Cycling tour and sightseeing

The cycling tour that we did in Cappadocia was just great, probably the best one I've ever had. The asphalt roads were really good, it was mostly a slight downhill and cycling on even terrain, with only a little bit of climbing. We saw plenty of places of interest on our way, we passed through some remote Turkish villages. And probably the most important - the landscape was very diverse and extremely beautiful.

Our starting point for both cycling and trekking tours was Goreme. The whole region is famous for its unique rock formations - the fairy chimneys. They represent nature rock columns or conås, up to 25 - 30 m. high and 10 -12 m. in width. Some of the fairy chimneys before were used as homes. There are some real apartments carved into the rocks. Like 20 - 30 years ago people have been still living in there. But then all this area was declared a National Park. Now they have some small hotels and restaurants into those rock cones. It's really funny - it's like Fred Flintstone's living area.

We started cycling from the large plateaus of Cappadocia, where there were some flat parts for like 10 km. and even more. Cappadocia represents a vast territory of even terrains, valleys and canyons with rivers .We have passed through some beautiful hills and by some stunning peaks ( 3750 - 3800 m. a. s. l. ) . The highest point for the whole cycling trip was at 2120 m. a. s. l. at the top of an oval hill.

On our way we saw several rock monasteries. In Derinkuyu town we have visited a very interesting underground monastery ( city ). The monastery goes 60 m. down and has 8 underground floors. All the halls and rooms are connected with a complex system of narrow corridors and stairs, plus a ventilation system. On the bottom floor used to be the church. I wouldn't live down there, I would feel like buried. It's strange to me how people used to live in such holes under the ground.

The last day of cycling was awesome. We have climbed up at 1050 m. a. s. l. and then it was only downhill for the next 35 km. We've passed through beautiful ridges and hills, small villages, vineyards, palm and citrus fields. In another 13 km. we ended up the cycling day and whole cycling tour at the Mediterranean Sea coast. What a perfect end of a six day cycling trip!

As for cycling security I would recommend cyclist to watch out with Turkish drivers. They just don't respect the traffic ordinance, especially in towns and villages. The itinerary we have made is on isolated asphalt roads, but it's always good to watch out.

The asphalt roads we were cycling on were in a very good condition.

Our first stop after we were done with the cycling tour was Antalia - a city with around 700 000 people and at the same time the biggest Turkish sea resort. I would highly recommend Antalia to every visitor. Antalia is a place where the mountain with its steep ridges meets the sea. The city has a charming old town and lovely Marine gardens with a waterfall falling into the sea.

Next we went to Pamukkale ( Cotton fortress ) - one of the most visited places in Turkey. The slopes over there are all covered in white because of the warm mineral water ( full of calcium ) running all over the place. There are some small terrace-like pools as well. At the top of the hill you can go for a swim in an outside swimming pool, the bottom of which is covered with some Roman columns and ruins. Very original, swimming through history. Pretty expensive though - 10 Euro. Further up you can see some Roman remains and a Roman amphitheater.

After Pamukkale we went to Oludeniz ( Dead sea ). There is a picture of it on the cover of the Lonely Planet's guide book on Turkey. We were told that this is the most beautiful place on the Turkish Riviera. And it's really a paradise spot. It's a small and quiet resort by a beautiful bay. The mountain meets the sea there, and there is a lagoon ( The Blue lagoon ) surrounded by a nice park. I would definitely like to go there again in the summer time, during the high season.

Efes is a great place for ruins lovers. According to the guide book that's one of the best sites on Earth to see well preserved remains from Roman times. But me and Petia we were more excited to go to the beach after Efes ( nearby the famous sea resort of Kusadasi ). The most popular beer in Turkey is named after Efes as well.

We spend a night in Bursa ( 1,2 million ) - a city with a lot of immigrants from Bulgaria ( Bulgarian Turkish ). We were told that half of the population knows Bulgarian. It was very nice to hear the waiter or the pension keeper talking to us in Bulgarian. In the morning we headed towards Istanbul, our last stop in Turkey.

Istanbul is really big, more than 10 million live there. I liked very much the view from the bridge connecting Europe with Asia. We have visited the Blue mosque and the church St. Sofia. Both of them are very beautiful.

One of the most attractive places in Istanbul is the famous covered market - Kapala Charsi . It was closed when we were there, but we found another commercial street nearby. It was so colorful, busy and noisy. Crowded with tourists and retailers speaking any language and trying to sell their stuff for the highest amount of money. One thing you should know about Turkey and especially Istanbul - you have always to negotiate about the final price. And if they tell you that a thing costs 10 Liras you have to start the negotiations from 3 Liras. And finally you'll get the merchandise for 3,4 or 5 Liras, not more.

Roads, vehicles, signs

Roads in Turkey are in good condition. As I've read about Turkey they have the best road system in the Middle East.

The most common car is Renault 12, very old model ( from the beginning of 70's, which was produced in Turkey until several years ago ). Renault and FIAT are the most popular brands, being produced in the country.

The most popular petrol station chain is the Turkish "Petrol ofisi". Second place is for "Shell", "BP" is pretty big too.

