Lycian Way -- 9/26/25

 

Another gorgeous sunny, hot day on the Turquoise Coast.  Today our boat would drop anchor in a different sheltered cove, and we'd transfer by dingy to the shore.  Our aim was to hike part of the Lycian Trail that stretches some 320 miles along Turkey's Mediterranean coast.  While not as famous as the Camino, this trail, nevertheless, has plenty of through-hikers.  We'd tackle a small section, with a shepherd's house as our destination.

Our two-mast ship, anchored second from right.

The terrain was challenging, yes, but uphill -- and it was uphill most of the way -- in the heat (and humidity) was a real slog.  I thought about turning back at the halfway point, but I endured.  One of our group did say, "enough," and she returned to the boat.

Sometimes trees provided shade on the trail, which was heavenly.  Above is an old goat-herder's hut -- over many, many years, goat herders have frequented this area.

This is a new one!  I spotted lots of these:  Sea Squill.

Aren't they cool?

The route is part hiking trail, donkey trail, and ancient Roman roads.  We had to step carefully.  Ulaş forgot his hat and his face is already red from heat and exertion.  Glad we had our hiking poles. Hey, I'm in this photo!

The trail is named for Lycia, an ancient region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC.  I just know that every step we take on this Turkey trip of ours is rife with historical significance.  Above are building remnants from which period exactly, I don't know, but there isn't much left.  In short:  they're old.

I put a red x between a corral (by the three trees) and a cistern, both of which you can barely make out from this distance.

Heading down to the cistern, at right.

I'm sorry I do not remember when this cistern was built, but I can tell you it was long, long ago, like one or two thousand years ago.  And ... it had fresh water inside!  We didn't touch it (and definitely didn't taste it), but it looked cool and plentiful.  Mark has stepped into the entrance (look closely) and you might also notice an old bucket nearby.

Just to confirm we were in the middle of nowhere, this sign appeared at a junction of foot paths.  Amazing.  Everyone marveled at this!

We arrived at the shepherd's place, which wasn't too far from the cistern.  He had homemade wares for sale in this wisteria-shaded pavilion.  He was kind enough to serve mini glasses of sage tea.  Though we were hot and not really interested in a hot drink, the tea hit the spot.  It's custom in this country to serve a welcome drink to visitors.  A nice custom.  Several of us bought small things.

Ulaş stands by the shepherd, Mutlu, and his wife.  They have forty goats, several cows and horses and a donkey or two.  They grow their own herbs and a garden full of veggies and flowers, fruit trees, and so forth.  But, as a pampered American, all I can say is, what a life.  They're pretty isolated. 

They have solar panels, a fridge and TV, and are comfortable enough.  Quail hunting season had begun and some of the hunters were also stopping here, plucking feathers out near the cow pen, where the guy in the blue shirt is headed.

Trekking back down to the boat.  Very carefully.  Slick rocks.

Whoooeee, almost "home!"  Hi Jimmy!

Yessiree, the water is clear.  I spied a fishie!

As the boat motored to our next destination, I stood at the rail watching the scenery.  Seemed as though I saw a number of good-sized caves in the limestone.  It's a beautiful coastline.

Holy Mackerel! Speaking of fishies, Ulaş had a fishing line dragging behind the boat and caught tonight's dinner!

Passing by Dalyan Light (holey island!)

on the way to our mooring near Ekincik Cove.

As soon as we were tied to the shore (and anchored), most of us donned our bathing suits -- we couldn't wait to get in the water.  Jimmy and I tried goggles and masks, too, this day, and saw some small fishies, but not much else to see underwater.  Rocky.  Simply being in the water was FINE!

One fish wouldn't feed this crowd!  So a quick trip was made to a store (somewhere?) and more supplies brought in to supplement the lone mackerel -- chicken thighs and lamb kebabs.  Captain Ali, above, is happily manning the grill.

We ate well, too.  Actually everybody had a taste of the mackerel, and I attest -- it was delish.  The yellow stuff?  We had yogurt every-which-a-way while on board, and this batch had shredded carrots in it.  Some liked it, some not.

Quite a day for us.  Quite a trip for us!

Topkapi, 9/17/25

 

Jimmy and I have swarmed all around Topkapi Palace (see previous posts), as these wondrous sites are all within shouting distance to each other.  But, until today we hadn't gone into the palace.  Of course, this was one more ancient site our group wanted to see.

Ulaş, in the dark blue shirt, is herding his cats!

Briefing the 12 of us beforehand.

Topkapi Palace is a complex of grand pavilions and courtyards, really stunning to see.  I don't remember what the giant building, above, was originally designed for, but for many, many years it was an armory.  Now, after interior renovation, it's used as a concert hall, and I can only imagine how much fun it would be to listen to Pavarotti or Lady Gaga here!  (Lady Gaga?  Why not!)

Follow the leader to enter the second courtyard. (Not our umbrella, not our leader, but we're following the crowd into the entrance.)  The crowd wasn't too bad.

The grounds are well taken care of, and really pretty.  We spied big ol' Gulls, House Crows, Magpies, and bright green squawking Alexandrine parrots flashing through the trees -- all seem to call these grounds home.

As well as some gorgeous medieval Sycamore trees,

with Jimmy posing at one example.

With friendly kitty cats ready to flop onto their backs so they can be petted.

Changing of the guards (I guess), on the left.  One stands on either side of this gate. As you see, they'll let you pose with them.  I smiled up at him and said, "dude!," and got just the hint of a smile!  Ulaş seems to be checking out the guard's shoes.

