christian inhabitants of the region were expelled in 1923 in the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, the tunnels were abandoned.

    The city has a depth of 8 floors, and only the top four are open to the public, There are stables, a church, extensive storage and living quarters and even a winery. Everything is organized around the ventilation shafts which go down the full depth. There are many defensive features such as narrow, twisting tunnels and holes that allowed defenders to spear the invaders.

    Around 8,000 people lived in here in times of war.    Lue lisää

  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Selime

    7. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Selime Cathedral is the largest monastery in the region. Also known as the Selime Monastery or Selime Castle, the cathedral is a mix of natural and human-made structures. There is evidence of various civilaztions going back to the Hittites and Persians. The monastery was constructed in the 8th century by Christians as a monastery with church, but then changed in purpose as a caravanserai in the 12th century.

    The monastery has a large church, which is divided into three sections by two rows of rock columns. There were an estimated 2,000 people who would have lived within the complex. The monastery contains quarters for monks, two halls, a stable for mules, and a large kitchen. The kitchen was built within the cathedral and lamps were used as a lighting source    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    KEM Art Center

    7. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The obligatory stop at a shop. This one was a jewelry place. Everything from gold to silver and diamonds, rubies, onyx and amethyst. But the unique offerings here are a semi precious stone called Zultanite found only in Turkey and the local Turquoise which is bluer. Zultanite is only mined in the mountains of Turkey and it changes colour depending on the colour of the light it's in - green outdoor, pink under incandescent light etc.

    The items sold here are pretty and the styles is delicate and artistic.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Pigeon Valley

    7. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Another stop at a viewpoint. The pigeons refer to the people keeping pigeons in the little bird houses carved in the rock. This was done nor only in this valley but all over the region. They collected the bird droppings for fertilizer and also used the birds as courier pigeons.

    Also visible from here is Uchisar Castle which is actually a natural rock formation used as cave dwellings as is the case all around this region, and particularly as a defense position going back to Byzantine times.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Goreme Panorama

    7. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Booked a tour for today. Chose a 'Green' tour that goes to the south. Will have about seven stops on this day. Pickup by one of the ubiquitous white 15 pax Mercedes vans and fought our way out of the traffic jams.

    First stop on the ridge on the west side of the valley opposite the Sunset Point.
    Again a very good perspective and close view of the fairy chimneys. These are made of the rock tufa that is formed underwater. A lot of ancient Rome was built of tufa. If they still have the black 'caps' these are volcanic basalt that was laid on top. In the valleys, water then eroded them and formed the towers.

    I have seen the 'evil eye' talisman a lot around here. It is a common superstition all around the Mediterranean but this blue jewelry is super common in Turkey.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Sunrise

    7. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Well -- sunrise "time" -- it is very grey.

    Got out of bed about 6 and opened the curtains to see the day and there is a balloon hovering outside! They really come right down into the town.

    Went up to the terrace and got a great view of a sky filled with balloons. The weather was not the best with low cloud and you could see the balloons go into the clouds if the went up so that may be a reason why they were so close in.

    I have been told around 150 balloons operate from here and just looking in one direction I could count 40+ so that is believable.

    Looks like quite an experience to float over this incredible landscape.

    The lighting is poor, so these photos don't do it justice at all!    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Goreme View

    6. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Just a short walk up to the Sunset View Point.
    There is a direct path from town that must use private property so the enterprising owner set up a ticket booth to collect 5TL to use the trail!
    Also a cafe and wine booths etc at the top if you want to have some refreshments while enjoying the view.

     Atmospheric conditions did not produce spectacular sunset but a pleasant view over town and valley.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Caravanserai Hotel

    6. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    This is one the hotels carved into the rock face of the valley. Nice little place, just a few maintenance issues coming out of two years of the pandemic shutdown.

    After the sunset view, just found a Take out place and brought home a decent hamburger and a bottle of red and enjoyed the hotel's rooftop terrace.Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Cappadocia Arrival Neveshir Airport

    6. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Quick easy flight. Coming in to Neveshir you would be forgiven if you thought you were landing in Calgary. Farms, then grass rangeland and barren foothills with mountains in the distance.

