TRAVEL: Weekend in Bodrum, Turkey

2017, PLACES, TRAVELS, TURKEY, WEEKENDS Catie 1 Comment on TRAVEL: Weekend in Bodrum, Turkey

Bodrum…  Located in the south western tip of Turkey and is one of the most well-know places in Turkey when it comes to beaches and summer travels. I had heard before that it was so well-know and well-visited by the Brits that the prices on products were written in pounds. I did not see that on our short trip this time, but to be fair, it was the off-season.

Check out our most recent visit to Bodrum this past summer via our COMPLETE GUIDE TO BODRUM.

To SEE our most recent Bodrum City Tour via our video here:

So when our German friends invited us to tag along for a quick overnight trip to this city, we happily agreed! And so, one Saturday morning we headed out of the city for a mini German/American roadtrip. Now, something you should know about me – I LOVE a good road trip, and it was even more fun to explore with new friends. Since we personally don’t own a car here, it is an extra special treat to spend the weekend freely moving about the country on our own schedule(in our friends car of course) – which is something public transportation just doesn’t allow for most of the time. Running a little late(which we did)? No prob… we will leave a little later! (*See note at the end about public transportation)

From Izmir(depending on where you live) to Bodrum, travel by car takes around 3/3.5 hours. Since we left early, we stopped about halfway at the Çeri Restaurant (Instagram) located on Bafa Lake and did the breakfast Turkish style. The day was slightly cloudy but the views of the lake and the surrounding mountains were gorgeous. The food was delicious and a perfect brunch.

I love when a restaurant gives you the option of ordering a ‘domlek’ of tea. They bring out the candle warmer, hot water pot and the top domlek kettle with the strong steeped çay.  The Turkish tea here is done with a 2 story kettle similar to the one pictured. The bottom kettle heats the water, and you then pour the water into the top kettle that has the tea. While the tea is brewing (about 10-20 minutes) you reheat the water in the bottle kettle as well. Since the top kettle has strong tea, you can choose how dark or light you want your own personal tea to be by combining the tea and hot water.

Our sweet German friends!

After our breakfast, we headed onward to Bodrum. The city is actually not as big as I thought it would be. In September, our sailing trip left from another coastal city in Turkey, Fethiye, which has around 100,000 people. I think that visit influenced my expectations about the size of Bodrum which I found out later has around 40,000. 60,000 people is a considerable difference and I actually liked that it was smaller. We could walk everywhere we wanted to explore.  So after checking into our hotel, we did just that.

I will briefly mention our hotel for those who are curious. In past podcast episodes you have heard about 2 different ways we have found accommodations, Airbnb and Booking.com. This time we booked last minute via booking.com and I was a little careless about reading the reviews. The hotel was clean, but small. The complimentary breakfast was sufficient, and the location was ideal. However, the hotel(Albatros Otel) was literally wall to wall with a night club which, much to my astonishment, was going strong until 4 AM regardless of the so-called ‘off season’ (remember our other night club experience in The FunkTravels Podcast’s Episode003?). I had thought it would be preferable to be close to the water, but really anywhere BUT the water is a better sleep!  We walk a lot in Izmir so the distance from one location to the next was not far, and next time I will happily stay further inland to get a few more hours of rest and sleep.

It was about 1 pm when we left the hotel to explore one of the biggest historical sites Bodrum has to offer, the Bodrum Castle. If you are a long term visa holder (residence or work permit) or a student, you are eligible for a MüzeKart, a one-time payment museum card that allows you entrance into most museums in Turkey for one year.  Since the tickets into the castle were 30 TL each  150 TL (2022), we opted to use our MüzeKart. It took a little time to figure it all out, but in the end I am glad we did. I just wish we would have figured it out back in Cappadocia! (For short-term tourist (3 months or less), there are 2 options for you as well which you can find on their website.)

Inside the Bodrum castle are exhibits about old life in Bodrum, an underwater museum about discovered shipwrecks, and an old chapel/mosque. From the castle walls, one can see several stunning views of the whites homes that line the coast. The castle is deceivingly large. I would suggest wearing good walking shoes and blocking out around 2 hours for exploring and learning. In the summer months there is a cafe in the middle of the castle grounds to sit and enjoy a cup of tea if you need a break.

Take a tour of the castle with us!

