We interrupted this year’s French floating fun to spend three weeks with friends on an Overseas Adventure Travel excursion in Turkey. We had been (briefly) in Istanbul 10 years ago on our way back from Africa but that was just a taste.
Istanbul and Cappadocia
We arrived in Istanbul on June 1 and spent a few days touring the usual sites (along with a lot of other tourists) before flying to Cappadocia.
We toured the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace and saw lots and lots of cats. They really love cats here.
We managed to get in a couple of early morning runs (it gets hot pretty quickly) and I jumped into the Sea of Marmara after one of them. Not exactly Lord Byron swimming the Hellespont but very refreshing.
After a few days in Istanbul our group hopped a plane to Kayseri in Cappadocia with its famous cave dwellings and underground cities. Our first morning in Urgup we did a sunrise balloon ride.
One evening we went to a demonstration of the Sufi mystic practice of meditative dancing (Whirling Dervishes).
OAT makes a point on their tours of interacting with the local cultures. We had lunch with a family in a small town near Kayseri and then dinner with a family in Antalya.
On our long bus ride to Antalya we made a brief detour to see the ancient Greek/Roman theater of Aspendos. One of the best preserved ancient theaters in Turkey, and it’s still in use.
The Gulet
From Antalya we travelled to Fetihye where we boarded a traditional Turkish Gulet (the “Halil Aga I”) for four days of coastal cruising.
She was about 60 feet long with 8 staterooms, each with a private bath. The beds were comfortable but we never slept in them – because of the heat we slept on deck. There was a captain and a crew of three (cook, first mate and a helper).
They never put up the sails which was a little disappointing.
Ephesus
Our last adventure was a tour of Ephesus and the Ephesus Museum. Ephesus is on the big cruise ship route so there were a lot of people but it was still fascinating.
And always remember to use the correct pose for photographing ancient Turkish ruins..
Our Adventures 
that is amazing. Who knew, cats? Looks hit and gorgeous. Sea looks refreshing
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