• Balloon ride of a lifetime!

      29. Mai in Türkei ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

      We made it! After booking a last minute balloon ride through a third party, we were anxious about the timing being early enough with a 9:45am flight out of an airport an hour from Göreme. We packed up last night and left our bags in reception for our 4:55 pickup. A short drive to the take-off site and we noted balloons already in the air. It was very exciting to know we were a go. We arrived as they were laying out the balloon so we got to see it go up before a hurried boarding process as we started to lift off. We got a basket segment to ourselves (20 total passengers) and had amazing weather as we floated into the skies. I was certainly a little scared in the beginning as we reached upwards of 300m high but it was so smooth and beautiful, it was hard to stop smiling. Our segment stayed aiming forward for almost the entire trip. We went right over the fairy chimney rock formations and we even got to drop down into Love Valley (the phallic stones made the kids giggle) and float just over the rocks. An amazing ride that we will never forget. A smooth touchdown (after making it to the ground, they floated the basket directly onto a trailer before strapping down, pretty cool) and champagne toast later, we were taken directly back to hotel (about 20 minutes away) where our airport van was already loaded and waiting for us. We had time for some coffee before takeoff to Istanbul where we will have some time before our flight to Heathrow. A beautiful and memorable way to end our Türkiye trip.Weiterlesen

    • Uçhisar Kalesi (Castle)
      Uçhisar KalesiFrom Uçhisar Kalesi looking at Rose Valley that we hiked yesterdayTop of Uçhisar KalesiFlaming pottery kebap

      Last night in Cappadocia

      28. Mai in Türkei ⋅ 🌙 59 °F

      We found out that our rescheduled balloon ride for today was canceled yesterday at around 4 pm. We slept in but before bed we made a plan to explore a few more places. After breakfast we were talking to the hotel owner and he knew of course that the balloons were canceled. He encouraged us to go for another spot first thing and that he would arrange our airport transfer for no charge bc of slight issues on the drive out. We found one place that could give us 5 spots. After this was arranged, we took a taxi to a nearby village of Uçhisar to see the Uçhisar kalesi (castle). This is the highest spot in Cappadocia and the castle was impressively preserved and incredibly tall. You explore about 8 stories of different rooms and see where water and food were stored. The castle was used as a safe place when invasions occurred.

      We grabbed a Döner kebab and took a taxi to the Göreme open air museum. We shopped a little and then looked at the cave buildings from a distance.

      We had planned to finish on a high with another Hamam visit in light of the balloon letdown and just kept our appointments (which was such an arm twist). We walked back from the museum to Deep Cappadocia, a local Turkish bath/Hamam. We booked a 60 min massage and Hamam (scrub and bubble massage) for everyone. This place wasn’t as fancy as the first, but still received rave reviews. I fear that they re ruined at 8,10,13 and will expect spa life going forward. No more of us going to a spa while the stay at the kids club.

      After that we went to a wood fired bbq restaurant and had a delicious last dinner here. We walked home, packed our suitcases and backpacks, and if all goes well in the am we will have flown in the balloon and have made our flight to Istanbul!
      Weiterlesen

    • Balloon:( and epic hike

      27. Mai in Türkei ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

      Today was supposed to be our balloon day and is largely the reason to visit this area. We were collected at 350 and drove to the Royal Balloon center for breakfast and sent to our launch site. The federal aviation association makes the final call about whether we take off or not, and despite perfect ground conditions, it was a no go. We were bummed and went back to the hotel and slept for a bit before second breakfast. After we ate we walked to the center of town to meet Mehmet, the guide we had hired for a 7 hour hike for the day. Kids were worried that it would be too long, but it ended up being perfect. Mehmet took us on an amazing, if not quite difficult hike with lots of climbing and exploring. The unusual landscape is made up of volcanic rock shaped by wind and water long ago. The cave houses have changed purposes over the years with most starting as monasteries with incredible chapels and rooms that were hand carved by the monks themselves in the 6th century. The last monks left the cave houses in 1925. The White Church was so beautiful and intricate inside, and one of the small chapels had incredible frescoes from the 11th century. The final building we saw was an 8 story nunnery with special rooms to feed animals and their troughs were even at different heights based on the individual animals. Incredible!Uses changed over time, and also included pigeon houses. The farmers depended on the droppings for fertilizer for crops. He was a fun guide and really engaged the kids and gave many of his own opinions on the world:) we trekked back into town right at 5 pm exhausted, dusty and a little bit sunburned. We rested for an hour and headed out for dinner. We sat out on a terrace and watched the sun set over Göreme. Chilly afterward but worth it. It was a day well spent and like most places like this, the pictures do not do it justice.Weiterlesen

