A heart full of Turkey

Bus, train, bus, plane.

My Year of Madness was drawing to a close and I was madly rushing to get my fill of each country before The Boy and I forced our backpacks shut and stumbled onto the next.

But we did grow travel weary and struggled to keep our enthusiasm up, sometimes opting for exploring the food-and-drink side of the cities rather than the historical sides. Not a bad option though when you consider that we stumbled upon this fancy little restaurant/opera room while walking around Belgrade.

Little Bay restaurant, Belgrade, Serbia

But it was Turkey which succeeded in taking my breath away.

Not quite part of Europe and not quite part of Asia I wasn't sure about what to expect but had vague notions of a country with cities rapidly sprouting up everywhere and a chaotic Asia-like speed to it with cars and scooters racing around at break-neck speeds.

Emerging from Istanbul's Ataturk airport at 9pm I definitely wasn't expecting a modern city with a tranquil atmosphere. Breathtaking monuments in the distance were lit up with a soft golden light and the crowded streets and market places flashed by as I sat with my tired head resting against the window of the tram.

But even in the Friday night buzz Istanbul was still peaceful. And this peace permeated the entire country. What's more the people were kind, friendly and helpful and the country itself was stunning.

Anzac Cove, Gallipoli

The Boy at an ANZAC cemetery

Wooden horse of Troy, Troia

Trojan amphitheatre

Afternoon at Pergamon

Library façade at Ephesus

The mineral flats of Pamukkale

Two weeks of wandering and wondering, exclaiming, exploring and dreaming and I still wasn't done with the country which was tough luck for me because I had a mighty long plane ride booked in to take me back to the land of Oz.

Sunset in Cappadocia

Exploring

Fairy chimneys, Cappadocia

View from the top

Medusa eyes

Hagia Sofia

Inside the palace harem, Istanbul

Inside Hagia Sofia

The Blue Mosque

Istanbul Grand Bazaar

Spices

The throngs outside

It's been nearly a week since I left Turkey and I'm still at a loss for words about how to describe it beyond simply amazing, and I'm already imagining about what I would do with another two months there.

But that's the beauty of travel, isn't it?

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