A-Z Guidebook: Zeugma Museum in Southeast Turkey

Z is for Zeugma Museum

For my final contribution to the A-Z Guidebook posts, I’ve dug back into my photo archives from five years ago when we visited the Zeugma Museum located in Gaziantep, southeast Turkey.

In 2012, the museum, less than a year old then, was fascinating because it is the world’s largest mosaic museum – containing 1700m2 of priceless mosaics from the ancient Roman town of Zeugma, which means “bridge” or “crossing” in ancient Greek. 

Wandering through partly reconstructed ancient Roman villas, excavated on-site around the Euphrates river, one can almost travel back in time to nearly 2,000 years ago when Zeugma was a popular trading center along the Silk Road route to China. Zeugma was founded along the river in 300 BC by one of the generals of Alexander the Great and reach its peak in the 3^rd century AD before being abandoned due to raids and earthquakes.

Today, much of the ancient town and its modern counterpart of Belkıs lie under the reservoir created by the construction of one of Turkey's largest dams in 2000. The massive Birecik Dam is located less than a mile from the site. 

Fortunately, international archaeologists were able to save many artifacts and these impressive mosaics before the dam flooded the area. The Zeugma Museum attempts to recreate the atmosphere that once prevailed in this prosperous Roman town. Though you’ll find plenty of Greek and Roman gods preserved in the mosaics, my favorite is the Gypsy Girl, known for her emotive eyes that seem to follow you wherever you go in the dark room where she now lives.

Looking back now, we were very lucky to travel through southeast Turkey when we did. The people we met were wonderful, the food was delicious and the historical sites were memorable. And that is what travel is all about for me!

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures, who has kindly hosted this link-up for the past 26 months! Thank you! Each month featured a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “Z.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more A-Z travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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AZ Guidebook: Yerebatan Cistern in Istanbul

Y is for Yerebatan Saray Sarnıçı in Istanbul

Hidden beneath the historical area of Sultanahmet in Istanbul is one of my favorite sites to show visitors, especially during the hot summer months.

After walking down a few flights of somewhat slippery steps, you’ll find yourself in what is commonly known as the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıç in Turkish) because it lays beneath the Stoa Basilica, a grand Byzantine public square. The cistern also is called the Sunken Palace Cistern (Yerebatan Saray Sarnıçı) because of its gorgeous 336 Byzantine marble columns and impressive size – nearly 9,800 square meters (2.4 acres)!

Did you know that this dark chamber has the capacity to hold near 80,000 cubic meters of water (21 million US gallons) of water?

In fact, when Istanbul was Constantinople, hundreds of Byzantine cisterns were located underneath the old city and were used to store fresh water. The Ottomans used the Yerebatan to supply fresh water to the Topkapı Palace. You can still find a few cisterns around Sultanahmet that are used in restaurants or simply forgotten about.

The Yerebatan Cistern is the perfect retreat from Istanbul’s sweltering summer days. The cavernous room is cool and dark, lit only by lights along the elevated pathway and to illuminate some of the columns. Water droplets of condensation fall down on you as you’re exploring this underground treasure.

I also always imagined that the cistern would be the perfect location to fill a horror movie as well!

Did you that one of the old James Bond movies was filmed in the cistern? Not too long ago, I had to rewatch From Russia With Love especially the scene when Bond is seen rowing a small boat between the cistern’s columns?

When you visit the Yerebatan Cistern, don’t forget to look for the mysterious Medusa-like head as well!

I’m linking this post to the monthly A-Z travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “Y.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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A-Z Guidebook: MeXico Memories

X is for eXcitement in MeXico

Since we’ve never been to China, trying to find a destination that we have visited that started with the letter “X” has been quite challenging.

We’ve explored the ancient Tlos ruins insouthwest Turkey which looks out onto the Xanthos Valley, but we never actually made it to Xanthos itself. We’ve also driven over the ancient Xanthos River (now the Eşen Çayı) which follows the road between Fethiye and Kalkan, but never stopped to take photos.

So for this month’s A-Z Guidebook post, I’m cheating a bit and going with a trip to the Riviera Maya in Mexico, an area stretching from Playa del Carmen to Tulum along the Yucatan Peninsula. Hubby and I took a short vacation to this beautiful resort area about a year before we were married. I received only 10 days of paid vacation when I was working full-time as an American pastry chef on the East Coast so a quick trip to Mexico was the answer to a much-needed sunny vacation.

