The Joys of Retirement Production Company

We arrived in Bucharest a couple days early to relax and see a bit more of the country before our Viking Danube River cruise.   We had booked an over night trip to Transylvania with a private guide.   There are 4 of us only so it is a very enjoyable group.   The other couple,  Drew and Janet,  are also going on the same cruise in a couple days! 

Our trip has taken us up to the 2 famous castles of Transylvania. The first. Peleş Castle, the summer palace of the Royal family of Romania built in the 1870s.

Inside it is very grand

We then visited Bran Castle,  a more medievil 13th C castle fortress from which Vlad the Impaler and his father and grandfather all ruled in the 14th and 15th centuries. 

This is a much more rustic fortress

We had a nice lunch in the main square of Brasov where we visited the Black church

We chose the overnight trip so that we wouldn’t have to ride back to Bucharest in 1 day,  and because it added a stay in Sighișoara, the hometown of Vlad the Impaler and, for us,  the opportunity to stay inside the fortified city.  

The square and buildings inside the old city are charming

In the evening light

Neither of us were toooo hungry but a cup of herbal tea and these wonderful desserts,  homemade ice cream and the Romanian national dessert of these small cake-like sweets made with boiled cottage cheese, a cheese dumpling,  with whipped sour cream and blueberry jam. Papanasi it is called.   It sounds strange but they were delicious!

Nice end to a long but interesting day!

Started in almost a white out!  Snowing and about 6″ in surfaces near the airport!  We had to be de-iced before flying since the temp was about 27°F.  Then,  after arriving in Istanbul, we have 6 hours before our connecting flight to Bucharest.  It will be a long day but having access to the airport lounges sure helps! 

We visited today the Monastery area with 5 carved cave churches and dwellings for the monks form around 1100 AD 

Inside several are painted (but could not photograph many because it is forbidden.   Just a few examples

Our last stop,  imagination valley,  structures you can imagine

And the castle

What shall remain without pictures,  both Emmett and I had a hamam, a Turkish bath,  with massage.   Let’s just say,  it was an experence! And we are very smooth and soft now!😁

This amazing place deserves apost of its own! 

Our room

Looking outside a bit more

From across the valley / road

We started early today,  5 AM Wakeup for early flight.   It was less flying time than the drive after we arrived to get to the area,  to pick up our guide, Ibrahim.  Our first surprise! Snow!  We visited a bit of the underground cities first.

Some of the snow clad hills and mound,  many carved with caves, as we drove around the Rose valley

We stopped at the rug weavers and,  of course,  i found 1 I loved for the hall way.

We visited the pottery workshop too and saw how they make this signature wine decanter for the region.   It is a Hittite design.   The family has been making pottery here for 200 years

This is how you pour from it

There are amazing artistic piece here costing 1000s of USD, but we resisted.  Here are some of the artisans working

And some of the amazing pieces.  Some are even fluorescent dyes

We visited on a local tour today,  to lower and upper Duden Falls

We visited the leathery silver merchant in Turkey and all of Europe.  I got a lovely new ring with a stone called Sultanite, which changes colors in different light

We enjoyed a nice lunch,  a walk thru the old city,  starting at Hadrian gates, down to the harbor for a boat ride

Republic Square,  the center of the city,  with a statue of Mustafa Kemal, the Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey.   The fluted minerette in the background is the symbol of the city

Our visit to Antalya is over.   Tomorrow we fly to Cappadocia.

Much like our Christian Christmas markets!  We happened to find this event,  a bit is serendipity in the park by our hotel.

Everything from soaps to jeans,  perfumes to shoes,  as well as toys and crafts.   And of course food,  so we had our dinner here tonight

And Turkish ice cream for dessert

Pretty sky,  but the sun sets behind the mountains to the west

We have a couple days on our own,  no official tour.   Our hotel overlooks the old town part of the city,  but it is hidden by trees,  and part is the bay.  

We walked a bit today down to the old Roman harbor,  up through some old town streets,  to the clock tower,  old bazaar and Hadrian’s gate then a stop for a coffee….

Our last tour day in western Turkey is of Ephesus, the house of Mary and the city of the Ephesians, visited by Paul and John.  

We visited here in 2013 with Malik,  our grandson.  comparisons, then and now

The great amphitheater is under renovation now for safety

Our walk along the main columnated street to the terrace houses.   We did not visit there last time,  but there is more excavated now than there was then.  We entered at the top,  in the area of the first agora where orders were made for large trade transactions.

The gate separating 2 parts is the city

The main street

The terraced house excavating

The library, the 3rd largest after Alexandria and Pergamum

The ancient amphitheater,  under renovation

Remember the lukewarm Christians who received a warning from God in Revelation?  We visited the ruins of their city which archeologists have begun excavating in the last 20 years.   The site is large and the reconstructions are impressive.   We visited along the main columnated street,   a temple, and a 4th century church.

The church has many mosaics uncovered too

The scripture becomes clearer when you see the sights.   Laodociea it’s just 10km from Pamukkale’s warn springs with an aquaduct bringing warm water from there.   It also was fed water from the cold mountains on the other side.   The description of the Christians neither hot nor cold fits the city, when the waters meet.