Travel thread 3.0

[duncs pigeon]

Tried to do similar last year. A cruise along the Danube from Passau to Budapest and back. Cycle during the day, on the boat in the evening.
The river was so flooded it got cancelled after 2 days and I never got to cycle once. Hopefully the weather is a bit better for you

Day 1, 25miles cycling into a brutal wind along the Danube, was tough to say the least. Wasnt too bad in the afternoon, but still tough going. Rain in morning of day 2, but after that was great weather all the way to Prague. Great trip tbf, some lovely towns and villages along the route

 

[leslad]

ryanair got ridiculously cheap flights to Santander at the moment so myself and ms leslad flying there for a long weekend next weekend.

Picos de Europa here we come. Santander for 1 night then Potes in the sticks for 2 nights.

any Santander recommendations?

 

[leslad]

2nd day flew from Antalya to Diyarbakir, believed to be the oldest city in Europe and Asia - the old town is circled by a huge wall and within is a maze of alleyways. Not really what I would call a holiday destination for most people but will go back for a couple of days to explore properly and enjoy more Kurdish coffee (which I had for the first time)

I now realise that I am definitely not "most people"

 

[John BCN]

ryanair got ridiculously cheap flights to Santander at the moment so myself and ms leslad flying there for a long weekend next weekend.

Picos de Europa here we come. Santander for 1 night then Potes in the sticks for 2 nights.

any Santander recommendations?

Comillas is a beach town half an hour driving along the coast from Santander. It has an amazing house built by Gaudí (his first project).

Comillas also has an impressive Papal University on top of the cliffs.

In the Picos, the Ruta del Cares is a decent flat walk, next to a man made water canal.

 

[leslad]

Comillas is a beach town half an hour driving along the coast from Santander. It has an amazing house built by Gaudí (his first project).
View attachment 326535
Comillas also has an impressive Papal University on top of the cliffs.
View attachment 326536
In the Picos, the Ruta del Cares is a decent flat walk, next to a man made water canal.
View attachment 326537

Big fan of the ruta del cares, I did it last time I was in the Picos. Gonna try something a bit steeper this time!

Never heard of Comillas. In addition to what you suggested, it looks like it's got an interesting history - it's on the list. Nice one.

 

[RufusCat]

Arrived in Sanliurfa yesterday, by reputation the most religious city in Turkey. The people have been very welcoming, with a couple that knew a few words of English wishing us a good holiday in their city. As with all Turkish cities, very busy, but relatively easy to get about with a little research - mainly buses and trolley buses. Went to the ancient Gobliktepe site today which is almost 12,000 years old - and they still haven't worked out who lived there.

 

[IrishBlue2022]

Off to Dubai next week. Our first holiday away without the babies.

Seems to be so much choice for food options so hard to narrow down places to try.

 

[Eggs]

Off to Dubai next week. Our first holiday away without the babies.

Seems to be so much choice for food options so hard to narrow down places to try.

….went a few times when my son worked out there and it was a big advantage him knowing where and when to go to places for booze/food as they tend to have offers on (discount vouchers/happy hour scenario etc). I think I’d have found it difficult otherwise but quite enjoyed our trips. Not sure if they still do them but the eat/drink all you want brunches were good fun.

Some fine places to eat. Probably a few Dubai based posters on here who can help.

 

[Kurt.]

It feels good to be back here in Turkey, arrived at my hotel about 4pm yesterday evening and took a stroll down to the sea about 7pm. Got 9 days of pure relaxation now. Very contrasting to the videos of here I saw on Monday with torrential rain and rivers running through the streets

 

[BigMick]

In August I spent 6 days in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq - it wasn't a holiday other than a half day guided tour of the Nineveh archaeological site, where archaeologists from all over world are working to save what they can from the destruction wrought by ISIS. However, ISIS inadvertently unearthed some previously unknown sites which are also being explored.

We spent most of the time visiting various villages in the mountains where we were treated like royalty to the extent that it became embarrassing. The contrast between the lively cosmopolitan cities - even in the ones still rebuilding following the wars - and the simple, traditional life in the rural villages couldn't have been more stark. Many people haven't travelled more than 20 miles from their home village in their lives.

Most spectacular place visited was the town of Amedi which is squeezed onto a plateau on top of a mountain.

Most disturbing was a Yazidi refugee camp, a proper tented camp unlike some I could mention. The people there say they fled two attempted genocides, first from ISIS then from the Turkish army. While we were there the temperature was 40 centigrade with a cold and wet winter to come - unbearable. I won't say anymore as I don't want to fall down a political rabbit hole.

The mountainous scenery was stunning, the people universally friendly, even in the cities. Travel was easy, the roads were excellent apart from some of the tracks to the more isolated villages. Only problem we had was when were were held up by the biggest flock of sheep I've ever seen! We weren't aware of any tourists other than some from the Kurdish diaspora but I understand there are some specialist agencies that offer guided tours. We were too busy to go to most of the places those tours visit so it's a real temptation to go back for a more leisurely tour.

 

[RufusCat]

Got back Saturday from 15 days in South East Turkey, some observations that may be of use to fellow travellers:

Diyarbakir – Flight from Antalya took just over an hour, taxi to the old city (Eski) was 350TL (about £7). Kurds regard it as their capital, they sometimes refer to it by its original name Amed. Said to be the oldest city in Europe and Asia. Large walls surround the old city which has a maze of alleyways and narrow streets. A lot of restoration work ongoing as the city contains many old churches and moaques. Hopefully will return in the future to explore more as only had a day there.