After the castle, we stopped for a coffee and snack at the local Starbucks and enjoyed the view of the sea from the outside sitting area. Then we proceeded to wander the streets and coast line. There are lots of little quaint shops with local goods and other promising touristy items for purchase. I found the least touristy one and found some glass turkish coffee mugs that I have been looking for – simple and no frills which is great for future guests visiting our home in Izmir. Bodrum is well know for it’s white houses that line the coast and run through the city and up into the hills. The white building are splashed with colorful window sills and fabrics. On one of the side street we found a Spanish restaurant, La Pasion Restaurant, and after a warm chat and a complimentary sangria, we made reservations for later that evening.

Our seven pm dinner reservation definitely meant we were the first ones at La Pasion. Even when we spent a month in Spain, we were the first ones to the restaurants and normal opening time for the kitchen was around 8 pm. What can we say… we are early dinner goers! And according to American standards, seven is a little later!  The restaurant has several options from tapas to entrees, but our little party of four decided to share a several tapas and split a bottle of wine. The portions were small but most tapas had 4 servings that we all were able to share. The staff was great at helping us know what to order and the serving sizes.  Ordering tapas allowed us to try 6-7 dishes that the restaurant had to offer, but if you are hungry, I would suggest to order fewer tapas and skip to the entree as you will get considerable more food. We skipped dessert as we were sufficiently full, and I may have wanted a delicious dessert waffle from another local shop. After paying our bill and thanking the staff for a lovely dinner, we headed out in search of my waffle. Unfortunately, we were surprised to find all of the waffle locations to be closed by 9 pm on a Saturday night!

After our previously mentioned sleepless night, Lisa and I still made it our for a morning jog along the coastline. It was a gorgeously sunny day and a few degrees warmer than our normal morning runs in Izmir. After a few hills in our little loop of the town, I may reconsider future thoughts of running the Global Bodrum Run 10k on April 30… After our run, we enjoyed a simple breakfast, grabbed some coffee and headed out for a short walk uphill (again) to a couple of other historical sites – the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Ancient Amphitheater. Along the way we found a little Sunday street bazaar of handmade items.

Along the way we found a little Sunday street bazaar of handmade items.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is one of the Ancient 7 Wonders. An even cooler fact is that the word we use for Mausoleum today started from this structure. I will say that it was very underwhelming site, but way more interesting to think we were standing at one of the Ancient Wonders. Since most the bigger pieces have been used in other structures over time, most of ruins were still scattered around on the ground are not able to make any formation. There was a little TV showing how the archaeologist learned about the structure and some pictures.

Following the yellow theater signs from the mausoleum, the  Ancient Amphitheater is just a short 10 minute walk uphill through the narrow street of a neighborhood.  The path can only be used by pedestrians, mopeds and bicycles(but I am not sure who would every ride there bike up that hill). Once you make it up out of the neighborhood, you find one of the best views of Bodrum’s Castle and city. The theater also has some great views if you climb up to the top of the rows which was said to hold about 4,000 people. Even better is that there is no fee for visiting this site!

After our morning hike to these two places, we said our goodbyes to Bodrum and headed on home to Izmir. Following the advice of some our waiter friends at La Pasion Restaurant, we stopped at a unique little hidden bay area called Cennet Köyu, aka Paradise Village. The water was crystal clear and the views were amazing. It was worth the little extra detour (and the turnaround since I forgot to tell them to where to turn off!) for us to see this little local treasure.

All in all, we found Bodrum to be all others said it would be (including the sleepless night at the hotel). I am sure it is even better in the summer months when the streets are crowded and spirits are high, but I tend to like seeing places outside of the ‘perfect’ times. Instead of standing in line or pushing through the hussle and bussle, you tend to learn more about the ‘real’ life and year-rounders and spend time meandering the back streets. The next time we go back, we will know now how to spend our weekend and where NOT to stay!

You can hear more about our time in Bodrum via The FunkTravels Podcast’s Episode028.

Don’t forget to check out our video our Bodrum City too!

And even in off-season, it was still a wonderful place to visit. Bodrum is a province(or state) in Turkey, but within the state of Bodrum there is also a city named Bodrum. When we are talking to any friends(Turkish or foreigner) about the area around Izmir, Bodrum is one of the first places they want to know if we have visited. In turn, we promptly made a mental note adding it to our future travel list.

Questions for our readers:

Would you want to go visit this area of Turkey one day?

