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Istanbul/Barcelona - May 2022
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  • WhorledTravelers

Istanbul/Barcelona - May 2022

Eight fabulous days in Turkey, a 14-day Oceania Sirena cruise (with Covid) and four days in Barcelona. A great trip accomplished just as we are freed from pandemic lockdown. Tourism is light, due to testing and entry restrictions for many countries. Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 28, 2022
    WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    TomTom Suites, Istanbul
    TomTom Suites, IstanbulTomTom Suites - loved the bathtubView of The Bosporus from the hotel room (not our ship)The Italian consulateFrom our window, quiet street

    Arrived in Istanbul

    April 29, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    We are weary travelers right now. Knowing it gets better from here. Cancelled flights and three flight changes. Rerouted by Philadelphia from London to Lisbon and a missed flight because of three-hour passport control officer strike/slow-down in Lisbon. Twenty-six hours later we are in Istanbul but without our luggage. [Day 5 post-script: luggage finally found and delivered today; we are happy to have clean clothes.]

    Our lovely hotel, the TomTom, is a former convent and a bit off the beaten path but still close to everything. We have a suite with a view of The Bosporus (the world’s narrowest international waterway) and the Italian consulate.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    The simit shop
    The simit shop30,000 simit a dayBest fresh and hot - like pretzelsStopped here for traditional Turkish breakfastThe tandoor oven for the lavashAgain - fresh and hot, this time its lavashAn Aab breakfast - lots of vegs, feta, olives and oil -cured herbsThe Sportsclb founded by the Greeks in late 1800's. Any Greeks still in Turkey in 1923 were forced oTurkish breakfast - cheese, beef, fried egg, honey and lavashThey were proud to show us their skills.

    Kurtulus neighborhood food tour #1

    April 30, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    A great 8-hour tour with Ugur from Culinary Backstreets in his Istanbul neighborhood. It is a gentrifying neighborhood with residents from many parts of Turkey and environs. First stop was the simit shop. This shop makes over 30,000 simit a day to be sold from carts throughout the city. We waited for our fresh ones to come out of the oven. From there we went to a neighborhood sports club founded by the Greeks in late 1800’s to see the girls play basketball and have an Arabic breakfast. Next up - a traditional Turkish country breakfast with lavash from the tandoor oven, and honey and cured beef (kavurma) from the owner’s country home in. Erzican. The cheese is cured in a goat hide.Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    Unripe almond eaten as snack with salt
    Unripe almond eaten as snack with saltUnripe apricotsMystery fruitUnripe almondsOrganic farmers market every SaturdayCandy store ready for the end of RamadanOrganic farmers marketFresh grape leaves for dolmaPeeling baby artichokesArtichoke heart vendorStreet scene -- KurtulusThe neighborhood fish monger

    Kurtulus #2 - Neighborhood sights

    April 30, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We asked Ugur lots of questions about what we were seeing. Fresh in the markets this week: (1) tiny unripe almonds, apricots and nectarines (a much anticipated and expensive sour treat for many), (2) fresh newly unfurled grape leaves for dolmas, and (3) artichokes from the south. Turks NEVER eat the leaves of artichokes, only the hearts.

    We visited the organic farmers market held every Saturday but both traffic and produce was light as recent inflation has been over 100% and few people can afford the extra cost of organic.

    The candy store is heavily stocked because the end of Ramadan is tomorrow. Many families celebrate with candy for the children. New stores in the neighborhood include a Persian/Iranian bakery and a coffee shop run by a Jewish family.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    Translation: The seller of liver pit
    Translation: The seller of liver pitFried lamb's liver - not for us!Purple carrots, turnip aand pickle juiceAyran - yogurt and salt drink served ice coldOld guy at old coffee shopJewish coffee shop menuA tradesmen's restaurant. Pretty empty on a Saturday.Lamb & eggplant, dolmaEach day just two or three choices but fast, reliable and goodThe sweets shopGullah - rice wafers soaked in milk with pistachios and rose water. Yummy.Kazandibi, aka chicken pudding. Like cutting through an old gum eraser!Mezze restaurants are popularEnd of day - mezze time

