turkey Archives - Everywhere Abroad

If you’ve never heard of it, get ready to fall in love! Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey. It’s known for its unique rock formations (fairy chimneys), natural caves, and history. It’s a magical place, specially during the sunrise and sunset! Perfect for everything you can imagine like weddings, engagements, honeymoons, getaways, or a family vacation! We visited Cappadocia in August while staying in Istanbul. The main reason for going to Cappadocia was to ride a hot air balloon there for the first time. We had seen pictures and heard about it and could not let it pass being so close. The landscape makes it look from another planet, I cannot stress how amazing this place is and a must go if you visit Turkey.

How to get there? We flew from Istanbul to Cappadocia through Turkish Airlines to Kayseri (Kayseri Erkilet Airport – ASR). Cappadocia’s other airport Nevsehir (Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport – NAV) does not offer as many flights as Kayseri but is also a good alternative. Our flight lasted about 1 hour, we had arranged our hotel pick-up which was very convenient and took another hour to reach Uchisar where we stayed. With Cappadocia’s topography the ride to the hotel was an adventure as it was full of hills and curves where most of the time if you come a across other cars coming in the opposite direction, and the streets are so narrow that you would have to go in reverse with a hill behind you, let’s just say you do not want to drive there. There are also overnight buses from Istanbul and other parts of Turkey that take about 10 hours if you want to go that route. We believe the easiest and cheapest way is to fly there. Our roundtrip ticket from Istanbul costs us $70 USD.

Where to stay? We recommend staying in either Göreme or Uchisar. The two are within 10 minutes of each other and are very well located to see the hot air balloons at sunrise. The most popular/touristy is Göreme for its many options of accommodations, restaurants, location, and activities around it. We stayed in Uchisar (quieter town than Göreme) at Millstone Cave Suites Hotel, loved it! Oh and get their breakfast! Turkish breakfast with the valleys in the background is priceless!! We recommend staying in a cave hotel to make the experience even more unreal! You’ll have beautiful views all around and get that cavern living vibe. There are also other towns around like Urgup and Avanos that are worth looking into.

What to eat? Just like in Istanbul, food in Cappadocia is delicious and there are many places to eat, you won’t have trouble finding something you like. For the most part we ate at our hotels restaurant which serves delicious plates for dinner and off-course the exceptional Turkish breakfast. We also enjoyed lunch at Dream Spot Cappadocia in Uchisar which has spectacular views and really nice quality food and service.

Hot Air Balloon Ride. If you’re interested in the hot air balloon ride you must book ahead time. Although, there are many companies, they do get filled up quickly so make sure to book at least 1 month in advance. Standard rides cost about $190 USD per person with 20-24 people per basket (well worth it!!). The cheapest ride we saw while searching was $170 USD and was already filled up. There’s also private rides if you’d like to go alone. We got lucky last minute (1 week in advance) and booked through Urgup Balloons. Highly recommend them, they offered hotel pick up/drop-off, coffee and pastries before the ride, champagne toast after the ride, and the guide was great! They picked us up from our hotel at 4:15am, took us to have breakfast, we finished registering, and waited for the green flag! Yes, many things can affect the ride but most importantly is the wind speed and direction. We got lucky because for the previous three days they had not been able to fly and had to cancel peoples reservations. There’s no way to tell how things will turn out, I would just recommend to visit Cappadocia for at least 3 days in case you don’t get to ride on your planned day you always have more sunrises to do it in. We heard of some people that were not able to do it after traveling there just for that, don’t let this happen to you and give it enough time! We waited like 20 minutes for the green flag and were on our way to the hot air balloons!! The experience is a once in a lifetime, there are many other places to ride hot air balloons but I know they will not be as magical as doing it in Cappadocia. The scenery is mind blowing and the ride is so smooth you forget you are between 3,000-6,000 feet above ground level!

Sunrise. It was important for us to also watch the sunrise with all the balloons getting ready to fly and then in the air. We knew this would be the best opportunity for a magical moment and amazing pictures since the day that you actually fly you don’t have that background as you’re up in the air. It was tough to decide where the best spot to see the balloons would be. We had options to go to Göreme to a high point, stay in our hotel which had great views and could pay extra for a setup with Turkish carpets (like you see on Pinterest), go to the Uchisar Castle, or go to one of the many viewpoints around. It was tough because the guide was explaining to us that they don’t actually drive the balloons, they go where the wind takes them so I cannot tell you and we did not know what would be a good place. Since we had identified the area from where they start flying from our flight the day before we knew at least we would see them go up. What we ended up doing was chasing the balloons! Yes, we chased them lol. We ended up on this grassy hill at 5:30am where a group of street dogs came at us and I don’t know how we scared them away and they simply left us alone. Santiago and I really felt danger because those dogs were big and ready to bite!! Anyway, from there we moved since we noticed the balloons were not coming that way and went to another viewpoint where we stayed most of the time in shock of how beautiful it looks. There were times where they flew right above us!

