Turkey Traveller

Black Cat Coffee came highly recommended to me as the best coffee in  Eskişehir and certainly didn't  disappoint . At first glance Black Cat Coffee is a fairly ramshackle affair in an endearing kind of way that adds to its charm. Its back street location a little away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre is refreshing as you can sit on a  relatively quiet pavement, chatting and smoking undisturbed.  The coffee house is filled with a collection of random objects and mismatched furniture that suggests that its primary purpose is the serving of quality coffee. The staff are relaxed and friendly and the service is unhurried in a good way, the coffee itself is superb with a decent selection of coffee beans from around the world, e ach cupful of coffee is freshly ground just before it's served (apparently this is where the magic lies).  Price wise it is also well worth a visit at just 5TL for a latte. Located in  Eskibağlar mahallesi Bayd...

So I finally experienced my first earthquake, I had already accepted that it was likely that I would eventually experience one as it seems and unlikely that I would be able to spend this much time in Turkey without it happening at some point. We were having a pleasant sunny afternoon stroll in Kaş when the earthquake struck. Walking down a fairly steep hill in the old part of town my wife suddenly lost her footing in a weird way, I asked if she wanted me to take the pushchair but the atmosphere was odd and she just stared down the hill suddenly turning to me saying “earthquake”. Simultaneously the Earth emitted a low groan and absolutely everything began to shudder causing me to stumble slightly. The main quake was over in a matter of seconds but the area seemed to continue to vibrate in an almost imperceptible way, for some time after you clearly see light fittings vibrating. Obviously this caused a degree of panic and within a minute everyone was in the street. The people who had...

The modern town of Bergama is not particularly picturesque town and I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a destination from which too base your holiday, however it has a fascinating history making it perfect for a day trip.  The older part of the town has some old style town houses and its not overly touristy so can be a nice place to observe the Turks going around their day to day business. Attractions at Bergama include two large archaeological sites, a museum of archaeology and a gargantuan brick temple earmarked as the throne of the devil in the coming Armageddon. Museum of Archaeology in Bergama The museum at Bergama is well established having been built on the orders of Fevzi Çakmak in 1932. Recently it has been refurbished to a high standard. The exhibits are mostly from nearby Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman remains. Outside the front of the museum there is a collection of sculptures and decoratively carved Islamic tombs and grave markers. Inside there are m...

The Bonjour Pansiyon in Ayvalik is an interesting bed & breakfast situated in a restored house that Formerly belonged to the French ambassador to the Sultan. The house is deceptively big and somewhere in this building there are 12 rooms. Restored to a high standard with lots of interesting original features and added decorative items gives the place a romantic old world feel. The ceilings have also been decorated with some authentic looking frescos. The rooms are basic as you would expect, nicely decorated and include air con/heating. There are shared bathroom facilities throughout the pansiyon. Breakfast is served in a walled courtyard and includes, bread, local olives, cheese, eggs, Turkish fried bread, jams, honey and hot and cold beverages. We paid 45 YTL per person per night including breakfast, the pansiyon is located about 5 minutes walk from the otogar (bus station) at this address Fevzi Cakmak Cad. Cesme Sok. No:5,  .

Turkish coffee ( Türk kahvesi ) is extremely strong, dark and bitter. Prepared using finely ground roasted coffee beans that have been slowly heated to boiling in a small pot called a cezva . Turkish coffee is always served black and the sugar is added whilst the coffee is being boiled. If you want it with sugar order şekerli without sugar is sade or plain. Turkish coffee is sipped slowly and is so thick that the bottom of the cup is normally an undrinkable dark sludge, if your lucky enough to be drinking with a group of Turkish women they will often turn the cup upside down on the saucer allow the sludge to run down the sides and dry, ten minutes later the will read your coffee fortunes ( Falına Bakmak ) predicting your future by the patterns and pictures left in the dried coffee. If you want more European/Western style coffee order Nescafe, recently you will also find European style coffee shops selling caffe latte and cappuccino's. .

Gemiler Island also known as the Island of St Nicholas is located on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey between Olu Deniz and Fethiye. The Island is only small approximately 1000m long by 400m wide but that small area is littered with the remains of an historic monastic retreat containing among other things the original resting place of St Nicholas. The Island offers the perfect opportunity to take a break from sunbathing and spend an hour exploring the medieval remains, that for centuries attracted pilgrims from all over Christendom. On the island are the remains of four churches, related religious buildings, Byzantine dwellings, harbour, cistern, stone tombs, graveyard and ceremonial passageway. The views from the top of the Island across the Mediterranean and back inland are also quite stunning and well worth the walk. The Tomb of St Nicholas St Nicholas better known now days as Father Christmas or Santa Claus was the Bishop of Myra, which is just a few miles from from Gemiler Isl...

