Sirince was settled by Greek immigrants who built white houses with red tile roofs which reminded them of home. In 1923 there was a compulsory population exchange between Greece and Turkey — ethnic Greek Christians had to return to Greece and ethnic Muslim Turks had to return to Turkey.  Attaturk, father of Turkish democracy (1923) is revered for “westernizing” Turkey, bringing it into modernity and making it the successful country it is today. The population exchange however, is generally regarded as a mistake. This picture is the little main street that we drove down to get to our hotel –can you even imagine how narrow the side streets were?!?

We stayed at Terrace Houses in the Fig House, a rustically charming and eclectically decorated cottage that was a nice break from hotel living. We had an incredible home cooked meal served up with a stunning view. Too bad this picture doesn’t have sound effects — we sipped our wine and ate our dinner to a duet of a donkey braying and the Muslim call to prayer. The next morning we were awakened by the call to prayer and a rooster crowing. Aysel, the cook, made us a delicious breakfast, cementing my opinion that this was the best food in all of Turkey — the cheese came from a cow down the road and the vegetables from the back yard. Fortified with a good night’s sleep and a very strong Turkish coffee (Aysel took me into her kitchen and showed me how to make it), we ventured on to Ephesus.

Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament and its formal name is “The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians.” If you are wondering who the Ephesians were and where they lived, wonder no more. Ephesus, a Greek city until it was taken over by the Romans, was once one of the largest cities in the world. Positioned on several important trade routes and with a harbor (at the time) Ephesus, at its height in the 1st  and 2nd centuries AD, is thought to have had a population of almost 500,000.

Paul was eventually driven out of Ephesus by the silversmiths of the city. His pronouncements that worshiping idols, it seems, was bad for business.

John is also believed to have come to Ephesus with The Virgin Mary. John had promised Jesus that he would look after his mother and they are both thought to have died and been buried nearby.

Ephesus had it all: baths, temples, a large and important library, a brothel, theaters, and shops with goods from near and far. I, however, found the public latrine one of the most interesting buildings. It seems that the latrines, and not just the bath houses, were very social places. In this picture you can see that people were not shy. The waste dropped down a considerable ways into the sewage system of the city, and in front of the “toilets” you can see a trough on the floor right in front of where feet would be if one were sitting on one’s “throne”.  This trough had a continuous flow of fresh water for “cleaning up” after taking care of business — a sort of toilet paper of the day. The Romans were truly incredible!

There are great ruins in Rome, and Pomeii is very interesting, but for me, Ephesus was by far the best “view” of life in an ancient time.

Bodrum is a port city that is best know for its resorts, nightlife, and as being the point of embarkation for boat trips around the Aegean Sea. My seventeen year-old daughter, who was traveling with a friend’s family before she met us in Istanbul, delighted in the later two. She assures me that the clubs are fabulous, the shopping superb, and cruising the Aegean magical. I simply relaxed, took in the views and enjoyed a great dinner on the beach.

Tomorrow: back to Istanbul for a tour into its Ottoman past.

Driving through the valley is like being on another planet but the real surprise is when you explore the cave houses the region is famous for. The Hittites are thought to have lived here 4000 years ago where they worshiped pagan gods. Tiberius claimed this area for Rome in AD 17, and early Christians about the same time to escape persecution. Later, Monks lived here. There are incredible churches with arched ceilings, columns, and beautiful frescoes carved into the hillsides.

Arabs came in the 7^th century and forced the Christians deep underground where they lived in subterranean cities; some that go down 400 feet or more. I am more than a little claustrophobic, but I was so amazed by what I’d heard about these cities that I bit the bullet, ducked, and went for it. Sloping floors and steps connect the levels and there is an intricate system of air ducts that keeps the underground rooms well ventilated but at the same time, didn’t allow the enemy to “smoke out” the cave dwellers. There are rooms that were used for kitchens, stables, wine making and storing, churches, and even crypts. Big, flat round stones were used to seal off areas of the labyrinth when the enemy tried to invade. The underground city we explored was thought to be home to 20,000 people. AMAZING!

Our hotel, the very charming Esbelli Evi, is one of the famous cave hotels, carved into the side of a hill, not underground, that makes going to Cappadocia well worth the time it takes to get there. If you go, dinner at Ziggy Café was a delight.

The next morning I faced another fear (heights) and went for a hot air balloon ride. It was a great way to see the valleys and rock formations, and for the most part very peaceful. We shared our “basket” with a group of Turkish people. Of course they were Muslim; Turkey is 99% Muslim, but in contrast to Istanbul where most women dress in western clothes and are very cosmopolitan and friendly, these more provincial women were different. They weren’t the very religious women I occasionally saw, dressed in burqa and veils; instead they wore headscarves and longish coats over their clothes (ostensibly for modesty). The two grown women were loud and obnoxious. If you have ever seen the Seinfeld episode where Elaine goes for a manicure and feels like all of the Vietnamese manicurists are talking about her, knowing that she doesn’t understand their language, then you know how I felt. They were aloof and even sneered slightly when I smiled and said hello. After the flight, we had the traditional post-flight champagne toast and some cake. The Muslim men drank the champagne and the women smoked cigarettes, two things that very religious Muslims don’t do. A guide in Istanbul told me that some Muslim women donned headscarves for political reasons rather than religious – I think this group fit into that category. After the flight the most obnoxious woman handed me her iPhone indicating (not with a smile!) that I should take their picture. I obliged (with a smile); however, when she tried to show me how to use the camera on the phone by yanking it out of my hand and pointing like I was stupid, I told her that it too was AMERICAN and I knew exactly how to use it. I never felt afraid in Turkey and most people were very nice, but for some people, if you are American, then it doesn’t matter how much you smile, spend, or say please, they just don’t like you.