Other activities: Since our goal was to ride a hot air balloon and see a sunrise with all the balloons in the air we booked Cappadocia for only 2 nights 3 days. This was enough time to fly, enjoy a sunrise watching and taking pictures of the balloons in the air, visit the Uchisar Castle, explore Göreme and Uchisar, and enjoy the hotel. We recommend a longer stay if you want to explore more. There’s plenty to do like hike the Red and Rose valleys, visit the Underground City, Göreme Open Air Museum, and go horse back riding.

It’s a must see even if you don’t want to ride a hot air balloon it is out of this world you will not want to miss it!

Remember, to visit our Instagram and Facebook pages to see more about our adventures. @everywhereabroad

How does traveling from Europe to Asia on a daily basis sound to you? Well that is what we experienced in Istanbul (Constantinople as it was previously named by the roman emperor Constantine the Great). The city is so large that it extends into two continents and we loved going from one side to the other by ferry through the Bosphorus strait . During our stay from July 25 to August 10 we had an incredible time indulging ourselves in this magical place where Europe meets Asia.

Before traveling to Istanbul we did not realize how much we were about to learn. Now that we think of Istanbul, names such as Alexander the Great, Constantine the Great, Ottoman Turks, Sultan Mehmet II, Suleiman the Magnificent, and Ataturk come to mind. Through the rise and fall of many famous empires such as The Roman Empire and The Ottoman Empire, Istanbul has evolved to what is now a rising power in the world and as an important capital of culture.

The major religion in Istanbul is Islam. Islam is the second largest religion in the world and teaches its followers (Muslims) that there is only one God (Allah) and that Muhammed is the messenger of God. As you travel being aware of traditions and religion of the places you visit is very important as you want to show respect for different customs and beliefs. In Istanbul or I should say Turkey in general, there is a call to prayer everyday five times per day. Speakers are installed at every Mosque in the city to remind Muslims that it is time to pray. You can hear the Arabic song of praise, called the adhan, all over the city. To hear what it sounds like go to our Istanbul highlights on Instagram @everywhereabroad, we loved it every time during our stay in Turkey.

Did we feel safe in Istanbul? This is one of the parts of traveling that amazes us every time we visit a country that has been said to be dangerous and that some have even advised not traveling to. This is because for the most part we always find the opposite of what everyone imagines. This is why we say you don’t know until you actually go there and experience it for yourself. We did not feel unsafe, scared, frighten, or suspicious of anything at any point during our time in Istanbul. Not at night, not early morning, to be honest I don’t think it even crossed our minds after arriving there and seeing how the city works. Although we did not experience anything negative, we do advise like in any other country to watch your belongings specially in crowded areas.

In terms of dress code, Turkey is a conservative country. Istanbul, however, is a cosmopolitan city and conservative dress code is not followed at all times and is not frowned upon unless you are visiting a Mosque. It is required to wear shirts that cover your shoulders and skirts or shorts below the knees when entering a Mosque for women and men. Women must cover their head before entering as well. A robe or shawl will be provided for free if your clothing is inappropriate at the entrance of every Mosque. In other parts of Turkey the conservative dress code will more than likely apply so plan accordingly. When walking around Istanbul you will see women wearing conservative modest clothes as in the tesettür which is a headscarf (hijab) and long dress/topcoat covering arms and legs completely. You will also see Muslim women or women from other countries that are a bit more strict and will wear a burka or a niqab which cover the entire body and face. Everyday Ingrid wore her summer dresses and short shorts and was just fine, Santiago had no issues at all with clothing, he fit in so well that he even got confused for being Turkish!