One funny story : at the entrance of a small town we've noticed a police car to the left. But when we approached we saw that it wasn't a car at all, only a very good copy of it, flat, made out of metal, painted in the same colors as a Turkish police car. It was like a big road sign. It works with people from other regions, but not with the local ones, that's for sure.

Signs in English all over Turkey are really funny :

"Suffer to open" ( on a sliding restaurant door ), means that it's hard to open the door.
"For bidden for TIR" ( road sign ), means that it's forbidden for TIRs
"Children cannot swim" ( by the swimming pool in Pamukkale ), means that it's not allowed for children .

The signs in French are full of mistakes as well. It seems that Turkish don't care too much about correct translation.

I was surprised when I saw some retailers selling fruits on the highway. It looks like they don't think much about the danger they are exposed to.

Food and restaurants

Turkish cuisine is pretty close to the Bulgarian one. It's tasty but the chilli meals are pretty common. Of course no pork meat at all ( you can find pork only in some restaurants in the big cities ), mainly mutton, veal and chicken. But don't expect a lot of food on your plate. Usually the meal portions in Turkey are small. A classic Turkish meal would include shepherd's salad, lentil soup, "sis kebap ", and for dessert some of the many Turkish pastry stuff flooded in sugar syrop like " baklava " or " tolumba ". But Turkish desserts are extremely sweet. I had one tolumba and for the next 2-3 days I didn't feel any need to eat anything sweet. Usually Turkish people finish their lunch or dinner with coffee or tea. They drink black tea in small glasses ( flasks ). And when you go out of a Turkish restaurant, at the exit, they pour some eau-de-Cologne in your hands.

In some restaurants they don't have the prices listed on the menu. I think this is because in this way it's easier to cheat the clients.

Service in Turkish restaurants is extremely fast. The fastest I've ever experienced. The waiters were so quick that I was feeling uncomfortable that I was losing their time while thinking what to order. And usually 2 or 3 persons serve one table. We were told that there is also a big number of waitresses but for 7 days in Turkey I haven't seen even one waitress, only men.

Turkish bread in restaurants is to die for. It's home made, flat and usually round or oval. In a restaurant in Goreme we were served a bread which was like one meter long.

You have to know that they don't serve alcohol in every restaurant. Alcohol is cheaper than in Western Europe, but much more expensive than in Bulgaria.

We have stopped once in a small town to have lunch. I bought some Turkish pastry and I was kind of surprised when I received my lunch wrapped in a newspaper. After I was done with my lunch I couldn't read the news though.

People, customs and superstitions

Turkish people are really nice and warm. They are friendly, smiling and always ready to help. Even if they don't know you they will smile at you, will say " hello ", will shake hands with you, will even give you a hug. But they are ready to cheat you as well, especially if you are a foreigner ( tourist ). At our first contact with Turkey, at a " Shell " petrol station they tried to cheat us with 5 Euro. The guy was smiling at us and at the same time trying to cheat. Further down at the highway entrance they calculated the entrance fee at a very unprofitable exchange rate : 1,1 Turkish lira for one US dollar, instead of 1,3 Turkish lira for a dollar. When it's about 100 dollar bill it matters.

For our last day in Goreme our hosts have prepared a special Turkish night for us with some barbecue, Turkish live music and dances. It was just great! I was kindly surprised when our Turkish guide for the cycling trip got up at 4 o'clock in the morning just to say good bye to us.

I would say that Turkey is not the best place for women at all. In small towns and villages it's difficult to see a woman outside or in a bar ( in day bars I haven't seen even one woman ). It seems that Turkish men keep their wifes in their houses. I have the feeling that according to their philosophy women have only to raise children, to cook and to clean the house. Of course the situation is different in the cities where women are more equal to men and you can see them everywhere.

It's very weird how Turkish men kiss each other on the streets. First it's strange that men kiss each other, second that they do that on the street and third - actually it's not a kiss at all. They just touch their cheeks, both of them. And that's it.

You can see the wish Masallah" everywhere in Turkey. "Masallah" means : "Let Allah keeps you" or "Let Allah be with you". You can see that wish written on their houses, cars, buses etc.

Another thing which is pretty common is the Blue eye which protects Turkish from evil. Usually it's made out of glass and it's a circle in different sizes. It has a black small circle in the middle surrounded with light blue, dark blue and white rings. You can see this stuff everywhere as well. Once I saw a truck which was all painted in these colors. Very well protected truck I believe.

One other thing which is very popular in Turkey is the face of Kemal Attaturk - the father of modern Turkey. He westernized and modernized the country. His posters and statues are all around the country - in shops, restaurants, bars, on billboard etc. I suppose Turkish people are very grateful to Attaturk for the things he has done for the nation.

Turkey is a land of colors, that's for sure. You can see all kinds of colors everywhere - on their famous rugs, on pillow cases, clothes, hats, restaurants, houses, vehicles. Something which impressed me much were the new apartments buildings they have. In the suburbs of the cities Turkish have built many brand new districts, with apartment buildings which are like 10 - 15 floors high. And every building is painted in a different color. It's like a " LEGO " blocks game. Some of the colors are kitsch, but some of them are really nice. One thing is sure - it's a nice view.

In conclusion I would say that Turkey is a great country which offers everything what an outside activities lover would like to experience. This marvellous country with its colorful splendour and incredible charm will surprise pleasantly every visitor.