Cappadocia — Land of the Fairy Chimneys

–Authored by Ida Shea

Our excursion into Central Turkey started with an early morning flight from Istanbul to Kayseri and then a bus ride of about an hour into the Cappadocia region.  One thing that I think was quite a surprise as we arrived in Cappadocia was that the rain we had dealt with in Istanbul turned into snow.  As Wisconsin MBAs, we’re pretty hearty, but no one really had packed for cold weather.  So after a couple moments to bundle up into coats and gloves, we made our first stop at a pottery center.  We were given a tour showcasing how traditional Turkish pottery is made and decorated; additionally, Todd (a second year student in the Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking who was celebrating his birthday) got to try out making his own pot on the wheel.  After the tour, we had the opportunity to acquire our own pottery and many students boarded the bus a bit lighter in the pocket and with their own Turkish pottery.

Next stop: Turkish carpets!  We entered the building and got to watch women who were participants in a carpet-making cooperative program weave various types of rugs.  The cooperative works to teach women carpet making and then sets up graduates of the school so they are able to make carpets from home which are then sold to the cooperative, providing the members with a steady wage.  According to our guide, this was an initiative to cut down on labor abuse for the weavers.  After getting to see how carpets are made, we were then shown how silk was made and dyed.  We were then led to a room where the real show began!  While the guide explained nuances of various carpets, employees of the showroom unrolled carpet after carpet.  The floor of the room quickly filled with beautiful rugs with an incredible range of colors and patterns.  Other employees were bringing around an assortment of local wines and teas for people to try as they watched the show, or in the case of a few of us, looked for the perfect carpet.    Eventually, we returned to the bus, accompanied by several new rugs, and, for the non-shoppers of the group, the chance to finally eat lunch!

Though it would seem like we had already completed a full day of flying and shopping, after lunch we headed off to our first historical stop in Cappadocia: the Open Air Museum at Göreme.  Arriving at Göreme was like arriving on an alien planet – a little snowy, with crazy rock formations and little caves everywhere.  Göreme is a complex of cave churches dating from the 9th century, many of which still have incredible frescoes on the walls.  We had a chance to wander around Göreme for about an hour before it closed for the evening and then we headed to the Gamirasu Cave Hotel, which would be our accommodations for the two days.  As we headed to the hotel, it started to snow and by the time we reached the hotel, there were several inches of snow on the ground.  Now, at a typical hotel, you would just pull up to the lobby awning and the snow wouldn’t be any issue.  At the Gamirasu, getting to the hotel involved a trek down an exceptionally slick, steep hill.  However, braving the hill was definitely worth it as the hotel is one of the most beautiful and unique places I’ve ever stayed, with an amazingly friendly staff, plus wonderful food.

After dinner at the hotel, we headed back out into the storm to go to a Turkish folk dance and culture show.  The show was a very enjoyable mix of local dances and ended with several belly dance performances.  After the show, we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed spending time in the hotel lobby relaxing with an Efes (a Turkish pilsner) or two and then retiring to our cave hotel rooms after a very long day.

The next morning involved another whirlwind tour of the area.  First stop was at the fairy chimneys.  The fairy chimneys are natural rock formations caused by volcanic eruptions followed by centuries of erosion of the rock surrounding the volcanic basalt.  After several stops for photo ops, including an overlook of the cave town of Ürgüp, we had an opportunity to go into a cave house ourselves.  The house that we toured has a resident cat (very exciting for some of our animal loving travel companions), but was no longer being lived in full time.  We were given a tour by the owner, whose parents had lived in the house and who had been born there, and got to see a little bit about what life in a cave must have been like.  The cave house was far roomier than I would have expected and also much warmer than the snowy landscape outside.

Our final stop for the day was at the underground city of Derinkuyu.  The area of Cappadocia has many underground cities that served as refuges for local villagers from raiders.  Cappadocia has historically been a target for armies moving through Central Turkey.  Local residents would not live underground year round, but would spend up to a couple months at a time in the underground cities as raiders and armies moved through the area.  It is clear that the danger these raiders posed was great, because the underground city was far from comfortable.  The tunnels were tightly cramped for those of us in the group that are of average height and the tallest men in the group had a hard time fitting in the tunnels.

