Turkey

Trip to Turkey

January 14, 2024 – January 29, 20242024

Debbie Peavler Stewart,

Veryle Peavler,

Emilee Peavler,

Anastasia (Ana) Peavler

Day 0 Flights ≈ Sunday, 14 and Monday 15 January

Veryle, Emilee and Ana were set to fly to Seattle, leaving at 8:40 am arriving at 10:40 am. The weather was bad and we were concerned that we would not get out on time. We got to the gate and the flight before us got in on time, but there was a medical emergency on board. After most people deboarded paramedics went on board and brought a man off in a wheelchair. They announced they had to restock the medical supplies so there would be a delay while they did that. We watched as they put an IV in the man and eventually brought a gurney and wheeled him out. We finally boarded and were happy when we thought we would take off. We were wrong, the plane idled for a while then they announced there was a mechanical problem and we would have to deplane while they figured out what to do. We sadly got off and around 2:00 they announced the flight was cancelled, and to go to a station based on last name to get a voucher, then another line to get rescheduled. We each got a LUV voucher for $200. They had a flight leaving at 5:15 that had two seats and another leaving at 7:30 with one seat, we grabbed them. After they were assigned, and we were walking away we decided I should get on standby for the 5:15 flight. We went to a different gate and the woman who had set the flights up came over there to help people from another flight, we told her what we wanted to do and she asked us to wait while she helped them. While waiting I tried Change flight on the app and saw I could change to the 5:15 flight so did that.  That flight took off on time and we arrived in Seattle much later than anticipated. Ben picked us up.  We had cake and ice cream for Ben’s birthday that was the day before, then went to bed.                         

1/15   Ben took us to the airport. We stopped at Lululemon so Emilee could get some hair ties.  We went to the lounge in Seattle.  Our flight to Frankfurt Germany was late leaving Seattle so we had a shorter layover than expected. It worked out okay because we had plenty of time.

1/16 We got into Istanbul around 7:10 PM. We had transportation to our hotel set up. We had a bit of trouble finding where to meet the driver but finally managed to find him.  He took us to Hotel Sari Konak, which is located near the Blue Mosque. Streets, except for major streets, in Istanbul are what we would consider alleyways. We got checked in and our portable Wi-Fi was there as promised.

1/17   We had a food tour scheduled for the day. We had to be there at 9:30 Am and decided to take a taxi. Our hotel arranged it $10 USD because they don’t like to take short distances. We met in Old Town near the Spice Market. We were early so wandered around a bit. The tour guide arrived and there was a man(Ben)  from the states and a young Chinese couple. The man with the couple was obviously only doing it because of his wife. The guide gathered some items from different stalls and then we went to a tea house to eat and have tea. The group walked through the spice market and he suggested places to get Turkish Delight. We rode a ferry across the Bosphorus to the more modern Kadıköy, on the Asian side. It was raining and the stairs on the ferry were slippery. Emilee fell. We tried dolma, lahmacun and kokoreç, as well as lamb soup.  We then walked to the district to Moda for Turkish dondurma (ice-cream). The guide took us back to the ferry and said get on the blue line and wait until the second stop to get off. We walked back to the hotel after the tour. We decided we were hungry for desert so went to a restaurant close to the hotel.  Whenever walking people stand outside trying to get you to go in. We went to the place where they didn’t try to pull us in. There was a cat that got on Emilee and Ana’s laps.

1/18   We decided to visit the Spice Market and get Turkish Delight and then visit the Grand Bazaar first,then go back to the area around the hotel. We figured out how to use the tram, which was much easier than walking. We went to the Hagia Sophia Mosque and Veryle thought it was more a tourist trap than religious establishment. They remodeled it and made one entrance for Turkish citizens and another for everyone else. It cost $25 per person to go in and we were allowed to walk around the top of it. It started to rain as we left to go to the Blue Mosque.  Debbie felt totally different.  They charged $25 per person to go in unless you were going in to worship-which is way higher than what was listed in any of the guide books.  But the building is one of the most important in Istanbul-it was built around the 6th century as a christian church and then changed to a mosque and then a museum and recently back to a mosque.  The architecture is amazing.  Debbie had watched a youtube on it prior to going and was interested in the mosaics, the marble slabs and the construction of the dome. 