There's a stupefying collection of priceless treasures in these exhibits.  Jimmy and I only stopped long enough at each window to either gawk or drool and then moved to the next one.  I'll show you just a few photos of the many I took.  The past couple of days we've seen a staggering amount of wealth displayed, as you can imagine.

We saw the jewel-studded dagger made famous by the movie, "Topkapi."  When we go home, we'll see if we can find the movie on Netflix and give it a look.

Our group, in two and threes, wandered through the halls and pavilions.  We had a meeting time and place, so we were free to roam as we chose.  I was right fond of the good-sized bauble, above

Wouldn't this make a toasty addition to Jimmy's Nevada City winter wardrobe, you know, for those cold winter days and nights?  Might need to be resized ....  (It's from the second half of the 15th Century.)

Finally, after leaving the fatih pavillion, library (beautiful inside) and the "kitchen," (indescribable! huge!), we were ready to meet the group and sit down!  But only for a minute.

Next we'd stop for lunch, followed by a visit to the famous spice bazaar (Misir Carsisi) one of the largest bazaars in the city where we'd taste teas and Turkish Delight (yum), free to wander and buy if we wanted.  Jimmy and I didn't go far before turning around to await the bus.

You know we were excited boarding a boat to set off for an hour-and-a-half cruise along the Bosporus Strait -- the body of water that separates Europe and Asia.  And, boy howdy, we were glad we wore our windbreakers as the wind off the water felt chilly!  The City of Istanbul, on both sides of the strait, goes on and on and on, unbelievable.  How many square miles this city must be?  And so beautiful!

Old and New.

Maiden's Tower (lighthouse), at the southern entrance of the Bosporus Strait.  Neat story about it, too.

Fun being on the water and we warmed up after we turned about.  This city is amazing.  When we stepped off the boat, a local fish market was in front of us, with lots of fishies on display. 

Our bus returned us to our hotel where we freshened up for dinner.  Jimmy and I went up to the rooftop terrace and were seated at a small table overlooking the water.  The maître d' wrapped a soft blanket over my shoulders.  We had a light and delicious meal surrounded by an ambiance we loved, but seldom have.  It was magical.  What a full day!  But, wait, there's more!

Istanbul, to 9/15/25

 

We did it!  After close to nine hours of trouble-free flying from Dulles to Istanbul, we landed around 5:30am Sunday.  Great plane, bulkhead seats, some sleep, and even good food, twice (must have been hungry!).  A taxi gave us our first look at this huge, sprawling city as he drove us to our hotel.  Old Town Armada Hotel is located in the "historical center," one street removed from the Sea of Marmara and its coastal walkway, and it includes amazing views of the Blue Mosque ... and more!  We ARE excited to be here.

It was obviously too early to check into our hotel, so we did the next best thing:  parked our bags and set out on foot for the water.  The coastal walkway was a stone's throw, the sun and sea air felt refreshing.

Ahırkapı Feneri (lighthouse), still operational,

within walking distance.

Our group leader told us these guys from Old Town are out here every day of the week, in all kind of weather, swimming in the Marmara Sea, playing a dice (?) game, even cooking.  When these behemoth cruise ships sail into a city, anywhere, it's a blessing/curse.  Think of all the revenue generated when the ships disgorge passengers, like opening a fire hose, and then picture street, restaurant and store crowding!

We walked till we were dead on our feet, returned to doze in the hotel lobby and when our room was ready (1 o'clock/ish), we fell onto our bed and slept for two hours.  Rumbling tummies led us to a fish restaurant a block away, where we consumed one ugly dude (Red Gurnard) and I can tell you dinner was delicious.

* * * * *

The next morning, we were up early and on the rooftop terrace for coffee and the Armada's marvelous breakfast buffet.  A lovely, cool morning.  Look how the Blue Mosque glows in the sunrise!

Our OAT tour technically begins tomorrow, so we had a free day to do whatever we chose.  Our group leader is here in the hotel already and he took the two of us and one other couple on a walkabout of Old Town, to get us acquainted with our surroundings.  Old Town is a conglomeration of narrow cobblestone streets interconnecting with dinky alleys and one-lane streets, a regular rabbit warren, most of it thrown together before zoning laws were ever thought of!  Anyhoot, he recommended we visit Istanbul's Archeological Museum.

We passed the Hagia Sophia on our way there.

The streets were flooded with tourists.

We had to track and backtrack a couple of times before we found the entrance -- to the side of Topkapi Palace.  Jimmy stands, above, on the steps.  In the next couple of days our group of 12 will visit all of these places that we've only ever read about.

Inside the museum (a treasure trove of priceless artifacts!), we looked, we gasped, we admired.  I took pictures.  Then I put the camera away.  We roamed from room to room, in awe of all we were seeing -- from the Bronze Age up to fairly recent (as in 100 years), and I realized taking pics was futile.  Too much to try to capture.

The gold, wowzers!

The temperature was mild, mid-70's, but we were thirsty and tired and longing for a nap.  Hence, my powers of observation and note-taking were nil.  (don't sue me)  I don't know what this area above was called.

Kitty cats are everywhere.  They're fed and watered and beloved.  They don't run when people approach, and don't mind being touched or petted.  There doesn't seem to be any problem with them, and the city does not have a rat problem!  Also, surprise -- Istanbul, at least the little we've seen, is clean and not littered, nor is it covered in graffiti.

Niche decorated with peacock (and kitty cat).

And so, we left via this arch, and walked back downhill to our "boutique" hotel, and a very comfortable bed.  I can foresee our fitbits will record 10,000 steps and more on many days.  But first, we need to catch up on sleep (we missed Saturday night).  Tomorrow we'll meet our fellow travelers and begin a full day of OAT adventure.