I love Mexico! I spent a summer studying Spanish in Querétaro City, located in central Mexico, when I was 21. I worked with a lot of Hispanics in the restaurant kitchen’s I worked in and frequently spoke Spanish with them. Sadly, my Spanish is no bueno these days.

On this particular trip, we mainly relaxed and snorkeled at our resort. When you work all day on your feet at a restaurant, you finally just need a break. One of the exciting moments at the resort was attending a special Mayan dance performed by local artists. I suppose the extravagant costumes represented something important in the Mayan culture, but this trip has been so long ago now that I don’t recall the meaning. Still, I got a few good photos and most importantly created some Mexican memories.

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “X.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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A-Z Guidebook: Wrocław’s Market Square

W is for Wrocław's Market Square 

Of all the cities we visited while we lived in Poland, I think that Wrocław is one of the prettiest.

Fortunately, my solo road trip in Lower Silesia in 2015 meant that I got to spend some extra time in Wrocław, which is Poland’s fourth largest city.

Known under dozens of different names as it was passed repeatedly between four countries (there’s a strong German influence here), Wrocław is an architecturally diverse city, which was largely rebuilt after World War II. Ranging from Gothic to Art Nouveau, I can’t resist the marvelously-restored facades of the townhouses surrounding the Market Square. The square is the city’s heart and the maze of cobbled streets, canals, bridges and church spires seem to spin off from here. The market square and the urban grid around it was designed by city planners all the way back in the 13^th century.

In the middle of the square, you’ll find a medieval structure known as the Town Hall (Ratusz) which also dates back to the 13^th century and (surprisingly) was barely damaged during WWII. There’s a large clock on the front and the interesting architecture makes the building look like it’s been pieced together like a puzzle.

Today, Wrocław can be easily reached from most European destinations and is certainly worth exploring for a few days like I did.

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “W.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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A-Z Guidebook: Visiting the Belvedere Palace in Vienna

V is for Vienna

Our trip to Vienna in spring 2015 already feels like nearly a lifetime ago. Moving to two different countries since that trip will do it to you.

Anyway, one of the highlights of this weekend trip was seeing the UNESCO World Heritage Site-listed Belvedere Palace. I had actually visited the palace nearly 10 years ago as part of my first European trip from the US. But being older, and of course wiser now, I feel like I appreciated seeing this beautiful 18th-century palace and ornate gardens so much more now.

The Belvedere consists of two palaces that were built in the early 18th century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt – and meant to be used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736). Inside, the palaces house a fantastic collection of Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages to the present day as well as more modern art from international artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Max Beckmann. Of course, you have to see the glittering Kiss painting by Gustav Klimt. So many tourists!

Unfortunately, we only had 48 hours in Vienna and we spent at least two or three of those hours at the Belvedere and then finding lunch nearby at a classic Austrian restaurant. There’s so much more I still want to see! Luckily, since we are living in London, a trip to Europe is just a click away.

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “V.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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A-Z Guidebook: To Üsküdar by Boat in Istanbul

U is for Üsküdar

Having moved six times in the past 10 years, with four of them international moves, it’s often the simpler things in life that I miss about a place – besides the people we’ve met and befriended.

One such fondness from nearly three years of living in Istanbul is quickly crossing from Europe to Asia in 10 minutes via the iconic yellow-trimmed white vapur (ferry boats). Walking from our apartment in the Beşiktaş neighborhood past all the local stores, we picked up the vapur from the iskele located along the Bosphorus. Once we boarded the boat, the Bosphorus breeze started blowing in my blonde hair. Seagulls chased us, being the scavengers that they are, begging for lil nibbles from other passengers. If you have time, you can even buy a glass of Turkish tea on board.

The quickest way to cross from Europe to Asia is to take the vapur from Beşiktaş to Üsküdar. Boats depart nearly every 10 minutes during the day, so it’s easy to do.

Üsküdar is not a typical neighborhood you would visit as a tourist, necessarily. It’s a more traditional neighborhood with older ladies wearing long trench coats and headscarves going about their normal day-to-day activities. Üsküdar is almost like a village the middle of the giant megalopolis. With just a quick boat ride, you can plunge yourself into a very culturally different atmosphere from the touristic side of the city. It’s a quick trip that I definitely recommend!

 Of course, I couldn't resist having my own glass of Turkish tea while admiring the Kız Kulesi and the city's minaret-studded skyline. Gorgeous!