    Kurtulus #3 - more new foods

    April 30, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Who knew there were tiny restaurants in Istanbul serving only offal? We tried grilled lamb heart and fried lamb liver. But at least as interesting were the drinks. Salgam is a favorite Turkish juice made of purple carrots, turnips and pickle juice. One sip was enough for us. We also tried Ayran, a yogurt and salt drink which wasn’t too bad. Its the national drink of Turkey.
    Then to a tradesmen’s restaurant for their Kurdish/Armenian daily specials and on to a Jewish-owned coffee shop for a yummy sahlep - warm milk, wild orchid root and cinnamon. Dessert was yet another shop for Gullah (rice wafers soaked in sweet milk with pistachios and rose water) and Kazandibi ( a sweet milk pudding made with rice starch and chicken breast!).
    Last, but not least, it was headed towards dinner time so we stopped for some vegetarian mezzas.
    A really fun day but we won’t be needing or wanting dinner tonight.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    From the bridge crossing The Bosphorus.
    From the bridge crossing The Bosphorus.In the supermarkettShopping mall Sunday night in NeveshirUtopia Cave HotelUtopia Cave Hotel, door to our r oomSupermarket choices: chips with yogurt flavor and Local candy bar. Total bill $2.40Our cave room

    Travel day - May 1

    May 1, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Early pick up this morning by our driver to get out of town and to the airport before the May 1 annual Labor Day protests begin. Streets are quiet as roads are blocked and public transportation near Taksim Square curtailed. It is also the first of three days celebration for the end of Ramadan and schools are closed this week. The news said almost 2 million of Istanbul’s 18 million people have left the city to see family or vacation this week. We are flying to Kayseria in Cappadocia.

    Turker Mutlu, the very kind owner of the tour company we used, BellaTurka, took us out to dinner and to the shopping mall this evening to buy underwear, shirts and shoes as our luggage is still MIA. Thankfully, Turkish made clothing is very inexpensive.

    Our hotel, Utopia Cave Hotel in Urgup, was built right into the side of the hill and incorporates some of the old cave homes.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    1st underground levelJohn and our guide, SefaAn entrance to the undergroundJohn enjoys his Efes in his $2 LC Waikiki t-shirtSoup made from dried yogurtAbandoned cave homes near restaurantFairy chimneysHomes or chapels in the rock formationsThe police stationPasabag Valley

    Underground villages and fairy chimneys

    May 2, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    A quick nap after ballooning and we are off to see an underground village. Cappadocia is comprised of volcanic tufa (solidified ash, very soft) , volcanic rock, sandstone and granite. Made for a fascinating tour from our historian and geologist guide, Sefa. The underground cities/villages were built over centuries, even as early as 2000 B.C. Over 150 of these are known today, one which could shelter 30,000 persons.
    Archeologists think these may have functioned as refugee camps in the 3rd century for Christians fleeing from what is now Israel and Syria.
    Lunch in a small village and then off to the fairy chimney rock formations of Pasabag Valley. The tufa has worn away leaving pillars supporting rock caps. Some have homes or chapels carved into them.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    What do you see?Penguins? A camel?Napolean's hat or a funky bird?Gulor wine bar. This was previously a cave for storing lemons.

    Devrent Valley and Turkish Wine

    May 2, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Devrent (Imagination) Valley has lots of pink-tinged rock structures and is a favorite spot for families. What do you see in the formations?

    We stopped at a wine bar owned by the Sabanci family, who started their Turkish winery in the 90’s. They have vineyards in Thrace and Anatolia. Alcohol cannot be advertised and the growing conservative Muslim majority imposes high taxes to discourage consumption. Nevertheless, a few wealthy individuals have started successful wineries and of course grapes have been grown here from the beginning of civilization. They do not stake the vines of local grape varieties, they grow low to the ground to capture the low nighttime temps. This area is considered high desert. You see small family plots of grapes near every rural house.Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    View from the balloon
    View from the balloonView from the balloonKeyhole doors - the kingdomThe refectory is directly over John’s head, the Dark Church in the top leftThe refectoryThe upper flat space is the collapsed narthex to the Dark Church.Christ Pantcrator

    Morning in Goreme

    May 3, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    No, we didn’t go ballooning again today but we took some great pictures of this place from the balloon yesterday and went to see it on foot today.

