Results tagged “Turkey” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Traveler writer Jeanine Barone is just back from Turkey, where she found an alternative way to explore this land that she heard was magical. Instead of going by van from one town to the next to get a glimpse of the magic, or signing up with a big name hiking company so she could trudge on the trails while everyone else chattered away, she opted for a one-man operation. Below, she discovers the magic of Turkey's Middle Earth.

I'll admit up front that I have two somewhat geeky obsessions: the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Surrealist art. Aragorn is my screensaver and my cell phone ring tone is from the soundtrack. I collect books on Salvador Dali, and I'll wait in any museum line to view his bizarre, ingenious creations. Strangely enough, both of these passions came to mind in Turkey's Cappadocia's region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's renowned for its elaborate labyrinthine cave dwellings, and cave chapels and monasteries that once sheltered early Christians. As I trekked with my guide, Mehmet Gungor, this land, with its multi-story rock hewn portals, sometimes seemed straight out of Middle Earth. At other moments, I felt like Dali had a hand in the rainbow-hued landscape tinged with yellows, pinks and reds that's riddled with curious, conical shapes, some blatantly phallic, and others balancing boulders shaped like top hats. (They're appropriately called fairy chimneys.) I half expected to see a melting timepiece. As it turned out, watches (real or imaginary) had no place in my journey. Mehmet, who bears a Zen-like mindfulness, doesn't wear a watch. "Visitors ask me how many hours to this or how far to that, but you can't count or think about time. Just enjoy the experience," he declared at the start of our full day hike.

Managing Editor Scott Stuckey has just returned from Turkey and got an insider's look at Istanbul's famous Whirling Dervishes.


I first heard the term "Whirling Dervishes" as a young child and, reasonably enough, surmised that they were dervishes who loved to whirl. What a dervish was, exactly, remained a mystery to me until last Friday, when I stepped into a 500-year-old Turkish bathhouse (repurposed as the Hodjapasha Culture Center) in the Sirkeci area of old Istanbul. Here, monks of a mystical Sufi order of Muslims--known traditionally for their spirituality, self denial, and tolerance--perform a centuries-old dance ritual for the admission price of 40 Turkish lira, beverage included.

My tour group streamed into the circular brick room, and we took our seats just a few feet from the Plexiglas stage, lit from beneath with colored lights, where the dervishes would spin. A worry crossed my mind: What if a dervish got dizzy and landed in my lap? We were that close.

Soon, musicians took their place in an alcove and began playing and chanting classical Turkish music, using traditional drums and stringed instruments. In time, five dervishes appeared, walking around the perimeter of the stage. Their every movement--crossing their arms, laying a sheepskin on the floor opposite the door, bowing, saluting one another--followed established traditions lost on most of us in the audience, though we sensed there was meaning to it all.

Traveler managing editor Scott S. Stuckey is just back from a trip to Turkey, and suggests the best places to grab a bite.

Today, October 29, is Turkey's Independence Day, marking the 86th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. During my visit to Istanbul last week, in anticipation of the celebrations and fireworks to come, streets were strung with pennants depicting the crescent moon and five-pointed star of the Turkish flag and the likeness of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He's the still-venerated national hero who led Turkey to independence in 1923, and subsequently, into the modern world. (The pennants hung low, whacking the roof of our tour bus--thonk, thonk, thonk--as we navigated the congested streets of this city of 12 million.) October is a great month to visit Istanbul, and Turkey in general, because temperatures are mild and tourist crowds have thinned.

I was in town as part of a contingent of 62 journalists from 25 countries touring Istanbul in a trip organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The city was feverishly preparing--spiffing up museums, organizing dozens of events, spending millions of Turkish Lira--for 2010, its year in the sun as the designated European Capital of Culture, an honor bestowed on a different city annually by the European Union.

