Turkey – a country that’s uniquely located between Asia and Europe. Over the centuries, Turkey has acted as both a barrier and a bridge between these two continents. Its main attraction, the Old City of Istanbul, reflects significant influences from numerous empires of ancient times. Turkey has much more to offer beyond Istanbul.
Although I had enjoyed Istanbul tremendously during my few previous visits, this trip with close friends from our SFO customer service department was more about the significant ancient ruins referred to as The Seven Churches of The Book of Revelation.
To save some time, we decided to book confirmed tickets on a nonstop flight from SFO to IST (Istanbul, Turkey) on our Star Alliance partner, Turkish Air. We spent a couple of days in the gorgeous city of Istanbul enjoying local cuisine, shopping, and Hammam. We then revisited a few points of interest such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and an enjoyable Bosphorus cruise.
From Istanbul, we started our journey to Troas, popularly known as Troy. Aside from the stories of Greek mythology, it is an important site in the history of Christianity dating back to the 1st century AD. It is in Troy where Saint Paul’s second missionary journey took place. Next, we traveled to the world-famous ancient Greco-Roman site of Ephesus, one of the largest and well-preserved ancient cities in the world. My expectation, just like in the past, was that we would come into an overcrowded site, especially at the Celsus Library. But due to the pandemic, cruise lines scheduled to dock on the day of our visit were not let in. To our surprise we had the whole place to ourselves! It’s close to the House of Virgin Mary, believed to be where the Mother of Jesus spent the last years of her life. Our day ended in this fabulous, high-quality European designer manufacturer, where they sell excess inventory at a fraction of the retail price. We were treated to a fashion show and afterwards shopped until we dropped.
Not too far from Izmir is the Village of the Eye, or Nazarkoy, where you can find the most unique “evil eye” jewelry designs, decor, and anything else you can imagine. It’s a charming little village. Our journey continued to another important site known as “The Seven Churches" in the ancient city of Sardis. Its strategic location made it a central point connecting Anatolia to the Aegean Coast. This is where the Temple of Artemis is, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We then made our way to Pamukkale, a Unesco World Heritage site known for mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down a white travertine terrace.
Next, we visited the site of The Seven Churches, Laodicea, a wealthy ancient city in the river Lycus. In John’s vision, the message to Laodicea is one of judgement with a call to repentance. We stopped in Konya to explore the once largest and best caravanserai of the seljuks built in 1229. It consists of two sections: an open courtyard used in the summer, and then a covered section for the winter. It holds accommodations, workshops and stables for the animals, as well as for merchants and their caravans in ancient times, allowing them to travel along The Silk Road. It is a very impressive sight. Kaymakli Underground City in Central Anatolia is the widest underground city of Cappadocia. Saving the best for last, and our trip’s highlight, was the hot air balloon ride in Goreme. We woke up at 4 a.m. to witness the incredible sunrise with a jaw-dropping view of countless floating hot air balloons on the horizon.
What an unforgettable journey right before this unprecedented time in our lives. One day, when the world is in a better place, I’ll go back to this incredible destination!
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