Debbie and Veryle went in the Blue Mosque. They had to take their shoes off and Veryle got yelled at when she put her shoes back on. She stepped on the carpet (she didn’t want to get her socks wet). We can see the Blue Mosque from a patio upstairs in our hotel. 

We decided to go back to the Asian side for lamb soup  We took the ferry over.  Our guide had told us clearly that there are 3 stops one in New Town Istanbul, One on the Asian side and one at the Old town.  We were kind of late leaving the Asian side. On the ferry we sat and enjoyed listening to a guitar player.  We were surprised when the ferry went from the Asia side to New Town and then headed back to the Asia side.  We talked to a person-in broken English-and she said she thought it might be the last ferry.  She went with us and asked the captain and he said there was another to New Town but we had to get off, buy a new ticket, and get back on.  We did, and then got to New Town and took the tram across the bridge back to Old Town.   

1/19   As we started Emiee and Ana stopped to pet a cat. It bit Emilee when she tried to prevent it from climbing up her leg. Veryle and Emilee went back to the hotel to clean the wound. The receptionist there helped clean it and suggested we talk to a pharmacist. We went on and visited the Basilica Cistern  we were going to go to  Topkapi Palace but the Turkish Government had raised the price so it would have been $50 each. We decided not to go for that price.  We were really disappointed not to see the living quarters and the harem.  We had planned to do a Turkish bath and stopped at a pharmacy near it. They said Emilee should go to the ER for a tetanus shot. We went back to the hotel and Ana opted to stay there while we went. The ER we decided to go to was on the Asian side, so we took the tram then had to take the people mover and then walk. We saw a Porsche the police had confiscated. To get to the ER entrance we had to walk up a steep hill. We got in and figured out we had to go to triage, they sent us for Emilee to pay $12 and then to a different room where we waited. Emilee was called in only to find out they didn’t have any tetanus vaccine and we would have to go to a different hospital. which was a long way from there. A cat was sitting in the ER watching the proceedings.  We opted to wait until the next day when we would have a car. We went back to the hotel, stopping for something to eat on the way. The light was dim in the restaurant and Veryle was using her phone flashlight to read the menu so they turned on a light above our table. (That never happens here – they just watch her struggle to read in low light).

1/20   We were set to fly to Izmir on Pegasus airline. Veryle misread the time and set the taxi to get us there for a 11:20 flight – the flight departed at 10. We always leave plenty of time for flights, so we managed to make it with a half hour to spare. Because of the weight of our luggage, we had to book the highest class, so got a ham sandwich. We rented a car from Budget. It was a Ford Tourneo. We got it and drove to the University hospital in Izmir. As learned from our previous experience we went straight to triage. We were then sent to a station where they took Emilee’s passport and then on to a small room. Debbie and Ana went to the car to wait since we were taking a lot of seats in the small room. Emilee was eventually called in and given a tetanus and told she had to have rabies too. After the shots, she was told to go to another building to pay. After wandering and asking several people we found where to pay $50 for the two shots. We then took the receipt and got her passport back. We drove on to our hotel – Lulubay Rooms & Suite in Kuşadası, Turkey. We had trouble finding it because the entrance was in an alley and it looked closed. We rang the bell and tried calling the hotel number. We eventually went to get something to eat and called booking.com and they got ahold of the owner. He was in Berlin for a conference. He got ahold of the woman who was supposed to be there and we got checked in, parking the car on a steep hill by the hotel. The owner offered to upgrade us to the suite, but that would have meant carrying suitcases up another staircase so we declined.   Debbie went to the beach for a walk. When she got back she met an Asian couple whose lights in their room had gone out. We gave them the number for the woman who was managing the motel.     

1/21   We walked down to the beach and had breakfast. We only found one restaurant that looked open and went in. They had a big buffet set up. Eventually a lot of local people came in. The food was very good and they kept encouraging us to eat more.  We drove to the Virgin Mary House and  Ephesus which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We hired a guide at Ephesus. It was raining and by the time we were finished it was pouring with rain running down the walkway. We drove back to  Kuşadası and found a place for dinner, then back to the hotel.     

