Turkey – The Unique Traveler Guide

11 de May de 201912 de May de 2019

What to Do in Cappadocia

Versão portuguesa aqui.

Cappadocia, in Turkey, is much more than hot air ballons – that are really fantastic – but the “show” only lasts for about 2 hours, at early morning. It means after that you can have breakfast and be prepared for a full day of activities. Those are some things you can do:

Breakfast with a view at The Museum Hotel

Visit an Underground City

There are more than 36 underground cities in the whole region. The biggest and most interesting one is Kaymakli, with 8 floors and about 60 meters of (DEPTH). They believe it has more than four thousand years, dating back to 2.500 b.C. It was built for many and many years to protect the people of their enemies, but they didn’t use to live there all the time, only during war.

It’s impressive how much technology they have print on it. For an example, there were small holes at every room to facilitate communication. The doors were (ROUNDS) and fitted perfectly in the (ALLEYS). When an enemy approached, they used to closed the rooms with these huge doors, so they could escape before someone get in. Also, the holes between rooms were used as natural ventilation. After the Turkish arrived at XIV century, the war was over, so they started to use the underground cities to escape the extremely hot weather during summer season.

Have a Picnic at Ihlara Valley

This place is a bit far from Goreme – aprox. 1 hour drive – but has great nature and wonderful atmosphere. I recommend you to visit with at least 2 hours to do everything in a relaxing pace. We did a bit faster (about an hour) and it was very tiring, but remarkable.

Ihlara Valley, with its 14km of extension, houses more than 300 caves and more than 100 underground churches. In the middle of the canyons there is a beautiful and peaceful river were you can chill and rest. I recommend you to have a picnic there, it’s a delicious activity. Some people do the complete trail, others (like me) do the “easy” 3 km trail, after walking down about 300 steps, so be prepared – comfortable shoes are mandatory.

Walk Through Catholic History at Goreme Open Air Museum

This place is a fantastic example of how Christianity has grown strong in this area. It was founded between IX and XII by San Basílio and San Gregorio as a monastery all sculpt in rocks. In the beginning, there was more than 20 churches, but now only rests 7, that you can visit inside. The most impressive one is called the Blue Church, because of the blue tons of the paintings on the walls – something uncommon in that era, the blue color was brought from India.

Each church represents a level of study, where men and women monks used to learn together. It was the first place on the Cristin history to accept men and women studying together. It’s pretty amazing to see how they built so many rooms inside the rocks, including kitchens and dinner areas, and it’s well maintained until today.

Watch the Sunset at Red Valley

These impressive geological forms are the perfect setting for a beautiful sunset. You can go there by car carrying a bottle of wine to enjoy the most beautiful moment. You can also go by quadricycle or, even more romantic, you can do a horseback riding, stop at a beautiful point and enjoy the sun setting behind the valley.

Watch the Sunrise at The Love Valley

When the sun first starts to shine, hundreds of people go everywhere to see the hot air balloons flying and have the most instagramable picture. One of the best places to see it is from the Love Valley, with its incredible geological forms. I recommend you to be there before the sunrise, so you can find the best spot and enjoy the show.

Be Amazed by the Charming Village of Uchisar

We stayed in Uchisar, a small village on the top of the hill above Pigeon Valley. It’s much more charming and less touristic than Goreme, but the view of the balloons are a bit further from this point. There you can find the Uchisar Castle, an impressive rock which was once used as a Castle by the Kings of the Region. You can walk around Uchisar beautiful streets and be amazed by the castle from every point. There is another small castle on the left side of the village – in front of the Pigeon Valley – that’s also beautiful and where you can take the most amazing pics without anyone bothering you.

Witnessing How Much Nature is Incredible at Valley of Fairy Chimneys

It’s beautiful to see how nature created such wonderful shapes. It’s one of the closest points you can get from the caves. Inside, there is a place which became famous in Instagram and where everyone take photos, so you can imagine it is hard to walk, even harder to take a picture with no one on it. I went to this place around 5.30pm. The sun was perfect and I could take some wonderful shots from above, but inside was absolutely packed. That being said, if you want to be exclusive, go there at first rays of sunshine or late afternoon.