    • Cappadocia

      26. Mai in Türkei ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

      Up early with our birthday boy for a chocolate croissant and happy birthday candle and then off to catch a car to the airport at 8am. Unfortunately, our van reservation didn’t show but Uber was nearby so only cost us 20 minutes. After getting to the airport, kids got some BK breakfast before our 75 min flight to Kayseri and, after luggage, a 75 minute van ride (with a sleepy driver that made things interesting) before being dropped off at Vineyard Cave Hotel for our 3 day stay in Göreme (a city in the middle of the area called Cappadocia). After 1400 check-in (thankfully the owner let us in early) we got to see our first cave hotel. They are all over the valley and built inside the rock walls. Very cool. We finally got to celebrate Hudson’s birthday with a few gifts brought from home (though most waiting for him in the UK) before meeting the owner and getting recommendations for the area. We then made a small hike through the main area of town and the shops and then up to Sunset Point. Amazing views over the surrounding area and a peek at what we will see tomorrow. Clouds overhead looked menacing but Elliot’s pleas to go back down were ignore as the weather was blowing the other way. After some great pics, apologies were made after the sky opened up and drenched us with pelting cold ice. Wet and cold, we made our way down and found a burger place in town (needed to switch up from Turkish food) and had a yummy dinner. On the way back, we scheduled a hiking tour guide for 7 hours tomorrow and then bought a few small things in the gift shop before buying some groceries for our hike tomorrow. Back home for showers and earlier bedtime as we have to get up at 3:30 tomorrow.Weiterlesen

    • Overlooking Bosphorus
      Hagia Sophia behind usOn Galata Bridge

      Last day in Istanbul

      25. Mai in Türkei ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

      Today was a much slower day than yesterday. We were beat after walking all day and eating late, so we slept in a little and went out for a late lunch down the street. Good food but chilly on the rooftop terrace. As we were heading down the owner of the restaurant also owned a rug shop (they are everywhere so you need to look a bit off the main streets for cheaper and better quality rugs. I have been looking for a Kilim rug (handwoven flat wool rug with natural dye) after seeing one I liked in the bazaar yesterday. The best made Turkish rugs can last for decades. They clean and repair them. There was one in the store that was 80 years old, which is crazy. We bought 2 sizes and headed out for the day. We took a ferry to Asia for the day. Definitely a sleepier part of the city and we really just wandered in and out of shops. We definitely preferred the liveliness of the European side. We have taken a lot of public transport together, but none have been as confusing as trying to get the ferry tickets back. We thought we had enough and it let G through but none of the rest of us. I left to try to buy more (impossible), then Tige had to leave kids on both sides of turnstiles to try to help (still impossible:). After all of that you could tap in. So frustrating!

      Back to the other side and we had dinner at the Old Ottoman Restaurant and with full bellies went home to shower and pack before our early pickup for the flight to Cappadocia.
      Weiterlesen

    • Waiting outside Hippodrome
      Inside Blue MosqueOutside Blue MosqueInside Hagia SofiaHagia SofiaBasilica CisternGrand BazaarOverlooking the Grand BazaarOutside Hagia SofiaOutside Blue Mosque

      Walking tour

      24. Mai in Türkei ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

      We had another amazing day of weather. It was tough to wake up this morning so we got some pastries around the corner on the way to our private tour guide for the day. Just a 5 minute walk away, we met him in the Hippodrome - which has two Egyptian obelisks that used to sit in the middle of a huge horse track. They were moved by ship and part of one was lost at sea. Next to the Hippodrome was the Blue Mosque - so named because of the blue tiles inside. It was a beautiful mosque and, at the time of its building 500 years ago, it rivalled the most important mosque in the world in Mecca. Domes became very important to Islam and this dome was the largest in the world at the time. Just across from the Blue Mosque was the Haggia Sofia. Now open in the upper levels as a museum (and, so, not free like the Blue Mosque) the HS is a converted cathedral that was built before Islam existed 1500 years ago. It was converted to a mosque in the early 1900s and still had mosaics of Jesus and the Virgin Mary intact. Though less pretty, I thought it was even more special given its age. Also with largest dome of its time, it stood as an example for many later cathedrals like St. Peter’s in the Vatican City. On our way out, we met one of the many, many cats in Istanbul (though he wasn’t keen on being petted). After a stop for some Turkish tea, baclava and Turkish delights, we went to the Basilica Cistern. The largest known cistern in Istanbul, it apparently had enough water for 500,000 for one year - holding water from Roman aqueducts stretching 30 miles. It was enormous. The cool temperatures and lighting made it feel even larger and the Medusa head bases on two of the columns were thought just to be used as filler to hold up the roof. From the cistern, we walked to the Grand Bazaar. At nearly a mile long, over 60 streets, it was overwhelming. Our tour guide took us to a secret spot for some photos overlooking the roof (and some shopping for Jocelyn) but we decided not to buy anything in the Bazaar (and unfortunately it’s closed tomorrow) before we made our way to the new side of town across the Golden Horn. We walked through a hookah bar (or ‘hubbly bubbly’ as our guide called it) and finished with snacks and drinks at local bar. After a full day, we made our way back past the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque and had a delicious and well earned dinner near our stay. After over 10 miles, we all got to shower before bed.Weiterlesen

