The people are intriguing, some dressed "Western-style," others still tied to the older, more conservative "fashions." They look at you, a little curious, a little amused.
The remaining 2 days take us inside the Topkapi palace-museum, beautiful though a bit pricey (E.10 plus another 10 to see the harem...I decide to flash my expired student card..it always works..). On a boat, along theBosporus strait, we relax to face the tough bargaining battles at the Grand Bazaar. Not to be missed, in the evening, a nice apple tobacco smoke, while admiring the "whirling dervishes"...
Then we leave, at night. By coach, heading to Cappadocia. 12 hours. A bit long but the vehicles are comfortable and modern. We stay in a very nice little hotel in Goereme, from where we immediately set off for lunar valleys, where the ancient Orthodox monks found refuge by carving churches and houses into the rock, and even entire underground cities..We don't miss the fortress of Ortahisar nor the castles of Uchisar, the wonderful rock churches nor a coffee in one of the "fairy chimneys"...one evening, then, I drag a frightened Yoli along some streets outside the small town center, and without fear we follow a little girl. In 5 minutes we find ourselves drinking tea in the home of a large family, talking without understanding each other, all smiling in a carefree moment, but at the same time intense. A completely ordinary moment of peace between Westerners and Muslims.
Between ordinary people.
...not even 2 hours in one of the few mixed hammams we encountered in Turkey can make us forget our meeting that evening..and nothing, probably, ever will...
A whole day spent in a minibus up and down the mountains, and we reach the coastal town of Fethiye where we rest for a couple of days. We don't like Fethiye. Too many English and consequently too much "fish 'n' chips," but absolutely not to be missed is Oludeniz and its Blue Lagoon. A true paradise.
Tanned and rested we head, strictly by bus, to Selcuk, which we prefer to the overly touristy Kusadasi, as a base. Blinded by so much history and art, and believing myself Indiana Jones, I drag my poor Yoli on an exhausting tour among Ephesus (something wonderful), the House of Mary, churches, caves and all the stones I can find. Thank goodness the lovely family-run Canberra hotel offers us a small pool...
Still from Selcuk we take a day trip to visit the "petrified waterfalls" of Pamukkale, its thermal waters and the ancient Roman ruins. Staying on theme, on the 3rd day we decide (I admit: I decide) to rent a scooter and blast 150 km through the middle of nowhere to reach the archaeological areas of Priene, Miletus and Didyma. Apart from the trucks and a local police roadblock, all went well. A bit tiring, but Yoli doesn't leave me. Ahh, what love does..
The last day before returning to Istanbul we spend in Bergama (Pergamon), and wouldn't you know it, more ruins..Yoli starts giving me dirty looks... After yet another dinner of rice and chicken we head back. We pass through Istanbul just to savor its smells and breathtaking views once more.
Time to go home. I already knew I was going to visit a beautiful country. But I could never have imagined falling in love. The people, their smiles, their gazes...they blend with intense smells, enclosed like a postcard between stunning works of man and immense works of nature, competing with each other for first place in the memories of one of the most beautiful and fascinating countries I have ever visited.. LUCA and YOLI
P.S..a good travel companion makes everything even more exciting...
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