Bring Home The World
Our final day in Istanbul! 🙁
We hopped a taxi to Suleymaniye Mosque for our first stop this morning for the low low price of 12 TL. Although the largest mosque in the city, it was very bright and simple compared to the Blue Mosque but the exterior is certainly vast. [Read more…]
We treated ourselves to a looooong sleep and rolled into the breakfast room at 10 am! With only two more days in Istanbul, we are obviously not going to see close to everything so our objective is to prioritise and maximise those priorities. If that make any sense?!
I had another relatively early morning as I couldn’t resist the lure of balloon burners! At 5:50 am the balloons were already making their way through Göreme. At first I just stood perched in my little chimney window but then simply had to roam around the hotel area – they were coming at us from all angles!
We struggled out of bed at 4:30 after a very patchy sleep! I think my problem was a cross between the bed, my excitement, my two hour siesta, and my excitement (again!) Just as we were leaving, the 5 am call to prayer echoed through the town. We were dropped at the bottom of the hill at the Butterfly Balloons office where we filled up on fruit and breads/pastries as we waited for the signal to load our vans and head for the launch sites. There were five balloons ready to go up (I think – I was too excited to really pay attention! Or too tired!)
We disembarked the Noordam at 7 am to meet our airport transfer provided by EFENDİ Travel. Let the Cappadocian adventure begin! The driver was a little late (10 min) but then he stayed with another family who were waiting for their driver for another 10 – 15 min wile we were in the van. It was a little bizarre but we hoped he knew his time limits to get us to the airport on time!
We docked at Karaköy port in Istanbul just shortly after sunrise. Once again, our starboard balconies offered fabulous views over the bay to Topkapi Palace, Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and more!
Today’s goal was to explore the new side of Istanbul and leave Sultanahmet for our return when we are staying in the heart of it. Our first stop was Galata Tower for an overview of the city.
Today was the big day! Ephesus! Everything up until now has just been training for this day! I was extremely worried about the heat but it actually wasn’t too bad. Rhodes is still my over-the-top heat day! We disembarked around 8:15 and sauntered into Kusadasi. Definitely one of the most accessible and easy ports! [Read more…]