I love to holiday in Turkey. There is so much to see and do in this country which straddles both Europe and Asia. Turkey hosts more than 30 million tourists each year, the majority of whom visit the cities and coastal tourist resorts.
In November 2014 I got the opportunity to travel firstly to Antalya and then through the mountains to Cappadocia in Central Turkey with my son. We both had birthdays coming up and when a cousin told us about the Turkish Government subsidised trip - it didn't take long to decide that we were going. It had been many years since we holidayed together and it was a great chance for us to spend time together before he left to live in Australia. Turkey has a booming tourist trade in the summer months but many hotels lie empty in the winter months. The Turkish government subsidise some of the costs for holiday makers which makes this a very enticing and economical destination if you like unusual locations.
Following a couple of days chilling in Antalya, we took the long bus journey through the Taurus Mountains of Central Anatolia to the Unesco World Heritage site of Cappadocia. The region is famed for it's 'Fairy Chimneys' and was certainly not disappointing. Originally covered in lava the local people dug deep into the soft stone often to depths of 8 or 10 stories, to construct underground cities. Partially as a defense against invaders, the cities also protected the residents from harsh winters and hot dusty summers. Over time erosion has given way to an incredible fairy tale landscape. The dramatic open air museum of Goreme contains the remains of 10th and 11th century homes and many churches with brightly painted religious frescos still perfectly preserved. On our return, we stopped to take refreshments at one of the 13th century Caravanserais dotted along the famous 'Silk Road'. These stops were used for many hundreds of years where travellers would take rest with their camel trains and trade their silks and exotic eastern delights en route to Western Europe.
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| 10th century frescos in Goreme |
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| 13th century Caravanserai |
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| Antalya |
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| Camel trekking in Cappadocia |
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| Eastern delights on the Silk Road |
In November 2014 I got the opportunity to travel firstly to Antalya and then through the mountains to Cappadocia in Central Turkey with my son. We both had birthdays coming up and when a cousin told us about the Turkish Government subsidised trip - it didn't take long to decide that we were going. It had been many years since we holidayed together and it was a great chance for us to spend time together before he left to live in Australia. Turkey has a booming tourist trade in the summer months but many hotels lie empty in the winter months. The Turkish government subsidise some of the costs for holiday makers which makes this a very enticing and economical destination if you like unusual locations.
Following a couple of days chilling in Antalya, we took the long bus journey through the Taurus Mountains of Central Anatolia to the Unesco World Heritage site of Cappadocia. The region is famed for it's 'Fairy Chimneys' and was certainly not disappointing. Originally covered in lava the local people dug deep into the soft stone often to depths of 8 or 10 stories, to construct underground cities. Partially as a defense against invaders, the cities also protected the residents from harsh winters and hot dusty summers. Over time erosion has given way to an incredible fairy tale landscape. The dramatic open air museum of Goreme contains the remains of 10th and 11th century homes and many churches with brightly painted religious frescos still perfectly preserved. On our return, we stopped to take refreshments at one of the 13th century Caravanserais dotted along the famous 'Silk Road'. These stops were used for many hundreds of years where travellers would take rest with their camel trains and trade their silks and exotic eastern delights en route to Western Europe.
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| Dining Al Fresco |
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| One of the many underground churches in Goreme |
2 comments:
Very interesting article and wonderful photos Lorna
Thank you so much Eithne, I'm very glad you enjoyed it.
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