Mamma mia, the Turks!

This time the planning of the trip takes on a particular character, as it was tailor-made for some friends distracted from the temptation of Minorca and Majorca. So there are 5 of us setting off: me and my wife, and the couple of friends with young Manuel. To reconcile various needs and make the trip more relaxing, alongside the usual demanding excursions of globetrotters we combined free days for shopping, the pool, horse riding and a hot-air balloon ride. In detail, to the discovery of Istanbul and its wonders we add a trip to Cappadocia, reached by domestic flight and toured far and wide in 3 days with a car (!!) taken on hire. We leave on 18 August, 9:00 from Catania with Turkish; arrival at 12:15 at Istanbul Ataturk (best forgotten: the landing with 2 attempts by the pilot to plunge down between the Bosphorus, the Marmara and the Dardanelles, he couldn't make up his mind!!!).

We move the clock hands one hour forward and do the currency exchange. Transfer to the Qhotel by metro and tram. In the afternoon we walk to the "Basilica Cistern", which we visit; next, the nearby "Blue Mosque". While waiting to enter the mosque, we manage to negotiate an excellent price for the Bosphorus sunset cruise. A quick dinner with pastries, given the kebab already tasted in the afternoon.

19 August. Appointment at 8:15 for breakfast at the hotel. We walk to the "Basilica of Hagia Sophia", which we visit in about 2 hours; then, again on foot, we reach the "Grand Bazaar", where we start shopping. We have lunch in front of the Mosque of Suleiman before visiting it, then we continue to the "Spice Bazaar". We'll spend the evening in the big square in front of the Blue Mosque, admiring the water games of the fountains and letting the lanterns fly into the sky, which the locals say bring good luck (fate wills that my wife's refuses to lift off the ground...). Of the dinner we have no memory, as the next phase clouds our minds; from the photos taken it seems we had dinner at the Aloran Restaurant, an excellent place with a tasting of typical Turkish dishes, from bread to meat served on red-hot terracotta pots.

Near the Topkapi we decide to relax with a typical Turkish custom, the hookah. Young Manuel watches 4 adults laugh and make jokes like not even his atheist peers during religion class at school, and discovers that his mother, when she smokes, looks more like a dragon than a human being (!!!)

20 August. Breakfast at the hotel at 8:15; then a visit to the majestic Topkapi Palace. Lunch at the Fuego Restaurant. Dessert at the well-known Mustafa pastry shop. Dinner at the Orient Express. Let's be honest, a day dedicated to the palate!

21 August. Appointment at 4 and departure for the airport. Pegasus flight to Nevsehir. Once arrived, pick up the FOX car, then transfer to Goreme at the "The Flintstones Cave Hotel". Visit to the Goreme Open Air Museum, where super Manuel begins to show off his skills as a budding Manolo. Sunset over the Uchisar castle.

22 August. Appointment at 4:45 in reception, to reach the take-off site of the hot-air balloons with Maccoon Balloon. An exceptional experience, to be tried at least once in a lifetime. The flight ends with applause, toasts with champagne, and the handing out of diplomas!! After the balloon ride, we return to the hotel for breakfast. At 9 we leave for the underground city of Derinkuyu. Next, an excursion to Cavusin and its old city, where super Manuel climbs mountains never challenged by anyone. A quick lunch. Excursion to Pasabag, then to the Zelve Valley (the heat is already oppressive, and we drive with the car's sliding doors open); to finish, sunset over the Devrent Valley.

Here a little comedy from super Manuel, who defies the laws of gravity and covers an uphill stretch with a monstrous gradient at a speed I wouldn't touch going downhill; some rather good-looking adult female tourists applaud, enraptured, and almost even muse that falling into paedophilia isn't after all such a serious crime; another onlooker, shaken to the core, already well on in years, wants to defend Turkish pride and challenges the same climb with quite different results, risking a heart attack and a glycaemic crisis at the same time. Evening in Urgup, with dinner on the terrace of a pleasant restaurant on the main square, with a waiter who won't stop staring at me and trying to win me over with dedicated services (he even puts carpets over the stereo speakers so as not to disturb me...) and all-too-explicit winks.

23 August. Morning devoted to relaxing by the pool. Super Manuel displays his swimming abilities and even challenges his father over 2 lengths (for the record, he beats him!!) Lunch in the centre of Goreme at the "usual" kebap centre. Afternoon shopping. At sunset, a horse ride in the surroundings of Goreme, with the usual super Manuel showing off his horsemanship, but alas for him! there's no good-looking female tourist to appreciate his feats; I end up on a nag that begs to be put down, unable to bear my 100kg on its back. Dinner at the renowned Top Cave Desk restaurant, considered one of the best restaurants in Goreme, for which you need to book at least 2 days in advance.

24 August. Appointment at 4:30, destination airport; photo stop at dawn to capture the balloons taking off over the Goreme valley. Car return. Departure at 8 from Nevsehir. Arrival in Istanbul; transfer to the hotel (Qhotel) by scheduled bus and ferry, then tram. By tram we reach the Galata area for lunch at a fast food place, then a walk and shopping in the area until we reach Taksim Square. Return to the hotel, dinner in a venue with a view of the Blue Mosque.

25 August. Taxi at 4 for Istanbul Ataturk Airport; flight departure at 06:55; Arrival at 8:10 in Catania

An unforgettable holiday in Turkey. Spectacular was the experience of the hot-air balloon flight over the valleys of Cappadocia, spectacular the pinnacles of Cavusin, Zelve, Pasabag. Spectacular the company, with super Manuel who with his feats reminds us how beautiful youth is!!

Turkey is often associated with episodes of intolerance, clashes in the square; we went a year after the fierce repression of Taksim Square, and we found a hospitable, safe country. The Turks live in an exceptional territory from every point of view; it's no coincidence that their history is millennia old. Mamma li turchi!! How lucky they are...

See you next time