Turkey's M Hideaways
Turkey's M Hideaways
Day 1
Day 1 - 04/07/06 Fly from Denver
The weather on Monument Hill was fierce - blowing snow and only 30 degrees. It had been 55 yesterday and was to be 72 on Sunday. What a difference a day makes in Colorado. We had our bags loaded and ready to go...
Day 2
Day 2 - 04/08/06 Arrive in Istanbul
After a few hours of sleep, we awoke to the smell of coffee and the sounds of the bustle of morning procedures. Looking at my watch I saw we had 90 minutes before landing to clean up a bit and have breakfast.
After...
Day 3
Day 3 - 04/09/06 Explore Istanbul: Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet, Turkish & Islamic Art Museum, Hagia Sophia, and Part of Optional Tour
Our room by the sea brought us the early morning sounds of fog-horns, seagulls, as well as traffic from the docks. At 5:30 we heard the call...
Day 4
Day 4 - 04/10/06 Explore Istanbul: Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, Cruise Across the Bosporus to Uskudar, Galata Tower, Trolley Ride, Fish Dinner.
Although it was bright earlier, we met another overcast day as we went to breakfast. I uploaded yesterday's journal right away and Gennie was able to...
Day 5
Day 5 - 04/11/06 Fly to Cappadocia, Rock Churches of Goreme, Drive to Uchisar
Our alarm went off at 5:15 and we showered and had an early breakfast. At 6:30 we left our hotel and Istanbul, the City of Tulips. Tulips originally came from Turkey but were adopted by Dutch...
Day 6
Day 6 - 04/12/06 Hot Air Balloon flight/Tour Uçhisar village Hike in Cappadocia/Whirling Dervish
We had an early morning - our alarm went off at 4:35 so we could take a quick shower and prepare for our Balloon Adventure! We met Carl and Carol in the office at 5:15 and...
Day 7
Day 7 - 04/13/06 Hike Rock Formations, Visit Hadosan Carpet Coop, Hike Rose Valley
We woke to sunny skies this morning. The alarm did not go off until 7:30 but we were awake and up by 7:15. The wonders of a good night sleep!
Breakfast was simple; scrambled eggs, toast,...
Day 8
Day 8 - 04/14/06 Overland to Konya and Lake Beysehir Visit/Whirling Dervish Monastery Enjoy Village Homestay
There was no sun this morning so we had a rainy departure. By 8:30 we had packed our luggage in the bus, prepared our overnight packs for the home visit today, and had had...
Day 9
Day 9 - 04/15/06 Discover Aspendos and Antalya
Rise and shine, and see how Turkish villagers greet the day. Waking up to sunshine is always a good omen for travelers! We slept well, although it was chilly in our farm house room. Our family style breakfast was in the house...
Day 10
Day 10 - 04/16/06 Walking Tour of Antalya, Antalya Archaeological Museum and Perge
We awoke a bit earlier than the alarm to a bright and sunny morning. As we did not have to be ready for our daily adventures until 9 AM, we had time to sort some of the...
Day 11
Day 11 - 04/17/06 Roman Ruins at Myra & Church of Saint Nicholas, Small Boat Cruise to Gokkaya Bay Board Gulet at Fethiye
We packed up our bags, had breakfast, checked our messages one last time before we got on the gulet late this afternoon and are away from cyberspace...
Day 12
Day 12 - 04/18/06 Visit Greek Kayakoy, Hike to Soguk Su, Visit Gemiler Island
We slept well as the ship rocked at the dock last night. We woke up before our alarm went off and were pleased to find hot water again this morning. The ship has a limited supply...
Day 13
Day 13 - 04/19/06 Cruise to Friendship Cove Hike to Lydea and Cleopatra's Baths
Our night in the protected cove was quiet and peaceful. We woke up to an early morning sun, but in a short time it was overcast and the wind picked up and cooled our 7:30 breakfast....
Day 14
Day 14 - 04/20/06 Cruise to Gocek Bay
We had enough hot water for two quick "Navy Showers" this morning and are learning the ways of conservation at sea. While I had breakfast, Gennie did a little work on the journal from yesterday.
This morning we had a short sail...
Day 15
Day 15 - 04/21/06 Cruise to Ekincik Cove By Small Boat on the Dalyan River, Explore Lycian Ruins
There was a slight change of plans this morning; at 7:00AM we heard the engines start and the anchor being raised. We got up, showered with cold water, had breakfast at 8:00...
Day 16
Day 16 - 04/22/06 Disembark Gulet/Drive to Kusadasi/Visit Basilica of St. John
Because we had packed up our luggage last night, we were able to shower and have our breakfast and then enjoy our last few hours on the Senkaya. The captain raised the anchor and we motored a short...
Day 17
Day 17 - 04/23/06 Explore Ephesus/Epheseus Museum Visit
We slept well with the sound of the pounding surf and woke up a little before 7 AM. After a shower and leisurely breakfast we met at 8:30 in the lobby for our short trip to Ephesus.
There were no crew ships...
Day 18
Day 18 - 04/24/06 Early Wake-Up, Drive to Izmir, Fly to Istanbul
Our alarm went off at 4:15 - we were in and out of the shower and then had a light breakfast at the hotel. We then made our drive to Izmir and the airport. This is very lush...
Day 19
Day 19 - 04/25/06 Early Wake-Up, Fly from Istanbul, Frankfurt, Germany, Denver, Colorado, Home
EARLY! Way too early, but much better the original OAT travel itinerary of spending the day in Izmir by ourselves, flying at 10 PM to Istanbul and then spending the night at the Istanbul airport before...
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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.
The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.
Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...
