Page 22 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY
P. 22
A THREE MONTH ODYSSEY
Our time in Turkey capped an extensive three- indelible memory: the setting sun gilding the
and-a-half-month trip to Europe and Asia. ancient city gold to a soundtrack of hauntingly
This Ireland to Istanbul adventure took us to exotic calls to prayer from nearby mosques. It
over 40 cities and included three cruises. For was a harbinger of the adventure awaiting us
the first voyage, we flew from our San Diego in this city that straddles two continents.
home to Fort Lauderdale, where we boarded This was our longest stay in Turkey - 11 days.
the Celebrity Apex. This transatlantic sailing It is a distinctive destination because of its lo-
visited Bermuda, Ireland, England, France, cation at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
and Belgium be- Its borders touch
fore ending in Rot- the Mediterranean,
terdam. Once on Aegean, and Black
land, we stayed a seas. For thou-
week in Leiden, sands of years, it
where we explored has played an im-
the old haunts of portant role in
Ron's Mayflower Western civiliza-
ancestors. tion. It may well be
More land ad- the cradle of hu-
ventures followed. mankind, consid-
We spent a week in ering the discovery
Paris, two weeks in of an 8.7 million-
foodie-heaven, San year-old ancient
Sebastian, Spain, and five weeks in our fa- ape skull in Cankiri, Turkey. Although contro-
vorite Spanish beach towns, Altea and Ali- versial, the finding challenges the long-held
cante. In early July, In Barcelona, we boarded belief that ancestors of apes and humans
Azamara's newest ship, Onward, and set off for dwelled in Africa.
port calls in France, Italy, Monaco, Greece, Our plan was to explore three of the most
Croatia, Montenegro, Crete, Slovenia, and popular destinations in the country: Ephesus,
Turkey. Here’s a Google Maps link to the full Istanbul, and Cappadocia. Each of is distinc-
itinerary: https://goo.gl/maps/ tive and worth visiting. Unique geographical
Uxjy36ti4LLMW3CJ9 locations and historical sites reveal a melting
Our experiences in Turkey ranged from sub- pot of cultures that spans six thousand years.
lime to baffling and sometimes took us out of Our travel by land, air, and sea was full of ad-
our comfort zone. When we visited Istanbul venture and discovery, and as we found,
for the first time a decade ago, the city left an should be on everyone’s bucket list.
22 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023
