Review on my recent Istanbul, Troy and Ephesus holiday. This was a wonderful holiday, albeit not a very relaxing one as we were on the go all the time. We had a great local guide, Levent Solmaz, who had enormous knowledge and every visit was made interesting by him. Sadat, the driver too was very good. They both deserve a big Thank You and hope future Just You travellers on this holiday will be lucky enough to enjoy the services of both, especially Levent.
The Heathrow flight to Istanbul on Sunday 12 October was delayed by about 2 hours due to fog. As a result it was nearly 19:45 when we left Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Those who flew from Manchester had to wait for two hours for us to arrive as their flight was on time. We went straight to dinner at a lovely fish restaurant and welcome drinks were waiting for us when we arrived at the Sapphire Hotel after dinner. Not everyone wanted a drink as we all had a very long exhausting day and were ready for bed as we had a 08:45 start the next day. Sapphire Hotel is situated in a good location within walking distance of the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar.
Day 2 was an included tour of the Sultanahmet Square, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Roman underground Cistern. We walked to the Blue Mosque and I was really fascinated by the splendour and beauty of it. We then went on to Topkapi Palace. I only managed to visit the ‘treasury’ section of the Palace as there were quite long queues. The treasury gave you a glimpse of the wealth of Ottoman Sultans. There was a huge beautiful diamond on display. I wanted to see the ‘kitchen’ section, but by then my feet were aching a bit and I did not fancy joining another long queue! After visiting the Palace we went to have lunch at a really nice Turkish Restaurant, Daruzziyafe in Suleyunaniye. It was like being in a tranquil oasis! After a 4 course lunch, we visited the Roman underground cistern. Most of us were amazed by this. Levent told me that some of the scenes of James Bond Movie, For Your Eyes Only, were filmed here (Sean Connery in a boat). The water levels were higher then. I will have to watch the movie! We were then dropped off at the Grand Bazaar, which was very busy. It is much commercialised due to the amount of tourists who visit it. We walked back to the hotel, arriving ca 18:00. I had booked the optional night excursion so hardly had any time to relax – just had enough time for a quick shower and change of clothes. All those who went thoroughly enjoyed the evening. There were 3 different belly dancers, piano player, a couple of other dancing groups and an entertainer. We had to drag some of our group from the dance floor at the end of the evening!
Day 3 was an optional full day excursion to Hagia Sophia, the Golden Horn and ferry ride along the Bosphorus. Most of us went on this. I was mesmerised by Hagia Sophia. It is huge. There was some renovation works going on, but we were able to see quite a lot of it. Included lunch was at Hamdi Restaurant near the Spice Bazaar. The views from the restaurant were amazing. Lunch was really delicious, especially the hot homemade nan bread. After lunch we visited the Spice Bazaar – not as big as Grand Bazaar, but still very interesting. After Spice Bazaar it was a ferry ride along the Bosphorus.
Day 4 we left Istanbul for Canakkale. This was an early start as we had lots of miles to cover. The journey took us along the Gallipoli Peninsula and we made stops to pay our respects at the memorials to the fallen soldiers – Australians, New Zealanders and British. Overnight was at the Kolin Hotel where we all had a sea view room. This was the best hotel of all.
Day 5 we continued along the Aegean coast and visited Troy. We then went to Yesilyurt a very pretty Turkish Village where we enjoyed gozleme – Turkish pancakes filled with cheese, herbs, potatoes and meat and Turkish tea. There were 3 vegetarians so we were served the ones filled with cheese and herbs and potatoes. They were delicious and freshly prepared by a lady in her home kitchen. This was followed by a demonstration of Turkish coffee. We visited the local Mosque. There was an opportunity to buy local produce from a handful of shops. On the day we visited, there was a crew from one of the Turkish TV channels filming a documentary on the area and 3 of our group members participated in short interviews. We were all being filmed so may end up being ‘celebrities’ – this was our short moment of fame! We stayed at Grand Hotel Temizel and there was enough time for me to enjoy a full body massage before dinner. This was second best hotel. I had a sea view room.
Day 6 we visited ancient city of Pergamon. After another delicious lunch at Saglam Restaurant we travelled to Kusadasi via Izmir. We stopped at a small carpet weaving place where we saw how silk was made from silk worms and also witnessed local women from surrounding villages making carpets – silk, wool, and cotton. This is a cottage industry and all the carpets were beautifully handmade. Apparently this is a dying art, which the government is trying to keep alive. I and two others ended up buying. One bought a small one which she was able to roll and take it with her. Ours will be mailed and we should receive it within 4 weeks. We stayed at Tuscan Beach Resort hotel. I personally would not have liked to stay here for more than 2 nights. The bathroom was so tiny. This hotel is mainly an ‘all inclusive hotel’ though we were breakfast and dinner based.
Day 7 we visited Ephesus, St John Basilica and the Temple of Artemis. Lunch was at a lovely homely restaurant in the village of Sirince. Everyone had an option of going wherever they wanted to, but we all followed Levent as we were all sure that this would be another lovely place for lunch. He had not disappointed us so far! There were a few nice shops. We visited a Turkish Delight shop where they make their own produce and it also sold some beauty products and teas. The last stop was at a leather factory where after seeing a short fashion show there was an opportunity to look around. I have never seen such soft leather and the jackets were really nice. In the evening the farewell dinner was a sit down affair at one of the hotel restaurants instead of the buffet.
Day 8 we left the hotel at 07:00 to catch the flight from Izmir to Istanbul. Despite being a very short flight we were served a cold meal and drinks. I hardly had time to drink my tea before the plane started its descent. The flight from Istanbul to Heathrow was on time.
I liked flying Turkish Airlines. There was enough leg room and the meals served were good as well. This is a very full on tour and one also has to be fit enough to negotiate high steps and uneven paths. We did have one lady who was 83 and I was amazed at how fit and agile she was. We were very lucky with the weather as well. Istanbul was cool and we escaped the rain. The rest of the days were lovely and sunny. I personally would love to visit Istanbul again in future.
Best wishes
Jaya