After a long day of sightseeing, we headed back to the hotel.  Some people napped while others went on an excursion to the Turkish baths (an adventure worthy of its own blog post – see below) and then another wonderful dinner at the hotel followed by a relaxing evening as we prepared for yet another early morning flight from Kayseri to Izmir.

Cappadocia was an exceptionally beautiful place that I know that I at least hope to see again, though perhaps at a time with slightly less snow!

Ephesus

–Authored by Michaela Marquardt

On January 9, 2011 we started out our day by taking a one hour flight from Cappadocia to Izmir. Once in Izmir we bused up into the hills of Kusadasi to see The House of the Virgin Mary where it is believed she came to live with St. John during the last twenty years of her life. At this site we were able to see what is thought to be a baptismal fount, the home/church where Mary lived and a wall full of small pieces of paper with prayer requests from visitors.

After our short visit there we boarded the bus again to Ephesus were we spent several hours walking around the grounds of one of the best preserved ancient Roman cities. The city of Ephesus dates back to the Neolitic Ages, 6000BC. The city was called Apasas during the Hittite period and was a port city in ancient times with Greek settlers from around 1050BC. The portion of Ephesus we visited was founded around 300BC by Lysimakhos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. Ephesus’ golden age was during the Hellenistic and Roman Periods and had a population of 200,000 people. It was the capital city of the state of Asia and the largest port in the area. While walking through the city we saw sites such as the Eastern Gymnasium, the Baths of State Agora, the Temple of Hadrianus, the Library of Celsus and the Great Theater which had a seating capacity of 24,000 people.  On our way back to the bus we were able to walk along the Marble Street which extends from library square to the theater and was used by chariots and pedestrians. We had a great day at Ephesus and several people on the trip commented that it was their favorite day/site of the trip! A must see if you ever travel to Turkey.

Michaela

Pammukale

–Authored by Matthew Bartoe

One of the largest sets of ruins that we visited was the ancient city of Hierapolis built on a mount called Pammukale, which means “cotton castle.” It is a geological marvel that consists of a hilltop covered in white limestone that was the result of rock formations built over thousands of years. Warm calcium rich mineral water flowed over the cliffs and as it cooled it deposited the calcium into the formations that are seen today. Pammukale, standing high above the surrounding plains, was a beacon for Roman settlers.  They thought that the white stone was a gift from the gods and that the warm mineral springs that formed the white appearance could cure diseases. The Romans founded Hierapolis in 190 BC, to take advantage of the mineral waters.  Today many tourists come to Pammukale to see one of the largest sites of ancient ruins, but also to bathe in the “healing” water.

Pammukale was a long drive from the hotel in Kusadasi.  We first stopped at the bottom of the white cliff face for a photo op. While some were fascinated by the giant white bluffs, most found the ducks and camel, yes there was a camel in the parking lot, to be much more picture worthy. When we arrived at the top of the mount, we had a brief tour of the city before breaking into smaller groups to explore. Some walked the entire city while a couple brave souls, possibly looking for divine healing of some sort, jumped into the mineral spring for a small fee of $25. Others took the less expensive and more common route to receive their healing. They took off their shoes, which is required, and walked on the natural terraces created by the spring flowing over the cliff face.  There were reports of their feet feeling “better than ever” and “exfoliated,” but no major claims of curing of foot diseases. The two gents that went for full body emersion were mum about their experience but smiled on the bus home; perpetuating the thought that maybe the water does have healing powers.

Hagia Sophia & Blue Mosque

–Authored by Justin Owen

It was hard to believe this was our ninth and final day in Turkey.  Our time in Turkey was full of excitement and flew by so fast!  After an enjoyable morning at Coca Cola, we had a busy day ahead to see some of the most well-known sights in Istanbul.

Our first stop, Hagia Sophia, was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly 1,000 years after being constructed between 532 and 537.  As we entered in awe of the sheer size and gorgeous architecture, I could not help but wonder how something of such magnitude could have been built almost 1,500 years ago.  Hagia Sophia’s interesting history includes serving as a cathedral from its inception until 1453 when it was converted to a mosque.  In 1934 it was secularized and opened as a museum in 1935.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more commonly known as the Blue Mosque, was breathtaking as well!  Built by Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616, Europeans named it the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent hand dyed blue, green and white tiles.  With an impressive central dome 43m high and 33.4m in diameter, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque is still considered one of the most impressive monuments in the world.

