Just a few pics

Crossing the Bosphoros. They closed it after I arrived in Kadikoy!

Constantinople!

While I remember . If readers click on the photos it opens in better quality , I notice some of the pics look a bit shite.

Presently on a tram in rainy Istanbul.

Just done the Blue mosque. Had to wait for the locals to finish prayers. Went down to the Bosphorus for a fish sandwich. Served with onion and lettuce Not from the local waters. A Norwegian mackerel!

Visited the grand bazaar , which although it sells a lot of tourist tat, fake handbags, phones etc is still pretty impressive.Nothing like the dirty old characterful traditional bazaar of 30 yrs back.  Was going into the Topkali palace, but they wanted €30  . I can get a room for the night for that!

 

Best thing so far has been the Roman built cistern .

Stunning. 

As ever the people are great . Met a rug seller this morning who didn’t try and sell me anything but was really helpful and we talked about everything including Erdogen. Interest rates here are 40% and inflation 400 . Not surprising they’re charging what they do in marinas! A bit annoying that entry to these tourist sights are 80 lire for nationals and 420 for foreigners (cistern) less than 3€ vs 14 bloody racists.

Back at hotel now with lovely view of Bosphoros- not.

Power cut in process so shower by phone and some toe rag has got a massive generator mounted on his roof opposite so hope that doesn’t go on all night.

Main activity appears to be mosqueing here, they are impressive, probably do a couple more tomorrow.

The famous Blue actually it’s Sultan Ahmed mosque.

TAF

Cappadocia

What an amazing place. Big highlight for this trip. Ironically I thought I might have been here 35 yrs ago. Back then I arrived at night  (like this time) ate an omelette ,got violently ill. Tried to leave back to Ankara next morning by any method. It transpires that it was here because I recognise the river and wall which I lay on and the shape of the road bend by it. The difference in 40 yrs is astounding Burger King , boutique hotels at least 5 Indians, a Korean and one Chinese restaurant. I was just thinking then I got the omelette because there was nothing to be open and those were the only ingredients in her cupboard. This time food obviously not an issue and desperate because I left my phone adapter in the last hotel I popped down to the bustling town to purchase from a selection of apple and Chinese imitations. Not surprising but a shame .35 yrs is and isn’t a long time.Turkey has improved itself in my opinion in many ways and without changing its core values . I don’t think we can say the same or even that we have improved our lot . Even their buildings in special areas are very much in keeping. Their response in the earth quake region, I’m sure has its failings but prompt and substantial.

My hotel is called balloon view , again no surprises this morning it was like balloon Apocalypse Now!

The buildings are absolutely amazing hard to believe people were in there when I was last here. Now most of the hotels claim cave rooms but they are a bit token gesture even if carved out of rock partly. 

Did the most arduous walk of trip since UK . Starting at cock valley,

up rivers over ledges, down gully’s like Cheddar gorge  and finishing at a castle atop another cave building!

Beautiful farm up the valley I trespassed. Met the farmer who lived in the rock and really looked after his animals including cats , dog, geese, donkey and calves.

I managed to get in to a couple of the anthill homes and was again stupefied by the whole thing.

 Bearing in mind it should be around -15° here at this time of year even with no windows kilims and fires would have made the place pretty snug.Having exhausted my self decided on a haman and Indian for supper.. The hamans are always a bit of a worry at least the one in Morocco was when there are old blokes lying on the floor in y fronts . I opted out of that one this one was brilliant. Great massage then steam room and sauna where the local police were using me to swear at their colleagues which was pretty Morty python 😄

Today I went to find the famous Dark Church from C 11 paintwork looks like it was done “yesterday “ . 

Lots of other church caves but none like this one.

 Then on to the underground city.

 It transpires there are two in the vicinity so I went for the bigger deeper one.

That completely exceeded expectations, what a feat of engineering. Not sure how many lived down there or how squalid it would have been but on the basis of the engineering I assume they would have been pretty together. I was flopping along bent double with shoulders touching the walls!

 Claustrophobes and chubsters would have a problem, as would I if the lights had gone off. Brilliant. Todays lunch was a bad choice of very insipid knee soup , god knows that’s what he said it was , and when I mentioned it wasn’t really my cup of tea he put some spice which was actually garlic . Transformed it though I did leave the fatty meat what ever it was!

Waiting at bus station overnighter back to the boat. Hopefully all good there 

Post broth, hand made pancake was supposed to be cheese and potato but I fancied sugar and lemon so , after much ironing of batter ,crushing the sugar cubes and finding a lemon the masterpiece was made better than any crepe.

26 hr bus ride

Mardin old town.

Can’t  just sit on the boat for a month so have headed east , past Aleppo to a lovely hill town called Mardin. Very old, full of Turkish visitors and pretty nice. Bus ride was great with cologne, cakes , sweets and a trolly service of water or coffee.Accommodation is a bit basic but lots of hot water and good jet that sprays the bedroom, Also ironically,the lavatories have arse washing jets like the Japs, being as they’re at opposite ends of  the social sophistication spectrum . Electricity went off for a few hours but the room was pretty dark any way with slit windows and 5 ft thick front wall??

My room.

Roof terrace and brekky

Did a 20 k walk down a valley and up to a monastery past a prison which was a bit austere, couldn’t hear any shouting or beatings but did not look like a welcoming establishment. The monastery was beautiful and made its own wine and olive oil 

Stayed two nights then on to big bus and mini bus to Adiyaman . Was told there were hotels there but most had fallen down in the February earth quake . Ramada hadn’t but wasn’t on my  list. A lot of roads had broken buildings and crushed concrete plots , very sad must have been chaos but the people are just getting on and the whole place smells of Kebabs so life is back to normal.Almost!

Where I am now is a bustling town which wasn’t affected but only 20 k’s up the road. Hotel is luxury at €30 per night with breakfast and heat in the room. Off to Mt Nemrut in a minute for some photo opportunities.

Just returned and it was a great little trip. Paid some 

bloke in a mini bus who does tours but I was the only 

one. One site was closed due to instability post quake. 

First item called the black bird tumulus, not sure it is , then on to a Roman bridge . Only blocked to traffic 20 yrs ago!

View of Nemrut from crow

Next was drive up to the Mt itself. 3 inches of beautiful snow! Most people go for sunrise/sunsets but conditions weren’t right and that’s in summer.Stone heads removed from their bases are pretty impressive. I learnt that I am an iconoclast. Most of the heads are damaged in a way suggesting iconoclastic vandalism .

                                       Nemrut!

                   Best snowball in living memory

Dam and local restaurant, was getting ready for tantrum  having invited guide to have a quick lunch then all this food turned up when I was expecting a beef kebab which isn’t in the picture . As it happens it cost less than €20 including drinks so just as well the fuse wasn’t lit properly.

Off to another hill in Cappadocia  tomorrow. Incidentally the top of Nemrut looks over Mesapotamia and the Tigris is down there somewhere. Good old names from the past!