Turkey for Fall Break

We had a 2 part adventure, well, actually a 3 part adventure for the kids.  Clark and MJ were not allowed to take their electronics with them on this trip ... the downside they complained...the upside, boy were they nicer to be with.  I had not realized before just how much I argued with them about getting off the Nintendo.  This was a million times nicer to be with them without them being plugged in.  For the most part, they were significantly more interested and attentive to the stuff around them because they didn't have an electronic distraction.

This was our first trip as a formal tour, and while I was hesitant about spending the money, I must admit that in the long run, I was very grateful I had arranged for the tour.  After the plane ride, we landed in Kayseri and then headed to Urgup and our cave hotel in the Cappadocia region photos.  

Day 1 was full of unique rock formations - think of the badlands mixed with arches national park.  

The people in that area built their homes inside the rocks/mountains for thousands of years.  Today, many of the caves are eroding due to so much use, but it is still a fascinating journey to go into the communities, churches, castles, and homes built into the side of the rock faces.  It was done for obvious reasons in that it provided warmth in winter and cool and summer.  It also provides a sense of always being gritty for the cave dwellers, not something I really relished past day 2.

Day 2 we went on a hot air balloon ride.  MJ was not happy about the 4am wake-up call to be there by 5am, but once she was in the balloon all of the cranky seemed to just float away.  It was spectacular watching the balloons take off in the dark and then the sunrise over the mountains.  We discovered that they had lots of squash, but they only eat the seeds of the squash.  They also have a lot of apricots, if you are an apricot fan, this is a vacation destination!

Our guide also took us to a ruin where the Roman baths were able to be seen, but the best part was the old church there with the mosaic floor.  It was really spectacular.  

On day 3 we flew to Istanbul (link to photos here). It rained that evening so we only saw the local St. Mary's catholic church and the Galata tower, with a great view of most of the sights we would be seeing over the next couple of days.

Clark and Craig

Day 4 would be packed!!  I try to describe most of the things that we saw in the description of the photos.  The two most important and memorable sights were the Hagia Sophia and the Dolmabahçe Palace.  The Hagia Sophia because of the juxtaposition of the Christian religion with the Muslim religion.  I must admit that while I grew up Quaker and the plain meeting house is still where I feel most comfortable, there was something very disturbing about seeing how the Muslim religious leaders would just cover up the Christan imagery with plaster to remove the human likenesses that had been created in the mosaics on the walls of the cathedral.  It gave me an insight as to how the Native Americans must have felt when the "white" man came in and desecrated their holy places.  It is one of those eye-opening moments of "do unto others."  So, while the Hagia Sophia made me more aware of being kinder toward others, the Dolmabahçe Palace was just overwhelming.  I was not allowed to take photos inside and maybe that is a good thing, because I think I would have taken a thousand.  It has more crystals than you can imagine.  Honestly, do a google images search for Dolmabahçe Palace and prepare to be awed.  It rivals Versailles in the ornateness of the decorations and the views.   There is actually a staircase where the banisters are made of Baccarat crystal.  No kids are riding that banister!

Day 5 was really special, my friend Craig Street whom I worked with at UPenn back in the day, was able to join us.   Fortunately, the day would be a little bit slower with just a Mosque and the Topkapi Palace so we had ample opportunity to visit.  I do wish we had the chance to see the Harem at the Topkapi, instead is a museum where you only see the crown jewels of the sultans.  The palace is not open to the public, just a few exterior buildings.  That evening we left the kids with a babysitter at the hotel and enjoyed a dinner cruise and show along the Bosporus Strait.
Our last day was my absolute favorite, no tour guide, just us and the other couple on the tour and we decided to go to the Archeology museum.  Now that was AMAZING!!  Actually saw items that dated back to ancient Egypt.  I still can't decide if my favorite exhibit was the mummy, Greek statues, or the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great!  It took me a long time to decrease the number of photos in that album.  I truly believe that what made it really special was that Clark has come to realize the true wonder of seeing items that have been made by man's hands more than 5000 years ago.  He is no longer bored in these places but has developed an appreciation for history.  I'm still waiting for this to happen with MJ, but fortunately, there were plenty of kittens at the museum to provide her with ample distractions.
My closing thoughts on Turkey, I have to say that I enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells (food too) of the country.  I did not enjoy the treatment of women.  The culture just accepts that women are not equal.  Many of the bathrooms were just holes in the ground covered by plastic that we had to squat over.  The smells there were not pleasant and yet Clark commented twice on how nice the men's bathrooms were.  The mosques don't allow women to wash or worship with the men.  They are sequestered for their washing (before prayers every worshipper must wash their hands, face, and feet) in a building that is a distance, while the men wash right at the mosque.  The men also have a huge space for worship while the women are cordoned off to the back if they are even allowed in.  On numerous occasions, the men would not acknowledge me but looked to the other males in the group to provide payment, or just hand over a bag I was carrying.  So, while the women show more skin in Istanbul they are not treated as equals in any real tangible way.  Although I have no interest in perpetuating their societal norms I would not ever go to travel there on my own.
Photos from Cappadocia - 111 photos
Photos from Istanbul - 253 photos