As our day was coming to an end, our final destination was the Grand Bazaar one of the oldest covered markets in the world.  This was definitely not the typical shopping mall!  Though we weren’t able to see the entire bazaar, it is supposed to have 4,000 shops and over 20,000 employees!  This completed our exciting day and one of my favorite trips ever taken.  We all found Turkey to be an incredibly diverse country with extremely warm and welcoming people and of course great food.  I think everyone in our group is anxiously awaiting our next opportunity to experience this wonderful country and culture again in the near future.  I know I am.

Turkish Bath (HAMAM) Experience

— Authored by Katharine Christensen

One cultural experience that Turkey has to offer is the Turkish Bath, or a Hamam in Turkish. This method of cleaning the body and relaxation dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, and was especially popular in the Ottoman Region during the Victorian Era. The Tellak, or staff of the Hamam, were traditionally young men recruited from non-Muslim nations of the Turkish Empire, including Greeks, Jews, and Armenians. Today, Tellaks are both adult males and females, and can make a decent living through their trade.

To many in our group, the Turkish Bathing experience felt like a must-do.  After a long day of touring, seven MBAs and our fearless group leader, Cindie, decided to embark upon a journey to a Turkish Bath near our hotel in Cappadocia. Despite the icy roads and overall poor weather conditions, our bus driver forged out at a disturbingly rapid rate to the local bathing establishment. While we were a little wary about the experience, our tour guide had promised us that this particular Hamam was relatively ‘clean and new’.

We arrived at the Turkish Bath, selected which massage packages we were interested in, and changed into our swimming costumes in our respective locker rooms. To begin the process, we were treated to a mud mask, and then ushered into a sauna to begin our cleansing process. Each of us left the sauna at our own leisure, and moved on to the next phase of the bath.

The large room we entered had a massive tiled platform in the center, and there was seating with separate tubs for each bather.  Under the watchful eye of our tour guide, Yalçin, the 8 of us were first scrubbed with a loofah, and then washed with a large soapy sponge. Some students received more special attention than others, including some amateur chiropractic work and extra-rigorous ‘massaging’ that bordered on physical assault.

Once our Turkish Bathers decided we were clean, we were sent on to a soaking pool to relax before our massages.  Each of us was collected by a masseur who took us to a room and began the massage process. Some masseurs were very curious about us, and we were glad to have made a good impression when they complimented us on being ‘very nice’.

Once the oven timers dinged to signal that our massage time was up, each of us was led back to our locker rooms to re-dress and re-enter the real world. We left feeling clean, tired, and very ready to tuck ourselves into our cave hotel room bed. We feel extremely lucky to have experienced this facet of Turkish Culture, and we created a memory with friends that will certainly stay with us for a long time to come.

Katharine

Christensen

Culinary Delight

— Authored by Matt Reuer

Turkish food is simply delicious and was a central component to every day we spent in the country.  In addition to learning about Turkish business and culture through the MBA Global Trip, we all were able to gain a good understanding about Turkish cuisine.  It was not uncommon for our group to feel like royalty while dining as we were often served multiple course meals for lunch and dinner. This may have not helped our waist lines, but it added to our experience in Turkey and our understanding of Turkish culture.

Turkish cuisine is filled with flavors that date back to the Ottoman Empire.  Its central ingredients originate from Greece, Persia, Arabia, and the Balkans. Turkish food today can be described as a fusion of Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Balkan cuisines.  Each region of the country has specialties and signature ingredients making travel through the country a true culinary adventure.   Turkey is also one the few countries that can feed itself from its own produce.  Therefore, the food makes its way from the ground to table quickly, ensuring freshness and flavor.  The variety and simplicity of the recipes and the quality of the ingredients guarantees of delicious meals.

