Having seen most of the high profile sights in Istanbul, we start the day with just one last target on our list, Topkapi Palace, which is back in the Sultanahmet area (near the Blue Mosque). It’s only about 3 or 4 kilometers away, so we figure we’ll skip the hassle of the metro (which we have mastered I must say) and jump in a cab for the short ride over. At least that’s the plan, until we find that despite all of the advancement in Turkey over the past decade, the cab drivers haven’t lost that adorable third world penchant for ripping off tourists. After an offer from the first driver for 20 Euros (about $30), and a second driver for 20 Turkish Lira (a still extravagant but not outrageous $14) we admit defeat and head for the train.

The second bad omen of the day appears in the form a giant cruise ship docked near the bridge where we stopped for the tasty fish fin sandwich. It quickly hits home that somewhere in Istanbul there are 3,000, mostly blue haired tourists that weren’t here yesterday. We know the palace will be one of the stops on their itinerary, so now its just playing the odds to see if we can get in and out first.

Games of chance are not my strong suit, a fact reinforced as we near the ticket booth for the palace and soon realize it is packed with people. Not only tour groups (many from the cruise ship no doubt), but the cherry on top is that today seems to be elementary school field trip day. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of kids moving around like locusts, denuding the landscape of all silence and serenity. Nevertheless, we’re here on a mission, so we get in the long line (the first of many) for tickets and soon enter the gates.

The palace itself was the home of the sultan’s for about 400 years before they moved to Dolmabache. The entire complex is quite a bit larger and it was common for people to live their entire lives without ever stepping outside the walls. The architecture doesn’t seem as interesting though, so after going through a few of the buildings, we focus instead on more of the artifacts that are kept here (like the Topkapi dagger, the Spoonmaker’s Diamond (the world’s fourth largest cut diamond), some bones purported to be from prophets, the Staff of Moses, and a hair from the beard of the prophet Muhammad. Each of these requires getting in a line of sheeple and moving slow and steady past the glass cases (which is the kind of thing I live for).

After a few hours, and about half of the complex, we decide we are palaced out and head for the exit. With nothing else on the agenda, this leaves Angela free to resume her quest for the elusive carpet, and we spend the rest of the afternoon dealing with rug merchants. Now in some quarters, it has come to be a bit of an insult to be called a rug merchant, but I can say firsthand that the reputation is not entirely unearned. I’ve met more people salespeople in Istanbul over the past few days that have “very good friends in Vancouver” (we still fudge a bit and say we’re from Canada) than I think I’ve met in Seattle in the last ten years.

The good news is we finally find a carpet that Angela falls in love with. The bad news is it costs more than a year of college. But, because we did not come on a tour bus, they will give us a discount, and that’s good. However, the new price is still more than a new car, which is bad. But, the carpet comes with a free frogurt, and that’s good. However, the frogurt is also cursed (ok, that last part’s not true, but it is one of my favorite Simpson’s episodes so I couldn’t resist).

Suffice to say, we remain rugless, and soon will officially have spent more time searching for one than has been spent looking for El Dorado. With one last full day Istanbul, we’ll see what tomorrow brings, but I think even the great rug hunter herself is running on fumes.

It seems when I travel to a different time zone, it is always the second night that I have trouble with. The pattern repeats itself here, as by 2:30 in the morning I am wide awake, and by 3:30, I throw in the towel, figuring its a better use of time to roll out of bed and catch up on some work than to simply stare at the ceiling. I don’t recall Angela’s exact words, but in my head they went something like “I just love the rhythmic tapping of the keyboard in the middle of the night. It lulls me to sleep, so thank you for sacrificing your rest for my benefit.” That may no be an exact rendition, but pretty close I think.

Not surprisingly, by the time 8 am rolls around and it is time to start getting ready to head out, we are both a little lethargic. We had planned on going back to Sultanahmet to see Topkapi Palace and return to the Grand Bazaar, but that suddenly seems like a huge undertaking, particularly given the Seattlesque skies overhead. After some discussion (which makes us feel like we are doing something, even though its a transparent attempt to not have to move), we decide to start with Dolmabahce Palace, which is just down the hill from us, and then figure out where to go from there.