A highlight of my visit--or any visit--to Istanbul was eating, not just because of the food but also because of the glorious marine views from the restaurants. Istanbul straddles both the Bosphorus Strait, separating Europe from Asia, and the Golden Horn, a huge estuary dividing old Istanbul (Constantinople) from the modern city. Fine restaurants and tony nightclubs take full advantage of the geography, perching themselves on hillsides that slope down to water's edge or along the water's edge itself. We enjoyed the view from the tables of several high-end spots: the Suada Club Restaurant on Galatasaray Island; the Sunset Grill & Bar Restaurant in Ulus; and the Feriye Restaurant--with its views of the Ortakoy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge, a lovely suspension bridge lit at night with colored lights.

Fifteen years ago, a recently-graduated British archaeologist decided to walk 2,000 miles across Turkey, following a section of Alexander the Great's ancient path from Troy to Iskenderun (with a heavy backpack and plenty of stops at ruins and ancient battle sites along the way).

Sound crazy?

Well, maybe a little. But it seems to have worked out, because right now Peter Sommer (the aforementioned archaeologist and Alexander the Great enthusiast) is embarking on yet another tour that hits many of the same highlights he explored back in 1994. These days, however, he is paid to do it.

Sommer runs Peter Sommer Travels, which offers expert-led tours throughout Turkey and Greece. Given the background of the tour guides (historians and archaeologists - many with PhDs), the tours are certainly educational, but there is also plenty of time for fun, relaxation, and eating wonderful Turkish meals...oh, and did I mention that the tours get from one place to the next on hand-built gulets?

"We tend to cruise for about three to four hours per day, with stops in idyllic coves for swimming, snorkeling, or something more physical like kayaking or windsurfing," says Sommer. "We normally visit one ancient city per day, usually in the late afternoon, when the heat of the day has passed. That's when our specialist guides bring the ruins and the history to life."

So, basically, sail through paradise, then let an expert tell you stories of past civilizations while you stand on the ground where history was made. I'm sold!

A variety of tours are offered spring through fall. Check out www.petersommer.com for more details. And stay tuned for more amazing and enriching tours in the May/June issue of Traveler.

Photo courtesy of Peter Sommer Travels

If you're a fan of this blog, you already know I tend to love tossing around the phrase, "Get inside the map." And this is exactly what you can do with the new online interactive map of Istanbul we've got up on our website. "The Sultanahmet district, containing the city's main tourist attractions, continues to mesmerize--like the recent discovery of frescoes from Constantine's Great Palace during construction of the Four Seasons Hotel addition," writes Anastasia M. Ashman in our latest issue. "This is also the district to go to for a wave of new shops that channel the city's heritage with goods like playful Ottoman-themed clothing, avant-garde felt hats, and contemporary kilim patchwork rugs. Read on for tips on how to get to the heart of the town named a European Capital of Culture for 2010."

From the Grand Baazar to the Rustem Pasha Mosque, a "hidden secret" covered with tulip tiles, we've got the lay of the land down. Check it out here. 

Quick hits from our travel radar:

• Though widespread public opinion indicates the opposite, Playmobil toys is convinced that going through the security checkpoint in airports is actually a fun game. [Amazon]

• Earlier this week, heavy rains damaged the geoglyphs known as the Nazca Lines, one of Peru's biggest tourist attractions. Officials say they should be restored relatively soon. [Jaunted, The Age]

• France's President Nicholas Sarkozy has announced that as of April of this year, the country's national museums and monuments will be free for visitors under the age of 25. [ABC]

• Perhaps the best souvenir from the Inauguration? Ojamas. [Escape from New York]

• Hidden in the midst of the city of Istanbul are historic wooden homes from the 17th century; seeing them transports you back to Ottoman times. [IHT]

We're about to heave ho for the holiday weekend, but we here at IT just wanted to say how thankful we are for all of you readers. And also for our new blog design, which we've been loving more and more each day. So instead of your requisite gobbler image, (and since our colleague Carol is just back from a visit to Istanbul) we thought we'd share this lovely selection of photos shot in Turkey (as in the country) all pulled from our online Flickr pool. Enjoy the holiday!

OPEN THREAD: Where are you heading for the holidays? What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?