As a graduate of Recreation Administration, from San Diego State University, I have made recreation and travels my career and life’s passion. After graduation, I traveled solo for one year throughout the South Pacific, doing travel photography in a wide variety of settings. Upon my return, many of my photographs became the subjects of my newly created line of handcrafted photographic greeting cards, "Exquisite! By, Elaine", a business I have had since 1986. Check them out at: http://ExquisiteCards.fototime.com .
In 1983, I began teaming up with my mom, Goldie, teaching arts & crafts to cruise ship passengers, aboard Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. In addition, I lectured on travel photography, as well as Australia and New Zealand history, aboard Princess Cruises.
In 2004, I formed a new teaching team with my recently retired husband, Bruce, who serves as my "humble assistant" until 2010 when the cruise lines shifted the arts and crafts program to mostly being taught by their own staff.
Currently, our favorite mode of travel is by river boat. Along the way, we enjoy poking around small European towns, meeting the people, seeking out interesting photo subjects, and always stopping at every chocolatier to make a purchase. Adding to my chocolate label and wrapper collection is a bonus! And, as a U.S. Masters swimmer, if I can find a pool to get in a swim with the locals, all the better!
Cheers!
Elaine-iaK
~ Believing in your dreams can be far more rewarding than living by your limitations~ -Karla Peterson
We hopped onto a smaller boat for a cruise up the Dalyan River to Kaunos, an ancient seaport city dating back to the 10th century BC. Archaeologists, however, found coins that date to the 4th century BC.
Nuri took us around to see the remains of a theatre, acropolis, Roman bath, and other ruins:
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
The palm tree and flower- lined path to Kaunos Archaeological Park reminded me of San Diego, my former home.
Kaunos bordered ancient Lycia, so we were able to get a great view of the Lycian rock cut tombs in the cliffs, when we arrived in the resort town of Dalyan. I had never seen anything like it, and it amazed me!
The town of Dalyan was a typical resort town—touristy. Back in 1987, developers wanted to build a luxury hotel on the nearby Iztuzu Beach; however, there was an outcry from conservationists, because it was a breeding ground for endangered loggerhead sea turtles. Thankfully, the island has been declared a protected area. Loggerheads have existed for about 45 million years, and hopefully, they will live on for 45 million more—that is, if humans don’t destroy our planet first.
Sign in the stall of a restaurant bathroom
I felt fortunate to get to see this loggerhead swimming by our boat during our ride back to the cove where our gulet was anchored.
This was our final night aboard our boat, so we thanked the crew and enjoyed one last dinner while relaxing in the protected cove. It was the calm before a different kind of “storm” …
Another beautiful day in paradise—at least while we were on a hike and during our swim.
Today’s hike was quite a workout, but well worth it once again! This time, only four of us joined Nuri, while the remainder of our group stayed on board the boat and relaxed.
Following a steep climb up and over the mountain, we descended into a valley and explored the ruins of Lydia, a 4th century BC city. Due to its remote location, we never saw any other tourists during our hike, and it was wonderful! (That would change at Ephesus!)
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
We did, however, see some (surprising!) wildlife. There were bats:
And a few tortoises. Nuri, a softie, shared his bottle of water with one of them:
In the valley, we saw our first house, the home of a couple. They earned a living by farming as well as selling handmade walnut woodcraft to hikers passing by. Mutlu, invited us into his yard for hot tea and to see his handicrafts. The bonus was also getting to meet their two very sweet dogs! And I was pleased to purchase a small bowl Mutlu had made—a nice way to remember the trip.
I was ready for a refreshing swim following our return to the boat, and refreshing it was! Brrr!
The afternoon ride to our next destination along the Turquoise Coast was a wet one. A storm had blown in, the seas were rough, and the rain came down in sheets! Along with two others from our group, we rode out the storm in the plastic-enclosed dining area on deck, keeping our eyes on the horizon to help prevent seasickness.
It started out nice enough……until it wasn’t.