Transportation in Istanbul is affordable and very good! You can move around by taxi, bus, tram, ferry, metro, train, and funicular. There are plenty of options to move around, you just have to choose wisely what to use and when. For example, taking a taxi might not be the best idea because traffic can be very bad and sometimes streets are blocked or closed and taxi drivers have to go around to find alternative ways, taxis may also cost more. From the airport we took a nice bus with air conditioner and wifi to reach Kadikoy which cost us $4usd each. The bus line is #7 and takes an hour, this is very convenient and there’s one leaving the airport and the Kadikoy port every 30 minutes from 5am until midnight. Find out your route and you will discover this is a very convenient inexpensive way for airport transportation. We stayed in Kadikoy (Moda) which is on the Asian side of the city, we enjoyed taking the ferry back and forth and it was only 15 minutes to the old town where all the Mosques are and cost $ .50 usd cents. We enjoyed it so much that we would time our ferry back to Kadikoy with the sunset in order to watch it on the way back. From Kadikoy there are ferry stops along the Bosphorus to reach any of the neighborhoods on the European side. Şehir Hatlari is the main ferryboat company of Istanbul. We also did a lot of walking as always, sometimes used the tram, hardly used a taxi (I think one time after partying), and that was about all. We did not have the need to use the metro or the buses in the city. We highly recommend getting an Istanbul Kart (Istanbul Card), unless you will be using taxis all the time. Istanbul Kart is a prepaid and rechargeable card for public transportation, it makes paying easier and gives you about a 40% discount on fares. To obtain one just go to any major public transportation station, there is a small fee for the card of about 10 lira ( $2 usd ) which is totally worth it and can be used by multiple riders so no need to get multiple cards.

What to eat in Istanbul? Well you can find just about anything you like except limes, they are very hard to find! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and they take it very seriously. A Turkish breakfast will include all of the following: cucumber, butter, honey, olives, tomatoes, cheeses, bread, pita, eggs, sucuk, ham, Turkish sausage, french toast, soups, and all kinds of jams. In Istanbul you have to try a lot of the food to find your favorites, there are so many options that I can go on and on.

Some of our favorite foods to eat/drink in Istanbul were:

Gözleme: Turkish pancake, loved it!!
Turkish breakfast mentioned above
Kebaps: delicious mainly the chicken kebaps
Balik Ekmek: grilled fish sandwich
Manti: Turkish ravioli
Meze: different appetizers or salads
Mussels: stuffed or deep fried
Künefe: shredded wheat and cheese, amazing! (dessert)
Dondurma: Turkish ice cream, chewy, good
Backlava: thin layers of dough stacked on top of each other, coated in sugar syrup, many varieties (dessert)
Turkish delight: Turkish candy, many varieties, found in all the markets
Çay: Turkish tea, tea in Turkey is like coffee, we drank tea about three times per day, it is very good and it will be offered to you everywhere!
Ayran: yogurt drink that you will see almost every Turk drink at any time during there day. This one is tough because the first time we tried it, we did not like it, we gave it another try and Santiago liked it more this time, Ingrid sipped on it and agreed it tasted a little better.
Turkish coffee: made of very finely ground coffee beans, so strong that they give you a cup of water for after. Delicious. Oh and don’t drink all the way to the bottom as you’ll taste some of the settled grounds, which is not good.
Beer: a beer will cost you around 14-18 lira ($3usd) at pubs and 22 lira ($4usd and up) at clubs.

Kebap
Künefe
Turkish Breakfast
Lady making Gözleme
Rice Pilav
Turkish eggs with sausage
Turkish tea
Turkish coffee

We were in Istanbul for 2 weeks and it still felt like there was so much more to discover. Some of our favorite things to do included visiting the Mosques and museums such as the Hagia Sophia (AyaSofya) which is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Once a church and a mosque now it is a museum. The general entrance fee is 70 lira ($12usd).

Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii), it is still a functioning mosque and entrance for tourist is not allowed when it is in service. If you hear the call to prayer (5 times per day) you know to wait 30 minutes before it opens to the public. There is no fee to enter the mosque. There are also many rooftop bars near this area to visit after or before visiting the mosque.

Suleymaniye Mosque, beautiful functioning Ottoman mosque. You’ll see it from the ferry if you’re coming from Kadikoy to Eminonu. Free to enter.

We also visited the Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) for amazing city views. The line here will be long but don’t get discouraged it moves pretty quick and the entrance fee is 35 liras ($6usd). Worth it? yes, but we still loved the views from the rooftops near Suleymaniye Mosque way more.

Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest and oldest shopping markets you will visit! There are more than 5,000 shops here, you’ll want to bring many items home with you from this bazaar just remember to use your negotiating skills to get a good bargain!

Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici), designed to service the Great Palace and many of the nearby buildings the cistern was able to hold 80,000 cubic meters of water. This is is a quick trip and should not take too much of your time. The entrance fee 20 lira ($4usd).

Medusa pillar inside the cistern

We also enjoyed Istiklal Avenue, Taksim Square, the neighborhoods of Ortakoy, Bebek, and Besiktas. Remember to cruise the Bosphorus, try playing backgammon, smoke a hookah (shisha), have a Turkish bath, watch the sunset, and have lunch or a drink at one of the many rooftops.