1/22   We started the drive to Pamukkale and realized we hadn’t gone to the Temple of Artemis which is one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. We backtracked about 20 minutes and went. We knew it would be underwhelming because it is mostly destroyed, but you don’t pass up going to ancient wonders. We drove on to to Pamukkale and checked into Aspawa Hotel. It is a small family owned hotel. The owner’s son drove us to the entrance of the Hieropolis and the travertines which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We went to Cleopatra’s  pool and swam for a while. It is also known as the Pamukkale Antique Pool. The warm mineral-rich “champagne water” that fills the pool sits just under 100°F and is believed to have therapeutic healing properties.At the bottom of  the pool are marble columns, that fell in from the Temple of Apollo during an earthquake.  We then wandered Hierapolis, which is an Ancient Greek city. It is neat because you are free to get up close to all of the remains. We then went to the Travertines. The travertines terraces were formed by underground volcanic activity and the presence of hot springs. This hot water is transferred 300 meters upwards by underground pressure. From there the water cascades down, all the while depositing calcium and minerals.Because it is winter they are mostly dry. In the summer they allow water to flow into them. We made the mistake of walking down them to exit at the city entrance. The walk was steep, slippery and rough and it was getting dark. Ana and Veryle ended up putting their crocs on. Ana and Emilee were terrified Veryle and/or Debbie would fall and have to be rescued. We were very happy to get down. We went back to the hotel and had a nice meal, cooked by the owner’s wife.

1/23   We got up and had breakfast, again cooked by the owners wife. We sat beside a wood stove and the owner took our bread and toasted it on the stove. We started the drive to Konya, decided to sidetrack a bit and went to Antalya and had lunch. It is just a big busy city.  We ended up driving through the mountains and went through two police stops. The first one waved us through, the second Debbie had to show her driver’s license. We think he asked for it mainly because he wanted to see what it looked like.  At one point we got to a detour. It wasn’t clear and Veryle was driving the lead car. She opted not to take the turn because it looked like we would be in the wrong lane, the cars behind us turned. We ended up driving over a pass instead of through a tunnel. We drove on to Konya and stayed at Rumi Hotel. There were some men sitting in a very smokey shack and we thought they were in charge of parking – they pointed us to street parking and we found the hotel and went in. It was kind of a business hotel and we were in non-smoking section, but Emilee and Ana smelled smoke when in their room.

1/24   We got up had breakfast at the hotel. It seemed like some shady men were leering at Ana. We drove to Gerome and the Anatolian Houses Cave Hotel & SPA. Debbie and Emilee had arranged a balloon ride for the next day with Butterfly Balloons. When we checked in we were  told it was canceled. We had the option of a high room with three sets of stairs or a low room with one. We took the high one. It was a great view but we avoided going to the room very often. We went to the spa and were disappointed.

1/25   Had a tour with Cappadocia Private tour, Full-Day Private Tour with Car and Guide. The driver fancied himself as a photographer and took a couple of staged videos which were fun.                

We saw most of the sights with them.               

•    Red and Rose Valley Hike
•    Cavusin Cave Village (Old Greek Rock Houses)
•    Underground City
•    Pigeon Valley
•    Ortahisar Castle                  
•    Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley)
•    Pasabagi Valley (Fairy Chimneys)
•    Uchisar Castle                

We went to lunch at a restaurant ran by our guides brother-in-law. Veryle had a Testi Kebab also known as “Pottery Kebab”. Emilee tried liver (we tried to talk her out of it).   1/26   Debbie and Emilee were picked up for the balloon ride but it was canceled when they got there. We went to the other underground city and Debbie and Emilee went in. Veryle and Ana found the tunnels claustrophobic so didn’t.  They were told all flights for the next morining were also canceled. We went to Turkish Night show

1/27   We went to the  Goreme Open Air Museum. We went to a restaurant near the hotel. While eating our dessert of rice pudding they brought us a plate with something on it Veryle picked one up and it was a baked potato. She had been hungry for a potato so was happy just to eat it plain. A man came up and said no, no I will show you. He cut one and put seasoning on it. Veryle was happy with her plain one.