The palace was built in the 1800s as the new home for the sultan (previous sultan’s lived at Topkapi Palace), who at the time was moving the country in a more westernized direction (hence the location on the European side of the Bosphorus and the European style of architecture). It also helped solve the problem of what to do with the 35 tonnes of gold (14 of those used to cover the ceilings) that were piling up in the corners of the old place, which, I guess, is a fairly good problem to have. The complex (all 485,000 square feet of it), is split into two sections, one used for the administrative functions of the empire, and the other for the living quarters for the sultan and his many lizadies (wives plus the 500 female slaves required to take care of them).

By the time we finish, the overcast skies have turned into a fairly constant drizzle, so we decide to walk back up the hill to the hotel (which looks MUCH closer than it actually turns out to be) and come up with a plan for the rest of the day. En route, we see a falafel restaurant and decide to give it a try, and while it good, Yum-Yum’s still reigns supreme.

When we finally make it back to our room, the lack of sleep hits me like a ton of bricks, and I close my eyes only to find 4 hours have passed when I open them. In the meantime, Angela has gone to check out the Turkish bath in the hotel, which earns a rating of two thumbs up.

With the day mostly over, we decide to walk over to Istiklal Street for dinner. We have passed a few places in our time here that serve kumpir, which is apparently a fairly popular fast food. Basically, the idea is to take a baked potato, whip up the insides with some butter and cheese (so far, so good) and then pile on a variety of available toppings. Going all in we load it up with mushrooms, corn, hot dog slices, pickled cabbage, a bit of what looked like macaroni salad, some grainy, brown stuff, hot sauce, and a dill, yogurt sauce. Not wanting to ruin a good thing, we pass on the ketchup and mayonnaise they offer to squeeze on top. We didn’t have our camera with us to take a picture of the actual masterpiece, but I did find a reasonable facsimile on Google.

Contrary to expectations, we find these ingredients don’t actually go that well together, particularly since most of them are cold. Nevertheless, we power through, but I do make sure to save a last bite of just potato to cleanse my palate as much as possible.

In the meantime, the weather has gone full on Seattle, so we head back to the hotel in the rain to plan for another day.

Our first significant issue with Turkey hit us bright and early this morning. As has been the case for many trips now, we use video chat to try and connect with the boys each day (which is essential to not missing them so much). Depending where we have been, things have generally worked out where we can talk to them in the morning before school, or between dinner and bedtime. Turkey, as it turns out, is in that dreaded zone where neither really works (they are asleep by the time we get up or are off to school by the time we get in for the night), leaving the rather unpleasant option of waking up at 6:30 am to be able to call them at 8:30 pm in Seattle. For the first few days, while we adjust to the time zone, I’ll probably be up anyway, softening the blow, but for the Mrs., who could teach Rip Van Winkle a few things about sleep, this is not a pleasant prospect.

Today however, things work out not too bad, and by the time we have checked in with Sam and Joey (Nick is off at camp) and prepared for the day, it is not even 9:00. Our destination today is the Sultanahmet area and a few of the sites there (it is too big to see in one day so will likely require a return trip tomorrow as well). This is the oldest part of Istanbul, and the location of most of the famous historical sights. According to our travel book, its only about a 15TL cab ride, but we are right next to a subway stop so figure we can grab a quick breakfast, save a few bucks, and avoid the omnipresent meter scam all in one fell swoop.

Part A of the plan goes off without a hitch, and after a simit sandwich (basically a sesame seed bagel more or less that is sold pretty much everywhere, and in this case stuffed with meat and cheese) and some borek, we head over to the metro station, where things quickly deteriorate. The metro itself is very clean, and now that we’ve done it once, makes a bit more sense, but this morning, after a few wrong turns that take us to places where we have to pay again to get back in, the tally quickly blows through anything we would have spent on a taxi, and we lose a little time in the process 🙁

Once on the actual train, we progress pretty quickly and soon find ourselves in Sultanahmet. Our first stop is the Blue Mosque (technically the Sultan Ahmed Mosque), which is one of the common images people association with Istanbul. The building itself is quite beautiful, and the tile work inside (from which the name Blue Mosque is derived) is amazing, but by design, mosques are devoid of any decoration, so after a few quick pictures, there isn’t a whole lot more to look at.