Once the storm cleared and we arrived at a cove for the night, it was gorgeous! Thankfully, it was nice and calm, so we could enjoy our dinner on deck.
For my post-dessert dessert, I pulled out some of my chocolate haul from around Turkiye. Ulker (on left) is the company that bought Godiva and produces it for the U.S.A. in a town outside of Istanbul.
Coming up next: TURKIYE #14: A RIDE UP THE DALYAN RIVER TO KAUNOS
Our boat was anchored in a quiet cove overnight, and we were fortunate to wake up to such a beautiful day for our hike in the Greek “ghost town” of Kayakoy, located south of Fethiye. Following breakfast on board, the crew took us to shore, and we were transported to Kayakoy by minibus.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Kayakoy has such an interesting—but sad—history. The people of this town were Greek Orthodox Christians and lived in relative harmony with their Turkish-speaking Muslim Ottoman rulers from the 14th century until the 20th century. In 1914, a campaign was started by the Muslims who wanted the Greek Christians out of Turkiye. In 1919, 6,500 villagers from Kayakoy (as well as other Greek Christians in Turkiye) were forced to leave by the government, and many died walking the 110 miles to cross Turkiye’s border. Others were forced into Ottoman labor.
From 1919-1923, the city depopulated, and then in 1923, the Greek and Turkish governments agreed on a population exchange. The Greeks living in Turkiye were relocated to Greece, and the Muslims in Greece were sent to Turkiye. All these people were forced out of their homes, soon to be occupied by newly exchanged residents. The Muslims who were sent to Turkiye refused to live in the homes of the previous Greek occupants, however, because many Greeks had died in their homes. They said there were “ghosts” in those houses, so that is how it became an abandoned “ghost town.”
In 1954, some of the regulations of the treaty were lifted, so some of the victims returned to what they had viewed as their country—the place they had lived their entire lives until they were forced into exile.
Currently, 925 people live in the village, but most of the previously abandoned structures sadly remain that way.
The hike, very steep at times, was beautiful and well worth the effort. The views were spectacular at the top, and the abandoned homes were quite photogenic.
The building with the flag at the top of the hill was our destination. It was a steep climb!
I’m almost there!
I made it!
This view was our reward.Another hiker offered to take our group photo.
Views from the inside looking out:
Nuri, our tour leader, leading the way
Back in the little village of Kayakoy, we had some free time to wander around:
I fell in love with these hand-painted wood and stone magnets and purchased a couple of them.
The view from the bus on our ride back to the boat,
Next up: TURKIYE #13: HIKING & SWIMMING THE TURQUOISE COAST
Traveling days on the bus are opportunities to learn about the culture of the country and towns we are visiting from our tour leader. Throughout our tour, Nuri shared a lot of interesting information about Turkiye. The following are a few completely unrelated tidbits:
English Language: Although English is taught in the schools beginning in the fourth grade and continues through university, there are no English-speaking countries surrounding Turkiye. In the small towns where English-speaking tourists rarely visit, there are no opportunities for the locals to practice conversational English, so they end up losing what they learned.
Homelessness: There are very few homeless in Turkiye, because of their belief that every Turkish citizen has a right to a home. The only homeless seen in Turkiye are most likely Syrian refugees.
Health Tourism: Turkiye is one of the top eight countries for “health tourism.” IVF costs only $5,000. Need more hair? A full hair transplant will set you back only $3-4,000. Prefer eye surgery or a dental implant? Turkiye is popular for those reasonably-priced procedures as well. In all, approximately five million people travel to Turkiye for health tourism each tour. The numbers spiked post-COVID for vaccines and health care.
Godiva Chocolate: In 2018,the Godiva company was purchased by Ulker, a Turkish brand of chocolate and cookies. Currently, all Godiva chocolate exported to the U.S.A. is currently made in a small city outside of Istanbul.
