Exploring Turkiye

A 18-day adventure by Dr Morbius & Nicola Read more

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Trip start
April 8, 2024
Exploring Turkiye
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Day 1
Monday, April 8, 2024 at 12:08 PM
☀️ 16 °C
Altitude: 21 m
Turkey Strategion 41.014014, 28.97606441°0’50” N 28°58’34” E
Hello Turkiye
April 8, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
And we're off again. We've been in Albania for over a month, which is the longest we've been in any one country for the past 6 months.

Arrived at Istanbul airport on time and made it through passports and baggage collection in 15 minutes. That's gotta be a record.

We're on an Intrepid tour during our time here in Turkiye, so we met up with our fellow travellers and we're ready to kick off tomorrow.Read more
TravelerI was lucky to spend time there and got to see many off the beaten track places as my sister was working and living there.
4/8/24Reply
TravelerIt's always great to have someone living in a place that knows the out of the way places to go to. I bet there's plenty of places here.
4/12/24Reply
Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Turkey, it's such a great place , don't forget the turkish bath 😊 [Gracey]
4/10/24Reply
TravelerLiking it so far Grace. I'll definitely do the baths again..enjoyed it in Morocco.
4/12/24Reply
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Day 2
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 8:55 AM
☀️ 13 °C
Altitude: 29 m
Turkey Strategion 41.012117, 28.97846741°0’44” N 28°58’42” E
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Istanbul
April 9, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
Big day exploring yet another fascinating city with a long, rich history. The tulips are blooming in the main gardens and the Turkish people are keen to tell you that they had tulips long before Holland ever did. Not sure, but either way they were beautiful.

There are lots of mosques here and they are quite impressive.

Then we went down to the Old Bazaar, which is by far the largest market we've seen to date. It's over 30,000 sqm and has over 4,000 shops. And we somehow escaped without buying anything...Read more
TravelerWhen tulips were taken to Holland they became the biggest ponzi in history .. is my understanding .. till fiat currency ha ha .
4/9/24Reply
TravelerGrew wild in Asia and then cultivated in Turkey
4/12/24Reply
TravelerLove the rebel red tulip 🌷 looks incredible
4/11/24Reply
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Day 3
Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 3:25 PM
☀️ 21 °C
Altitude: 12 m
Turkey Arı Burnu 40.240892, 26.28108340°14’27” N 26°16’52” E
Gallipoli
April 10, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Drove to Çanakkale this morning to board a ferry across the Dardanelles Strait to Gallipoli, where they were setting up for the memorial services in a couple of weeks.

Unreal to be at the site where it all happened.

Lest we forgetRead more
TravelerGranddad James Michael miraculously survived this to be sent to Somme where in france and survived that too... amazing and lovely man from my memory.
4/13/24Reply
Traveler💖💖
4/18/24Reply
TravelerBut nearly didn't survive the kitchen table bench .. a story Mike loves to have a laugh about.
4/13/24Reply
Traveler🤣
4/18/24Reply
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Day 4
Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 10:10 AM
🌬 17 °C
Altitude: 22 m
Turkey Troy 39.956967, 26.23981939°57’25” N 26°14’23” E
Troy
April 11, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 17 °C
On our way to the next stop, we stopped at the site of the ancient city of Troy. In reality, there have been a number of cities on this site, one atop the other.

The earliest signs of habitation goes back more than 3,000 years ago. Troy is obviously the most famous of the cities that existed here, although many doubt the myth of the horse really happened. Makes for a good story but...Read more
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Day 5
Friday, April 12, 2024 at 9:58 AM
☀️ 21 °C
Altitude: 8 m
Turkey Arcadian Street (Arcadiane), Ephesus 37.943381, 27.34136937°56’36” N 27°20’29” E
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Ephesus
April 12, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
We stayed in Selçuk to visit the ancient ruins of Ephesus.

It's a fascinating archaeological sites that covers a huge area. It's currently holidays here in Turkey, so it was quite busy. But loved it.
TravelerI can't believe it's 17 years since I was there. Feels like yesterday looking at your photos.
4/17/24Reply
TravelerTime flies that's for sure
4/18/24Reply
TravelerYes, looks very familiar. Quite a few years since I've been there too,
4/18/24Reply
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Day 6
Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 4:17 PM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 279 m
Turkey Pamukkale White Terraces 37.91835, 29.12297537°55’6” N 29°7’23” E
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Pamukkale Thermal Springs
April 13, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
This morning we took a train to Pamukkale, famous for its mineral-rich hot springs that emanate from terraces of white travertine rock. The terraces border the old Roman city of Hierapolis, an ancient spa city that was founded around 190 BC. Among the ruins is a very well-preserved theater.

Nicky went for a swim in the spa while I went up to explore Hierapolis. The theatre was awesome, but one of the more interesting sites was the Temple of Apollo, which was built over the source of the thermal Springs. The waters flow from a small cave called the Gates of Hell, which also emits a poisonous gas that the Romans used to sacrifice animals.

We stayed around to watch the sun set over the thermal pools. Later, the pools and valley walls are illuminated... stunning.Read more
Traveler Great photo.
4/26/24Reply
Traveler Wow.
4/26/24Reply
TravelerOne place I didn't get to.
4/26/24Reply
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Day 7
Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 1:27 PM
☀️ 27 °C
Altitude: 151 m
Turkey Kayaköy 36.575906, 29.08796936°34’33” N 29°5’17” E
Fethiye, Kayaköy and Ölüdeniz
April 14, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Today we drove to the coastal town of Fethiye. After dropping our bags at the accommodation, we took a shuttle over the coastal mountains to visit the resort town of Ölüdeniz, famous for the Blue Lagoon.