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23 de September de 201825 de April de 2019

What To Do in Bodrum

Versão Portuguesa Aqui

Visit Ancient Sites
As it was the first part of the trip to Turkey and I was there for some relaxing time, I didn’t do any cultural tour, but for sure it’s a place where you can visit many ancient places. The Bodrum Castle is the most known of the Region and houses numerous underwater discoveries of the Aegean Sea. The milenar Greek city of Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – is about 2 hours drive from Bodrum and definitely worth the visit.

Sail Along the Coast
One of the best things you can do while in the Turkish Coast is to rent a private Gulet for one day and sail along pristine secret beaches. The Gulets are not expensive and they are so charming. I went there in the most busy week of the year, so I couldn’t have the chance, but I wanna definitely do that next time. If you are traveling on a budget, you can have a group boat tour, that may be fantastic too.

Gulet Through Turkish Waters – by Wikipedia

Relax in Style at a Trendy Beach Club
There are many beach clubs in Bodrum. Some of the most famous ones are in private beaches of luxurious hotels. I spend a day at KAI Beach Restaurant and Bar, from Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and had a wonderful day. Fabulous beach with crystal waters, outstanding service and food, cool ambience and elegant music make the place even more special. You can also try Il Riccio and Maçakizi. It’s important to mention that you usually have to pay a fee for the entrance.

Watch the Sun Setting in the Sea
Bodrum is a pensinsula, so you have beaches where you can watch the sunrise and others where you can watch the sunset. There is nothing more beautiful than enjoy the sun setting in the sea. The best places to enjoy it are Yalikavac and Gumusluk area, but you can also watch the sunset from Bodrum Town (why not try a nice restaurant there, such as Sait).

Dinner Overwater
Can you imagine a place where you can watch the sunset while having a delicious white wine and marvelous seafood seating at an overwater table? Gumusluk is this place. One of the most famous spot of the area, it has a magical ambience. The best restaurant to have the most wonderful experience is Melengeç, but there are many others in the area.

Dinner in a Fancy Restaurant
Bodrum is glamorous and houses the best restaurants of Turkey. Which means you have many options to choose when you want to have a fancy night. For me the best area for that is Yalikavac Marina, where many beautiful people walk around and beautify the trendy Fenix Restaurant and the famous Nus-Ret, as many others.

19 de September de 201825 de April de 2019

Living the Dream in Cappadocia

Versão portuguesa aqui.

If you ever thought about going to Turkey, you must have thought about Cappadocia and magical colorful hot air balloons.

View from Cappadocia Cave Suites in Goreme

Every morning, before sunrise, the sky starts to be filled with many of them and the spectacle begins. It lasts for about two hours, but keeps forever in the memories of those who have experienced it.

In the beginning of the 90’s they were only 2 or 3. Nowadays there are more than 150 balloons coloring the skies of Cappadocia every morning. The companies and pilots are very experienced and everything is made under absolutely professionalism.

Having a Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia was high on my list and it was definitely one of the most overwhelming experiences of my whole life. It’s so breathtaking but at the same time so relaxing and enjoyable.

The flight starts just before sunrise and lasts for about an hour or an hour and a half, it depends on what you paid for. It can acomodate from 06 to 24 persons. You have to wake up very early, but honestly, you can’t even sleep the night before so excited you are.

The staff prepares everything and make their best for you to feel comfortable. The departure is smooth and the flight is gentle. Up in the sky is so gorgeous and breathtaking you don’t even realize an hour has passed. At the end, a champagne breakfast as a toast for one of the best moments of your life.

