Coasting in Turkey

by < Sandra Scott

When I decided to spend a month in Turkey I wasn’t sure how it would work out. Turns out that a month was not long enough. Bus and plane connections are excellent. It helped that it was March, just before the season starts. From Istanbul I flew to Antalya, the hub of the Turkish Rivera and checked into the Divan Hotel.  The view the blue Mediterranean and the snow-capped Taurus Mountains from my balcony was breathtaking. The locals like to say, “Here in Antalya you can go skiing in the morning and swimming in the afternoon.”  From the Divan it was an easy walk to the historic center entering through Hadrian’s Gate built in 130 AD.

The city’s Archeological Museum is one of the best in Turkey offering a glimpse into the many groups who lived in the area including the Greeks and Romans who build temples and amphitheaters. The smaller but also interesting Kaleici Museum shows the lifestyle of 1800s.  Especially fascinating were scenes of a couple getting ready for their wedding and the traditions associated with the ceremony.

From Antayla I took a bus to Kas, a lovely little port town.  The views all along the rugged Turkish coast were outstanding with hidden bays, fishing villages and many islands.  The Hideway Hotel was next to a Roman amphitheater and on the short walk into town I passed a Greek temple.  In town there were two Lycian Tombs, which predate the Roman and Greek periods.

Continuing northward I stayed at the beautiful Divan Palmira Turkbuku near Bodrum. The bus stop was next to the Divan Hotel so I could catch the bus for the 20-minute ride into Bodrum.  The view of the sea from the top of Bodrum Castle is so beautiful and peaceful it was hard to reconcile it with the descriptions of the horrific battles that took place trying to defend the area from attacks. <

From the Divan Palmeria Hotel it took five buses to get to our next hotel in the small town of Kirazli. As awful as it sounds the trip was seamless and only took about four hours. We took a guided tour of Ephesus that included a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary. The mother of Jesus lived in a small stone house on the hill near Ephesus that is now a pilgrimage site. Ephesus is an amazing place.  At one time it was the second largest city in the world, after Rome.  It had both a sewer and a water system, along with a huge library, amphitheaters, public baths, and in general it seems like the people were living the good life. Beautiful marble columns line both sides of the walkway that starts at the top of the hill and leads down to the impressive library. In 36 BC Ephesus was the honeymoon destination for Cleopatra and Mark Anthony.

The three-story Scholastika Baths was where men would spend hours discussing current events. Nearby was the Latrina, the public toilets that were arranged side by side with no partitions.  Curates Street ends at the impressive Library of Celsus where more than 12,000 scrolls were kept in specially designed niches to protect them from extremes of temperature and humidity.  It was the third richest library in the ancient world.

I continued by bus to the Radisson Blu Hotel on the sea in Cesme near Izmir.  The hotel has a beautiful pool and two luxurious hummans, the traditional Turkish bath. Each day I took the local bus, which stopped right in front of the Radisson, to one of the nearby towns where I visited a fortress, museums, hot water pools, and other sights including the Underwater Museum in Cesme. <

In Istanbul I lucked out by staying at the Barcelo Eresin Topkapi with an expansive international buffet breakfast and a spa with an indoor swimming pool. The best part was the location, which was quiet and next to the remains of the city walls built about 1700 years ago. The tram stop was across the street making it easy to explore a different part of the city each day.  The historic center has the most popular tourist sites including the impressive Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. I was most impressed with the Basilica Cistern. Emperor Justinian built the cistern system in 532 to store water for the palaces and surrounding buildings. The cistern is 470 by 215 feet with a roof supported by 336 massive columns. Water was delivered though 12 miles of aqueducts.

Istanbul is a city that straddles two continents connected by bridges and ferryboats. I took two boat trips.  One was a sightseeing tour that traveled along the European side of Istanbul and returned along the Asian side. On a beautiful sunny day I took a four-hour ferryboat to the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara for two dollars. During the Byzantine period royalty were exiled on the islands giving them their name. The boat stopped at four islands.  There are no cars on the islands making them a welcome respite from car-clogged Istanbul.

The bus system in Turkey is excellent with large buses connecting cities and mini vans connecting to the villages.  The prices are low with the larger buses having on-board attendants who provide drinks and sometimes a snack.  The connections were incredibly seamless. During high season the coast of Turkey is extremely busy. Since lazing on the beach was not my intent I really enjoyed the off-season when the historical sites were nearly deserted plus it was warm and sunny – light jacket weather. In Turkey history is everywhere – truly a Turkish Delight.

If you go:

Divan Hotels: www.divan.com.tr, beautiful, high-end accommodations

with excellent service

Hideaway Hotel: www.hotelhideaway.com, lovely small, friendly hotel in Kas

Radisson Blu: www.radissonblu.com, beautiful, high-end accommodations in a variety of countries

Barcelo: www.barcelo.com, a large hotel chain with two properties in Istanbul, both of which are steps from the main tramline.  The Barcelo Eresin Topkapi is the better of the two.