Have you been to Bodrum, Turkey?

If so, what are your thoughts?

What suggestions do you have for our next visit?

*While it has it’s flaws, public transportation is cheap, frequent and well-used in Turkey. You can find buses that go from the Izmir Otogar to Bodrum at all hours of the day. From our neighborhood in the high season, I have seen that there is a bus that goes every hour. If you are looking for buses, check out this site for more information.

TRAVEL: Weekend in Cappadocia – Castle Inn Cappadocia

2017, PODCAST, REVIEWS, TRAVELS, TURKEY, WEEKENDS, WRITING Catie

The area of Cappadocia is covered in rock formations that were created from erosions of lava rock. This erosion created MILES of natural gorges and fields of dips and peaks in the land. Later on, communities carved into these formations to create rooms for their homes, churches, and stores. Up until the 1950s, the people continued to live in most of these areas, but time started to slowly destroy some of the structures. Plus, newer commodities like indoor plumbing and electricity was not so easy to run through the rock houses. Now, more and more of these homes are being restored into stores, restaurants, and hotels.

Castle Inn Cappadocia in Ortahisar is one of these cave B&Bs! This smaller one-of-a-kind boutique hotel was renovated from a 150-year-old cave house. While it could have easily been 10 rooms, Suat decided to keep it intimate with only five uniquely designed rooms.

Our love for this hotel started with our very first email from the owner, Suat Ulusoy. We mentioned to him in our first inquiry email that Jason and I first met in Turkey and that we love to share Turkey with others. Ironically enough, Suat met his wife for the first time in America and he too loves to share his love for the states. And so this struck a bond between us! The communication from there on out was smooth and made any anxiety about the upcoming snowy travels non-existent. Suat wasn’t just an owner, he cared for us like this inn was his home and we were his close friends, from ordering food for us Friday night when the roads were too icy to drive on, to arranging my ‘surprise’ hot air balloon ride for Jason and then rescheduling it after it was cancelled the first morning!

To further attest to the atmosphere of hospitality we experienced, the hotel is normally open 11 months of the year, and January tends to be the easiest time for Suat to find time to relax and refresh. But even in the midst of his annual ‘leave’, he is willing to open up his inn for special guests. We just happened to benefit from this warm and inviting nature! However, with the very heavy snow the day before we arrived, the plane flights for the other guests were canceled, but Suat continued forward with our stay and offered us an upgrade to the best room available.

In the midst of our wintery surroundings, our stay in the cave room was warm and cozy. Each room has several wall heaters in the bathrooms and rooms as well as slippers and an electric kettle for warm drinks. While the terrace was snowy, the view of the valley was stunning. Complimentary breakfast is served in the what once was the old animal stables of the home. For 2 people, they usually prepare individual plates with the traditional Turkish breakfast, but more guests allow for a larger buffet style arrangement. I think we got the better end of the deal though because all of the ‘buffet’ items were arranged accordingly on the long wooden table within arm’s reach. Once we sat down, we never had to get up for bread, juice, coffee, or fruit. Omelets are made on request as well. Both mornings we ate around 9:30 AM and ended up skipping lunch due to the delicious breakfast!

Since the inn is located in Ortahisar we had immediate access to most of the what Cappadocia has to offer! Red Valley, Rose Valley, Goreme, Urgup, Uchisar, MustafaPasa, Avanos and many outstanding open-air museums and amazing rock formations are only a drive away. While there are day tours (private and group) available, Jason and I opted for a rental car for the weekend since we had been there before and are familiar with the area. It also gave us the flexibility to stop as many times as we wanted (which is a lot when I want to take pictures of everything!). I will be the first to argue that Cappadocia is more beautiful in the winter with a fresh layer of snow adorning the layers of rocks.

If you are concerned about safety during this time, let me be the first to assure you that Cappadocia is very safe. And in the hands of Suat at Castle Inn Cappadocia, there is no safer place to stay. As mentioned before, the ease of communication leaves no misunderstanding for any questions you may have. Outside of email, Suat was able to communicate via WhatsApp about the location of the hotel, last minute changes, and weather updates.  Larger hotels can’t give you the amount attention and dedication Suat gives his guests at the Castle Inn.