Longest Cable Car in Europe: From the Turquoise Coast, known as the “Turkish Riviera,” there are beautiful views of the Taurus Mountains, which we saw during our bus ride. On Mt. Olympos, they have the longest cable car ride in Europe, descending from an altitude of 7,759 feet and traveling 14,301 feet. You can throw snowballs at the top and go swimming in the sea when you get to the bottom!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Along the way to the Turkish Coast, we stopped in Demre, the birthplace of St. Nicholas, to visit St. Nicholas Church. Built in phases beginning in the 6th century, the original building was damaged during an earthquake as well as attacks. It was then reconstructed in the 9th or 10th century. The wall paintings in the church date back to the 12th and 13th centuries and were remarkably well-preserved.
Domed ceiling
While in Demre, our group had lunch at Ipek Restaurant, a popular restaurant for local workers on their lunch break. From what I could tell, we were the only tourists. For U.S. $10.23 per person, we feasted on appetizers with hot pita, salad, and chicken kabob with rice and vegetables. Baklava was included for dessert, and it was all delicious!
Onward ho to Fethiye we go to embark on a four-day gulet charter from Okeanos Yachting. After settling in to our tiny cabin, we motored to a protected cove for the night and enjoyed dinner on deck with views of the setting sun. Lovely!
Our bus driver was such a nice guy and a fabulous driver; I was sad to say goodbye before we boarded the gulet.
These are all charter gulets
Coming up next: TURKIYE #12: HIKING KAYAKOY, A GREEK “GHOST TOWN”
During our two days in Antalya, we visited the Perge archaeological site and Antalya Muzesi (museum). Originally settled by the Hittites around 1500 BC, Perge was abandoned in the seventh century and has been excavated systematically by Istanbul University since 1946.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
This “race” was Nuri’s idea; he shot the photo!
Antalya Muzesi is a renowned archaeological museum full of amazing artifacts from the Stone and Bronze Ages to Byzantium. In 1988, the museum won the esteemed European Council Special Prize.
Sculptures in the museum dating back to 2nd century AD (Roman Times) are from Perge, and they were quite impressive!
Emperor Hadrian, 2nd century AD
Artemes & Hermes:
Trajan
The Sarcophagus of Domitias Lulianus and Domita Philiska
Mosaics
These lekythos, produced between 5th-4th century BC, were used for perfume and oil, and then later placed inside the graves of the deceased.
6th Century BC
5th – 15th century AD
Nuri and his family live nearby, so his wife and son joined us for the visit to the museum.
Next up: TURKIYE #11: TRAVELING TO THE TURQUOISE COAST
Once an old fishing village, Antalya is currently the fourth-most visited city in the world, trailing behind only London, Istanbul, and Dubai. Eclectic architectural styles, both old and new, reflect more than 2,000 years of history in Antalya’s walled Old Town and extremely popular international seaside resort.
The following are scenes photographed along the harbor and in Old Town during our three nights and two days in Antalya:
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Along the harbor front, this cat condo was home to stray cats that were cared for by a city employee.There was another one up in town– a triplex.
We were there during late spring, a perfect time to enjoy the beautiful weather and colorful bougainvillea.
Our hotel had a beautiful patio and outdoor restaurant surrounded by bougainvillea and morning glories (below). This is our group; Nuri, our tour leader, is in the front on the right.
We had a lovely evening enjoying a Turkish dinner at the home of a young couple and their daughter, along with two other couples from our group and a translator.
The following evening, our group dined al fresco with a gorgeous view below:
Coming up next: TURKIYE #10: ANTALYA ARCHEALOGICAL SITE & MUSEUM
What I like about transfer days to another destination on our itinerary is that we don’t just hop on the bus and drive for hours at a time. The drive is always broken up with interesting stops along the way and a group lunch at a good restaurant where we get to enjoy local cuisine.
On this day, we traveled across the Taurus Mountains, stopping in the city of Konya, capital of the Konya province and located in central Turkiye. Inhabited since the third millennium BC, it was ruled by several different groups until the 11th century, when the Seljuk Turks conquered the area.
