Longer Travels {Turkey}

I took an almost full week long trip to Turkey with two amazing girlfriends at the end of January.  And it was the trip of a lifetime.  Turkey was better than our expectations and one of the most amazing countries I have ever been to -- we all fell in love with the country.

But first things first -- so many people have asked us, is Turkey safe?  And the short answer is yes.  The long answer is still yes, but with a little more explanation.  Turkey has been considered "off limits" for many Americans for many years, mainly because of political unrest and various terror attacks (most recently the ISIS attacks within Istanbul and the terrorist attack at the airport in 2016).  Because of the past attacks, there was a large police presence in Istanbul and most sights we went to required you to go through metal detectors (sadly this is pretty common in most major tourist sights around the world).  At the airports within Turkey, you had to go through security just to enter the airport, then go through regular security before going to your gates.  And while most of the country is considered safe, there are parts that you should still avoid (especially the regions near the Syrian border).  Turkey is also a mostly Muslim country and fairly conservative, especially regarding women.  While we never ever felt unsafe, at times it was very obvious we were a group without any males (this was most noticeable at dinners or walking home after dark).  It was also quite obvious we were tourists which is to be expected, but we were often the only white people as well as the only English speakers.  Men did try and talk to us when walking around the touristy areas, especially shop owners, but it was mostly easy to ignore and I recommend you do unless you are genuinely interested in purchasing something.  But again, not a bad thing and we never felt unsafe.

So now onto to the actual tips and tricks for Turkey!  We flew into Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) which is one of two international airports in Istanbul (this is the smaller one and on the Asian side).  Americans do need a visa for Turkey but it is very easy to get, apply online here and I recommend doing it in advance -- make sure you print out your visa to show at customs when you arrive in Turkey.  Overall going through customs (both coming and going) was super easy and we had no issues.

Istanbul
Once we arrived in Turkey, we had a previously booked private car take us to our hotel (we booked through our hotel before we even arrived in Istanbul -- it was cheaper and easier than a taxi).  Both the airports are a ways outside the city (easily an hour drive without traffic) and there are shuttles that will take you to various spots into the city but a private car was easier.  While in Istanbul we stayed at Nowy Efendi Hotel and it was amazing.  I cannot recommend this hotel enough -- seriously the best place I have ever stayed in my life.  The location was perfect, the beds were so comfortable, the breakfast was great, the views were amazing and most importantly -- there was the best receptionist ever.  He was the most lovely Kurdish man who was so kind and helpful.  We never wanted to leave!

In case you didn't know, Istanbul is the only city in the world to sit between two continents (Europe and Asia) and you can cross into either side by crossing the Bosphorus (a very narrow strait running through Istanbul, separating the two continents).  We had about a day and a half in Istanbul and our only full day we did a guided tour -- our tour guide gave us a lot of information, but you could easily do the major sights on your own as they are all fairly close to each other and easy walking distance.  Most of the sights are in the Sultanahemet neighborhood (basically the center of old Istanbul, on the European side), so I do recommend staying in this area.  We sadly never got over to the Asian side (other than the airport), but we had heard the Kadiköy neighborhood was amazing.*  But anyways, the various major sights --

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
Obviously you can't go to Istanbul without seeing the Hagia Sophia.  It is considered an architecture marvel and it was easy to see why.  Originally built as a church is 537, then converted to a mosque in 1453 and finally it became a museum in 1935.  The building has collapsed, been rebuilt, added to and more over the many years -- it is still under restoration so while there is a fair amount of scaffolding inside the main nave, you can still see quite a bit.  While the outside is gorgeous, the inside is just as amazing -- the huge dome, the centuries old mosaics and my personal favorite part the unbelievable seraphim angels (four in total in the corners under the dome).

Topkapi Palace
The palace was built in 1453 by Mehmet the Conqueror -- he lived here until his death and subsequent sultans lived here as well until the 19th century.  The sprawling palace gives you a glimpse into the daily life of the sultans and their families and their lives were quite colorful (you can visit the old harem where the concubines lived, guarded by the eunuchs).  The palace grounds are gorgeous, even in the winter and has great views of the city.  We loved the treasury and the kitchen areas.

Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Commissioned by Sultan Ahmed, it is a huge mosque and famous for the blue İznik tiles inside (how it got its name).  Across from the Hagia Sophia in Sultanahmet Park, it is pretty impressive to stand in the middle and look at the two iconic buildings.  The mosque is very large with many domes and six minarets (the most of any mosque built at the time) -- it is free to enter for tourists but you must be aware of prayer times as then it is closed only for worshipers.  To enter the mosque, go into the courtyard and go through the side door (there are signs) where you remove your shoes (place in the bags provided and take them with you).  Women need to make sure their heads are covered, if you didn't bring a scarf with you then you can rent some outside the mosque.  The inside is currently being restored and is covered in scaffolding, but you can still see some of the gorgeous tiles and get a feel for the grandeur of the mosque.

Basilica Cistern

A huge subterranean structure that is the largest surviving Byzantine cistern in Istanbul was built in 532 -- it was originally designed to serve the palace and surrounding buildings and could hold up to 80,000 cubic meters of water.  It was closed and forgotten until 1545 (and became a dumping ground) and then cleaned up and opened to the public in the 1980s.  You walk along raised wooden platforms and while it can be a little creepy, it is really cool and should not be missed -- pay special attention to the various columns in the cistern and make sure you see the Medusa heads.

Hippodrome
A large park/walkway area where the Byzantine emperors used to have chariot races -- this was the center of life for the Byzantines and the Ottomans.  Various statues and obelisks are spaced throughout the promenade, most have been ransacked or damaged but still cool to see the famous, very old park.

Süleymaniye Mosque 
This large mosque sits on top of one of Istanbul's hills so it has a gorgeous view of the city.  This mosque was finished in 1557 and was commissioned by the sultan Süleyman I.  We did not go inside this mosque as we missed the opening hours but we were able to enjoy the views and the outside of the mosque.

Grand Bazaar
This HUGE bazaar originally was opened in 1461 and has obviously grown over the years and has become a huge tourist attraction.  It is maze-like and large and you probably will get lost.  There are numerous entrances into the bazaar so don't worry about trying go in/out the same entrances (each entrance does have a guard + metal detector that you will need to go through before entering the bazaar).  While you for sure need to experience the bazaar, be warned -- you will have shop owners pretty much harassing you to buy things or look in their store.  We were again the only group of just women so men paid a lot of attention to us, we never felt unsafe just got annoying at times.  And of course you can find and purchase anything you ever wanted or needed within the bazaar -- we found the most amazing little store selling Turkish linens/towels with the sweetest old man owner.  It was really fun wandering around seeing all the stores.

Obviously there is so much more to do in Istanbul -- you could easily spend a full week here and not really see it all, the city is huge.  This is what we were able to do in the short amount of time we had on the ground in Istanbul, just means I need to go back to see more of the city! 

We also did a food tour in Istanbul and it was amazing.  We were so impressed with our guides and ate the most amazing food (and even in a very heavy nut-filled food culture, they were able to accommodate everything for me).  We tried so many different foods, including things that aren't the typical touristy things -- we had some weird but amazing non-meat kebab type thing (so good) and then what we called a Turkish churro (again so good).  We went to a rooftop bar -- highly recommend doing in Istanbul, there are so many so just pick one -- and enjoyed some tea.  We then had the most amazing kebab dinner at a restaurant, it was some of the best food I've had in my life.  And then finishing off our meal with some dessert and Turkish coffee -- so good!

Antalya + the Turquoise Coast 
From Istanbul, we flew to Antalya (south western Turkey on the Mediterranean) to see another part of the country and to experience the gorgeous Turquoise Coast.  Since we went in January, it was completely in the off-season but we still had an amazing time.  We flew Turkish Airlines down to Antalya out of the newer Istanbul airport -- Istanbul Airport (IST) on the European side.  This airport was INSANE.  Once finished it will be the world's largest airport (and probably the nicest too) -- it was so clean and had the coolest features (libraries, garden terraces, every single store you could ever need or want).  Once on the airplane, we taxied for easily thirty minutes before we even took off, it was crazy!  Also highly recommend flying Turkish Airlines if you ever get the chance.  Even on our short one hour flight, we had in-flight entertainment, free food + drinks and actual leg room!

Once in Antalya we took a taxi from the airport to our hotel.  We had read to always negotiate/ask a price before jumping in a taxi but all the taxis we took in Antalya had meters and never over charged us.  We stayed here and it was great -- good location, good breakfast buffet.  Antalya is the largest city in the Turquoise Coast area which is why we chose to stay there and the town itself was awesome.  The old town (known as the Kaleiçi district) was adorable -- winding roads, restored Ottoman houses, wrapping around a gorgeous Roman-era harbor.  The views from the edge of town were amazing.  We wandered past Hadrian's Gate built in 130 AD for the Roman emperor's visit to Antalya.   For food in Antalya -- we ate at a small kebab restaurant/stand where a bunch of locals seemed to be eating (just pick a popular one and you won't be disappointed).  For dinner we ate at Hasanağa in the old town.  It was so good and we ate our weight in meat.  We also had tea Cay-Teas, an insanely adorable tea house.