Mardin – Not far from the Syrian border, stayed in an old house in old Mardin that was originally a church. Could see across the Mesopotamian plain from our window. Numerous old buildings to see, particularly monasteries and madrasah (colleges of Islamic instruction). Very steep and lots of steps in the old city, not recommended if you are disabled. The new city has developed in the last 13 years and is a mass of high rise flats etc. Old Mardin main street is a bit of a tourist trap, never seen so many jewellers, but also soap/spices etc and general tat. At night very noisy as numerous hotels and restaurants have live music (which goes off at 11.30pm).

Sanliurfa (Urfa to the locals) – regarded as the centre of the Islamic faith in Turkey, more mosques than I have seen before. Highlight in the city is Balikligol Park with its sacred Pool of Abraham, hundreds of people visit each day to see the fish filled waterways, mosques, and visit the cafes and restaurants (dozens of cats enjoy life in the park too, as there are no dogs). Essential visit is to Gobeklitepe, just outside the city, a Neolithic archaeological site inhabited at least 11,500 years ago. The ruins of the castle above the city is being restored after earthquake damage in 2023.

Gaziantep (Antep to locals) – is a vast city with a castle at its centre, again being restored. Highlight here was the Mosaic Museum which contains the mosaics saved from the Roman site of Zeugma which is now underwater after the River Euphrates was dammed. A worthwhile bus trip was out to Rumkale, overlooking the dammed river, with a glass platform high on the hillside and boat trips available to see some of the submerged buildings.

Overall a worthwhile trip, much to see. Due to the distances involved a couple of internal flights were booked (Antalya-Diyarbakir)(Gazientep-Antalya) otherwise relied on the excellent Turkish bus services. Relatively few foreign tourists, but a lot of Turks on holiday there, and little English spoken. Food was a little one-dimensional as virtually all cafes/restaurants served mainly kebaps, with the main meat being liver (lambs). The friendliness of the people was special, despite the language barrier lost count of the number of people asking us where we were from, and hoping we enjoyed their city. Final point was beer, very few bars in the region but beer is available in supermarkets or shops called Tekel (can use google to find them).

 

[IrishBlue2022]

 

[Kurt.]

Got back Saturday from 15 days in South East Turkey, some observations that may be of use to fellow travellers:

Diyarbakir – Flight from Antalya took just over an hour, taxi to the old city (Eski) was 350TL (about £7). Kurds regard it as their capital, they sometimes refer to it by its original name Amed. Said to be the oldest city in Europe and Asia. Large walls surround the old city which has a maze of alleyways and narrow streets. A lot of restoration work ongoing as the city contains many old churches and moaques. Hopefully will return in the future to explore more as only had a day there.

Mardin – Not far from the Syrian border, stayed in an old house in old Mardin that was originally a church. Could see across the Mesopotamian plain from our window. Numerous old buildings to see, particularly monasteries and madrasah (colleges of Islamic instruction). Very steep and lots of steps in the old city, not recommended if you are disabled. The new city has developed in the last 13 years and is a mass of high rise flats etc. Old Mardin main street is a bit of a tourist trap, never seen so many jewellers, but also soap/spices etc and general tat. At night very noisy as numerous hotels and restaurants have live music (which goes off at 11.30pm).

Sanliurfa (Urfa to the locals) – regarded as the centre of the Islamic faith in Turkey, more mosques than I have seen before. Highlight in the city is Balikligol Park with its sacred Pool of Abraham, hundreds of people visit each day to see the fish filled waterways, mosques, and visit the cafes and restaurants (dozens of cats enjoy life in the park too, as there are no dogs). Essential visit is to Gobeklitepe, just outside the city, a Neolithic archaeological site inhabited at least 11,500 years ago. The ruins of the castle above the city is being restored after earthquake damage in 2023.

Gaziantep (Antep to locals) – is a vast city with a castle at its centre, again being restored. Highlight here was the Mosaic Museum which contains the mosaics saved from the Roman site of Zeugma which is now underwater after the River Euphrates was dammed. A worthwhile bus trip was out to Rumkale, overlooking the dammed river, with a glass platform high on the hillside and boat trips available to see some of the submerged buildings.

Overall a worthwhile trip, much to see. Due to the distances involved a couple of internal flights were booked (Antalya-Diyarbakir)(Gazientep-Antalya) otherwise relied on the excellent Turkish bus services. Relatively few foreign tourists, but a lot of Turks on holiday there, and little English spoken. Food was a little one-dimensional as virtually all cafes/restaurants served mainly kebaps, with the main meat being liver (lambs). The friendliness of the people was special, despite the language barrier lost count of the number of people asking us where we were from, and hoping we enjoyed their city. Final point was beer, very few bars in the region but beer is available in supermarkets or shops called Tekel (can use google to find them).

Sounds like you had a fantastic couple of weeks mate. Did you get caught out with the rain at any point ? I’m in oludeniz at the moment, had really bad rain the other day and the streets were flooded, again today it rained heavily and the whole main strip turned into a river. Aside from those 2 days it’s been beautiful here, not wandered too far out this time, just fetiyeh and a first visit to calis which I found disappointing last day here tomorrow and the weather seems promising after 8am so gonna make the most of it and have a lazy beach day

 

[Cake]

View attachment 327081View attachment 327082View attachment 327083View attachment 327084View attachment 327085View attachment 327086It feels good to be back here in Turkey, arrived at my hotel about 4pm yesterday evening and took a stroll down to the sea about 7pm. Got 9 days of pure relaxation now. Very contrasting to the videos of here I saw on Monday with torrential rain and rivers running through the streets

Why are you wearing pink latex in the first photo?

 

[Kurt.]

Why are you wearing pink latex in the first photo?

I had a nodder on… ready for the night ahead