Konya is a bastion of Seljuk culture and home of the Mevlevi order, known as the “whirling dirvishes” due to their famous practice of whirling while performing dhikr (remembrance of God).
We visited the Mevlana Muzesi (museum), which is dedicated to Celaleddin Rumi, the founder of the Mevlevi order and remembered as one of the greatest literary and spiritual figures of all time. More than a million and a half Turks come here to pray each year.
The museum houses the mausoleum of Rumi, and while touring the museum, it became quite evident that the Seljuks were quite wealthy!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Domed ceiling
World’s smallest Quran
Key purse with pearls, 18th Century
Glass lamp, 15th Century
Following lunch, we continued towards Antalya, stopping late in the afternoon to see the Aspendos Antique Theater, the best-preserved Roman theater of the ancient world. Constructed during the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurlius, between 160-180 AD, it was quite a sight to see all these years later, in 2025!
The theater is still in use, and we were fortunate to be able to get in to see it before closing for the day to tourists. Our group of sixteen were the only ones in the theater—that is, besides the “Fire of Anatolia” dance group rehearsing for and “Troy,” “a dance show from its native land.”
There are 120 dancers in Fire of Anatolia, and they have performed in more than 85 countries. They hold two Guiness records, one for the fastest dance performance with 241 steps per minute and another for the largest audience—400,000!
A few of us braved the steep climb to the top level of the theater to photograph the architecture, take in the views, watch the rehearsal, and snag a short video clip of it:
Just before sunset, we saw what remained of an ancient aqueduct near the theater.
Although we were scheduled to arrive in Antalya late in the afternoon, we all got so caught up watching the rehearsal and seeing the theater that we didn’t arrive until nighttime. Fortunately, we were still able to grab dinner at the restaurant just before it closed at 9:30 PM!
I hope you enjoy my slide show of our “Day in the Life” experience at the farm in Cappadocia, featuring my photography. Thanks to Nuri, our tour leader, for sending me some Turkish music to accompany my photos!
For the best viewing experience, use a desktop computer, turn up the speakers and view on full screen by clicking on the symbol in the lower left corner of the YouTube screen after the show begins.
Coming up next: TURKIYE #8: KICKING IT IN KONYA & OVERLAND TO ANTALYA
On of my favorite experiences during each international travel journey is seeing how people live in different countries and learning about their work and daily life. Traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) assures us plenty of opportunities to do this on each tour.
First, we visited Osiana, a women’s cooperative that was founded in 2024 and became a beneficiary of Grand Circle Foundation (OAT is owned by Grand Circle). The foundation donates equipment and fabrics to Osiana, so the women can make products to sell at local farmers markets, empowering them to be financially independent. The cooperative is open to any woman in the community, and the ladies can make whatever products they would like.
Hand-stamped tote bags are one of the products, and we had the opportunity to make our own bags with their handmade wood block stamps dipped in paint.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
This lady made this cute little hot air balloon key chain, which I purchased for $6:
Tote bags in hand, we headed to the countryside to visit a family and learn about life on their farm. Irfan and Zeliha Abdullah, along with Irfan’s parents, grow grapes to sell for making wine. Cappadocia produces the best wine in Turkiye; other crops in the region are potatoes, peanuts, and pumpkin (grown for seeds).
After learning how to make Gozleme, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with the family. Don’t know what Gozleme is? See for yourself by watching a short four-minute slide show I made that will appear in the next post, Turkiye #7 (Part 2).
Zeliha, especially, made quite an impression on me. She was so full of joy; lots of smiles and laughter! We really connected, even though we didn’t speak each other’s language.
Next, we visited Omurlu Ceramics, a family business that began in 1807 and now has 20-25 potters and artists and is in its seventh generation. Such beautiful works of art!
Our final stop was to tour a cave home that has been in the family since the 1800’s. The current family has lived there since 1954, and they earn money by inviting small tour groups or individuals to tour their home. They also have a small gift shop in an adjacent room.
An abandoned cave house
This was up the street from our hotel.
What a fabulous day!
