7 Days in Turkey

Alaçati, Turkey – 5/18/22

What a charming little town. It truly feels like vacation mode with most of the surroundings being picturesque and Instagram worthy cafes and restaurants, not to mention beachy boutiques and colorful jewelry stands dotting the cobblestoned lanes.

I’m writing from Muros’s Coffee Roastery looking out at the street at passerby with Alacati’s iconic windmills atop the hill looking back at me.

It’s the last of my free days to explore while here. Tomorrow, I’ll take a car and plane and bus and walk some more back to Istanbul where I’ll have the afternoon and evening to stroll and say bye to the cats before my early morning flight back to the US on Friday.

These few days in Turkey come at the end of a work trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s been ages since I’ve taken a moment to write anything of my travels, though I’ve scribbled here and there and toy with the idea of maybe one day organizing journal entries and drafts and inner thoughts and commentaries into something that might be called a book.

Turkey has been pleasant – a country I would definitely recommend (especially to any cat lover or just for the sake of trying baklava) and one I would like to return to. Ideally, I would have a couple more weeks to explore the country as a whole but I’ve done what I could with 7 days, the first 4 of which were spent in the hustle and bustle of Istanbul. I guess I had forgotten what a crowd of people was because I think I was more in awe of the sheer amount of chaos and bodies moving about the Grand Bazaar than I was in the actual Bazaar itself. Aside from the Bazaar, I ventured through the Blue Mosque, the tiny section that was open due to it being under construction that is, and Hagia Sophia. Both are impressive, though I will admit they both smelled of feet as it’s required to remove your shoes upon entering. That aside they are historical icons that shouldn’t be missed on your Istanbul itinerary.

Hagia Sophia

The view looking up inside the Hagia Sophia...

The view looking down is a lot of people and everyone's smelly feet.

Just a picture of the swarm of people at the Grand Bazaar. Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is one of the largest marketplaces in the world, spanning an area of more than 320,000 square feet!

I sat on a tiny stool and enjoyed a lunchtime kebab wrap here!

A few views of the neighborhood around the Galata Tower. Pro tip: shop this neighborhood for better prices than the Grand Bazaar. From what I heard and experienced during my time in Istanbul was that you actually get better prices when shopping outside of the Grand Bazaar, partly because rent there is so high and also because of it's being such a tourist hot spot.

The view from my room in Istanbul - from the shower to be exact. Central left in the photo is the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia is to the far right in the background.

I also stepped out of my comfort zone and basically naked into a Turkish Hammam or public bath – the same one that Oprah Winfrey, Chevy Chase, and Steve Irwin also visited. Seems like a weird mix but if it’s an experience that they were up to try, then I was suppose I was, too. A quick lowdown on what exactly a Turkish Hammam is, in case you are like me in wondering – do I just sit in a big pool with other naked strangers? And if so, why? The quick answer to that is no. The hammam had a very upscale, spa-like feel to it, complete with the smell of essential oils and the sounds of the fountain water trickling in the background. Men and women’s hammams are separate and to begin your service you are shown to your private changing room where you will discard your clothing for a barely there hygienic paper thong and a turkish towel. You are given a key to your private changing room so your belongings are safely locked away during your service. After changing, one of the attendants will escort you and the others to the steam room in the hammam where you will sit and sweat for 15 minutes before your personal attendant comes to collect you. Not going to lie, the 15 minute sweat sesh is pretty awkward given that you are all strangers just sitting and sweating together in a room while aware that you're about to drop the towels and all be down to your lovely paper undies. The hammam itself is a large room with a very high domed ceiling with holes for the sunlight to stream in from above while you are laying on the marble slab beneath it being scrubbed and sudsed from head to toe and back again. In between the scrubbing and sudsing, your attendant will take your hand as you slip on your spa shoes and slowly shuffle in your paper thong and covered in bubbles across the marble floor and over to the faucet on the wall where she will proceed to douse you with a bucket of water until you are squeaky clean again. While you are being scrubbed and sudsed and shuffling and rinsing there are other women in the same room going through the same motions. But, honestly there are so many bubbles in this place that after the initial awkward sweat sesh and the 'I'm basically naked getting scrubbed down by a Turkish woman I don't know in front of other basically naked strangers I also don't know' thought you don’t really notice!

