Our Trip to Turkey
This page is rather large so please have patience while waiting for it to load. During the Christmas break at the
Polonia Institute me and my great friend Cameron Bronke took a one month trip to Hungary,Romania and Turkey. This was a trip
that left us with many stories to tell. From the relentless salesmen in Istanbul to the train ride from hell!!(Bucharest to
Istanbul) Over all it was one big magic carpet ride. And of course we both came home with Turkish rugs.
Me and Cam enjoying a couple beers and pizza in Budapest. December 1998
Budapest was our first stop. We took the bus from Krakow and when we got there we hopped on the metro, but when
we tryed to change trains we got our first taste of adventure. We both got fined for not having the right tickets.
Budapest civic center.
We really had a tough time finding accomadations in Budapest. Some of the places in our guide book did not exist any
more, and it was extremely cold and late at night. But finally we got settled in a great German style pension.
The Nut Cracker.
Since it was Christmas time, we went to the Budapest Opera House to see the Nut Cracker. We had spectacular box seats in
the balcony. We shared our box with three other people and paid only a couple dollars for our tickets.
View of Istanbul with the Blue Mosque and the ancient Hagia Sofia.
From Budapest we made our way to Istanbul by train. We had to take the train from hell. The Bucharest to Budapest
Express. Istanbul is a city full of incredible sites. One could easily devote a week to Istanbu and still want more
Cam giving thanks over the city of Selchuk. This view is from the medieval castle set above the city.
After Istanbul we went to Selchuk. This city is famous because it is close to the ancient city of Ephessus, made
famous by the apostle Paul in the Bible.
One of the Ephessus ampitheatres.
Efes as it's called in Turkish is one of the most intact ancient cities in the world. It's a treasuretrove of ancient
ruins, including Greek and Arabic as well as Roman construction.
Main street Efes
Cameron doing a field study on Turkish wild life
The Antalya harbor has been here since Roman times.
After Selchuk we made our way to the south to Antalya. Throughout Turkey we traveled by bus. The Turkish bus system has
to be one of the best in the world. An eight hour bus ride on a very comfortable bus, tea included costs only about $15.00.
Ancient Olympos hidden in the jungles
In Antalya we rented a car with some great Canadians we met. Driving in Turkey is not reccomended for the faint of heart.
But if you do drive don't lose the registration/auto insurance. You will be in a heep of trouble if you do.
From Antalya we drove to the ancient city of Olympos. It's nothing more than a collection of ruins scattered throughout
the jungle but it has that Indiana Jones feeling to it.
After Antalya we went to the mythical land of Kapadokia. This region is full of mysterious and intriguing sites. There are
dwellings carved in every hillside, there are underground churches covered with medieval paintings, and miles of tunnels
underground where thousands of people once lived for still unknown reasons.
The white building on the left is the pension where we stayed.
We chose the SOS Pension in the village of Goreme as our home base in Kapadokia.
There are comfortable underground rooms in most of the pensions here but I
recommend the SOS for it's great atmosphere and comfortable common room.
You can book all day regional tours right from your pension and for only $20.00 it's well worth it.
We made friends with the locals.
This is the work crew at the SOS. The home cooked
meals and Turkish red wine may have been the highlight of our stay.
In Kapadokia everywhere you look there is spectacular scenery to feast your eyes on.
From Kapadokia we returned to Istanbul, where we took a plane back to Bucharest, Romania in order to avoid
the Istanbul to Bucharest hell ride express
The Bran or Dracula castle with an Orthodox Chapel in the foreground near Brasov, Romania.
In Romania we visited Crina and Anca, who live in Bucharest. Crina sudied in Poland with us and she's Cam's girlfriend.
Together we took a trip to the souh of Romania to Transylvania. The girl you see looking in the window of the
chapel is Crina.
One of the many medieval castles that dot the hill tops in the region of Brasov
Brasov is a great town! There is a beautiful town square with a perfect Gothic Cathedral.
There is also good skiing and snowbaording just outside town and of course it was very
affordable, or else two guys like me and Cam wouldn't have been there.