Right next to the Blue Mosque is our next stop, Hagia Sofia (or Aya Sophia), which was built as a church by Emperor Justinian in 360 A.D. Over the years, depending on who ruled Istanbul (then Constantinople), it has changed from church, to mosque, to finally a museum, but through all that, the building itself remained unchanged. By the time we arrive, the line up for the ticket window is a couple hundred yards long, so when a guide offers us the opportunity to join a group he has assembled and bypass the queue, the extra $10 is a no-brainer.

We spend a few minutes out front of the building, listening to the history from our guide – how it was built, who the architects were, what has changed over time, and so, and then head inside. Until about the 18th century, the Aya Sophia was the largest cathedral in the Christendom and the had the largest space unencumbered by columns of any building in the world. Walking though the door leads to one of those “wow” moments that happen when you know you are seeing something special. We take plenty of pictures, but none of them will do it justice, so fingers crossed that the video comes out well.

Our last stop before lunch is the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_Cistern, which is the largest of the underground reservoirs built to support the city of Constantinople. James Bond fans may recognize this as a setting in From Russia With Love (remember Sean Connery rowing his boat in room full of columns), and with lights set at the base of each pillar and the reflection off the water, it does make for a very impressive location. Elsewhere in the city, there are ruins of the aqueducts that fed these giant cisterns so I’m sure we’ll see some of those in our travels as well.

The final destination on today’s itinerary is the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. It will come as no surprise to those who have followed our travels that we are in year three of a quest for rugs that has taken us through China, Hong Kong, Egypt, and now Turkey. Adamant to bring the search to an end once and for all, the 300 carpet shots in the bazaar draw us like moths to a flame. Three hours later we feel closer, but alas, still rugless, so will be back again tomorrow with only 298 shops left to go. And carpet or no carpet, the place is so massive that it clearly requires a more concerted effort to even scratch the surface of it. Its early in our trip, so we don’t want to get too burdened with trinkets and souvenirs, but I definitely don’t see Angela leaving here empty handed.

It turned out to be a great day in Istanbul (sunny and a bit over 60 degrees) so we decide to walk back to our hotel, stopping along the way to try some different street foods, including the style of doner (ask for durum) that will soon become the staple of our travels here. Our guide book also recommends the boats docked right next to the bridge we cross that grill and serve fish sandwiches to those waiting for the ferries. For 4 TL the price is right, but we soon find that for that price, not a whole lot of prep work goes in upfront. Fish fins it turns out are a little chewy.

Back at the hotel, we start to fill in some of the details of the coming days. Our current plan is to finish up our time in Istanbul and then fly to Cappadocia for a few days and then on to Izmir in search of a bit more heat. We’ll see how well that works tomorrow when we actually look up flights.

After a pretty pleasant flight (the Seattle to Chicago segment was a bit of a circus, but Chicago to Istanbul more than made up for it and the hassles were quickly forgotten), we arrived in Istanbul around 5:00 in the evening, cleared customs, and hopped in a car to the hotel. For no particularly good reason other than they both are in the same general region, I had visions of Cairo in my head, so was prepared for all kinds of traffic, noise, and dirt. Given that, it was a bit of a surprise to find things much more similar to cities in Europe. Although the airport was a very long way from the hotel, traffic moved quickly, and with very few exceptions, the neighborhoods we passed through were all clean and well-kept.

Our hotel is located a short walk from Taksim Square, close to the center of the city. I think some of the more uppity places are not that far away right next to the Bosphorus, but we are on a bit of a hill so have a good view. It turns out we are also right next to a Metro stop which should come in handy as we start to explore the city.

It is definitely on the cool side here, which we knew coming in, but nevertheless didn’t really hit home until we headed out for a stroll around the area and were quickly forced back to the hotel to get jackets. The forecast is for high 50s here all week, so I don’t think I’ll be busting out the Speedo and mesh tanktop until we get further south. However, given where we just came from, as long as it doesn’t rain we’ll consider that a win.

