May 11, 2022
Turkey has been on my list for a long time and I am excited to finally be going!
My flight was at 1:45pm nonstop from LAX and arrives in Istanbul at 10am the next day. I have never flown on Turkish Airlines so I was curious to see how it was. I love flying other airlines besides our legacy carriers in America.
I was in economy class for this flight but happy that there was a seat between me at the window and the passenger on the aisle. So at least I have some room. Before takeoff we were handed a menu and an amenity kit.
The amenity kit came in a pretty vinyl case with a pattern that was adapted from motifs in classical Turkish decorative arts. it had the usual flight needs: slippers, socks, blinders, ear plugs, toothbrush and paste and lip balm.
The first meal was actually very good for an economy class airplane meal. I didn’t eat the chicken Caesar or the profiteroles but the eggplant appetizer and fish main course were good. Mashed potatoes were creamy and didn’t taste instant and the fish was perfectly cooked and flaked nicely. Not sure how they do this on an airplane?
Watching the House of Gucci, heard it wasn’t great but so far it’s keeping my interest.
May 12
I slept about 7 hours of the flight, not solid but enough. Breakfast and coffee were served 2 hours before landing. I finished watching the movie.
The airport is very large and modern, I had no problem finding my driver.
I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to my room. I have a beautiful suite that is exactly what I need right now!
The hammam was next, the perfect welcome to Istanbul. Çemberlitaş Hamamı is a famous Turkish bath with a lot of history and a beautiful ambiance. Mimar Sinan, the favored architect of the Ottoman Empire, was commissioned to construct this hammam by the royal family.
After three hours at the hammam, I was starving! Some traditional Turkish food overlooking the city and then a good night sleep 😴
May 13
Today was exciting as we explored Istanbul! First stop – once a Byzantine stadium for chariot racing, it held 100,000 people! The Hippodrome takes a big of imagination to picture it’s grandeur but some monuments still stand. It’s mind blowing to think of history here.
Church of the Holy Wisdom, or Hagia Sophia, is one of the greatest works of Byzantine architecture in the world, and for over a thousand years it was the worlds largest and most important religious monument. Only St. Peter’s in Rome (17th century) surpasses the Hagia Sofia in size and grandeur. First a church, then a mosque, now a museum for everyone to see.
I could have taken a hundred pictures here!
In 1935, Atatürk – father of the Turks – turned the Hagia Sofia into a museum and restored it, uncovering all the mosaics that were plastered over.so you can see both the Christian and Muslim history.
The Blue Mosque was built in 1609 to outshine the Hagia Sofia. But the architect went too far but building six minarets, this was the same number at the mosque in Mecca. So they had him build a seventh in Mecca to reestablish the eminence of that mosque. Unfortunately we could not go in to see the reason why it’s called the Blue Mosque, the 20,000 shimmering blue-green Iznik tiles, because it was Friday and there was a service.
We flew from Istanbul to Sigacik on the Aegean Sea. From a bustling city to a beautiful green and blue seaside town was a nice change.
We were tired from a long day and had dinner at our hotel. A beautiful restaurant overlooking the water during sunset.
May 14
The Aegean is one of Turkey’s most visited regions with treasures such as white sand beaches and the ancient ruins of Ephesus. It was nice to relax here and enjoy nature this morning.
We drove to Ephesus this morning and I was so excited! Ephesus was once the most important Greco-Roman city in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is also home of the best preserved ancient sites in the world. It’s awe inspiring to walk through ruined temples, theaters and colonnaded streets of ancient civilizations.
What an experience! We had the best guide who told us so much about the history and many fun facts. A guide makes such a difference in how you see Ephesus.
It was hot and we were hungry so we went to a great local restaurant for some delicious köfte, mezze and the local Efes beer.
After lunch we learned all about Turkish rug making and we’re able to feel all the different types with bare feet. They were so luxurious and absolutely gorgeous.
After visiting Ephesus I said a few prayers at the House of the Virgin Mary. It is the site where Mary is said to have arrived in Ephesus with John the Apostle and spent the last years of her life.
Off to the airport again and headed to Cyprus tonight. But we were late getting to the airport and didn’t have some of the necessary documents. So running around the airport was not fun….
We flew Pegasus Airlines from Izmir to Ercan, the airport in Northern Turkey, the only one that Turkey is allowed to fly into.
Excited to check another place off my list, Cyprus! It was a quick hour flight to Ercan Airport from Turkey.
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With a painful modern history, Cyprus is divided by the Green Line into north and south with two Cypriot communities – Greek and Turkish. We explored North Cyprus and it was beautiful.
May 15
Excited for the day in Cyprus to explore the island and some beautiful hotels.
It is a beautiful place with mountains, evergreen trees and beautiful water. I absolutely loved Bellapais Abbey! It is a beautiful old Abbey that is perched on a cliff with views down to the sea, it was so picturesque!
After landing back Izmir, we had a long drive to Bodrum so we stopped for lunch midway there. The kebabs were tasty and the town was really cute.
Known in antiquity as Halicarnassus, Bodrum is located in Asia Minor and known for sun, sand, luxury, and nightlife in the Turkish Riviera. We kicked off our visit with a white party before we started work.
May 16, 2022
Work day at a beautiful resort in Bodrum.
Tonight is the Awards Dinner and everyone looks fabulous!
May 17, 2022
With another full day of conference, we were ready to party again.
Pre-party cocktails overlooking the beautiful Aegean in Bodrum 🍸
We had a sweet visitor who was really trying to get our attention!
Bodrum is absolutely gorgeous! We were able to watch sunset from the best location in town ☀️
The Farewell Dinner was a beautiful event at the Sianji Well-being Resort. Hotel, food, accommodations and service are excellent.
May 18, 2022
We left this morning and went to visit the Castle in Bodrum. There is so much history in this area it was fascinating! Shopping is also really good in Bodrum.
Before heading to the gulet, we stopped for cocktails at The Marmara Bodrum. A beautiful hotel with commanding views of the water in Bodrum. I loved the pink touches, especially the pool towels. Looked great against the blue backdrop of the Aegean.
We boarded our gulet for our cruise, finally time to relax for a few days as we explore the coast of Turkey on the Aegean Sea ⛴
It was a little breezy and cool when we boarded the gulet and we were worried about the weather, it had been beautiful all week. My cabin was perfect, it was on the top deck, opened to the outside and had two windows. There was a double bed, plenty of space for my things and a bathroom. The bathroom wasn’t bad, a shower, sink and toilet with enough room to move around.
The meals have been very good, fresh and local, served family style. Waking up to this breakfast was so nice! A typical Turkish breakfast with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, olives and salty feta.
The water was salty and chilly but really refreshing. Just the color was enough to entice you to swim.
The best part of the day was when we started dancing. We were relaxing in the sun on the deck and our Egyptian friend put on music and made us all get up and dance. None of us knew how to do the moves but he taught us, it was a lot of fun!
The fun continued into the evening with a delicious dinner. The crew all came out again and we were able to thank them for their wonderful service. We made toasts to each other and to this memorable trip.
This morning was sad as we all left the boat to go home. It was a beautiful day and I left with beautiful memories of an unforgettable time in Turkey.
“But the most beautiful things in life are not things, they’re people, and places, memories, and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter.”
