After three amazing days, we headed back on the road, leaving an otherworldly and windswept Cappadocia and our dreams of surveying its wonders from the sky in a hot air balloon. Our drive towards Pamunkale, to see its famous white travertine terraced pools, would take almost 8 hours, so it was time to go. But …
While in Cappadocia, we decided to stay in Uchisar, since our niece Danielle suggested to us that it might be less touristy and crowded than the popular town of Göreme just next door. And she was spot on. Cappadocia is not the name of a city, in fact you’ll have trouble finding it on …
This evening after dinner we all decided to walk up to Uchisar Castle, just a short distance from our hotel. When we reached the top we were rewarded with stunning views and gale force winds that almost blew us from the precipice. Some of these unplanned travel moments are the definition of serendipity . …
In 1963, a man knocked down a wall in his basement and discovered a massive underground city from the 8th century BC. At least that’s the story we were told when we decided to test our claustrophobic threshold and venture into Cappadocia’s underbelly to explore two of these gargantuan subterranean cities. Our battle plan was …
Back on the road again, with the car heater on full blast to thaw us from our adventurous and frosty stay near Hattusa, we drove 3 hours south to the region of Türkiye known as Cappadocia until a vast sweeping valley came into view, clustered with millions of lanky asparagus-shaped volcanic rock formations (that’s the G-rated …
We headed back to the Istanbul airport—but this time to rent a car. Our first stop was a seven hour drive south towards the capital Ankara and then eastward into Boğazkale where the ruins of the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa once stood. There among the rubble was the Lion gate that we …
Who needs Rick Steves when we’ve got our niece Danielle? Before heading back to the boat, we started making plans for our road trip into the heart of Türkiye. Normally this is a fastidious affair of tedious googling and planning. But just as we were doing our research my niece Danielle and her family …
Everyone should have a naked bucket list. Places around the world where you strip down and heartily join in the bathing and body care rituals of other cultures. These are often my favorite travel experiences. I was once folded into a pretzel in Thailand and had my back popped—which felt great at the …
Hidden below the city of Istanbul lies an underground forest of stone pillars that aren’t seen until you descend below the street and down some fifty steps beneath the ground. Back in the 6th century, a huge cistern was dug to provide water to the buildings around it, including Mehmed II’s Topkapi Palace. This …
Our road trip through Türkiye started on foot in Istanbul, walking the labyrinth of mosques that are clustered inside the city. Their colossal domes rise like hilltops hemmed in by minarets. First up, of course, was the Hagia Sophia. Standing under the scalloped lights of the Hagia was a thrill. The Blue Mosque …