A short walk from where we are staying is Istiklal Avenue, which we stumbled upon while looking for some street food. It is the major pedestrian street in Istanbul, lined with shops and outdoor restaurants, and even on a Monday evening is crowded with people. We make a few stops along the way to sample some different foods with mixed success. The corn in a cup gets a thumbs up (brings back memories of Thailand), and the container served dual duty as a place to yack up the roasted chestnuts that were like eating sand. We also took our first stab at a doner which was so-so, but something we are going to keep working on to find the right way to order it.

I get the sense from all the different bars and tea shops that things can go pretty late in Istanbul, but that will have to wait for another day, as after the long flight, we’re getting pretty sluggish by 9:00. We have absolutely no idea what out plans are for tomorrow, but knowing what a morning person Angela is, I’m sure she’ll be up before sunrise making up a list of destinations.

It seems that either the years are getting shorter or I am going on more vacations, as here we are once again on the eve of departure for another of our annual adventures. Since there are a finite number of the former, I certainly pray its the latter.

This trip, we are on our way to Turkey, flying through Chicago and on to Istanbul. It has been a lot of years since we were in Greece and I tried unsuccessfully to convince my trusty travel companion to go and see the ruins at Ephesus, so its a testament to her evolution as a road warrior that she didn’t even flinch at the prospect of spending three weeks there. After getting sick from undercooked chicken in Malaysia, suffering through a dirty massage in Vietnam, and flying in rickety old airplanes in Indonesia I guess Turkey just doesn’t seem that daunting anymore.

As further validation of our growing comfort in far away lands (or our increasing apathy depending how you look at it), we go into this trip with the least defined plan we have ever had. Out itinerary so far consists literally of fly to Istanbul on the 24th, check into the one hotel we have reserved so far, and then by whatever route ultimately gets us there, be at the airport in Antalya at 6am on the 17th for our flight home. At some point we figure we need to get to Cappadocia, and we have talked about spending a few days on a gulet cruise around the southern coast. Of course we’ll also see the many Greek and Roman ruins throughout the country, but otherwise, we’ll take each day as it comes.

In the lead up to this trip, we’ve come across a surprising number of people that have either been to Turkey, or know someone who has, and for the most part, the feedback is quite encouraging. I am excited to be going as there are sights there I definitely want to see (and food I definitely want to eat), but when I talk about it, something seems just a little off compared to other places we have been. The only thing I can attribute it to is the name itself. Where places like Egypt and China conjure up images of the pyramids and the Great Wall, when I hear the word Turkey, I think of, well, turkeys.

Delicious? Yes. Daring? Mmmm, not so much.

As is always the case, vacations go by WAY too quickly, so here we are on the last full day of our trip. Today’s event is Snuba for Nick and Sam (unfortunately, Joey doesn’t make the cutoff for this one). Snuba is a bit like scuba, where you have weight to help you dive down and a regulator to let you breath, but the tank stays in a raft on the surface, connected by a long hose to the diver. We figure it is a good intro to diving and will give the kids a chance to see how they like being under the water.

Our scheduled time is 2:30, so while we are waiting, we decide to stop at Magic Sands beach. The boys do the usual, and Sam does his best Grandpa Terry impression, deciding it is a good idea to wear his goggles into the surf and having them ripped off his head (they all actually wear them in, just Sam is the lucky one to lose his). Fortunately, the water is fairly crowded and someone finds them in the surf.

At 2:30 we move to the beach where the Snuba is and the kids go through their briefing and get all geared up. They practice for a few minutes in a sheltered area, and then head out onto the reef. We can see the little raft with the air tank on the surface so we know roughly where they are, but for the next 30 minutes, they are 20 feet down. When they get back to the beach, the instructors tells us they did great, and both of them said it was awesome.

Since it is our last night in Hawaii, we let the boys pick the restaurant for a farewell dinner and have a nice meal overlooking the water and the sunset. It is movie night back at the hotel (How to Train Your Dragon), so we pick up a shave ice for dessert and get back just in time.

Our flight tomorrow leaves at 2:00, so we are going to try and get up early one more time to spend a few final hours at the beach. We’ll see how that goes.

For the second day in a row, we are up and out of the hotel by 7:30 (give it up for Ang as this is a new record). As we are heading to the other side of the island to see the volcano again, we added a side trip to go on zip lines through the rainforest. Sam really, really wanted to go on a zip line while he was here, so this one’s to make his wish come true (the first time we were at the volcano, they all threw pennies into one of the steam vents and made a wish).

