A Girls Trip to Istanbul and Cappadocia

It has been said that life begins at 40!. If it gets you to go on a girls’ trip, then sure why not!. But if you are one of those that thinks age is just a number, I disagree because this very number tells you where you are in life. There is also another saying, that with age you get wiser which is true right? So by that logic how can age just be a number. In fact at 40, you may feel on no mans land. In your mind you do feel that you have come half way in life and thats what results in a mid life crisis. 40 is also the age where you feel more accomplished of achieving certain goals or responsibilities and these could be related to either work or home. Blah, Blah, Blah we can go on and on…. but honestly, who cares!

It took no convincing, my girlfriends to go on a trip to Turkey. We have been friends for almost 30 years so that sounded super exciting. Before we knew it we were on a flight to Istanbul. On a lighter note, when you think of Turkey its position is quite similar to number 40. It is not fully Europe, not fully Asia and with its troubled neighbours it is a confused nation! Hell no!

The very name Istanbul excites everyone. The city is so vibrant and full of character that our adrenalin on our Turkish Airlines flight from Mumbai to Istanbul was gushing. But we were not headed straight to Istanbul, we had a connecting flight to Goreme, Cappadocia.

Before boarding our connecting flight we were awaiting the arrival of one our friends from Dubai. So we parked ourselves in one of the airport cafes and started our Turkish trip with Turkish beer called EFES. We found it quite light and flavourful and it became our companion for the entire trip. Then hell broke loose and we went hysterical on our friends’ arrival and off we went to Goreme.

Spectacular Cappadocia

We landed at the Kayseri International airport which is around 60 kms from Goreme. We took a taxi, and the drive was around one and half hour. We left the airport quite late and upset because the luggage of two of our friends did not arrive. Turkish airlines was quite helpful and made sure the luggage reached our hotel next morning. We stayed at the Goreme Suites hotel. We were travelling in the month of July and is very hot in Goreme so we were not sure about the air-conditioning in cave hotels. But there are numerous cave hotels you can opt for, for a great experience. The Goreme Suites is also fantastic with great views of Goreme National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Goreme is a small town located in the Cappadocia region of central Turkey with a spectacular landscape. The Goreme valley and its surroundings are sanctuaries of rock formations that were entirely sculpted by erosion. A short trek up these rock formations give you fabulous views of the valley. For some adventure we took an ATV or a Quad tour to explore the valley. It was super fun and highly recommended. We then headed to a Turkish bath for a rejuvenating Spa experience. A trip of Goreme is incomplete without Hookah. It is made and served with so much love that you must not miss it for anything.

Then came the ‘Girls just Wanna have fun’ moment which is to go shopping. Women can go shopping on planet Venus too! so there can be no girls trip in the history of mankind where shopping does not happen. The quiet lanes and streets of Goreme were so colourful with lovely hats, pretty clutch bags, Turkish souvenirs, stunning hand woven carpets, beautiful crockery uff! we totally went berserk!.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

One morning we booked a ride on the hot air balloons which is the most recommended thing to do in Cappadocia. This was quite an OMG moment. We set off at sunrise and drifted off above the region’s volcanic spires. The rays of the sun falling on these formations created spectacular hues of light. There were so many hot air balloons of various colours in the air, the whole ambience was quite breathtaking. Cappadocia might be the only place in the world where hundreds of hot air balloons fly every morning. This is an experience of a lifetime. The cost of a ride is approximately 150 euros per person which is around 2400 Turkish Lira. If you do not wish to be packed in with the crowd you can also rent a hot air balloon privately so that you can move around freely without anyone obstructing your view. Make sure you book with a well known certified company with good pilots as mishaps can happen, though they have taken every step to ensure your safety. Then we celebrated with a glass of sparkling wine on landing. The experience was quite magical and a must do when in Cappadocia.

After 3 lovely days in Goreme with a sad heart we departed onto our onward journey to the most awaited part of our trip, Istanbul.

