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 …
The best road trips often start at the airport. So here we are with our friends Marcel and Karen headed to Istanbul. This summer we’ll be sailing the spectacular Turkish coast so we can accumulate our required out-of-Schengen days—the short version is that we can’t be in the EU for more than three months …