We also went to a hamam in Antalya and it was pure bliss -- we went to Demirhan Hamam.  It is not for the faint of heart -- you wear your underwear/bathing suit bottom but nothing else, but there are separate bathing areas for men and women.  We went for the full tourist package (even though we were the only tourists there).  We started off in the warm room (for lack of a better word) laying on a marble slab just relaxing.  We then moved to the steam room then the sauna and finally to the scrubbing...  Everyone is in a small room with marble slabs to lay on and a female worker scrubs about 20 layers of skin off your body not missing an inch.  You could legit see the skin coming off.  And while it sounds disgusting and rough, it actually wasn't that painful and we were left with the softest skin ever.  After the scrubbing, the worker stands you up and just starts dumping water on you to get the dead skin off; this part was the worst honestly because the minute you catch your breath, more water is being dumped on you.  Then you are scrubbed with some super foamy soap and washed off again (the soap part was amazing).  We then got served tea and had face masks while relaxing half naked in the lobby area.  Finally we were led to the oil massage -- a full body massage which was heavenly.  It was two hours of pampering (and scrubbing) and we all left absolutely loving the experience.  If you go to Turkey, you really should experience a hamam.

Our other full day in Antalya we took a tour to see more of the area.  Once again we were the only English speaking people on the tour and while our guide did speak English, everything was mostly in German and Russian.  But we had a blast and loved seeing more of the Turquoise Coast.  Our first stop was the ancient archaeological site of Myra -- known for its intricate honeycomb rock tombs known in ancient Lycian culture; there is also a very well preserved Roman theater.  This place was really cool.  We then took a boat for a short tour past the island of Kekova to see Batik Şehir (the sunken city) -- an ancient Lycian settlement now mostly underwater due to earthquakes in the 2nd century, but the water is so clear you can see a lot of it underwater.  On our boat tour we also went past the village of Kaleköy which is protected because it is on top of the ancient city of Simena.  This village looked amazing and comes alive with tourists in the summer -- for sure need to figure out a way to get back here with Trevor and Serafina.  And our final stop was Church of St Nicholas, yes the St Nick... Santa Claus.  This church was actually quite amazing, not what we were expecting at all but very cool nonetheless.  The church was built to honor St Nicholas who served as bishop in Myra in the 4th century, and yes this was the man that became the inspiration for Santa Claus.  St Nicholas was buried here but his skeleton was later stolen by the Italians!  We also learned on this tour that Mary (the Virgin Mary) was born in the area as well.  Seriously, the history of all of this just had us in awe, it just made us love Turkey even more.

The food in Turkey was amazing, seriously amazing.  We kept wanting to try and eat more things but we were so full all the time!  Turkey is a large meat loving country with few vegetarian options, but I eat meat and it was so good.  The lamb kebap (same as kebab) we had on our food tour was so good, so so good.  But despite all the meat, everything is served with vegetables as side dishes and they were also just as amazing -- we ate vegetables for every single meal and it was fantastic. We also had some amazing dips/spreads to eat with bread at most meals too.  Our favorites were a tzatziki type dip and an tomato salsa type thing, we could not get enough of either of these.  And while I didn't get to eat most of the sweets (ALL were filled with nuts), my friends loved trying all the various kinds of Turkish delight and baklava.  Then the drinks -- we had so much amazing tea.  Our favorites were apple tea (super touristy) and pomegranate tea (even the fresh squeezed pomegranate juice was so dang good).  The normal traditional black tea was good too, but add sugar, it can be bitter!  Aryan is a weird yogurt drink that is quite sour and while I am happy I tried it, I don't ever need to drink it again.  The Turkish coffee was so strong and so good.  Not like any coffee you have had in your life (again add sugar, it is strong and bitter).  Basically, just eat and drink everything, spend your whole trip eating!   

This trip was so amazing and even a month later, I am still on a high just from thinking about it.  It also took me forever to write this post because I don't feel like my words (or even the pictures) can do Turkey justice.  It was simply fantastic and as we kept saying over and over -- "better than we expected."

*If you were to go to the Asian side, I would recommend taking a water taxi rather than driving as the traffic going across the city (and especially the bridges) can take quite a while due to traffic and it is not possible to walk to the Asian side.  And speaking of traffic -- be prepared for it when going to/from both airports, especially Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) on the Asian side.  While maps say it takes about an hour from SAW to the old center, it can easily take double or triple that in traffic.  On our way back to Spain, we planned on two hours extra getting ourselves to the airport and while we didn't need all of that time, we were happy to have the extra time as we did get stuck in some traffic.