After looking through some old photos, I’d almost forgotten that Üsküdar is one of the best places to see the Kız Kulesi (Maiden's Tower) – the city’s legendary lighthouse in the Bosphorus. Once you exit the boat dock on the Asian side, follow the coastal road in a southerly direction, walking for 10 minutes or so. Eventually, you’ll find an area filled with benches and Turkish waiters serving up copious amounts of tea.  

This is what I miss – simple moments like this one that I took for granted when I lived in Istanbul.

What do you miss from places you’ve lived before?

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “U.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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A-Z Guidebook: Troy Ruins in Turkey

T is for Troy in NW Turkey

After reading Homer's “Iliad” as teenager, I had high hopes to see the ruins of Troy in person.

So, on our drive to the Turkish wine island of Bozcaada five years ago, we stopped to see the UNESCO historical site of Troy, located along the Aegean Sea on the Çanakkale peninsula.

Sadly, due to earthquakes and archeological lootings over the years, Troy is not as impressive as I had hoped – piles of random stones here and there. If you want to be impressed, head to Pergamon or Aphrodisias instead. Still, Troy is impressive for its age as the oldest ruins date from 3000 BC.

At least you can still see part of the ancient theatre in Troy.

The fact that Troy even exists as a real city also is impressive. Until the 19^th century, many people assumed that Homer's Iliad was fiction. In 1863 a British expatriate named Frank Calvert discovered ancient ruins at a place in western Turkey called Hisarlık and was convinced they were Troy. German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann showed up in 1868, provided money for more digging, and took all the credit for discovering Troy. From what I understand, Schliemann took many of the Troy artefacts, including the “Treasure of Priam” back to Germany, which the Russians stole after WWII. Today, the treasure is still hidden somewhere in Moscow. It seems history is often filled with lots of drama.

Anyway, if you love a good Greek tragedy, it’s worth stopping by to visit Troy. But you’ll have to visit museums in Russia or Germany to see many of the valuable artefacts.

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “T.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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A-Z Guidebook: Departing from Port Douglas Marina in Queensland

Q is for Queensland

During the 14 months we lived Down Under, we only traveled once to Queensland – Australia’s second largest state that covers the continent’s entire northeast.

Queensland’s main attraction is a gorgeous coastline stretching nearly 7,000km that is home to the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system. Although there are dozens of tours exploring the GBR, I think your best option is to depart from Port Douglas.

During our long weekend trip to Queensland, we flew into the city of Cairns and quickly retreated up north to a quiet beach town called Palm Cove, which seemed less touristy than other destinations. I selected a snorkeling tour with Silver Series which allowed a bus pick-up from Palm Cove for an additional cost. The whole point of this trip was to have a relaxing weekend on the beach so we wanted to limit our driving as much as possible.

We quickly departed the bus once we arrived at the Port Douglas Marina and followed through an efficient queue that led us out to our awaiting catamaran. Palm trees and clear blue waters seemed to flank the marina in every direction I looked. I’m sure Port Douglas would have been a pleasant place to stay as well.

Of course the main highlight of this trip was snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef – an experience that we’ll never forget! If you’re looking for more articles about Queensland, then please check out: Dreaming of Palm Trees in Palm Cove, Under the Sea and Snorkeling Among Colorful Coral in the Great Barrier Reef. 

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “Q.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

(Note: Q can be a challenging letter. I thought of previous trips to Quintana Roo and Querétaro in Mexico and of course anything related to Queen Elizabeth or QueenVictoria. Good luck thinking of Q!)

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A-Z Guidebook: Ancient Ruins of Picturesque Pergamon

P is for Pergamon, Turkey

When we lived in Turkey, we tried to visit as many historical sites as we could. We loved taking road trips over the long holiday weekends during the year and exploring the ancient ruins, which I still think are even better than ones in Greece. On one such Turkey trip, we visited the historical site of Pergamon, an ancient Greek city, located 26 km (16 miles) from the Aegean Sea and about 90 minutes north of Izmir.

Pergamon (also called Pergamum) was settled by the Greeks in the 8th century BC, and was ruled by one of Alexander the Great’s generals around 320 BC as part of the Kingdom of Pergamon. The city was given to the Roman Republic in 133 BC to prevent a civil war, and briefly became the capital of the Roman province of Asia before the capital was transferred to Ephesus. The latter history included many different rulers and conquerors as well as a damaging earthquake that pretty much displaced the population. In 2014, Pergamon was added to the UNESCO World heritage list for Turkey.

Pergamon also is considered an important Biblical place as it is cited in the Book of Revelation as one of the Seven Churches of Asia.