But on the way we stopped at the abandoned city of Kayaköy. Although the city goes back to Greek times, the majority of the buildings there were built-in the late 1800's. The population was largely Greek and after the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, the town's Greek Orthodox residents were exiled and the city was never repopulated. Fascinating place...

From there we made our way down to the Blue Lagoon to see the beach and enjoy a couple of beers. The area is popular with beachgoers and hang gliders, who jump off the neighbouring mountain to land on the beach.

It was a great day and after returning to Fethiye, we explored the city a bit more and discovered ancient tombs carved into the cliffs above the town.Read more
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Day 8
Monday, April 15, 2024 at 10:49 AM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 5 m
Turkey Uchagyz 36.197183, 29.84630336°11’50” N 29°50’47” E
Kaleüçağız
April 15, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
This was one of the highlights of our trip. We drove along the magnificent coastline to the small coastal town of Kaleüçağız, where we spent the afternoon on a nautical adventure cruising through the many islands offshore. It was basically a day of rest and relaxation, mixed in with some swimming, excellent food and a beer or two.

One of the islands we stopped at had a sunken city. The Lycians were a peaceful federation of city-states, dating from around 2000 BCE, and included the sea-trading city of Simena. In the 2nd century CE, Simena was hit by a series of violent earthquakes and sank beneath the waves. It was fascinating to see the remains of the city under the water.

At the end of the day, we moved the party back to the accomodation for a great evening with new friends. A few sore heads the next day though...Read more
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Day 10
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 11:30 AM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 23 m
Turkey Karaalioğlu Parkı 36.881525, 30.70367836°52’53” N 30°42’13” E
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Antalya
April 17, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Our next destination was the city of Antalya, the 5th largest city in Turkiye and one of the biggest destinations for tourists. It's a pretty place with lots of nooks and crannies to explore and stunnning views over the bay from the top of the cliffs.Read more
TravelerLovely. Was it full of Russians?
4/26/24Reply
TravelerDidn't notice that many but maybe they travel there later when it's a bit warmer
4/28/24Reply
Stunning [Linda]
4/26/24Reply
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Day 11
Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 4:34 PM
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: 1,017 m
Turkey Konya 37.871128, 32.50378637°52’16” N 32°30’14” E
Konya
April 18, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Today we drove to Konya, one of the last cities we visited on our tour and the most religiously conservative city in Turkey. We learned all about the muslim whirling dervishes at the Mevlâna Museum. The museum started as a dervish lodge where the dervishes used to perform the ritual whirling dance to the rhythm of musical instruments in the 12th century.Read more
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Day 12
Friday, April 19, 2024 at 2:14 PM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 1,067 m
Turkey Cappadocia 38.649628, 34.83387538°38’59” N 34°50’2” E
Cappadocia
April 19, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Cappadocia, our next destination, is an amazing place with the landscape of soft volcanic rock, shaped by erosion into towers, cones, valleys, caves and churches and underground tunnel cities that were dug out to offer protection during times of persecution.Read more
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Day 14
Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 5:55 AM
🌙 7 °C
Altitude: 1,166 m
Turkey Churches of Göreme 38.6472, 34.81600338°38’50” N 34°48’58” E
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Cappadocia From Above
April 21, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 7 °C
Got up early this morning to view the sunrise from a hot air balloon drifting over the valley and formations, an incredible experience.
Traveler Fantastic!! Love the photos.
4/29/24Reply
TravelerOh wow! Looks amazing
4/30/24Reply
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Day 14–17
April 21, 2024 at 12:23 PM - April 24, 2024
3 nights
⛅ 15 °C
Altitude: 1,063 m
Turkey Hattusa 40.019403, 34.61539240°1’10” N 34°36’55” E
Hattusa
Apr 21–24, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Heading for Ankara today, the capital of Turkiye. But first, we stopped at a couple of archaeological sites in the Çorum province.

First stop was Yazılıkaya, Turkish for "inscribed rock", which was a sanctuary of Hattusa, capital of the Hittite Empire.

Next we stopped at Bogazköy-alacahöyük National Park, which has the remains of the city of Ḫattuša itself. It is a massive site encompassing 2,600 hectares.Read more
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Day 15
Monday, April 22, 2024 at 9:10 AM
☀️ 14 °C
Altitude: 865 m
Turkey Güven Parkı 39.920744, 32.85311939°55’15” N 32°51’11” E
Ankara
April 22, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Today we're in the capital city of Ankara and there's a lot to see.

First stop was the castle at the top of the hill. From here you get a good view of the sheer size of Ankara. Next we stopped at the archaeology museum.

And finally, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.Read more
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Day 16
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 12:06 PM
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 802 m
Turkey Eskişehir 39.775619, 30.51881139°46’32” N 30°31’8” E
Eskisehir
April 23, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
We jumped on a train to the city of Eskisehir on our way back to Istanbul. Eskisehir is a beautiful city with lots of canals and parks.

And today is a public holiday as Turkiye celebrates Grand National Assembly Day, so lots of people and exciting things happeningRead more
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Day 17
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 2:01 PM
☁️ 23 °C
Altitude: 22 m
Turkey Karaköy 41.022822, 28.97409241°1’22” N 28°58’27” E
Final Day in Turkiye
April 24, 2024 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Another quick high-speed train back to Istanbul, where we spent the afternoon wandering through the Taksim District of Istanbul.

Enjoyed a local treat, the wet hamburger, which was delicious. It is our final day and we said goodbye to all our new friends.Read more
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Trip end
April 25, 2024