    • Day 1 in Istanbul

      23. Mai in Türkei ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

      We arrived in Istanbul at around 1230am this morning and took a car to our apartment in Sultanamet, which is a popular first spot to land on the European side of Istanbul. We had to get cash for the driver and the kids enjoy the stack of 10k Lire that we got for £200! We got our sleepy kiddos into bed, grabbed water (markets open until 3 am here which is crazy when you live in the UK where stores close at 4 p on Sundays. I didn’t fall asleep until 4 and we let everyone sleep in. We headed out to explore around noon and ended up having a delicious lunch at Mavi Döner. Tige and I shared a chicken and beef kebab plates, H had a beef pita and E had a beef wrap called a Durum. G was boring and had chicken and fries. Everything was super flavorful and just what we needed. The city is huge from a footprint and a citizen standpoint, twice the population of NYC and London. We walked through the city for about 40 minutes until we came to the Suleymaniye Mosque which was built in the 16th century- supposed to be one of the most beautiful of the >3000 here in Istanbul. We covered up and went inside. It was so beautiful and a student volunteer sat with us and talked about the mosque and Islam itself. Good for the kids to hear about other cultures and religions. He was super kind and informative. We headed from there about a 20 min walk to our Turkish bath spot called the Zeyrek Çinili Hamam. Fancy and beautiful. Highly recommended if you are ever in Istanbul and they will allow kids also which not all hamams do. The boys went off with Tige to the men’s area and Elliot and I went to the women’s. My bath partner was an absolute treat to hang with! We changed into towels and disposable bikinis and went for the hot treatment- you sit on a hot marble floor and sweat out all of the toxins for 15-20 min and then our lovely guides (2 women) would come and rinse you with water and then did a full body exfoliation. Then we moved to a hot marble platform and they did a super cool bubble treatment and massage. I can’t quite describe the sensation of being covered head to toe in small bubbles, but the whole experience was heaven! Next they rinse you and wash your hair, wrap you up and you chill in a lounge area. 10/10 for all of us. Elliot said it was the best start to a trip ever!

      We left the bath and walked across the golden horn body of water that divides the European side. We had booked a sunset cruise on the Bosphorus river (connects the Mediterranean to the Black Sea), cruising between Europe and Asia. We ate fresh fruit and had tea, and it was chilly in the end.

      We ubered near home and after a weird initial sit down at what turned out to be a cafeteria, we found our spot at a local small place (3 tables inside, 8 outside) where the delightful owner ran around taking care of everything. We had delicious hummus, kebabs, a meatball dish called kofte, and local pasta:) We finished with tea and baklava (which I mistakenly thought originated in Greece, but it turns out really the Ottomans). 12,000 steps and looking forward to our big walking tour tomorrow.
      Weiterlesen

    • Worlds largest hand woven carpetQasr Al Watan palaceQasr Al WatanCorniche Beach

      Last Day in UAE

      19. Februar in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

      Today was our biggest day out in Abu Dhabi. We started out the day with a morning visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It was stunning! The entire mosque was made out of marble and I think we needed sunglasses for the mosque as well as the sun. The detail inside was even more beautiful. There were columns with inlaid marble flowers, beautiful chandeliers and in the women’s prayer hall the walls were covered with marble flowers done in a relief style. Pictures don’t do it justice. There was a huge food hall and we sampled Dubai chocolate (chocolate with pistachios inside, which is a huge thing here) and sat down at a restaurant that I had actually planned to eat at in Dubai, but we ran out of time. We had hot and cold apps that included delicious hummus, labneh, mutabal (basically baba ganoush), tabouleh and a beet salad, wings, calamari and shrimp. After lunch we headed to Qasr al Watan, the presidential palace where the president (leader of UAE and Abu Dhabi) and vice president of UAE and leader of Dubai, and the crown prince all have offices and receive foreign dignitaries. Incredible mosaics, gold and marble everywhere and exhibits about their contributions to science and medicine.