So there you have it. The Turkish Hammam. You leave and your skin feels like a newborn baby. I think both weird and wonderful are great ways to describe the experience but I think it’s worth a go. If you ever find yourself with the opportunity I say go for it. Flaunt the paper thong. After your service, you are wrapped in a fresh towel and treated to Turkish tea, Turkish Delight (this is a candy.. to clarify), and other snacks. For understandable reasons, I do not have any photos of my Turkish Hammam experience but you can learn more about the Cagaloglu Hammam here.

After Istanbul, I flew to the city of Izmir where I caught a train and another train to the small, very very old city of Selchuk. Forgive me as I'm definitely not an expert on the order of all the time periods (Greek, Roman, Byzantine, etc.) but I do know that this area holds history from biblical times (Mary and John the Baptist are said to have come to Selchuk following Jesus’ crucifixion and lived out the rest of their days there). However, the biggest draw to Selchuk is the nearby archaeological site of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus.

I got there at 9 to explore and was able to get a few photos miraculously without people in them but due to the bus loads of tourists and the heat, I wouldn’t start your day at Ephesus any later than 9.

The entrance to the ancient city of Ephesus.

A view of the great theatre from afar...

And the view from within!

One of many sweet kitties I met throughout my time in Turkey. This one was especially conversational!

With a view of the Library of Celsus in the background.

Another view of the Library of Celsus.

Other draws to Selchuk are St. Johns Basilica (where St. John’s tomb is believed to be) and the Ayasuluk Castle and what remains of the Temple of Artemis (one lonely column of what was previously a Seven Wonders of the World).

The one remaining column of the Temple of Artemis, once one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. If you look closely, you'll see a stork on top. These storks and their nests were atop almost every towering ruin in Selchuk. They migrate to Turkey from South Africa!

Ayasuluk Castle that sits atop the hill in Selchuk.

For my one night in Selchuk, I had dinner at a highly reviewed and personally recommended restaurant around the corner from my hotel – Old House. I had a lamb and beef kebab with salad, rice, bread and garlic and yogurt sauce and rice pudding for dessert. I'm not a big fan of lamb but it was recommended by the chef himself so I went for it and it was pretty good! I sat alongside a group of other travelers on a group tour and listened as they debated on the correct pronunciation of the word 'Baklava.' Which was funny because I had just been having the same debate with a friend. And though I went with the rice pudding in this instance – you must try BaklAva or BAKlava or however you say it doesn't matter – it is absolutely delicious.  

On my very short walk back to my hotel, I was stopped with greetings from those sitting alongside the street. I was told that I look Turkish. This wansn't the first time I heard this during my week there. I always wonder if they are telling this to every brunette girl that walks by? I personally think I look pretty 'not from around here' with my fanny pack purse. Maybe that's just me. It's either something they tell everyone as a means to conversation or I truly am able to just blend a lot of places I go. In this case, one of these that thought I was surely Turkish, realizing I wasn't, asked if I would please look at his shoes and thus commenced a half hour conversation with Ali on life and where we come from all while trying on his gorgeous handmade leather shoes and sharing Turkish tea. If I hadn't already been so maxed out on the pounds in my suitcase, I would have walked away with a pair. You can check out Ali's work on Etsy here.  

Selchuk was a quick 24 hours before coming to Alacati where I'm currently sitting enjoying the day and sipping on an apple tea. But the beach is my destination for the day. The perfect way to wrap up my week in Turkey. Stay tuned for (hopefully) another post soon before another year passes!

The crystal clear water at Ilica Plaji in Alacati.