Longer Travels {Baltic + Scandinavian Adventure Part 2}

We took an amazing almost two week trip in August -- six countries in twelve days.  You can read about the first part of our trip here and also see our full itinerary. We spent the first week in the three Baltic countries and then moved on to the Scandinavian countries.

Quick refresh in case you didn't read the whole first post -- we flew in and out of Copenhagen and made a really big circle.  Again, this trip took a lot of planning and everything was booked in advance.  I left off the last post as we were heading to Helsinki...

We took a large ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki on the Tallink/Silja Line and it was nothing like any ferry you have been on before (and living in Seattle, I have taken plenty of ferries).  The ferry was HUGE and had multiple restaurants and stores (and lockers to store luggage so you don't have to carry it around with you, but you do need euro coins).  We happened to eat breakfast at the buffet which worked for us as it had options for everyone.  It was a pretty classic Scandinavian breakfast spread -- eggs, bacon, cold cuts, cheeses, yogurt + all the toppings, fruit, veggies and more!  The ferry is two hours so we had time to go to the amazing kids zone with tons of things for Serafina to do and even a worker who made balloon animals and face painting (all for free)!  Our girl was in heaven and SO sad when it was time to get off the boat!

When we got to Helsinki, we stayed here and it was great -- good breakfast included, great location (close to a tram stop if you didn't want to walk) and while it was a little warm they provided a fan that helped a lot.  Getting off the boat we took the tram straight into the city -- Helsinki has two main ports and each are pretty well connected by trams.  We also got a 24 hour tram ticket which worked out perfectly since we were only in Helsinki for one night.

Once in Helsinki, we made the most of our time.  We started by walking down to the main market square Kauppatori to grab some amazing fruit and a light lunch nearby at Vanha Kauppahalli market hall (seriously had some amazing places to eat -- you should try the soup at Soppakeittiö or basically any vendor in the market).  Also grab coffee and a pastry in any coffee shop, Finnish coffee is amazing -- actually all Scandinavian coffee is good, they take it very seriously.  We then made our way to Senaatintori (senate square) to view the gorgeous Tuomiokirkko (Lutheran Church) but it is not worth climbing all the stairs to go inside...  But it is worth the tram ride + walk out to Temppeliaukion Kirkko -- the famous church built into the stone.  We took a boat (covered by our tram ticket) out to Suomenlinna, a small cluster of islands that are a UNESCO site and was built as a fortress in the 18th century.  We mostly just wandered around and took in the views but there is actually a lot to do on the island, you can easily spend the whole day here. We also took Tram 2 and Tram 3 on a big loop around the city -- you can grab a free Sightseeing by Tram guide at the tourist office. 

And because the weather was gorgeous and Trevor and I love amusement parks.... we ventured out to Linnanmäki, Finland's oldest amusement park (easy tram ride from the main city center).  And it was SO MUCH FUN.  You don't have to pay to enter, just have to pay for the rides (buy tickets or wristband).  The park also has nine free rides which we took advantage of since they were perfect for Serafina!  But Trevor and I got to take turns and ride their newest roller coaster and it was one of the best we have ever gone on in our entire lives.  We ate dinner out here and the food was actually pretty decent for park food!

Then it was time to move on to Stockholm, again taking a large ferry on the Tallink/Silja Line, this time an overnight one -- basically a luxury cruise for 16 hours.  Check in was a little chaotic so I was happy we showed up early.  The boat was AMAZING.  We did pay for the dinner buffet (and again breakfast the next morning) and I highly recommend it.  Do the earlier dinner so you can enjoy the entertainment happening later in the evening.  The buffet was SO good!  The kids buffet was perfect and had everything that a kid would enjoy (Serafina ate her weight in noodles).  And take advantage of the included beer and wine (on tap) for the adults, but save room for dessert -- the chocolate mousse was amazing and Serafina loved the self-serve ice cream bar!

Once again our little lady LOVED the boat -- the play area was HUGE and amazing and they had a few kid activities, including a kid's disco and a surprise visit from Moomin, a very popular kid's TV character in Scandinavia.  Our normally afraid of characters Serafina actually hugged him not once but twice.  It was so fun to watch her just live her best life.  And Trevor and I got to try some of the world's best spirits -- two gins from Finland this one and this one.  Seriously, this boat was so much fun and easily a highlight of our trip.