This page is rather large so please have patience while waiting for it to load. During the Christmas break at the
Polonia Institute me and my great friend Cameron Bronke took a one month trip to Hungary,Romania and Turkey. This was a trip
that left us with many stories to tell. From the relentless salesmen in Istanbul to the train ride from hell!!(Bucharest to
Istanbul) Over all it was one big magic carpet ride. And of course we both came home with Turkish rugs.
Me and Cam enjoying a couple beers and pizza in Budapest. December 1998
Budapest was our first stop. We took the bus from Krakow and when we got there we hopped on the metro, but when
we tryed to change trains we got our first taste of adventure. We both got fined for not having the right tickets.
Budapest civic center.
We really had a tough time finding accomadations in Budapest. Some of the places in our guide book did not exist any
more, and it was extremely cold and late at night. But finally we got settled in a great German style pension.
The Nut Cracker.
Since it was Christmas time, we went to the Budapest Opera House to see the Nut Cracker. We had spectacular box seats in
the balcony. We shared our box with three other people and paid only a couple dollars for our tickets.
View of Istanbul with the Blue Mosque and the ancient Hagia Sofia.
From Budapest we made our way to Istanbul by train. We had to take the train from hell. The Bucharest to Budapest
Express. Istanbul is a city full of incredible sites. One could easily devote a week to Istanbu and still want more
Cam giving thanks over the city of Selchuk. This view is from the medieval castle set above the city.
After Istanbul we went to Selchuk. This city is famous because it is close to the ancient city of Ephessus, made
famous by the apostle Paul in the Bible.
One of the Ephessus ampitheatres.
Efes as it's called in Turkish is one of the most intact ancient cities in the world. It's a treasuretrove of ancient
ruins, including Greek and Arabic as well as Roman construction.
Main street Efes
Cameron doing a field study on Turkish wild life
The Antalya harbor has been here since Roman times.
After Selchuk we made our way to the south to Antalya. Throughout Turkey we traveled by bus. The Turkish bus system has
to be one of the best in the world. An eight hour bus ride on a very comfortable bus, tea included costs only about $15.00.
Ancient Olympos hidden in the jungles
In Antalya we rented a car with some great Canadians we met. Driving in Turkey is not reccomended for the faint of heart.
But if you do drive don't lose the registration/auto insurance. You will be in a heep of trouble if you do.
From Antalya we drove to the ancient city of Olympos. It's nothing more than a collection of ruins scattered throughout
the jungle but it has that Indiana Jones feeling to it.
After Antalya we went to the mythical land of Kapadokia. This region is full of mysterious and intriguing sites. There are
dwellings carved in every hillside, there are underground churches covered with medieval paintings, and miles of tunnels
underground where thousands of people once lived for still unknown reasons.
The white building on the left is the pension where we stayed.
We chose the SOS Pension in the village of Goreme as our home base in Kapadokia.
There are comfortable underground rooms in most of the pensions here but I
recommend the SOS for it's great atmosphere and comfortable common room.
You can book all day regional tours right from your pension and for only $20.00 it's well worth it.
We made friends with the locals.
This is the work crew at the SOS. The home cooked
meals and Turkish red wine may have been the highlight of our stay.
In Kapadokia everywhere you look there is spectacular scenery to feast your eyes on.
From Kapadokia we returned to Istanbul, where we took a plane back to Bucharest, Romania in order to avoid
the Istanbul to Bucharest hell ride express
The Bran or Dracula castle with an Orthodox Chapel in the foreground near Brasov, Romania.
In Romania we visited Crina and Anca, who live in Bucharest. Crina sudied in Poland with us and she's Cam's girlfriend.
Together we took a trip to the souh of Romania to Transylvania. The girl you see looking in the window of the
chapel is Crina.
One of the many medieval castles that dot the hill tops in the region of Brasov
Brasov is a great town! There is a beautiful town square with a perfect Gothic Cathedral.
There is also good skiing and snowbaording just outside town and of course it was very
affordable, or else two guys like me and Cam wouldn't have been there.
If you want to check out more of Turkey here are some good websites
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