Travel by Boat in the Mediterranean
When you travel for an extended period of time, you find out that international travel works differently for each country you go to. Some require visas, others will let you in with just a few questions at the border. In the EU, they only invite US citizens in for a limited period of time. The area is called the Schengen Area, and you are only allowed to be in it for 90 out of 180 days (a rolling timeline). Not to over complicate this with all of the rules, but basically we were running out of time to stay in the EU. Time to visit other parts of the world, so here we come Turkey!
While we were very excited to be heading to Turkey for a month, we had stumbled upon the island of Rhodes on our way. This was due to ferry schedules, which we found to be the most reasonable form of transportation from Crete. This allowed us to spend a day in Rhodes, what a treat! I had no idea but Rhodes was home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes. None of it remains, but it’s a cool tidbit.
During our time in Rhodes we explored the ruins of the Medieval City of Rhodes, also called the Old Town. This is a city turned into a marketplace and lodging for tourists, at least in the high season. While we were there most of the stores were closed, but we were still able to walk around and enjoy the sites. It was quite the place to visit, and kind of special to experience it with just a few people around.
On our departure day I started to feel ill. I was the only one in the family to get the illness, outside of Middle Pea who was sick for a day. This was one that knocks you to the bed for several days. I had contracted some type of norovirus, which I found out later was going around in the states (so how did I get it?). This put a sour taste in my mouth during the onset of our visit to Turkey; I wasn’t getting to experience the country like the rest of the Peapod Squad. But it would pass, and I would soon enjoy my time, most of which would be spent in Fethiye.
Meeting New Friends
One of the major reasons why our family loved our stay in Turkey so much was the people that we met through the church that we were attending, FHK. There was a large group of children, which was a huge treat for our kids who were starving for some social interaction outside of their siblings. The church was being used for several meeting events during the week, which we had the pleasure of attending; this included a wool and chess club during the day and language classes in the evening. Not that I retained many words, but the Turkish language was one that our family took a liking to…Merhaba!
One of the amazing things about Fethiye is that it is situated right on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It has more of a mild climate compared to the rest of Turkey in the winter. And, according to the Peapod Squad, it has some of the best parks and playgrounds in the world! We spent tons of time after church, and during our leisure time, at these parks. It was great to spend our time outside while the kids got their fun and exercise in.
Some of the friends that we meet are also travelers like us. One family has a routine of traveling six months on and six months off. It’s a great gig if you can swing it with remote work and house rentals. Others that were attending the church were transiting through like us, although some have decided to stay and to serve. No matter what their current place of residence was, it was nice to be included in this community.
We also got to hang out with some fury friends. It seemed as though our neighborhood doubled as a local vet for the stray animals. The neighbors kept these creatures well fed, so it’s not wonder we got to hang out with these unexpected guests. I even ran into a hedgehog one evening while outside talking to friends back home. This is the first that I’ve encountered!
Visiting Historic Sites
While in Turkey, we took a vacation within a vacation. We spent a week traveling the countryside by car, traveling a fair amount of distance to enjoy the deep heritage of many millennia of human civilization who lived in this part of the world.
The first stop on our trip was the city of Selcuk, where the ancient city of Ephesus lays. Walking through Ephesus reminded me of the time that Middle Pea and I spent walking through the streets of Pompeii. There were stretches of the town that were very well preserved. Public baths and toilets, roads, houses, the theatre, and of course, the Library of Celsus which is the centerpiece of the city.
As a Christian hub this area had significant value in the development of the early church, and was a place where Paul visited and stayed. While visiting the church where the disciple John laid to rest, in the distance you can see one lowly column. Where this column stood was another one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis. So much culture and knowledge wrapped into the ruins of this town in western Turkey.
Our next stop was the town of Pamukkale. This town is known for the natural hot springs that create a landscape of calcium deposits that resemble a snow covered hill. These hot springs, the Travertines of Pamukkale, are famous for Cleopatra’s visits, in which she enjoyed the spa like comforts of the thermal pools. Most of the main pools were not in use when we arrived, not to mention it was 0 degrees Celsius outside. However, we braved the cold, with lots of other tourists, and enjoyed the hot springs for a few hours.
The surrounding area is yet another ruin of an old city, Hierapolis, equipped with an amphitheater like most cities of those days. What was interesting is that Philip, one of the twelve apostles, was said to be crucified, and subsequently buried there. Just amazing to see how the early Christian church had influence in this country.