2 de September de 201825 de April de 2019

Bodrum – The Turkish Riviera

Versão Portuguesa Aqui

When I first thought about going to Turkey, I started to research for the most breathtaking beaches to rest and have some relaxing days in the beginning of the trip. Than I found Bodrum. It is the perfect destination for those who seek for pristine beaches, luxurious hotels, trendy restaurants and beach clubs, but also charming laid back places and historical sites.

We arrived through Kos, a Greek Island right in front of Bodrum – 30 minutes by ferry – but you can also arrive at Bodrum Airport or even Dalaman Airport, a little bit further. The main area is called Bodrum Town, with the famous Bodrum Castle and ancient sites, but the whole region is also called Bodrum. It’s pretty huge, with many beautiful beaches and breathtaking bays, so I suggest at least 3 days to have a minimum overview.

We stayed at Yalikavak area, at the hotel Sirene Luxury Bodrum. It’s a nice area to stay, as you gonna be around 10 mins from the Yalikavak Marina with its trendy restaurants and also about 10 mins from Gumusluk with its famous seafood overwater restaurants.

One of the best things I would recommend you to do is to hire a car to drive along the coast or you gonna spend a lot in taxis as I did. The negative point is that you have to find places to park your car and depending on the season it’s something a little complex, but I think it’s the best way to move around easily and the roads are absolutely gorgeous.

Bodrum Town has many boutiques to do some window shopping. It also has the best historic spots to visit if you are looking for some cultural tour. The Bodrum Marina most is the most famous one in the region and from there you can get to other islands by boat.

Gumusluk is a fisherman village with charming overwater seafood restaurants. Yalikavac Marina is a place to go out and have some fancy dinner. Gundogan and Golturkbuku houses the most luxurious hotels of Bodrum. Maçakizi and Mandarin Oriental are among the best ones. If you want to have a glamorous holiday or just relax, Bodrum have it all. Take a look of what you can do there.

1 de September de 201825 de April de 2019

10 Days in Turkey

Versão em português aqui.

Turkey is a land of so much history. Thousands of years ago people from all over the world used to cross the region we call today Turkey. That’s why they witnessed so many wars. That’s why so many Empires and religions had they apogee and decline here.

It was my first time in the country, so I wanted to have an overview of the most beautiful parts. Travelling with my mom in a girls trip to a muslim country made us a bit nervous in the beggining, but then we realized it’s absolutely peaceful and safe, much more than in Brazil.

We decided to start our itinerary relaxing at the beach. For that we chose Bodrum, a region in the Southwest coast. There you can find pristine sandy and rocky beaches, glamorous beach clubs and restaurants, but also rich culture and historic places. The milenar Ephesus and the Temple of Arthemis – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – is located about 2 hours drive from Bodrum.

After 3 days sunbathing in the marvelous beaches of Bodrum, we headed to the dreamy Cappadocia, the highlight of the whole trip, for sure. We were so excited about this part of the trip and it didn’t disappointed. Waking up every morning at sunrise to watch the hot air balloons crossing the skies was more than magical.

Far beyond that, it’s incredible how much history this region hosts. We visited underground cities that were developed with high technology at least 4.000 years ago. We were marvelled by an ancient monastery all sculpt inside caves. And by an harp concert that made us melt while a fullmoon started to shine.

After being overwhelmed in Cappadocia, we went to the last part of our jorney through Turkey – Istanbul. This city, that was once Constantinopla, has taken our heart. With 18 million people, it’s so vibrant, filled with so much stories and different cultures. I have to say I change my mind about muslim because of Istanbul. I was so foolish thinking every Muslim was severe.

Istanbul is full of life, full of joy. From 08 in the morning to midnight there were hundreds of people in the streets, in the bars, restaurants. We had an amazing time crossing the Bosphorus in a private boat, another way to get to know the city. The old town – called Sultanahmet – is also a must go point, with the ancient sites that witnessed many wars and Empires.

If you are wishing to have a cultural trip, with breathtaking mornings blended to pristine beaches and marvelous food, Turkey should definitely be in your plans. If you want to know more about each region I have visited during this trip, have a look in the menu.