A Bite of Turkey: Holiday in Istanbul and Ephesus
It’s always the same story when I go on vacation and take too many pictures - I get too lazy to sort them out. I’ve posted about a hundred or so photos on Facebook, a mix of pics from my camera plus some others from Ann and Rars. For this blog, I need to cut down and just put the highlights of our trip or else this is going to be a very long post.
I’ve been itching to go see Turkey for the longest time. It always frustrated me that Istanbul is a turnaround flight for us, meaning we fly there from Dubai then go back straight away without going down the aircraft. People have been telling me what a beautiful place it is, a mix of Europe and Asia since the country is located on both continents. I told myself I’d go visit Turkey someday, somehow…!
Last September, I was chatting with Ann and venting out my frustrations about my cancelled trip to Egypt with Ellen due to overbooked flights to and from Cairo. I was telling Ann that I wish I could use my leave days to go somewhere else, but I had no one to go with me since Ellen preferred to go home instead. Somehow, we ended up talking about Turkey and making plans to go there in November. The only catch was that Ann had already booked her leave in November, but for me, I’d have to count on getting days off. By hook or by crook, I was determined to get them! Anyway, we invited Rars to come along with us, too. It was a struggle for both of us to get the days off we needed, but we somehow managed to find a way. Thank God we were able to fix our rosters and push through with the trip to Turkey! Finally!! (We had also invited Nadz, but she wasn’t able to get the needed days off. *Sniff*)
We spent 5 days and 4 nights in Turkey - 4 days in Istanbul and a 1-day trip to Ephesus in the middle. One thing that we can say about Turkey is that although there are countless tourists there, there is a shortage of Asians. Apparently they’ve never seen 3 cute Pinays over there, hehehe. ;p Because everywhere we went, people were treating us like we were celebrities! Strangers were giving us flowers, asking us out here and there, feeding us cheesy pickup lines, and approaching us to have their pictures taken with us. At first it was quite flattering, but after a while, it kind of got annoying. We even wanted to write “Philippines” on our foreheads so everyone would stop asking where we’re from or guessing that we’re from China or Japan. Sheesh. Locals also kept calling us “Angels,” but we only finally understood what they meant when someone went, “Can I be your Charlie, so you can be my Angels?” Haha.
We just took it easy the day we arrived in Istanbul. Our flight was a bit delayed, but at least it was quite empty and we got 4 seats each to ourselves. Our hostel was very conveniently located in Sultanahmet, so almost everything was just a short walk away. For our first day in Istanbul, we just walked around the Blue Mosque area (above), did some window-shopping, and then had kebabs for dinner and really good Turkish ice cream for dessert. Yum!
Good morning, Turkey! Day 2 was a full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. This was taken just right in front of our hostel.
With Rars and Ann outside Topkapi Palace, our first stop for the day
Inside the Topkapi Palace, we had a beautiful view of the sea.
Here’s a huge chunk of Turkish ice cream! The consistency is very different from regular ice cream. It’s really sticky and doesn’t melt as quickly.
The Hagia Sophia, famous for its massive dome, is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture.
Ceiling mosaics inside the Hagia Sophia
At the Grand Bazaar with Ann
Yummy Turkish food for dinner!
For Day 3, we left our hostel at 6:15am to catch an Atlasjet flight from Istanbul to Izmir at 8am. From Izmir, it was a 1-hour drive to the ancient city of Ephesus. We had to book a day tour then fly back to Istanbul by 9:30pm!
Eastern Gymnasium and Baths of State Agora
Upper Agora and Basilica
With Kim, a Korean girl who joined our tour group, and Mehmet, the tour guide that really sucked (He had no patience with us when we wanted to take pictures!)
Marble Street of Ephesus
Temple of Hadrianus
The Library of Celsus
The Great Theater behind us
After Ephesus, we went to visit the House of Virgin Mary, which is believed to have been Mother Mary’s home before she died.
Near Mary’s house, you can drink (miraculous) holy water from the springs.
We went to a ceramics shop afterwards, but everything there was very expensive as compared to the shops in Istanbul. Unfortunately, it also started to rain really hard. The last stop for the tour was the Temple of Artemis. We drove over there but couldn’t go down due to the heavy rain. Sad.:( We proceeded to the airport quite early to catch our 9:30pm flight back to Istanbul and got back to our Sultanahmet hostel before midnight. We couldn’t believe we actually flew to Ephesus and back on the same day!
For Day 4, we just took pictures outside Hagia Sophia in the morning.
Then we inside the Yerebatan Sarnici (Sunken Cistern or Basilica Cistern). It’s a Sunken Palace where 336 marble columns rise out of the water.
That afternoon, we stopped by the Spice Market (a.k.a. Egyptian Bazaar), and then took a Bosphorus On Boat tour. It was an amazing cruise between the 2 continents, Europe and Asia.
Passing by the Rumeli Fortress during the cruise
Bosphorus Cruise - my favorite picture! :)
Late that afternoon, we went back to the Spice Market, then took the tram to Taksim, a very busy area filled with shops, restaurants and bars. In the evening, we met up for some drinks with Rars’ Turkish crew friend Erhan, who also happened to be home in Istanbul that day.
Day 5 was our last day in Istanbul. We had to leave for Dubai in the afternoon, so we only had the morning free. One very important landmark that we haven’t been able to enter was the Blue Mosque! We couldn’t leave Istanbul without going inside!