    Hotel had a paid pickup service (200TL to the driver). Driver waiting outside and we filled the 12 pax van and hit the road 30 minutes after landing. Be faster if everyone just used carry on ! 😀

    Trip supposed to be 40 minutes but depends on what order the hotel drop offs are.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    Market StreetShopping in EminouPeaceful Behind the Hagia Sophia

    Istanbul Wrap-Up

    6. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Left my hotel after 9 and got to the airport stupidly early for a 1325 flight but there was nothing else to do and I AM an airport geek! IST airport is impressive. Only opened 2019 and is Europe's largest and busiest airport. Top notch spaces, services and facilities. They even have a dedicated lounge for 'Special People ' (Down Syndrome, dementia etc listed) to provide a calm space and dedicated staff to assist.

    Istanbul is a fascinating place. All too short a visit, although I saw the main historic sights. It is quite a clean city. I don't know if Turks just don't litter, or if there is very efficient cleaning. You get the flavour of the 'orient' with the markets and the shops along the streets, but it is still a European city (not technically part of the Middle East) and the infrastructure is all up to date and maintenance levels are high. And so much history from the Roman Empire through the Byzantine era, then the Ottoman Empire, it was a leading city for some 1500 years.

    Day 1 Tuesday, Oct 3rd: Arrival day, so really travel time. But did get the one event in. Put in 8,028 steps , mostly in airports. It was partly cloudy on arrival and about 20.

    Day 2, Oct 4th: Long day today and saw a huge amount. Really experienced the hustle and bustle of this place and all its chaos. Was mainly a walking tour of the south bank and overdid the walking with 20,772 steps. The weird thing about Istanbul is that it is very hilly and they built all their main buildings at the tops of hills! Mostly cloudy and it wasn't too hot.

    Day 3: Oct 5th. Got up and was worried I couldn't do anything. After I got home last night I fell asleep for an hour then couldn't get back to sleep and was also really sore this morning. However, got a shower and breakfast and took a cab to the first stop to save my muscles for important stuff! Weather was a bit iffy too. Had really heavy rains overnight and it was cool cloudy and we had intermittent light rain. For me, though, better than 30 degrees! Ended up doing one museum less than planned but also managed to walk all the way back today. Today was basically the #1 and #2 sites on the tourist trail. Easy day of 12,350 steps in cool weather..    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja
    Imperial Hall with the Throne of the Sultan
    The Middle GatePalace Model -- Main entrance on leftSecond courtyardGate of Felicity to the Third CourtyardEntrance to the kitchensThe kitchensFountain Hall of the HaremCourtyard of the ConcubinesImperial HallThe fountain of the Privy Chamber of Murat IIICourtyard of the FavouritesTwin Kiosk

    Topkapi Palace

    5. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Close to the Hagia Sophia is the Topkapi Palace. I was actually planning to go to the Archaeology Museum first and passed by the Topkapi Palace and noted a huge line to enter. When I got to the Museum, there was a line there too for the tickets but since I already had a pass I just needed to go through security and in, A group of people went to to the right through a security screening which I decided to use and suddenly I was in the Topkapi Palace via an unpublished side entrance!

    In 1453 Mehmed the Conqueror took Istanbul and in 1460 began the construction of his grand palace complex which was completed in 1478.The complex covers 70 hectares, over three times the size of the Forbidden City in Beijing, which it reminded me of with its series of courtyards one after the other, each leading to a more 'senior' level of authority. The palace was the administrative, cultural and educational center of the Empire as well as being the royal residence for almost 400 years.

    The Harem, which simply means the residence of the royal family, not the more salacious meaning, had more than 400 rooms, many quite pretty, and many different sections. This was the most interesting part of the palace and required a separate ticket.    Lue lisää

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsMiddle East 2022Matkaaja

    Coffee break

    5. lokakuuta 2022, Turkki ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    On the way from the Hagia Sophia to the Archaeological Museum was a shop called Han Baclava. Didn't have a lunch break built in to the day plan, so stopped. This was the fanciest Turkish coffee service yet, and a tiny piece of Turkish baclava. Not the cheapest coffee at 28 TL for coffee and 45TL for the treat.
    The other bite I had today was a bagel-thing they sell from carts all over town for 5 TL, or 10TL with either cream cheese or Nutella.    Lue lisää

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