Talking Turkey
October in Cappadocia . Will it be cold or hot; well neither actually, we didn't need our fleeces nor our woolly jumpers as the temperatures were a little warmer than the UK . It took a full day of flying, waiting and bussing to reach the Perissia Hotel, and its four-star comforts. Whilst in Istanbul , we managed a short visit through traffic-chocked streets to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
In spite of two lost hours, we were off early to visit the weird landscape, which is Cappadocia, where houses, churches and refuges have been carved into the soft rock, which has been wind blasted into amazing shapes all around.
We saw many abandoned village houses and churches of expelled Christian Greeks from 1924. Christian worship now seems to be something of a provocation in today's political atmosphere. Although only 38% of Turks are practicing Moslems, 90% claim to be Moslem. This is reflected in women's dress, which varies from western style to a few full cover black dresses and degrees in between.
Two days of touring with lunches en route and evenings together in our hotel, then we moved westward to Konya . On the way we inspect another caravanserai, the Sultanhani, a partially ruined but enormously powerful building, these buildings were the equivalent of fortified road houses one day's ride apart in the time of the caravan routes. We stayed one night in Konya and saw the Whirling Dervishes in a nearby restored and very impressive caravanserai. We also visited the Mevlana mausoleum with the tomb of the Islamic Sufi poet Celaladin Rumi with some impressive Arabic calligraphy. All quite moving experiences, especially the dancers who performed a sincerely religious ceremony.
Then a day long bus ride through the Taurus Mountains with a few stops and, on reaching the coast, a look at the ancient port of Antalya with ruins from Crusader times as well as Greece and Rome .
A restored caravanserai near Konya
Yet another early start to see the ancient city of Side with a temple of Apollo and Athena and moving right on to another ancient Greek/Roman site at Aspendos and a look at a most impressively high Roman aqueduct. With a visit to Perge we have done our ancient sights and return to Antalya for the evening, having just tasted the flavour of the rich ancient history of the area.
Our last day we spent visiting the museum to look at the splendid Roman sculpture and sarcophagi, which are truly magnificent. In a splendid restaurant overlooking the bay with the harbour below and with the temperature now in the 30s, we enjoyed a superb lunch. There was even a swimming beach below the restaurant (at extra cost). A little shopping and watching a demonstration against the Kurds outside our hotel and it's the last dinner before the long journey home.
Richard Morse
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Highlights of Turkey
Istanbul
The haunting call to prayer blares out over the babble of tourists and dusty traffic jams in Istanbul.
Sitting in the shade of the Hagia Sophia, a strange mix of mosque and church, we watched as worshippers emerged from side streets, removed their shoes and disappeared inside the stone monolith.
Our group of 12 from St Peter's and St Barnabas' had stopped off at Turkey 's cultural capital on our route from Heathrow to Kayseri further east. We had just enough time to munch warm rings of sesame seed bread in the Hippodrome and peek inside the Blue Mosque before it was back to the airport for our connecting flight.
Cappadocia
Meeting our guide and trusty coach driver the next morning we drove into the Cappadocian region past an undulating sea of soft yellow stone and scrub. We photographed a rose-coloured formation that looked strikingly like the camel my dad Trevor and Peter Wilkinson would attempt to ride a few days later.
Mark took us to an ancient Christian chapel out of the town. Here we had a service held in secret, as Christian worship is unfortunately now frowned upon in Turkey. I half expected police to burst in and cart Mark away, bright yellow shirt and all, mid-communion!
Later, we explored the Goreme Open Air Museum , a complex of medieval painted cave chapels in the Goreme valley. We crowded into the dark chapels, the air musty from countless groups of tourists, and shone our torches on the frescoes of saints, some still bright, others ragged and crumbling off the walls.
Cappadocia is an undulating lunar landscape with 'fairy chimneys' dotting the landscape. These strange pillars are made from volcanic soft stone with a hard cap of rock perched on top.
Beneath our feet there were a number of underground cities where Christians hid from raiders in centuries past. We made our way down four storeys through dim narrow passageways and past long ventilation shafts into a maze of stone rooms. Huge boulders once used to keep attackers out still lay by the entrances. We were relieved there were arrows marking the route and we managed not to leave anyone behind!
On one day, three of us braved a 5am start to take a hot air balloon trip over the scenery. We missed sunrise because our flight was delayed by high winds, but the views were still spectacular when we got up in the air. We skimmed just above treetops and rose high above the rose valley, surrounded by 15 other balloons all dipping up and down on the thermals.
One evening we travelled to an ancient caravanserai, once used to protect travellers on the silk route. Here we watched a ceremony by the whirling dervishes. Dressed in loose white robes and red tombstone shaped hats, they meditated and then whirled to the music, their arms outstretched, their heads cocked to one side. It was mesmerising to watch. Then, just as you felt you had watched them forever, the musicians stopped, the dervishes processed out and only an echo was left behind.
Konya
At the hotel, many of us decided to try a Turkish bath and we split into single sex groups. Wrapped in huge tea towels, we sweltered in the hot room, drenching ourselves in cold water before our masseur brushed off swathes of dry skin and pummelled us in turn with a pillow full of soapsuds. It turns out there were a few very ticklish pilgrims in our midst!
Antalya
In Antalya we spent hours ambling through the bazaar that led down to the harbour. Shopkeepers would call out 'Good morning' or 'Guten Tag' presumably based on how English or German you looked. Occasionally you would be greeted with "hello pretty lady." We bargained for cushion covers, bags and jewellery in small groups, shaking our heads regretfully if they named ridiculous sums they claimed was the 'best price.' Walking away was the best tactic - within a few steps you would hear them call, 'Well.seeing you as you are my first customer,' and a deal was struck.
This was a trip of many memorable moments.
Claire Bates
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