    The Goreme valley was home to a continuous Christian monastic tradition for over 900 years (until the 11th or 12th century). The monks carved over 300 churches, chapels and monasteries into the rocks. Some of these have been preserved in the World Heritage site of the Goreme Open Air Park. St. Basil the Great is the most famous of the Cappadocian monks and St. George (the dragon slayer) was born in Cappadocia.

    The highlight of Goreme is Karanlik Kalise (Dark Church). It’s narthex collapsed many hundreds of years ago, sealing the church. The frescoes were undisturbed by light (though covered in pigeon poop) until the late 1800’s. Some have been restored, others repainted. You can see the influence of the Italian Byzantine era painters in these 11th century frescoes.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    Uchisar Castle
    Uchisar CastleUchisar CastleCafe overlooking Ortahisar CastleMustafapasaMustafapasaLunch in Mustafapasa

    An Afternoon in Cappadocia

    May 3, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    We finished up the afternoon with a few other highlights.
    Uchisar Castle is a natural rock formation visible from many points in Cappadocia. It served as a fortress. Hundreds of years of homes, from troglodyte caves to 21st century.
    Ortahisar Castle is similar but smaller. We lingered at the coffee shop overlooking the town. It was busy with many locals as it was a school holiday. Lunch was delicious in a small restaurant in the village of Mustafapasa. This was predominantly a Greek settlement until WWI and the architecture reflects it.

    Then it was back to the airport in Kayseri for an evening flight back to Istanbul.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler

    Pera Palace Hotel

    May 4, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    We are at the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul! We saw it in the Netflix movie and it is exciting to be in this historic hotel just off the main street of the European side of Istanbul. It is lovely, with a grand dining room and bar and a patisserie. We stayed in the Greta Garbo room!Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    The Ahmet III fountain, 18th century
    The Ahmet III fountain, 18th centuryThe inside courtyard, Topkapi PalaceThe kitchen complex viewed from the Inner CourtyardThe back of the kitchen complexCoffee grindersDomes and ventilation in the kitchensBeautiful tile work, even in the kitchensInner courtyardThe Divan. The Ottoman Empire was ruled from this room until the 1700’s.Dome over the Gate of FelicityOutside the libraryThe libraryThe libraryThrone of Sultan Ahmed IFourth Courtyard. It was the Ottomans who brought tulips to Holland.The view across the Golden Horn from Topkapi Palace

    Istanbul Tour 1 - Topkapi Palace

    May 4, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    This morning we began a two-day guided tour of Istanbul with Hanifi, our guide, and two couples from the cruise we met on the internet.

    Topkapi Palace was center of power for the Ottoman sultans for 400 years, after Sultan Mehmet II took Constantinople in 1453. It was built in only 18 years, 1460-1478. It was first a fortress as it sits overlooking the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus and the Golden Horn . It became also the center of administration, educations and arts for the Ottoman Empire. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk turned it into a museum in 1924.Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    The Blue Mosque, closed to visitors
    The Blue Mosque, closed to visitorsOutside Hagia SophiaHagia Sofia mosaicsInside Hagia SofiaHagia Sofia mosacsMuslims do not permit portrayal of facial likenesses in art and many have been obliterated (angels)Hordes of visitors at Hagia SophiaHagia SophiaSo vast, imagine it filled with water50+ foot ceilings in the cisternGetting our COVID tests

    Istanbul 2 - Hagia Sofia, Cistern

    May 4, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    The Hagia Sofia was built as a Byzantine Christian church in the 6th century and has subsequently been a mosque, a museum and now a mosque again. It was incredibly crowded and is closed to visitors during prayer. It is known for its beautiful mosaics from its time as a church, The Cistern of Philxenos is an ancient mad-made subterranean reservoir. It has 224 marble columns, each about 45 feet tall. End of day we were off for our COVID tests, required to get on the ship in two days.Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    The Blue Mosque from the waterWho's that good looking guy on the boat?Fishing boats on the BosphorusDolmabache PalaceDolmbache Palace gardensDolmabache Palace European decorative motifOur tour boat with Pam and PatrickLunch at Tepside KebapExpensive homes along the east bank of the strait

