Getting high in Turkey

We had a busy few days in Istanbul, taking in the famous sites and some of the lesser-known ones too.  The must see Hagia Sofia and Blue mosques, the Basilica cisterns, Topkapi Palace, Galata Tower, boat trips on the Bosphorous followed by freshly caught fish sandwiches.  The girls were scrubbed and pummeled at traditional Turkish baths whilst most of the guys went for a close shave instead.  Evenings were spent on one of the city’s many roof terraces or sitting on cushions outside restaurants, watching the world go by, smoking apple flavoured shisha pipes, some more adept than others at inhaling the sweet smoke without coughing and spluttering.  A few were lucky enough to stumble upon the filming of the latest James Bond film Skyfall, and claimed seeing Daniel Craig involved in a car chase with a battered Land Rover.

Aya Sofia / Haghia Sophia, Istanbul

Rowan, Jody, Kev & Jason in Istanbul

Fishing on the Bosphorous

Cisterns restaurant, Istanbul

Rowan & Jody at the Turkish bath

Spot the James Bond unit base

Evil eyes, Istanbul

Turkish treats

Turkish coffee

Gill on the hubbly bubbly

After 3 nights of hotel living we were ready to board Calypso once again and spend some quality time with her, in the form of our longest journey yet, nearly 800km in one day which took us away from Istanbul on an atmospheric misty morning, across the bridge that marks the divide between Europe and Asia, the scenery gradually changing from urban sprawl to hills and mountains.  We arrived in Goreme, which lies in the region of Cappaddocia, in time for supper and were relieved to stretch our legs and take in the sunset from our campsite where we have spent the last few nights.

Bridge from Europe into Asia

The campsite is in a great spot, high up on a hillside with panoramic views overlooking the stunning fairy chimneys.  The landscape has been formed by centuries of erosion of the volcanic rock and continues to evolve.  We took in a full day tour of the region, crawling through narrow tunnels in one of the incredible underground cities where early Christians hid from persecution by the Romans.  They had their priorities though, with numerous wineries underground which, according to our guide, was important as it helped them to relax from the stresses of hiding from the enemy and also to keep them warm.

Goreme "fairy chimneys"

A camel perhaps?

Jim & Julia

Rowan trying her hand at a bit of pottery

Betsy & Jody, the papparazzi

Jeff, Rowan, Betsy and Gareth waiting for the rain to pass...

John & Shelagh carpet buying in Goreme

Pip's new carpet

Spot the cat!

Turkish pizza

A fun evening out was had at a traditional clay pot restaurant where the owner liked a bit of a laugh, stealing food off your plate and bringing out an empty trick pot, asking you to give it a tap and then letting it drop and smash on the floor.  What japery.

Chris in the Claypot restaurant

Shelagh, Gill, Pip & Rowan had a surprise for us last night, to go with our not so Turkish supper of a damn good cottage pie, they dressed up in their best Turkish, outfits, accompanied by some Turkish sounding music they gave us a little dance and had decorated the cave at the campsite with candles.  The cave, complete with log fire has been well used during our time here as the skies have darkened a few times and brought heavy rain, winds and hail.  It’s always best to do what the crew says and not what they do.  If they suggest you don’t pitch your tent somewhere due to the risk of flooding, it’s probably good advice.  You can see where this is going.  We didn’t heed our own advice and as a result were forced to decamp into the cave at 2am one morning.

Shelagh, Pip, Rowan & Gill

Shelagh

Oops... do as the crew say, not as they do...

This morning 13 of us, lucky for some, awoke at 4 something and blearily clambered into a minibus and were transported to a dry dusty expanse of ground.  After handing over some money, signing some bits of paper, drinking tea and eating biscuits we were taken to our launch point where a sea of huge balloons all lying on their sides were slowly being woken and injected with hot air.  Once upright we clambered into the basket and were soon rising steadily, jostling for position with the others around us.  Imagine a fairy tale landscape at sunrise and then add in nearly 100 differently coloured hot air balloons and you have to pinch yourself.  It felt like we nearly skimmed the peaks but the clearly experienced pilot pulled various strings, used the burner and we rose sharply over the hills and rock formations then dropped back into the narrow valleys.  We then ascended to about 800 metres and viewed the fuller area before finding a landing site.  With that number of balloons come a lot of support vehicles and minibuses.  It was amusing to watch them all zipping around the roads below, keeping half an eye on their balloon, doing u-turns and going around roundabouts until their balloon had a clear direction.  Our crew was ready and waiting to hang onto the balloon as we came into land.  The balloon was manoeuvered so precisely we landed directly on the trailer.  The successful flight was celebrated with champagne and cake, nothing like a bit of bubbly for breakfast on a Monday morning.

A close shave

Can you spot the truck?

Pip & Cindy

Jody and her certificate!

John and Shelagh with post-balloon bubbles

Two nights bushcamping lie ahead en route to Trabzon and the nearby Sumela monastery which clings to a rock face, a feat of engineering hard to imagine possible even now.  We’re all looking forward to seeing more of the real Turkey and exploring areas where tourists become the minority.  It’s great to see the famous sites we are familiar with but something even more rewarding about being off the beaten track.  We all share the desire for an adventure far removed from every day life, work and travel.

Ceramic design, Goreme