Archive for Cappadocia

Most spectacular sights in Turkey

October 22, 2008 at 10:37 am · Filed under Cappadocia, Istanbul, Turkey

This post recaps family consensus on the most spectacular sights we saw in Turkey. As India and I wait anxiously for Tallulah in the lobby of a surgi-center in Nashville (the baby is having dental surgery), we are catching up on posts from the second leg of the trip.

Overall, Turkey is pretty spectacular: the religious and secular history, the natural beauty, the grandeur of Istanbul. We had a difficult time reaching consensus, but here are the Top 5 picks:

Top 5 Most Spectacular Sights in Turkey



#1 - Cappadocia. My favorite was the view from the terrace of the Museum Hotel (where Zola and I got haircuts), looking down the valley at the rock formations. The view from the hot-air balloon was also breathtaking, but I was too busy worrying about Tallulah. The hikes and the outdoor museum were also amazing.

#2 - Old Istanbul and the Haghia Sophia. The stretch from Topkapi Palace past the Haghia Sophia to the Blue Mosque, around to the old cistern, up toward the grand bazaar, and down to the Bosphorous, is all amazing. We should have spent days just admiring the architecture and absorbing the history. The Haghia Sophia is particularly special because of its mosaics and its history as a grand cathedral, a mosque, and a (compromise) cultural center.

#3 - Turquoise Coast. Everywhere that we anchored during our week on the gulet boat was pretty spectacular. The picture at left was from a sunset hike up St. Nicholas Island, just as the sky was turning pink behind us. Rugged beauty all around us.

#4 - Istiklal Boulevard - Istanbul. Istiklal is the huge pedestrian boulevard that slopes gently for about a mile from Taksim Square down toward Bestiklal. Unlike Las Ramblas in Barcelona, which feels intense and very crowded, Istiklal is so broad (maybe 70 feet across) and has many fewer flow impediments (kiosks, shops cafes, street performers), so it feels spacious and unhurried. That said, up to a million people will walk on Istiklal in a given weekend. There is so much to see, and such beautiful views down to the Bosphorous off the sides, that it is a truly spectacular place. We only spent an afternoon on Istiklal, but if we lived in Istanbul, we would go all the time.

#5 - Dolmabahce Palace. This is the $900 million residence that bankrupted what was left of the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century. Zola, in particular, loves to tell people about the palace: the opulence, the symmetry of the furnishings, that Ataturk died there at 9:05 am. I am sorry that I could not join India and the kids to see it, but will go the next time I am in Turkey.

Overall, again, Turkey is a pretty spectacular place.

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7,000 feet over (and 100 feet under) Central Turkey

September 25, 2008 at 10:02 pm · Filed under Cappadocia, Turkey

This post is about our time in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. Without a doubt, Cappadocia is one of the most weirdly beautiful, unusual and historical places I have ever been.

The canyons and rock formations of Cappadocia were formed 30 million years ago, as its soft volcanic rock (tufa) was eroded by a network of rivers. Because the harder rock (basalt) which lay on top of the tufa did not erode as quickly, it created the pillars and mushroom caps and “fairy chimneys” that characterize the region.

Starting in about 1100BC, Cappadocians used hand tools to tunnel into the soft rock. The early Christians (from about 400AD onward) mined houses and churches and entire underground cities out of the tufa.

Using the Museum Hotel (which is carved into the highest hillside) as our base, and having an excellent professional guide from Istanbul, named Levent, we have had an incredibly busy few days in Cappadocia.

On the first morning, Levent led us on a 4km hike through the “Rose Valley,” a canyon where the rock is pink-tinged (from iron oxide?). We saw cave houses, primitive wineries and rustic chapels, all dating back 1500 years or more. There was no one else hiking in the valley.

That afternoon, we visited the “Goreme Open Air Museum,” which is a dull name for a truly special place. The museum encompasses a valley which was a big monastery and center for early Christian learning, all carved out of the rocks during the 4th century. The later frescoes (done in the 9th and 10th century) are most amazing. They generally depict brave early Christian saints who were martyred for their faith. I’m not sure what the impact of these was on the morale of the 800-1,000 young monks in residence.

Yesterday morning we got up very early, and flew in a hot air balloon. Every day, about 30 balloons are launched at sunrise. Our pilot took us up to about 2500 meters, where we could see the entire spectacular Cappadocia region. To be honest, I felt very uneasy during the entire flight, which was unexpected. It may have been that I had to hold Tallulah on one of the internal corners of the basket, which felt precarious, or just that hanging 7,000 feet in the air was just too unnatural for my primate brain.