    Istanbul 3 - Strait, Dolmabache, Bazaar

    May 5, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Still with Hanifi and our small group of six. This morning we took a boat ride up the Strait of Bosphorus (a natural strait connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Mamara and out to the Mediterranean). It is a boundary between Europe and Asia and separates the 20 million person city of Istanbul in two.

    Then on to Dolmabache Palace, the main administrative building during the Ottoman Empire. Impressive architecture.

    After lunch at a neighborhood restaurant, we went to the Grand Bazaar (where I bought Turkish beach towels). It was a long day.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    Sniffer dogs check out our bags at Turkish CustomsOur stateroom on Oceania SirenaThe champagne was waiting for us! Bon voyage!A look back at Istanbul

    Istanbul Farewell

    May 6, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    We walked the main shopping street of Istanbul this morning (Istiklal) so John could buy more t-shirts! Found the LC Waikiki and made some quick purchases. Then we boarded the Oceania Sirena to begin our 2 week cruise.
    Our concierge "suite" on the Oceania is small but comfortable. The bathroom is TINY. Customs was a bit drawn out with a full search (for drugs?) by the dogs. Tonight we sail through the Strait of Dardenelle.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    The tender to the ship
    The tender to the shipBozcaada poppiesBozcaada beachOld Greek church in BozcaadaCorvus wineryThe Italian owner of Corbus wineryWe bought a bottle of eachOur ship on the rightRuler of all he surveysBozcaada

    Bozcaada

    May 7, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ 🌬 66 °F

    Our first port. No dock for a big ship so we came in on a tender. Bozcaada (aka Tenedos in Greek) is the third largest island of Turkey (but only 15 sq mi) and in the Aegean Sea . We took a ship's bus tour around the island. It has great beaches but it is still too cold to visit them. Fields of red poppies are EVERYWHERE. The island has a long history of wine production and we visited the Corvus Winery for a tasting. Of course we brought some bottles back to the ship with us. We spend the late afternoon exploring the Bozcaada Fortress on our own and John did some scrambling on the ruins.Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler
    The port of Kusadasi
    The port of KusadasiOur shipGreek statues at Ephesus Museum.Statue of Artemis. Greek about 500 BCIt is said Mary, mother of Jesus, came to live in Ephesus in a cave nearby.The library of CelsusThe promenade to the agoraRoman villa at Ephesus

    Kusadasi / Ephesus

    May 8, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We docked today in Kusadasi and took a bus to see the ruins of Ephesus. An important Greek city, it had the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Most of the ruins are from the Roman city built later. The ruins are expansive. St. Paul sent epistles to the Ephesians. We also saw the area where it is said Mary lived in her elder years.Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler

    Haifa and Ashdod Israel

    May 11, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Still in isolation. There was nothing pretty or redeeming about these ugly commercial ports and nothing to see, even from our balcony, as we can’t leave our room. But we are very glad we are not missing too much as we had our great 2019 trip that included both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv/Jaffa. Very sorry to miss the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa. Maybe next time!
    Staff are being very nice to us in lock-down but room service is getting really boring. Lisa tested positive for COVID on the 13th and so they moved her to a separate room down the hall from John.    Read more

  • WhorledTravelersIstanbul/Barcelona - May 2022Traveler

    Barcelona

    May 20, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We arrive in Barcelona and dock within walking distance of the center of the city, La Ramblas! We disembark very early and head with our luggage to our home for the next few days, the Kimpton Vividora on Carrer del Duc. It’s a quiet street just off La Ramblas on the edge of the Gothic Quarter. The city is busy with car enthusiasts (a Formula One race) but we have now been told many times how sparse the tourists are because of Covid.Read more