After the two hour drive along the coast, we arrive at our destination and get a whole set of pleasant surprises. The first is that the guides agree to take Joey (the normal cutoff is 70 pounds, so we planned on he and Ang having to sit out). Second, as the first group of the day they knock a third off the price. And to top it all off, we are the only ones in our time slot, so it ends up being a private tour 🙂

There are a total of 7 zip lines, but two in particular stand out as the boys’ favorites. On the sixth one, once strapped to the line, you run right to the edge of the canyon and jump off into space, flying about 100 feet over a river and waterfall. Then on the seventh, there are a pair of cables where two people race each other.

Our next stop of the day is down the coast, where heat from the volcano has created a number of natural hot pools. The one we end up at is connected to the ocean, so also has a number of fish swimming around. The kids gear up and snorkel for the next couple of hours, free diving to the bottom (even Joey) to see who can bring up the biggest lava rock. The long drive is quickly forgotten as by the time comes to leave, they are asking if we can come back tomorrow.

As it is getting close to sunset, it is time to head to the viewing area for the volcano. We park as close in as we can, then get all geared up for a walk across the lava (the books all recommend long pants, close-toed shoes, and a flashlight). The viewing area is outside the national park, right near a small town (or what used to be a small town) that was overrun by the lava about 15 years ago. A few people have since rebuilt, so there is a paved road now, making the trek no more difficult than walking down the street.

As darkness falls, we are able to see some lava flowing up to the surface, and from time to time, a bush burst into flames. Its pretty cool to see a live volcano, but a little more action would have kicked the experience up a notch. It turns out that on Thursday a new crack opened up near where we are standing and has filled a depression about 30 acres in size in that short time. What was the viewing area two days ago, now sits under 8 feet of new ground.

The crazy thing is that after the park ranger told us there was nothing to see at the viewing area on Thursday, Nick’s wish at the steam vent was for it get more active. His wish came true that very night as the lava broke out, and unfortunately, had we driven down that night anyway, we would have been able to see much more lava on the surface. Still, as I’m 40 and seeing my first live volcano, I can’t feel too sorry that my 10 year old son is seeing a live volcano, but that its not as explosive as what they show on the Discovery channel.

The catch to the fun we had today is that once it is all over, there is still a two and a half hour drive back to the other side of the island and our hotel. The kids sleep through most of it (and from time to time I am tempted to pin them), so as long drives go, it is pretty quiet and uneventful.

We start off early today as our trip back out on the water starts at 7:30. After seeing them all handle the manta trip without any problems, all the kids are signed up for this one, and Ang is so excited she’s like bringing a fourth child along. The water is quite a bit calmer than it was a few days ago which is good as we end up finding a pod of spinner dolphins further offshore than normal.

The general plan for swimming with dolphins is to find a pod, drive the boat ahead of them, jump in the water, and swim along with them as they pass on by. Once they are gone, everyone piles back in the boat and the process starts all over again. The guides tell us that if they are in a particularly playful mood they will stick around and interact with people a bit, but I think that is by far the exception rather than the rule.

The first few passes go pretty much as planned. As we get in the water and look down, about 20 dolphins stream underneath us. Nick and Sam take off on their own to keep up with them as long as they can, while Joey and I join forces to put the power of four flippers to work. In just a few minutes though, the dolphins have left us behind, so its back to the boat.

After a few turns with the first pod, the captain gets word of another, larger group a bit further up the coast, so we have some snacks while he heads off to find them. We find them in a big bay and jump in the water for what will be the best pass of the day. The videographer from the manta trip is with us again and she takes Ang with her this time to try and get her extra close. The bay is much shallower (about 30 feet) and the dolphins are moving much slower, so on this occasion, the pass right by us on either side, and kicking hard, we are even able to keep up with them for awhile.

This pod is heading south towards the harbor, so we stay with them and take a few more turns swimming with them as we head back, but none are as good as the first one, and soon our time is up. We get back to shore right around lunch, and after a quick bite, drive up to a beach one of the guides on the boat told us about. It is a little off the beaten path, and not in any of the books we have, but he says it is where the locals go, and is much closer than the resort beaches further north.