This is a sponsored post in courtesy of The Pen Company Ottoman calligraphy began its life when the Turks migrated from Central Asia towards Asia Minor coming into contact with Islam along the way, they abandoned the traditional Uyghur text and adopted a hybrid written language based on Persian and Arabic tradition. In Islamic theology the text of the Qur'an is considered sacred as it is the word of Allah himself as revealed to the prophet Muhammed. This combined with the fact that artworks picturing human and animal forms are prohibited, meant that calligraphy as an art form flourished in the Ottoman empire with the most impressive works being undertaken in Istanbul. Istanbul became the capital of the Ottoman state in 1453 after Fatih Mehmet took the city effectively ending the Byzantium empire. Within Istanbul there are many fine examples of Turkish calligraphy one of the most famous being engraved in 1478 over the imperial gate at Topkapi palace by Ali Sofi a calligrapher in t...

Hisaronu is a holiday resort situated between Fethiye and Olu Deniz a few kilometres inland from the beautiful Mediterranean coast. It somewhat resembles a really cheap, tacky English seaside resort that's been uprooted and dumped on Turkey's Turquoise Rivera, expect bars and restaurants with English themes, menus, clientèle, lots of sport bars, tattoo parlours, karaoke, beer bellies, and more people wearing St Georges flags and union jack paraphernalia then I thought possible outside of some kind of surreal patriotic nightmare. Walking down the main street in the evening is not dissimilar to a visit to any British town centre on a Saturday night, there is a party atmosphere, neon lights, locals touting day trips and trying to beckon you into their establishment, bar after bar in which to wile away the evening relaxing to the thumping disco music. All in all for me it represents everything that is bad about mass tourism, and certainly isn't a destination to consider if you...

 More about Eskisehir: Eskisehir Sivrihisar Yazilikaya Platform/Midas City .

I heard yesterday that the beautiful and impressive train station at Haydarpaşa was damaged by fire at the end of last month. The Haydarpasa station is one of the most instantly recognisable landmarks in Istanbul and well loved by travellers, Turks and Istanbulites alike. The last most westerly train station in Asia where you can catch a train that travels the Hejaz Railway which terminates in Medina running via Syria and Jordan before arriving in Saudia Arabia. The Haydarpasa terminal sits on the shoreline built on reclaimed land overlooking the Bosphorus. It is a terrible shame for Istanbul and I hope the Turkish government will make every effort to return this splendid building to it's former glory. The fire started on 28 th of November in the middle of the afternoon, the damage is mostly to the roof and the fourth floor. No people were injured.                       ...

Kayaköy (stone village) A fascinating and eerie ghost town lies in the hills between Olu Deniz and Fethiye hastily abandoned when its Greek population was repatriated in 1923 after the Greco-Turkish war. Since then the town has been left bare to the elements and hundreds of intact but roofless houses sit empty staring across the valley. For 8YTL you can wander the houses, shops, schools, windmills, tavernas and churches of this beautiful and serene place. Entering the houses is weird as you get a feeling of being somewhere you shouldn't be, as if someone had left their front door open and you took it upon yourself to nose around. Even the goats that wander the village chewing on weeds have a tendency to look at you like an unwelcome interloper. The absence of sound is striking and even though we were virtually the only visitors we still spoke in hushed tones. Its like a community in stasis except without the people and its not much of a push of the imagination to picture the narr...

Faralya Art house is a beautiful pension nestled halfway up the Kabak valley with stunning views over the surrounding mountains and Mediterranean sea. Faralya Art House is the perfect place to spend time peacefully relaxing and soaking up the natural atmosphere. The rooms are basic and there is a shared bathroom, breakfast consists of bread, olives, local honey, cheese and eggs. Evening meals are available if you pay a little extra. Faralya Art House is quite isolated and there is only a rough track from the main road to pension so its best not to take loads of luggage without making some kind of pick up arrangement first, as struggling halfway down a mountain in the blistering heat with a large suitcase can be a little tiresome (I speak from experience). Due to the isolated position of Faralya it is not suitable for everyone if you want clubs, restaurants and shopping then its probably not for you although these are all just a short Dolmus ride away. If you like trekking, swimming, d...