      After the palace we headed to Corniche beach and let the kids play in the sand while we enjoyed our last day of sun for a while. We walked along the boardwalk to the grand souk so that the kids could get last souvenirs. We found a Lebanese/Italian (weird mix) spot for dinner and the owner really spoiled the kids with free desserts. Came back home and packed up for our flight in the am. This has been such a great trip on a new continent, filled with adventures and family time, which is what we really love the most. We definitely recommend a trip to the UAE. The people have been super kind and welcoming and there is so much to do!
      Weiterlesen

    • Abu Dhabi, Jubail Mangrove Park

      18. Februar in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

      We had to leave our wonderful Dubai flat this morning and took a 1 hour taxi ride back to Abu Dhabi. We arrived just before lunch and dropped our bags before taking another taxi to the nearby Yas mall. We picked a location close the airport as there is no central area in AD and we ended up on Yas Island. YI is home to many family attractions (Sea World, Warner Brothers and Ferrari World - with the world’s fastest roller coaster at 150 mph) but we didn’t book any of these stops given our previous excursions and limited time. Instead, after lunch and shopping at the mall, we headed to Jubail Mangrove Park for a private electric boat ride. The park was peaceful and quiet and we learned a lot about the ecosystem including AD’s plan to plant a million trees by 2035 to become the greenest city in the world as the mangrove consumes 4-5x more CO2 than regular trees. We had a slight hiccup after we got dropped off and realised E had dropped her phone in the taxi and we didn’t have a way to contact the driver. Fortunately, we had used an app and toward the end of the boat ride, we were able to get his number and arrange for him to come back. Feeling much better with phone in tow, we enjoyed the 2km walk on the mangrove boardwalk. It was cool and started to rain at the end of the walk so we hailed a taxi and headed home for some groceries and cooked in while introducing the boys to Titanic. Up early tomorrow for sightseeing.Weiterlesen

    • The Storm rollercoaster slideView from Blackout of Burj Khalifa and Burj Al ArabDrop slideBlackoutArabian SeaRoyal resortSeascapes

      Aquaventure and Royal Atlantis

      17. Februar in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

      We paid for staying out too late last night when we got up early today for our trip to Atlantis Aquaventure. Billed as the world’s largest (most slides) waterpark, we couldn’t pass it up. It opened at 915 and it was a 30 minute taxi - we arrived just after opening. After getting our locker, we jumped on the first slide we could which ended up being a water slide roller coaster with ups and downs. It was a great start. A couple rides later, Gid and I got in line for Leap of Faith, a near vertical drop slide while E and H took Mom to the Shark tank that ends in an underwater tunnel surrounded by a tank full of rays and sharks. Both were the most popular rides so took nearly an hour. After some family raft rides, it warmed up a little as the sun finally came out - it was supposed to be mid 80s but felt more like low 70s especially when you were wet. A few slides later and it was already time for lunch and drying off in the sun.

      After lunch, we talked Elliot and Joce into trying the intimidating drop slide before moving on to the 4 person mat racing slide and 3.5m ‘cliff’ jump pool. Gideon and I split up again to tame the fastest slide in the park - Blackout. The biggest vertical drop in the Middle East, it did not disappoint and was definitely the favorite. Shorter lines helped though 10 flights of stairs made us work. After our second time, we got Joce and Elliot to try as well and it ended as the favorite slide of all. Hudson loved the roller coaster like Medusa’s Lair where you also raced the raft next to you. We ended the day with the world’s longest family raft ride (nearly 2 minutes long) which was also a big hit. The park closed at 6 and we stayed till the end (though we were all freezing by then) before lining up in the showers - which took much longer than planned.

      Since we had a big lunch, I found a place nearby called Seascapes to get drinks (Muslim country so no alcohol sold anywhere aside from some hotel areas) and snacks. We walked 15 up the road and got caught in a mini rain shower. When we arrived, we realised the restaurant was actually a beachside bar at a brand new 5 star resort called the Royal. We were slightly under-dressed when we walked into the lobby to flames in the walls, elevators surrounded by a waterfall feature and multiple 50 foot tall aquariums with a huge outdoor fountain and jumping water features. It was the most amazing hotel we have ever seen. We hurried through with our wet suits and dirty clothes and, fortunately, down at the beach, we were all alone and got to enjoy sliders, guacamole and drinks by the Arabian Sea. On the way out, I wasn’t too shy to take some pictures. May be a future getaway for Joce and I. After relaxing, we took a cab back to our place to crash after our last day in Dubai.
      Weiterlesen

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