As usual, the Greeks picked an excellent natural setting for a theater, with a view that extends for miles and would have included Aegean Sea views approximately 2,000 years ago. The acropolis of Pergamum covers a steep hilltop, so you can only imagine how much Greek and Roman civil engineering work went into creating this amazing structure!

Just hanging out at the ancient Greek theater at Pergamon, Turkey.

Another interesting fact is that Pergamum was a great center of learning and once had a huge library of 200,000 scrolls that were (probably and unfortunately) given to Cleopatra by Marc Antony as a wedding gift in 41 BC. At least, you can still see the remains of the library here today.

During our visit, we simply enjoyed walking around the site of Pergamon on our own and taking photos as often as possible. It still amazes me how many historical sites like this Turkey has and that locals as well as archaeologists are still discovering these today such as a Poseidon mosaic recently found in southwestern Turkey.

Location:

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “P.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to link up your own!

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A-Z Guidebook: Visiting Marseille’s Basilica and Fish Market

M is for Marseille

If you wake up around sunrise during summer months in Marseille, you can avoid the crowds and enjoy both the city’s lovely basilica and bustling fish market.

Two years ago during our French road tripwith our grandparents, we spent one night in the Vieux Port (Old Port) of Marseille. While I had imagined a quaint seaside town with relaxing strolls along the waterfront, the reality was quite different. We encountered horrendous traffic from the Marseille airport into the city, and then the hotel and its parking garage was impossible to find along many one-way streets. Let’s just say by the time we arrived at our hotel, everyone was irritated and needed a drink!

Still, one of the highlights of our short stay in Marseille was our early morning 2-km walk uphill to see the picturesque Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica. Perched on a hilltop south of Vieux Port, this Catholic church features a panoramic view of Marseille, the mountains, the Mediterranean Sea and nearby islands in the distance. The views alone are worth the strenuous hike uphill!

Built between 1853 and 1864, this Romanesque-Byzantine style basilica is decorated with colored marble and many murals depicting the safe passage of sailing vessels and superb mosaics. The structural elements inside reminded us of many churches and churches turned mosques that we’ve seen in Turkey.

After exploring the hilltop, we wandered downhill to find a patisserie and refueled with a dose of sugar and caffeine. To my delight, we arrived back in the port just in time to watch the fishermen setting up for Marseille's outdoor Fish Market (Le Marché de la Pêche). The market is held every morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. How I wish we had a kitchen to cook some of this amazingly fresh seafood!

To me, this image really sums up the Marseille fish market!

If hubby and I ever return to Marseille, I doubt we’d be staying in the touristy port area. We like more off-the-beaten path locations, but this sufficed for our grandparents for one night and that’s all that matters.

I’m linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow Australian blogger, at TiffinBite Sized Food Adventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “M.” Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories!

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A-Z Guidebook: Izmir Konak Square

If you’re a regular reader, you’re probably wondering how I ventured back to a Turkish post.

Well, I’ve decided to join a monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow travel blogger, based in Brisbane, Australia, Tiffin Bite Sized FoodAdventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter “I.” I know I’m joining in a bit late so I won’t cover letters A-H, but I thought this link up would push me to publish a few more of my thousands of travel photos. The trick is to only chose ONE photo per post.

It would be easy to write about Istanbul as I’ve done so often on the blog. However, I thought I’d feature a different Turkish city – Izmir, the country’s third largest city.

I is for Izmir, Turkey

During the three years we lived in Turkey, I visited this Aegean coastal city on three separate occasions. My Izmir trips coincided with visits to Çeşme, Kuşadası and then lastly the Greek island of nearby Samos. As I looked back through my photos, I realize we hardly gave Izmir a chance. I should have spent more time wandering the city’s cobblestone streets or along the seafront.

At least, we spent some time in one of the city’s main highlights – the Konak Square (Konak Meydanı). This busy square is located at the southern end of Atatürk Avenue and is named after the Governor’s Mansion or Vali Konağı. The singular word konak means mansion in Turkish.

In the middle of this square is the ornate Izmir Saat Kulesi, a historic clock tower designed by a Levantine French architect and built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan SultanAbdülhamid II's accession to the throne. Interestingly, the clock was a gift from German Emperor Wilhem II who also has a fountain in Sultanahmet’s Square named after him.

Izmir itself is a lovely city and definitely deserves its own time for a longer visit. Pop on over to my blogger friends at Turkey’s for Life to read about their numerous tips for visiting Izmir.

Join me in March for the letter "J"!

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