Görüşürüz Turkey

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Turkey, after three wonderful, action packed weeks. This journey to Turkey has been quite different to the first trip we made in 2011. For example, I was posting blogs much more regularly and documenting our journey more closely.

We have gone at a much slower pace this time, and have had much more of a holiday, even though we have done a lot of things.

The first 10 days we spent in and around Istanbul, mostly around our favorite haunt, Sultanamhet. One day we did go for a ride on the ferry to the Princes Islands, which was a lovely day.

We then took off to Antalya, on the south coast and spent three days cruising the Mediterranean on a Gulet. Over this time we swam, ate wonderful fresh food and explored a little of this magnificent region.

After this, we headed to Urgup, to Cappadocia, where we spent considerable time in 2001 at the Babayan Culture House as artists in residence.

We did a fair bit of walking and exploring the small towns around Cappadocia, with the highlight being an afternoon horse riding in the Rose Valley.

One thing that I am really happy to report, is that my vocabulary of Turkish language has improved greatly. Although my skills are still limping, they are far better than last time and many words have stuck in my mind. One word that remains with me is görüşürüz, which in Google Translate is interpreted as ‘see’ but in common usage means ‘see you’. My wonderful friend Şule taught me this word, which I have used a lot in the last week.

Journeys are not just about moving through space and place, they are also about inner growth and learning. This journey, not only have my language skills improved, so has my fitness. Getting on the horse, walking up hills and challenging myself physically has all been easier this time around. Marty told me today that sometimes I have set the pace, which is a great complement from my husband, who I affectionately refer to as ‘mountain goat’ at times. This improvement in stamina and fitness is due to the long journey I have been taking in recent years to improve my health, after a scare in 2010. Quitting smoking (again) is another positive step. However, my intake of coffee and delicious Turkish sweets has not abated LOL 🙂