The best cure for wanderlust...
...is sometimes painful
19.03.2010 - 19.03.2010
That cure of course is traveling. Let me make it clear that traveling isn't painful (except for airports, airlines, and all the hassels that go with them) but getting ready to travel can be! Trying to "get it all done" before flying out of the country consumes way too much time and patience. Of course in the end it is all worth it and really, if you forget something is the world going to stop turning? I say as long as I have a change of clothes, a credit card and/or cash, my necessary RX's, my passport, and my camera then I'm doing good. Wait, my computer is a necessity as well. I think I'd die if I weren't able to Google directions or find out the best place to eat on a Sunday evening in Istanbul! That is what I am in the process of now...packing. Laundry and packing.
We have our itinerary set but it has enough flexibility to allow us to explore. We will spend 2 days in Istanbul before we fly to Adana in southern Turkey where we will rent a car and drive down the Mediterranean coast to Kızkalesi (Maiden's Castle) and Silifke. From there we will either drive back to Tarsus and head to Cappadocia via the Cilician Pass or go north from Silifke through Mut and Karaman. Three days in Cappadocia is the minimum suggested so we will be doing just that. A visit to the Göreme Open Air Museum and a hike in the Red or Rose valley are likely but one definite is a visit to Nevşehir and the Ilhara Valley since I am researching St. Gregory of Nyssa for my thesis and that was his "stomping grounds" so to speak. I really would like the get to Tuz Gölü (which means salt lake) near Aksaray. Leaving Cappadocia we will drive south to Adana and take a quick trip over to Karatepe National Park, an archaeological site which contains a Neo-Hittite settlement. I'm really excited about that even though it is not my area of study! Sadly from there we shall fly back to Istanbul. No, I'm not sad going to Istanbul, but we won't leave the airport since our flight from Adana gets in at 11:50pm and our flight to the U.S. leaves at 5:55am. Yes, I'll be spending another one of those long nights in the Ataturk airport. I seem to be making a habit of this.
I've checked the weather as far out as Wunderground will give me. Ahhh...beautiful! Monday in Istanbul should be almost perfect with highs in the mid 60's and sunny. Tuesday brings a few clouds maybe? Wednesday on the Mediterranean coast will see 70's and sunshine while Thursday through Sunday in Cappadocia will have us donning jackets in the evening with lows in the 20's! Of course it's weather and all of that can change at the drop of a hat! But I've previously enjoyed rainy, cold days in Istanbul and snowy days in Cappadocia so it really won't matter. It's Turkey, that's all that matters.
Posted by oceanchild 19.03.2010 20:31 Archived in Turkey Tagged preparation