We docked in Stockholm in the morning and took the metro to the train station -- I highly recommend just taking a taxi.  The walk to the metro stop was a lot further from the pier than we expected (and it happened to be warm in Stockholm).  Trevor and I have been to Stockholm (read that post here) previously so we opted to not stay overnight (or even a full day).  Stockholm has so many fun activities for kids so I do recommend going if you haven't been.  We had about three hours before our train to Copenhagen so we again made the most of it -- dropped our bags in lockers at the train station and hustled to Gamla Stan to show Serafina the palace (Kungliga Slottet).  I cannot recommend eating at La Neta enough, it is some of the best Mexican food we have ever eaten and so worth it (we may or may not have purposefully stopped in Stockholm for a few extra hours just so we could go here).

We caught a train from Stockholm to Copenhagen airport -- we booked directly through the Swedish train website which I highly recommend doing.  We had quite the adventure on our train.  There was a signal error on the tracks mid-way through our trip and we basically got kicked off the train in the middle of Sweden, not anywhere near Copenhagen airport.  Typically in events like this, the train company will provide buses to take you around the issue or to your final destination, however, there were so many people/trains affected, there were no more buses available.... so the workers on the train told us to take any means necessary to get to our destination -- rent a car, take a taxi....  We met some lovely Swedish ladies who took pity on us and we all split a SIX HUNDRED dollar taxi to Copenhagen.  And no worries, we are being reimbursed by the train company, just save your receipts. 

In Copenhagen, we stayed here which was near the airport because we were only in Copenhagen for one night.  I do NOT recommend the hotel, it was clean and nice and the beds were comfortable but the room was so freaking hot it was like a sauna and so beyond uncomfortable.  This was not our first time in Copenhagen (well, it was for Serafina) but it is one of our favorite cities ever so we never pass up a chance to visit -- go here for more information about Copenhagen.

We went to Tivoli Gardens the night we arrived.  This is my most favorite place in the whole world so I was SO excited to show Serafina and she LOVED it!  Tivoli is more than just an amusement park, but of course it does have rides.  It is the second oldest operating amusement park in the world and it is right in the middle of the city -- it is magical.  Do not go expecting Disneyland, it is not anything like Disney but it has its own charm and should not be missed.

We spent a morning in Copenhagen hanging out with my good friend Hanne who is Danish -- she and I met in 2003 when we were studying in Paris.  She took us to a yummy breakfast spot called Far's Dreng (if needed, nearby Torvehallerne Market is amazing, it is where we went on our layover when we first started the trip).  Then we walked past Rosenborg Slot (castle) -- you can go inside and should, it is pretty cool.  We wandered to the Copenhagen Botanical Gardens -- including the amazing Butterfly House which was very cool although it freaked our little lady out just a tad!  And then made our way to Nyhavn, Copenhagen's famous colorful harbor.  And of course grabbed lunch at one of the hot dog stands down near the water -- I learned from Hanne that you have to order all the fixings and a chocolate milk, that is the proper way to eat a Danish hot dog!

Then we were off for the grande finale of our trip -- Legoland Billund!!  In case you didn't know, Lego bricks are a Danish toy, founded and made in Billund, Denmark.  Lego is actually from the Danish phrase leg godt which means "play well."  So, Legoland Billund is the original Legoland and located about a three and a half hour drive from Copenhagen....

I highly recommend driving to Billund as there is not a direct train.  We chose to stay here in Odense which is about half way between Copenhagen and Billund.  Odense is actually a very cool town -- the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, and our AirBnB was amazing.  But sadly, we did not have time to explore the town, we had one goal in mind...

Legoland Billund -- Trevor and I came here as part of our honeymoon in 2012 and we were so excited to take Serafina!  It was everything we dreamed it would be and more.  She saw the Legoland sign as we drove up and just FREAKED from happiness!  I recommend buying your tickets online in advance to save a little money.  This is the only Legoland we have been to but it really is insanely family friendly, especially for those with kiddos under ten.  There were very few rides that Serafina could not ride on and they had plenty of younger kid friendly rides and family friendly rides.  We bribed Serafina to go on two (very very small) roller coasters and at the time she was SO mad but now it is all she talks about!  It is not a large park so it can easily be done in a day if you go in the off season, like we did (we never waited more than 20 minutes in line for a ride).  It was a perfect day and an even better way to end our trip!

And that is a wrap on our big summer trip -- it was a lot of planning, a lot of moving from place to place but so much fun.  I highly recommend doing your own Baltic Cruise!