Inside the Blue Mosque, where we had to wear head scarves
That’s it for our holiday in Turkey! Ann, Rars and I definitely had a great time in this wonderful country and I’m just very, very grateful that our vague plans to tour Turkey turned into reality! Ü
I’ve been itching to go see Turkey for the longest time. It always frustrated me that Istanbul is a turnaround flight for us, meaning we fly there from Dubai then go back straight away without going down the aircraft. People have been telling me what a beautiful place it is, a mix of Europe and Asia since the country is located on both continents. I told myself I’d go visit Turkey someday, somehow…!
Last September, I was chatting with Ann and venting out my frustrations about my cancelled trip to Egypt with Ellen due to overbooked flights to and from Cairo. I was telling Ann that I wish I could use my leave days to go somewhere else, but I had no one to go with me since Ellen preferred to go home instead. Somehow, we ended up talking about Turkey and making plans to go there in November. The only catch was that Ann had already booked her leave in November, but for me, I’d have to count on getting days off. By hook or by crook, I was determined to get them! Anyway, we invited Rars to come along with us, too. It was a struggle for both of us to get the days off we needed, but we somehow managed to find a way. Thank God we were able to fix our rosters and push through with the trip to Turkey! Finally!! (We had also invited Nadz, but she wasn’t able to get the needed days off. *Sniff*)
We spent 5 days and 4 nights in Turkey - 4 days in Istanbul and a 1-day trip to Ephesus in the middle. One thing that we can say about Turkey is that although there are countless tourists there, there is a shortage of Asians. Apparently they’ve never seen 3 cute Pinays over there, hehehe. ;p Because everywhere we went, people were treating us like we were celebrities! Strangers were giving us flowers, asking us out here and there, feeding us cheesy pickup lines, and approaching us to have their pictures taken with us. At first it was quite flattering, but after a while, it kind of got annoying. We even wanted to write “Philippines” on our foreheads so everyone would stop asking where we’re from or guessing that we’re from China or Japan. Sheesh. Locals also kept calling us “Angels,” but we only finally understood what they meant when someone went, “Can I be your Charlie, so you can be my Angels?” Haha.
We just took it easy the day we arrived in Istanbul. Our flight was a bit delayed, but at least it was quite empty and we got 4 seats each to ourselves. Our hostel was very conveniently located in Sultanahmet, so almost everything was just a short walk away. For our first day in Istanbul, we just walked around the Blue Mosque area (above), did some window-shopping, and then had kebabs for dinner and really good Turkish ice cream for dessert. Yum!
Good morning, Turkey! Day 2 was a full day of sightseeing in Istanbul. This was taken just right in front of our hostel.
With Rars and Ann outside Topkapi Palace, our first stop for the day
Inside the Topkapi Palace, we had a beautiful view of the sea.
Here’s a huge chunk of Turkish ice cream! The consistency is very different from regular ice cream. It’s really sticky and doesn’t melt as quickly.
The Hagia Sophia, famous for its massive dome, is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture.
Ceiling mosaics inside the Hagia Sophia
At the Grand Bazaar with Ann
Yummy Turkish food for dinner!
For Day 3, we left our hostel at 6:15am to catch an Atlasjet flight from Istanbul to Izmir at 8am. From Izmir, it was a 1-hour drive to the ancient city of Ephesus. We had to book a day tour then fly back to Istanbul by 9:30pm!
Eastern Gymnasium and Baths of State Agora
Upper Agora and Basilica
With Kim, a Korean girl who joined our tour group, and Mehmet, the tour guide that really sucked (He had no patience with us when we wanted to take pictures!)
Marble Street of Ephesus
Temple of Hadrianus
The Library of Celsus
The Great Theater behind us
After Ephesus, we went to visit the House of Virgin Mary, which is believed to have been Mother Mary’s home before she died.
Near Mary’s house, you can drink (miraculous) holy water from the springs.
We went to a ceramics shop afterwards, but everything there was very expensive as compared to the shops in Istanbul. Unfortunately, it also started to rain really hard. The last stop for the tour was the Temple of Artemis. We drove over there but couldn’t go down due to the heavy rain. Sad.:( We proceeded to the airport quite early to catch our 9:30pm flight back to Istanbul and got back to our Sultanahmet hostel before midnight. We couldn’t believe we actually flew to Ephesus and back on the same day!
For Day 4, we just took pictures outside Hagia Sophia in the morning.
Then we inside the Yerebatan Sarnici (Sunken Cistern or Basilica Cistern). It’s a Sunken Palace where 336 marble columns rise out of the water.
That afternoon, we stopped by the Spice Market (a.k.a. Egyptian Bazaar), and then took a Bosphorus On Boat tour. It was an amazing cruise between the 2 continents, Europe and Asia.
Passing by the Rumeli Fortress during the cruise
Bosphorus Cruise - my favorite picture! :)
Late that afternoon, we went back to the Spice Market, then took the tram to Taksim, a very busy area filled with shops, restaurants and bars. In the evening, we met up for some drinks with Rars’ Turkish crew friend Erhan, who also happened to be home in Istanbul that day.
Day 5 was our last day in Istanbul. We had to leave for Dubai in the afternoon, so we only had the morning free. One very important landmark that we haven’t been able to enter was the Blue Mosque! We couldn’t leave Istanbul without going inside!
Inside the Blue Mosque, where we had to wear head scarves
That’s it for our holiday in Turkey! Ann, Rars and I definitely had a great time in this wonderful country and I’m just very, very grateful that our vague plans to tour Turkey turned into reality! Ü