A typical meal in Turkey consisted of soup, salad, main course, and dessert.  Every lunch and dinner started with homemade bread and lentil soup.  We all looked forward to the lentil soup as the flavors and colors changed with the region and often created a fun conversation.  Turkish salads combined fresh ingredients which were usually shredded lettuce, beets, and carrots.  Salads were served with a dressing that consisted of lemon juice, oil, and vinegar.  The dressing had a tangy flavor that routinely caught us off guard. The Turks are also huge meat eaters, therefore the main course was usually some type of meat which made options for vegetarians fairly limited.  Beef, lamb, and chicken were prepared in a number of ways for the main course.  The most famous of these is the kebap which we all came to love.  And finally, desert.  Turkey is known for its Baklava which is a layered pastry filled with honey and nuts.  We were almost always served baklava at the end of our meals.  If not, it was usually one of a handful of other sweet pastries.

One can’t discuss food without beverages.  Among the national drinks, Turkish coffee and Turkish tea should be mentioned.  Turkish coffee comes thick and dark in a small cup and may be served with or without sugar.  Either way, it is truly delicious and was a beverage we all enjoyed trying at some point through the trip.  Turkish tea is a variety of black tea and served in small glass cups.  People all over Turkey could be seen drinking their tea throughout the day.

The freshness and abundance of food in Turkey truly made a memorable experience.  Our group had many great conversations and celebrations over our meals during our twelve days traveling around the country.  From the numerous fruit, bread or street meat stands to any of the amazing restaurants, we all have been able to experience the wonders of Turkish cuisine.

Purrrrfect Turkey Trip

–Authored by Jishnu Guhathakurta

One of the many novel things about Turkey and particularly Istanbul is the stray cats and kittens who roam freely on the streets. I saw many running around the streets of Istanbul, taking a cozy nap under a bridge, or gracefully roaming around the narrow alleys of Grand Bazaar. My first encounter was after my first meal in Istanbul, after finishing lunch at a swanky restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus: I was greeted outside the exit doors with two beautiful cats. As instinct would have it, I leaned down to play and pet them. Surprise, surprise, they loved the attention and purred away.

Most cats in Turkey are well groomed and comfortable with strangers. I found out that stray cats in Turkey are neutered and considered as communal pets. The concept of communal pets was intriguing to me. I did some further digging and found out that cats have a strong religious significance in Islam and are held in a special place according to Islamic tradition. It is believed that when a poisonous snake approached the Prophet Muhammad, a cat came and prevented the attack. Since, cats own a special place among the Muslim population of Turkey. Residents of Istanbul are often seen feeding these communal cats and have accepted them as part of their life. One could see make shift feeding bowls for the cats across the city.

These communal cats were a nice relief from the hustle and bustle of the city. In Istanbul, we had extremely packed days, visiting companies and taking in the city whenever we could. To see a cat napping or stretching while the busy city life goes on was a welcome change. They add a beautiful new dimension to the city life and gave us the opportunity to slow down and pet such wonderful creatures. It makes Istanbul unique compared to other metropolitan cities.

Another place where cats were in abundance was the Roman remains at Ephesus. Cats would gracefully wonder around the ruins of a city which was built in 300 BC. It seemed as if the cats were guarding these ruins and were the pseudo care takers of an ancient city. One could also not miss people pouring water in the marble ruins which acted as the drinking bowl for the cats. So, if you are planning to visit Ephesus anytime soon, please don’t forget to pet the cats and pour some water in their drinking bowl.

Throughout the trip I was on the lookout for the famous Turkish Van cats, an indigenous breed known for their silky long fur, mostly white body with a majestic colored tail, and often dual-colored eyes (one blue and one amber). Unfortunately, I didn’t see them. However, I was perfectly happy petting the equally adorable non-pedigree cats.

At this point in the post, one might be wondering about my obsession with cats. But fear not, I was not the only one who took a liking to the cats. Many of my fellow MBAs petted the cats whenever they got a chance. We all captured them through our lenses and brought home some cat inspired souvenirs.

Thank you Encounter Tours & Sedat

–Authored by Cindie Adams

Thanks Encounter Tours!

We would also like to thank our travel organizer and tour guide.  It was wonderful working with Chevy (turkeytours@gmail.com) in arranging a customized trip for our group.    Check out Encounter Tours at www.turkeytourcompany.  They know the places to go in Turkey and how to get there.  Great customer service too!

Our tour guide, Sedat Kirkan (sedatceres@yahoo.com), was incredibly knowledgeable, fun-spirited and patient with us.  Thanks Sedat!