At Istanbul airport you get in training for queuing - an hour to get through passport control. We aren't used to this! So, alongside visits to key and unbelievably fabulous sites...
one of the many lavishly decorated rooms in Topkaki Palace |
In Cappadocia our B & B hosts gave us walking directions to an early Christian church so far off the beaten track it felt as though we were the first people to discover it. Getting lost amongst the weird rock formations was half the pleasure.
Throughout this time we had rain most days - the kind of freak weather that is becoming the new normal. We knew that, in the Taurus mountains, it would be snowing. But we weren't expecting the whole itinerary to be reconfigured to day walks from two base camps at well below the altitude the botanist half of the couple was hoping it. But, overall, the routes were varied, giving a good taste of the jagged limestone Aladaglar National Park that lies smack in the middle of the country. And the sense of "unfinished business" is a good feeling to take away. A wonderful trip...
Snazzy new jacket, Rebecca? Well, er, no - borrowed from our guide when I realised my ancient goretex wasn't up to the conditions... |
We take a break with a semi-nomadic shepherd. Our guide, Adem, knows him, as he does everyone in the area, having done the job himself as a kid. |
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