Faralya a beautiful and isolated village nestled in stunning mountains that rise from the Mediterranean sea about 15km along the coast from Olu Deniz. Faralya is a perfect destination to escape from the unpleasant over development and mass package tourism of Hisaronu, Ovacik and Olu Deniz. There are no large hotels or developments just small hotels, pensions and camp-sites. Faralya is a beautiful place to relax in peaceful surroundings and a natural environment, great for hiking, deserted beaches, breath taking views, swimming and chilling out. It is also located on the Lycian way a famous trekking route that stretches from Fethiye to Antalya through the heart of the ancient Lycian culture that was voted one of the 'world's top ten walks' by the Times. There are no restaurants, pubs, nightclubs and just a few small grocery stores. Until fairly recently Faralya was almost completely inaccessible from the outside and it is only over the last twenty years that they have ...

Eskisehir is a city I return to on a regular basis, and I consider it my home city in Turkey, over the last decade or so it has undergone a huge amount of change and positive development. Every time we return there is something new, improved or restored mostly due to the vision of one man Mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen. This video by heritage heroes recognises his achievements in this role. The Mayor has said he wants Eskisehir to be a role model for other Anatolian Cities, something he has undoubtedly achieved, every time you tell another Turk you are from Eskisehir they immediately all most always comment on how beautiful and successful the city is …. ah Eskişehir cok guzel demi? More about Eskisehir Eskisehir Sivrihisar Yazilikaya Platform/Midas City

Kabak beach is situated at the bottom of the beautiful Kabak Valley in Faralya, near Olu Deniz on the Turkish Mediterranean, almost completely untouched by commercial tourism partly due to its isolated position and partly because of a moratorium on development in this part of Mugla province . With its small encampment of beach bums, hippies, students and potheads it bears an uncanny and slightly comical resemblance to the beach in Leonardo DiCaprios film of the same name. The beach is reachable from Kabak Koy (village) which is the last stop on the dolmus that runs between Olu Deniz and Faralya where you will find a café rather helpfully named last stop café, From the village you have to climb down a footpath to the beach it is approximately 600m and quite rough in places, there is a track that 4x4's go up and down and they will take you down for an extortionate 20 TL. The trek is well worth it because the views are stunning and at the bottom you will find the beautiful and relat...

We loved the small secluded beach at Gocek Island(Göcek Ada) enclosed on both side by pine covered slopes and a beautiful clear blue water bay to swim in, it was very peaceful without the pumping dance music you often get at beach resorts like Antalya. The beach is accessible by a service that runs from Gocek for 10 Turkish lira, the loungers are another 10 TL for the whole day. They have all the normal facilities ie: A bar, changing area, showers, toilets, light snakes and a camping area. Gocek Ada website

Göcek is a small but pleasant port that resides between Dalaman and Fethiye. The main draw is tourism that revolves around the yachting industry and the marina is stuffed full of expensive yachts and power cruisers. As a result of the money this brings some of the local prices are slightly inflated, but its an nice opportunity to see how the other half lives. The shops and boutiques are of a higher quality than the normal tit-tat you would expect in a tourist destination and there is a good selection of restaurants offering both traditional Turkish dishes and western and continental meals. We particularly enjoyed eating at the Kebab Hospital Antep Sofrasi which served some of the best pide we have ever tasted at reasonable prices. Boat trips are available from the harbour including the 12 island boat tour. Gocek has a reputation for being relaxed and is really just a nice place to chill out enjoy the food and wine and mooch around the marina drooling at the boats. It is also well know...

The humble Dolmuş (pronounced Dol-moosh) sometimes referred to as a shared taxi is the cheapest way to travel in Turkey, Dolmus buses vary from city to city sometimes a small minibus sometimes a converted transit van. They normally stick to a set route although I have known them to go off route to drop you off closer to you destination in Istanbul. Dolmuş stops are indicated by a blue bus stop style sign with a large white “D” on it in some areas in other areas there are no marked stops, however Dolmus buses will stop and pick up or drop off anywhere along their set route you just have to hail them like a taxi. The sign in the front window of the Dolmuş usually indicates the route of the bus saying both the departure and destination point. It is generally accepted that the Dolmus never runs on time, and in fact the name Dolmuş translates as a taxi that doesn't start until its full (stuffed full) with passengers. Once you have hailed the Dolmus take a seat and pass your money to th...