HOROZLUHAN RESTAURANT, A TASTE OF HISTORY

Because of Turkey is in the mid of Asia and Europe, so it is very important for trading no matter now or in ancient time. "Han" is the meaning of hostel or inn in Turkish. There were many hans for business people in ancient Turkey; most of the hans were operated by government or kingdom and offered 3-day free stay for business people. That was a very thoughtful arrangement, especially for such a long time ago.

On the way to Konya, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch and the restaurant was a han long time ago. This restaurant is named HOROZLUHAN RESTAURANT, means rooster hostel restaurant in Turkish. We had a great lunch with nice bread, bean soup, Turkish pizza, chicken rice, and dessert. We also enjoyed the ambiance of ancient traders and travellers. I think that was the most exotic dinning experience for me in Turkey.

AMAZING CAPPADOCIA

Cappadocia which is unique in the world and is a miraculous nature wonder is the common name of the field covered by the provinces of Aksaray, Nevsehir, Nigde, Kayseri and Kirsehir in the Central Anatolian region.

The tourist sites impressed me most in this area were the Goreme Open Air Museum and Kaymakli Underground City. Goreme Open Air Museum was a the monastery of nuns and built in the caves during AD 900 to 1200. There are churches, dinning rooms, kitchens, and dormitories. It is really amazing to see so many cave houses in such a big area.

Another site is Kaymakli Underground City. It was a underground city built by the early Christians to hide from Roman soldiers searching. There are several floors in the underground city, we only visit part of 3 floors due to limited time. It was quite tiring to walk through the city, because always needed to bend down, squat down or climb ladders. We did feel some muscle pain.

Photos of Cappadocia

WHAT A EXPERIENCE: THE CAVE HOTEL

Cappadocia is one of the astonishing areas for tourists in Turkey, because of its natural wonders and unique historical heritages.

It was quite late when we arrived at Nevsehir in this area, we did not see the natural wonders clearly, but a hotel got our attention. Alfina Cave Hotel is a hotel in the style of Cappadocia; half of the hotel is build "in the mountain". Each room is like a cave; although it is not big, there are everything you need for a comfortable stay, and with romantic feelings.

Not only the unique design of the hotel, the restaurant also serves nice meal. We really enjoyed the stay at the cave hotel and took a good rest for another great day in Cappadocia.

MY IMPRESSION ON ISTANBUL

Before going to Istanbul, all I knew about Istanbul is a city cross Asia and Europe, the largest city in Turkey, and of course they have a circuit for F1 racing.

Due to tight schedule, we only spend one full day in Istanbul. We visited those most attraction sites: Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia. Before taking the boat tour on Bosphorus, we also spend some time at Spice Bazaar. These places are really pretty and they really helped me to learn more about the Turkey in the past.

But what really surprised me is Istanbul is a truly international city; modern, organized, and friendly. Also, they are not like other Islamic countries, they are more open. I think it is one of the key factors why Istanbul can play such an important role in the world. But the only one thing I don't like is that most signage are in Turkish only.

Photos of Istanbul

A 12 DAY TRIP IN TURKEY AND GREECE

Jane and I joined a tour group for a 12 day trip to Turkey and Greece from 13 to 24 in June. We did enjoy experiencing different cultures and visiting many attractive sites. Also, we had the first time of cruise. Though it was not a luxurious one, we still enjoyed the beautiful scenery at Aegean Sea area.

• Day 1, Taipei - Hong Kong - Istanbul
• Day 2, Istanbul
• Day 3, Istanbul - Ankara - Cappadocia
• Day 4, Cappadocia
• Day 5, Cappadocia - Konya
• Day 6, Konya - Pamukkale
• Day 7, Pamukkale - Ephesus - Kusadasi
• Day 8, Kusadasi (leave Turkey, on a Cruiser) - Patmos
• Day 9, Kriti - Santorini
• Day 10, Athens
• Day 11-12, Athens - Istanbul -Hong Kong - Taipei

We took almost 3000 photos during this trip. Please give me some time to organize them and upload to my Flickr site. I will share the pleasure from this trip with you soon!