After the balloon ride, we went to explore the Kaymakli underground city. It is an 8-level warren of rooms, tunneled out in the 4th century to let about 1,000 Christian farmers hide from Arab raiders. Apparently the refugees were able to stay down there for about a month at a time (before the lack of a sewerage system caused a dysentry epidemic). It was easy to imagine the huddled masses, crammed into the tunnels and living spaces underground, waiting for the “all clear”.

We visited a cave home owned by one of Levent’s friends, and used as a summer house. It was comfortable, and had modern conveniences, and a great view of the valley below.

Finally, we went for a hike in the “Monk’s Valley,” and drove around to explore a few of the other abandoned cave villages. Both kids fell asleep at dinner.

We are still processing and considering what we have seen. Without a doubt, the scenery and the ancient history and the spiritual resonance are remarkable. The recent history, with the Orthodox Christians abandoning these villages to flee to Greece in the 1950s, and the villages themselves being defaced and neglected for 20-30 years is unfortunate.

Under any circumstances, I am very glad we came here, and that we have seen these places.

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In the caves - Cappadoccia, Turkey

September 23, 2008 at 11:23 pm · Filed under Cappadocia, Istanbul, Turkey

This short post is about leaving Istanbul, flying to the center of Turkey, and driving west into the Cappadocia region.

Yesterday, India and the kids spent a last day of sightseeing in Istanbul. They went to the 500-year old Rumeli Castle at the north end of the Bosphorus (built in 4 months by Sultan Mehmet II, as part of his strategy to conquer Constantinople). The castle’s walls run 300-400 feet up a steep hillside, with stairs cut directly into the walls. The lack of railings gave India some pause, but apparently both kids climbed all the way up, and no one fell off the side.

They also went to the Dolmabahce Palace, which was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire for most of the period from 1850-1922. The Palace has the largest chandelier in the world, and also the largest collections of Bohemian and Baccarat crystal (including a crystal banister). Because it is absolutely symmetrical, there are two of every item of furniture. The palace cost 35 tons of gold to build (which is about $900 million right now), and essentially bankrupted the Empire. Whoops. Dolmabahce is now mostly thought of as the place where Ataturk, the secular god of modern Turkey, died in 1938. Every day at 9:05am (the time Ataturk died), everyone in the palace stops and thinks about him. The kids were blown away at the opulence.

For the first time on our trip, I have been working for the last two days. I am on the board of a Turkish company, and we had the opening of a new factory (close to the Bulgarian border), and a board meeting in Istanbul. It felt strange to be away from India and the kids all day for two full days. It is amazing how quickly we adapt to “new normal.” Obviously, a few months ago, it would have been normal to be away completely for five days in a row. Being gone for only two days, and “home” in the evenings, would have been a special occasion.

We regrouped at the airport in the late afternoon, and boarded a 60-minute flight for Kayseri. Further evidence that the Turkish lira (YTL) is overvalued: a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses which cost $120 in Nashville was priced at YTL 426 in the airport. That is $352 at current exchange rates.

Because we were flying at sundown, Turkish Airlines served a special Ramadan “break fast” meal with hot soup, a sandwich, and baklava. There was even the traditional dried date and water. My seatmate said, “If I were flying on airplanes, I would wish that every day were Ramadan.”

We landed in Kayseri, which is a prosperous industrial city of a million people. It has been continuously inhabited for the last 3,000 years: the Romans called it Caesaria. We drove west along the Silk Road for an hour, up into the mountains, toward a small town called Nevsehir. Along the way, we passed a huge roadside inn, called the Yellow Caravansery, which has been welcoming travelers since 1250 AD.

We are staying in a place called the Museum Hotel, which is carved into the soft rock of a Cappadocian hillside. There were a number of caves which people have lived in for centuries, and by linking those together, hollowing out some additional caves, and building only a little, the owners have created a spectacular boutique hotel. I will have India add some photos, which would be much better than any description I can write. It is unlike any place I have stayed before.

This morning, we woke up (in our comfortable cave), and looked out at 20 hot air balloons floating up the valley and over our heads. We may do this tomorrow. As I write, Zola is having his hair cut by a Fez-wearing “traditional Muslim barber,” whose chair sits on a terrace, overlooking the mountains and the valley floor 500 feet below.

Cappadocia is very, very popular with visitors to Turkey, and from what we have seen this is entirely reasonable. After haircut and school we are going off to hike and explore the rocks and caves and ancient sites.

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