1/28   Debbie and Emilee were able to take the balloon flight.

Veryle got up and saw a balloon outside the window so went on the small porch by their room and watched them. Then she and Ana went to breakfast. We needed to have the car returned by 10:30 and it was an hour drive to the airport. Veryle and Ana had the car loaded, ready to go. Debbie and Emilee got back from the flight around  9:15. Ana had been playing with a cute kitten as we waited. When Emilee saw it she started playing with it and stayed outside the car to make sure we didn’t run over it. The hotel has a few spots you can pull into, then several spots where people park alomg the side. It is a very tight place and was difficult getting the car out. Veryle had to head up the hill instead of down it and then make a sharp turn – also going up hill. The road was icy and Emilee wouldn’t get in so Veryle just kept going figuring we would pick Emilee up after the hill. Emilee ended up chasing after the car and we finally got her loaded. We turned right instead of left onto the main road and had to uturn to go the correct way. 

We got to Kayseri and filled the car up with gas. They attendant couldn’t open the gas cap and we finally figured it was because the car was locked. We had never had this problem before and think it was because Veryle unlocked the door with the engine running to let Emilee in. Anyway the attendants were laughing at us. We got to the airport, which is very small. We entered it, going  past two gaurds, one  with a AK 15. Debbie asked them where car return was and they waved us forward. We passed by all of the entrances and did not see car return. We left the airport and turned around and went back. We passed the guards again and saw two people with airline shirts and asked them were to go. They said Otopark and down. The Otopark was very crowded and narrow and down was straight down. Veryle drove around the lot then down and there were cars parked all over the place. She weaved around and we saw a person with a Sixt shirt. We asked where Budget was and he waved us forward. We got to a spot where Veryle couldn’t get around a car and asked two men sitting there where Budget was. One said “he is my friend” I will go get him. The other moved the car so Veryle could pull in. A man came and looked the car over and gave Debbie the paperwork (hopefully he was from Budget). We walked up the hill and into the airport. What we call TSA is when you walk into an airport, so we went through it. Emilee had to basically unpack her carryon because they thought they saw a knife in it. We had a long wait so went to a restaurant where we paid $50 for french fries and cokes. We finally boarded and had a ham sandwich this time.

Fly to Istanbul Pegasus 2 – 3:30        

We arrived in Istanbul at the old airport and had to take a taxi to be near the new airport for our early morning flight. It was rush hour and took quite awhile. We checked into Fly and Stay Airport hotel and took our luggage to the room then walked  to a gas station since no one was really hungry.   When we checked in we asked if we could leave our WiFi at the desk – we had arranged for it to be picked up there. The woman said she didn’t know what to do with it and asked us to leave it later when her boyfriend was there. After we had showered we remembered we needed to do that, so Debbie got dressed and took it down.  
1/29   We had a taxi arranged for 2:45 Am and the driver was half an hour late picking us up. It was raining and the stairs were really icy. The hotel clerk grabbed one of our bags to help load it and fell on his butt. It probably hurt him, but he didn’t let on. We all flew to Frankfort, then Debbie on to Seattle at 10:20. Veryle, Emilee and Ana’s  flight to Denver didn’t leave until 13:10. Frankfort isn’t one of our favorite airports, but we found  a movie alcove, so we sat in it and watched Need for Speed. We also got MacDonalds since Emilee and Ana wanted to eat it while in another country.. We had at least four passport checks at the airport. When we finally boarded there were a lot of empty seats. Veryle was in the window seat and a woman sat in her row in the aisle. Veryle said to her “it looks like the plane isn’t full, maybe you could move to your own row.” She said perhaps. When the stewardess went by Veryle asked if she could move. The stewardess said probably – wait for the doors to close because we are still boarding a few people. When the doors closed the woman didn’t budge.  Veryle said to Emilee, who was in the row in front of her “I guess I will move” and started gathering her stuff. Emilee looked at the woman and said “why don’t you move.”  I don’t think she was very happy with us, but she did move.