Istanbul, an amalgamation of cultures

My heart skips a beat when I think of Istanbul. Its geographical location is simply breathtaking. Formerly Constantinople, the city is the largest in Turkey and its on the Bosphorus Strait with a part in Europe and a part in Asia. Lots of empires ruled Constantinople so the cultural influences in the old city of Turkey are very diverse.

We stayed on the European side at the stylish Story Hotel Pera just 50 meters away from the famous Istiklal street. We were so excited that we just dumped our bags in the hotel room and strode off drinking EFES to explore the much talked about Istiklal street and Taksim Square. Instantly we were transported to Europe. The sight of trams running up and down, the vibes were similar to any city centre of most European countries. They were bands playing lovely music long past the night and we had a gala time dancing on the streets of Istanbul. We went pub hopping and exploring night life and finally wound up at the Hard Rock Cafe which I realised has permanently closed at the time of writing this blog which is really sad because we have lovely memories at HRC.

Totally hung over with all the clubbing the previous night we left late morning for the Hagia Sophia an iconic mosque in Istanbul. It was formerly a church of Holy Wisdom. It is a place of worship built in Byzantine Architecture. The building reflects the religious changes that happened over centuries with minarets and inscriptions of Islam and the lavish mosaics of Christianity.

With the soaring heat and the blaring sun right on our face, it was time to do some girly things. So we headed back to our hotel for a facial! One of our friends, carried handmade facial packs for us on the trip. So we put our feet up, relaxed in the room and cracked silly jokes while applying the facial pack and cucumber slices on our eyes to cool off. To top it off this crazy friend gave us a nice facial massage. Well, what our friends for!

In the evening, we headed to the Grand Bazaar. Our eyes popped seeing this largest and the oldest covered market in the world. My eyes were glued to the Turkish plates of all sizes and colours. The display was so stunning just couldn’t pick my favourite. After trying out lots of permutations and combinations, I picked 3 beautiful decorative plates for the wall to take back home. In the market, there were artefacts, jewellery, leather bags, carpets, lamp shades, jackets, shoes, the list goes on and on. All of it was local, inspired by an influence of different cultures.

There were so many stores selling the famous Baklava with tons of different flavours. The baklava dates back to the Ottoman Empire and is a must try for everyone who has a sweet tooth. The doner which is similar to a shawarma is a must try too. For meat eaters, Turkey is a food paradise but we are vegetarians so we ended up eating a lot of pizza, donors, hummus and salad.

A Boat Ride on the Bosphorus and Topkapi Palace

The Bosphorus is a scenic and historic waterway separating Europe and Asia. We took a boat ride for 90 minutes on the glittering Bosphorus Straits. It is quite a nice experience, as the sun goes down and the boat cruises past some iconic monuments in Istanbul. We got a glance of the Topkapi Palace, Golden Horn and the Ortakoy Mosque. We took great pictures under the legendary bridge that connects Asia and Europe.

Next morning we headed to the Topkapi Palace and museum. This huge palace was the imperial residence of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. It holds an extensive collection of books and manuscripts in the library. There are 4 courtyards in the premises and each courtyard served different purposes. We took half a day to explore the entire palace. The lines can be quite long so we went quite early to beat the long queues. To enter the Harem and the Hagia Irene church, the tickets need to be purchased separately. We enjoyed every bit of this magnificent palace with massive history of the 30 sultans that ruled for around 4 centuries from the Topkapi Palace. Every three years successive sultans renovated and expanded the palace which is quite evident in the changing Islamic, Ottoman and European architecture styles and decorations.

Two hours before heading to the airport each of us headed back to Istiklal street separately. The last minute shopping ensured we left no stone unturned and jammed our bags until they could burst!. Once we reached the airport and checked-in we were all happy on the wonderful time we had and looking grim as it was hitting us hard that we were heading back. Well that’s the beauty of life.

The fact that we had turned 40 brought us so much joy that we felt liberated and excited of our next wonderful phase of life. It has been 8 wonderful years since our trip and we have enjoyed every bit of these years that are full of great memories. We are already planning our next trip which is due in a couple of years so until then Hoscakal! (means goodbye or stay well in Turkish)