Next up:TURKIYE #7 (PART 2): A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CAPPADOCIA- A SLIDE SHOW
Cappadocia is famous for its hot air ballooning, and I can see why. In addition to the favorable wind conditions for pilots, the landscape is quite a draw for photographers and anybody looking to enjoy a fabulous view. Bruce dislikes being at heights like that, so we opted to take a hot air balloon watching tour. This way, we could enjoy the views of the launch from the ground as well as at a spot overlooking the valley. I didn’t mind; it was my idea! I had been hot air ballooning a few times before—the best experience at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, where I joined a friend who worked for Nikon. He got us both press passes, allowing us to go up in the balloons for free. So, rather than go ballooning on my own and spend $300 to possibly get stuck in the middle of the 20-passenger balloon, we spent a fraction of that on the small group tour.
The first stop was to see the launch, which was beautiful. It was still quite dark when most of the balloons took off, so I just watched and enjoyed the beauty of it all. It was quite a sight!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
After the balloons had launched, we hopped back into the van to drive a short distance to a gorgeous overlook to see the balloons flying in front of the rising sun. Spectacular!
We rejoined the group after breakfast to visit the Goreme Open-Air Museum, Cappadocia’s most visited attraction. Within the museum grounds, there were fifteen cave churches and eleven rectories dating back to the 11th century. At the time, they were used extensively as Christian churches, but they were abandoned until it later became a Turkish village community.
Jumping ahead to the 1970’s, scholars came to analyze the cave churches, and the Turkish government took steps to preserve them. Tourism increased when Cappadocia was declared a “Privileged Region for Touristic Development.” It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, which has increased tourism to over one million visitors every year.
A water system built inside one of the cave churches
For lunch, we were driven to a traditional Turkish restaurant to enjoy Turkish cuisine cooked in clay pots and bazlama (Turkish flatbread). It was all so delicious!
Next, we visited a carpet cooperative where they weave and sell beautiful Turkish carpets with colorful and intricate designs. Also known as Anatolian rugs, they are made in the region historically dominated by the Ottoman Empire. An important part of Turkish culture, these carpets have a long and extensive history.
I found it interesting that Turkish carpets are the masterpiece of a dowry. When a woman gets engaged to be married, two weeks before the wedding, women in the neighborhood and family are invited to see the dowry her parents are giving to the couple. Everybody brings gifts, but the star of the party is the Turkish carpet that the family members made. Everybody in attendance wants to see it and learn if the bride made the carpet.
At the carpet cooperative we visited, the women are paid by the number of knots they tied. They can either work at the store or at home; however, if they work at the store, they receive benefits. The women who choose to work at home get paid only for the completed rug.
The rugs are woven with only natural fibers such as wool, silk and cotton (and sometimes even goat and camel hair), and the spinning is done by hand. The dyes used are obtained from plants, insects, and minerals. Red dye, for example, is made from Madder roots. The price of the rug depends on the type of fiber used and the number of knots. Silk is the most expensive, because it is fine. It requires 100 knots to produce just one square centimeter! The benefit, however, is that a silk rug is the most durable.
From balloon watching to visiting Goreme and then learning about Turkish carpets; it was a full and enjoyable day! We capped it off with a memorable group dinner at a restaurant in a small village. The view of the volcanic rock formations was spectacular, just out the window next to where I was sitting at the end of the table. Across from me sat our bus driver, who didn’t speak any English, but seemed so kind and always greeted us with a friendly smile. While waiting to be served, I broke my self-imposed rule of no phones at the tables and brought mine out. (Don’t even get me started with how I feel about my dining companions taking calls, texting, or checking emails while we are having a conversation!) I quickly opened Google Translate, so we could have a conversation we both could understand. We learned a lot about each other, his family, work, and dreams for the future, while dining on Turkish cuisine and passing the phone back and forth. It was truly memorable and an example of what I felt was an appropriate way to use technology.
Next up: TURKIYE #7: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CAPPADOCIA
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 