As has become the norm, the kids build sandcastles and play in the surf for hours. As the sun starts to set and the temperature drops, we are one of a rapidly dwindling number of people left, and they still want to stay longer. We have plans to drive back to the volcano tomorrow (a couple we talk to over lunch told us they were there on Friday and were able to see lava flowing so we figure it is worth another try), and will need to be on the road early, so we pry them away nonetheless and set off for the hotel.

The Tour de France may look hard, but vacationing with three young boys is no piece of cake either, so just like the pros, we need rest days too. Given that, not much to report for today. Morning at the pool. Afternoon at Snorkel Beach (which we now call Turtle Beach, since it is the only place we have seen turtles). Dinner at L&L (which does not thrill Ang).

Following on last night’s manta trip, we also booked a return engagement with the tour company we used (Sunshine on the Water) for a dolphin swim tomorrow morning. Just as mantas were on my bucket list, swimming with dolphins in at the top of Ang’s, so she’s been a little giddy today.

After arriving back at the hotel fairly late in the evening, things get moving a little slower than usual in this morning. We don’t have any real plans to start the day, so after breakfast, the kids head down to the pool, and I soon join them for a little Kindle time. By 11:00 though, we are recharged and ready to hit the road – which road is still to be determined.

As I mentioned earlier, swimming with manta rays is a big deal here, and is something on my bucket list, so we decide to call around and see what our options are there. There is a boat the leaves from a dock about 100 yards from our hotel and takes you back pretty much those same 100 yards to snorkel with the mantas right in front of the balcony we watched them from a few nights back. On principle, I have a hard time $100 a person for that little of an effort, so we end up booking with a boat from the main harbor in town under the theory that a sunset ride up the coast will be a nice bonus.

With that out of the way, we have most of the afternoon free, so head north to the resort part of the island where the big beaches are. Driving there, we’re reminded just how much bigger this island is than the others, as what looks fairly close on the map, turns out to be almost 40 minutes away. As promised, the beach is amazing. Wide, sandy, and with waves just the right size for the kids to body surf, it is an easy (ok, very easy) place to spend a few hours. Joey gets braver every day here, and holds his own with his bigger brothers, getting swamped by a wave, only to pop back up a few seconds later and run back in for another go.

On beach days, the boys invariably end up playing a game where they each build a sand fortress just above the surf line (complete with walls, moats and outpost towers) and see whose can survive the longest when the big waves come in from time to time. They can do this all day, so when it is time to go, no one wants to leave. We have a schedule to keep though (the boat won’t wait around for us), so we pile back in the car and drive south the harbor.

Now while hanging out by the pool and relaxing at the beach makes for a good day, it is the night that really takes the cake. Snorkeling with mantas is phenomenal, and easily one of the top 5 things I have ever done. It starts with a 30 mine ride to the site, where the guides talk about mantas and what to expect in the water. Our original plan was for Sam and Joey to stay in the boat, figuring they were a little small for night swimming, but they want to go, and the guides assure us they will be fine, so when darkness falls, everyone jumps in the water.

While its possible to see manta rays during the day, night works the best, as bright lights attract plankton, which in turn attract the mantas that feed on them. The set up here is for all the snorkelers to hold on to a floating ring and shine their flashlights down to bottom, while divers kneel on the ocean floor (about 30 feet down) and shine their lights toward the surface. This creates a concentrated column of light chock full of planktony goodness.

Almost immediately, we see the mantas. These one are medium sized – about 8 feet from wingtip to wingtip, and as you bob along the surface, they come right at you, mouth wide open, scooping in as much food as they can. As they pass through the light column, they arc backwards toward the surface to get ready for another pass which brings their belly literally within inches of yours. Its almost hypnotic to watch a wild animal this big (about 800 pounds) glide through the water repeating this process over and over again, and you lose all track of time.

All the boys do great. For their first time in rougher waters, at night, with something ten times their size bearing down on them, they were amazing. Seeing nature this close up changes you, so to be able to watch them have that experience so young adds an extra layer of awesome for Ang and I.

We don’t have any underwater gear with us to take pictures, but along with our group is a videographer that records the whole thing and I’m sure does a much better job than we could have done, so we order up a copy and will pick it up in a few days once she has had time to splice it all together.