Some things you should know about dining in Turkey: if the weather is nice, no one eats inside. Sidewalks and roof terraces are crowded with diners, but I don’t think I saw a single soul eating inside a restaurant the whole time I was there! Salads have very little lettuce; instead they will be full of cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese with a little olive oil drizzled on top. Salad dressing is uniquely American so if you are traveling and you can’t do without your Ranch or Honey Mustard, you’d better pack it. Turkey is famous for fish restaurants because of their many miles of coastline, and kebabs – both are delicious. A typical Turkish breakfast is cheese, olives, cucumbers, yogurt (but not the sweet stuff we eat), some bread, and maybe a little jam. But don’t worry; hotels will have cereal, fruit, and pastries for you.

Pictures below: A long table carved into a room in one of the underground cities — probably used by the Monks; a crypt; and, above ground, houses carved into the hillside.

When you are staying at a great hotel and you have jet lag there is only one thing to do:  go to the pool for napping, reading and blogging. I’ve noticed that the paper is full of Turkish politics. They just had elections on Sunday and the conservative candidate Erodgan won his third election. Mr. Erodgan is very religious and the Turkish intelligentsia is getting nervous about the direction he is taking the country. The military, through a series of coups, has managed to keep Turkey secular when a prime minister has gotten out of line. Mr.Erdogan however, has marginalized their power by putting some of the big brass in prison. It will probably surprise you to know that Turkey currently has more journalists in prison than any other country. My guide today on the Bosphorus could barely veil her contempt of Erdogan, but the fact is, Turkey’s economy is booming and Mr. Erdogan is getting the credit.

We jumped in a taksi (taxi) and went to Kitchenette in Bebek for dinner. Bebek is an area that is full of bars, clubs, and restaurants and reminded me of SoHo or The Village in New York – young, hip, and cool. After my pizza and Chianti I took the plunge and ordered a Turkish coffee. WOW! There’s a reason it’s served in such a small cup. The coffee was creamy and delicious but boy was it strong. This is the first time I’ve ever had to floss after drinking coffee!

What I Wore:

I started the day in a black Ralph Lauren Rugby dress that looks like something Audrey Hepburn would wear – great with a pony tail for a windy tour of the Bosphorus.

A black swimsuit was the only choice because I only had room for one. It had to be chic enough for The Four Seasons, sexy enough for the beach at Bodrum, and dark for swimming in the muddy Dead Sea.

For dinner in Bebek I wore this great knit striped dress that can go on or off the shoulders with funky black sandals. A knit dress is great for travel — easy to pack and no ironing so you can stay by the pool longer:)

NOTE — Over the next two weeks Qmuze will be coming to you from Turkey and Israel. I will be tweaking the Qmuze model of politics, culture, and entertainment by commenting on what I saw, what I thought, and what I wore. Grab your passport and stay tuned! (I apologize in advance for any spelling or other errors — this will be fast and furious.)

Day 1 –ISTANBUL

I have such fascination with Turkey: physically, politically, and culturally, it’s where east meets west. The city of Istanbul is on two continents — Asia and Europe, and it seems to have captured the best of both worlds — exotic, yet hip. From the sultans of the Ottoman Empire to modern day politicians, Turkey continues to play an important role in world politics. A Muslim country with a western-style secular democracy, Turkey is the would be model for the “Arab Spring.”  In the market women in headscarves shop next to women in tight-fitting jeans and t-shirts, both equally comfortable with their lifestyle and seemingly tolerant of the other.

We left San Francisco at 2pm on Friday afternoon, flew to Frankfurt, Germany and then on to Istanbul, arriving at 4pm Saturday afternoon Istanbul time. It’s not the mind-numbing travel time to Southern Africa or the Far East —  just a mere ten hours to Frankfurt and another four to Istanbul. Still, to sit on my terrace overlooking the Bosphorus and think about how far I am from home makes me dizzy. That being said, at dinner tonight (the hotel’s Aqua because we are travel weary!) we looked up and  friends from San Francisco were sitting at the next table! Yes, it is a small world. We are at the Four Seasons Bosphorus — it’s beautiful and the service is excellent.

What I wore you ask? For the trip over a pair of black J. Crew stretch pants that zip up the back (comfortable but not sloppy), a long sleeve white t-shirt, a very cool army-style lightweight jacket with a bit of a metallic sheen to it (Gap), gold sandals with a tiny heel (I can walk for miles in these shoes!), a cotton scarf for some pizazz and because it’s cozy for over-nighting on a plane, and a very cool Balenciaga purse (my splurge!) that I featured a few posts back. For dinner which was al fresco by the Bosphorus, I wore a black lace over white cotton dress with flat silver sandals and took a lightweight cotton sweater. Packing is an art form; especially when you are limited to forty-four pounds — Turkish Airways intra-country weight limit that I’m hoping they aren’t too serious about:)