During this week-long trip we stayied in places that served Turkish breakfast. I’m not sure if you have ever experienced one, it is somewhat indescribable. You are served several types of savory bread, 30 or so small dishes with all types of jams, honey, olives, and other sorts of spreadable goodies. You can get eggs to order and other treats. So much food! Both savory and sweet, it really hits the spot no matter how you like your breakfast.
The Cappadocia Region
Our final stop on our vacation within a vacation was Cappadocia. And since it is almost 700 km from Fethiye into the Turkish countryside, we broke up our trip into two long drives. We stayed in Konya on the way there, and Antalya on the way back. It was great to experience a few more Turkish cities since Istanbul was not on the itinerary. And once again, as you walk through these beautiful cities, you are bound to run into architecture that is thousands of years old! Below is a picture of Hadrian’s Gate, which was constructed around 150 AD.
Have you ever heard of the Cappadocia region in Turkey? It is an impressive area where cities were carved into the lava rock, cities so large that they could 20,000 people in these underground caves. This region is also referenced in Acts 2:9 which is kind of cool.
I was skeptical when Mama Pea said that we were going to be lodging in a cave, especially with the cold weather, however it turned out to be one of the more luxurious stays on the trip thus far. The owners of this cave dwelling spared no expense in installing heated floors.
Big Pea and I were supposed to take a hot air balloon ride. We passed up the opportunity in Pamukkale, since Cappadocia is the place for this experience. However, it did not pan out, which was OK by me since I was on the fence about the hot air balloon ride as it was. The reason it didn’t work out was because we got hit with probably a foot of snow. Without any snow attire, we spent the day exploring the town as we played in the snow. The kids, being from Vegas, had never seen snow in this quantity; they were in heaven. A day of snowball fights was unexpected, but memorable nonetheless. I want to give a shout out to the heated floors in our cave hotel, our clothes dried out overnight and were ready for our adventure the next day!
During our stay we got to experience full on Turkish culture. We went out for a traditional Turkish dinner, where we were served delicious meals in clay hotpots that the restaurant staff cracked right in front of us. We also signed up for a Hammam (also called a Turkish Bath), to get a local spa experience. It is a very unique experience. You sit in a sauna for a few minutes to help open up your pores. Then you get a full body cleaning where every inch of your skin is exfoliated. You are then covered in a very bubbly soap and subsequently rinsed off. All the while you do get a massage, but the massage isn’t the point of the experience. This is an old custom in the region as mosque goers needed to be fully cleansed before entering into one. This was probably a onetime experience for Daddy Pea, but the kids loved it.
Prior to leaving the area, we explored one of the cave towns. We went deep underground to experience how the people hundreds of years ago lived. It was fun for the kids to explore and play hide and seek in the caves, however there were some tight spaces. It’s definitely not for those who are claustrophobic. It was a special end to an amazing road trip through Turkey.
Rest and Relaxation
Throughout our journeys we’ve had experiences where we are just on the go all of the time. To keep our sanity, we have intentionally scheduled periods of time where we stay in one spot for several weeks. Outside of our road trip, Fethiye was one of those places where we got to slow down for a bit. Over the last 2 months we’ve pulled back on the hectic travel a lot. Between our time in Crete and Fethiye, we’ve been able to get back into our day-to-day routine, focus on the kids school, and establish temporary community. It was been so incredibly nice to slow down life and enjoy some rest and relaxation. It’s these periods of time that I enjoy so much, I just don’t want this trip to end. When it’s all said and done, I want to use these experiences to do life differently once we get back to a settled home.
Although we took it slow during this time, we also got to experience the beautiful countryside of the Fethiye region. Taking hikes is one of our family’s favorite pastimes, and this was the perfect place to experience this activity.
More Adventurous Times Ahead
The rest and relaxation is coming to an end, we have 3 full weeks of adventure ahead of us. We will be exploring famous sites in Jordan, then we head to the UK where we will travel for two weeks through Ireland, Scotland, and England with some of our Vegas family.
As we head out, we leave Turkey behind, excited for what is to come. All of us agree that Turkey was one of our favorite stops on the trip, and a place that we’d come back to in a heartbeat.
Peapod on Purpose 