Teşekkürler 

Categories: Accommodations · Bodrum · Istanbul · Türkiye · TravelTags: · · · · ·

Thank you in Turkish. It was a wonderful visit – a good mix of relaxation and culture, the familiar and the new. I stayed for the first four nights at Six Senses Kaplankaya in the Bodrum peninsula. The hotel amenities are extensive and service was professional. There are four food outlets at the hotel serving International (Sage & Sea), Pan-Asian (Wild Thyme), Seafood Grill (Meze by the Sea), and modern Italian (Anhinga – which was the disappointment). There are also four beach areas that form part of the hotel complex. My last two nights were in Istanbul and I stayed…

Byzantium

Categories: Architecture · Istanbul · Türkiye · TravelTags: · · 1 Comment

After twelve years, I am back for my second visit to the city first known as Byzantium, then became Constantinople, and Istanbul today. The city that is both ancient and modern, Europe and Asia, familiar and exotic. I visited for the first time two sights I failed to see the last time: the Basilica Cistern and the Istanbul Archeology Museum. And also took the opportunity to re-visit the Topkapi Palace and of course, the Ayasofya. In July 2020, the Ayasofya was decreed to be used as a mosque again, annulling the use as museum – the mosaics on the balcony…

Turkish Riviera

Categories: Bodrum · TürkiyeTags: · 1 Comment

[Say goodbye to Turkey and say hello to Türkiye. International organizations, including the United Nations, have already adopted Türkiye, following a formal request from the Turkish government.] I am back in this alluring country after twelve years. Heading straight to Bodrum as first stop, located 840 kms south or an hour flight from Istanbul. Bodrum is a port city in the southwestern region of the country and lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Kerme of the Aegean Sea (opposite the Greek island of Cos). When people wax lyrical over Bodrum, they are often describing the heavenly bays…

Ephesus

Categories: Architecture · Bodrum · Türkiye · TravelTags: · · 1 Comment

A UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, Ephesus is Türkiye‘s grandest and best preserved ancient city with classical ruins. A showpiece of Aegean archaeology, the stellar ruins of Ephesus have provided travellers all the impetus to justify a trip to this stretch of picturesque coastlands. The ruins were rediscovered in the late 1800s and excavations have been going on for nearly a century. The Temple of Artemis that was built in the 4th century BC and was recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its fame reached distant lands and it became a pilgrimage site for merchants, kings, and…

Cappadocia

Categories: Accommodations · Cappadocia · Türkiye · TravelTags: · · · · 2 Comments

A short one hour flight from Istanbul to central Turkey will bring you to the breathtaking region of Cappadocia. There are many other interesting cities to visit in Turkey, but during my trip a few years back, I decided to visit here instead. Often described as a lunar landscape or an open air sculpture, the erosion caused by wind and water that started 60 million years ago, carved out the topography in this area. It was also in this region that early Christians following the footsteps of St. Paul took refuge and established colonies in the area.   The Caravansaries (or “Caravan Palace“) were used as military bases during the wartime and…

Ayasofya & Chora

Categories: Accommodations · Architecture · Istanbul · Türkiye · TravelTags: · · · · · ·

Known in Greek as Hagia Sophia and in English as St. Sophia, the Ayasofya in Istanbul was designed to surpass the grandeur of any other monument to God. Built in A.D. 537 as the greatest church in Christendom and symbol of the Byzantium, Ayasofya was converted into a mosque in 1453 during the Conquest, where adjustments were made that included covering of the frescoes and mosaics and the addition of minarets. In 1935, Ayasofya was turned into a museum. Definitely worth a short drive outside of the city centre of Istanbul is the St. Savior in Chora. The original church in this site…

Istanbul

Categories: Architecture · Istanbul · Türkiye · TravelTags: · · · · · · ·

When friends ask for suggestions on places to visit, one of the cities I highly recommend is Istanbul in Turkey. I was in this awe-inspiring land a few years back and would not mind returning to. The only city in the world that straddles between Europe and Asia, Istanbul (and Turkey for that matter) is so vibrant and rich in history and culture. Turkey is a magnificent marriage of the historic and modern, western and oriental, and the common and exotic. One of the striking features of the city’s skyline is the Blue Mosque or the Sultan Ahmet Camii. Constructed between 1609 and 1617, this mosque is one…