Blog

31 October - 3 November : Merhaba Turkey!

Halloween in Ancient Ephesus & the Greatest City in the World

Trippin'.
Ephesus. No visit to Turkey is complete without a journey to the remarkably preserved Ancient City of Ephesus. The presence of a number of noteworthy ruins was once the greatest cities of the Ancient world and is home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
We booked a half day tour with Nur & Ekol Travel and had a personal guide all to ourselves to take us through Ancient Ephesus. One of the most amazing sites I have ever seen.. so well preserved. You truly do see how life once was some two- thousand years ago. In an ancient city like this, having a guide is far better than any travel/ history book you can get. We were able to go at our own pace and have all of our questions answered. Lunch was included-- our first Turkish meal-- and one we cannot wait to experience again when we go to Istanbul. All in all, Ephesus was everything people made it out to be. Truly an experience and highlight of the entire cruise.
Istanbul. While you may have preconceived opinions and ideas of what to expect when visiting Istanbul, they all hold truth to a certain extend. Istanbul is a bridged between modern and ancient, conservative and progressive, religious and secular, the very familiar and at times exotic and where East truly meets West. Whatever it is, we all can agree, Istanbul is undoubtedly becoming more interesting by the day and can hold its own next to the Rome and Bangkok destinations of the world.
So glad we ended our 3- week vacation in Istanbul because it is, hands down, the greatest city on Earth! And while the weather was unforgiving at times, it was bearable. A few drizzle here and there was not enough to ruin our time here. We stumbled upon the best guide ever-- Ayse from OurExplorer while planning the trip and she turned out to be even better than what other travelers had reviewed. We only booked her for half the day for the Cistern, Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia for $30 per person and she was not only nice, but spoke English very clearly and even managed to suggest us places to eat and shop. She knew her Istanbul history. Of course we've read up on places that are a must for eats and she was able to confirm it's authenticity. She also told us how to bargain at the bazaar and that we should pay no more than such and such for souvenirs. A great start to our 2.5 days in Istanbul.
The Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar is a sight to be seen. It is every photographer's dream.. and the shopping is not bad either! I went a bit nuts and came home with 10 pashminas-- they don't make it like this anymore. It was a must! We had some of the best food, the best shopping, and the best experience here in Istanbul than our entire trip combined. Lastly, it may just be Turkey in general, but Istanbul has some of the nicest people you will ever come across. People here will literally pick up the money you drop, chase you down and hand it back to you. That has to count for something, right?!

Sleeping: Maywood Hotel, Nobethane Caddesi No:25 Sirkeci, tel: +90 212 520 21 93. Have the cab driver call the hotel for directions because it is not easy to find but is located just minutes walk from the monorail system and is two short stops to the downtown area. Convenient and cheap!
Eating: Sultanahmet Koftecisi, tel: +90 212 513 14 38. Don't be fooled by the other look- a- likes in town. This place is the real deal!

More Photos.

View full Ephesus gallery here.
View full Istanbul gallery here.