Castle Inn Cappadocia

Contact & Reservation

Postal address : Castle Inn, Cappadocia/Turkey
Eski mahalle, Bahce sokak, No:5, 50650 Ortahisar/Urgup/Nevsehir/TURKEY
Phone : + 90 384 343 30 22
+ 90 530 324 45 27 (Cell Phone – Turkish)
: + 90 549 341 00 01 (Cell Phone – English)
Fax : + 90 384 343 30 21
Email : [email protected]

    

 

 

[DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this post. I did receive a media rate from the hotel as a blogger. After our stay, I trust the owner, Suat, and am happy to recommend this hotel. One of the purposes of our website is to highlight Turkey, the local people, and try to help their businesses. At the same time we take the trust we have with our readers very seriously and will not recommend businesses/activities we do not think our readers will enjoy regardless of the friendship we create along the way.]

FOOD: Whole30 Tips and Tricks

2017, EVERYDAY LIFE, FAMILY, FOOD, HOBBIES Catie 7 Comments on FOOD: Whole30 Tips and Tricks

In a non-travel related post, Jason and I just finished our 4th, yes FOURTH, Whole 30. (Ok, we were a few days short due to travel, but shhhh don’t tell!)

For 30 days, your diet is limited to unprocessed, ‘whole’ foods (mostly meat, fish, veggies and fruits) – no legumes, grains, dairy, sugar, or alcohol. You can read more about it here and if time, read the book that explains the logic behind it! Since our first round, more helpful resources and recipes have come out, and a few more foods have been added to the ‘acceptable’ list (like kombucha and white potatoes as well as sweet potatoes… which is really helpful for us here in Turkey because sweet potatoes are at fancy store and cost you your first child…)  

My sister is actually the one that started us on this journey, thanks sis…. Then, Jason read the book while we were dating, and decided to try it. I said, “Heck, well if you are going to eat this way then why not try this food thing together for 30 days…” And so it started the journey of learning more about food. Even more so, I learned about the relationship certain foods had with my body.

Here are 4 things I learned/habits it broke:

1. Dairy- I learned dairy is not very kind to my system and it makes me feel bloated. I realized this when I moved to Turkey the first time, but thought it was just milk. Not having any dairy produces for 30 days (which was REALLY hard by the way) taught me that I need to be more picky about what dairy I eat. It broke my habit of ‘having’ to have cheese on everything, and now I mostly go without it.

2. Coffee – I can drink coffee without yummy delicious coffee creamers. In fact, now I prefer it! I still like a little creaminess but I use other options like bulletproof coffee, coconut oil, and heavy whipping cream (non-box cream is really hard to find here in Turkey)

3. Sugar – This was the MOST frustrating part of Whole30. I did not realize how MUCH sugar I was consuming daily from grabbing a piece of candy here and there. Also, sooo much processed (boxed, prepared, powder, frozen) food has sugar hidden in it as well. I learned to check everything before I bought it even when I am not on the Whole30 for the rest of the 11 months of the year. If I can enjoy it without sugar then why buy something with extra sugar in it?

4. Cooking – I can cook, and it’s get easier the more you try. In fact, the more we cook with veggies, the more I can change up spices, oil, and combinations to create unique flavors. Messing up and creating messes when cooking is part of the deal!

For those who are just starting off with Whole30, here are my tips for you!

To be clear, we were not strict on organic/grass-fed products. At the time (and even now to be honest) it just isn’t always an option and it can be expensive depending on where you live and what is accessible to you.

Have on hand:

1. EGGS – This is your easy go-to lifesaver when you are feeling tired of cooking or just don’t have time! We always bought a large batch of eggs and boiled about half of them. This is a great quick protein option for pre or post workouts as well. The first round I was training for a half marathon and the extra protein servings were really important to me! Also, egg salad is a great lunch option!

2. MAYO – Spend the time to make your own mayo. If you take time on the weekend to do this, it will be a great help you during the week when you need a little ‘extra somethin’ for your food. Great for egg salad, chicken salad, lettuce wraps, burgers, dressings, etc.

3. SALAD DRESSING – Make a salad dressing on the weekend for your week. If you love ranch, use the homemade mayo and try mixing up the Whole30 Dump Ranch dressing (I like this one). If you don’t know much about oil based dressings, experiment! The usually ratio is 2/3(oil) to 1/3(vinegar) and add spices – THAT’S IT. Each week you can change it up a bit, and it will be helpful for a quick salad!

4. COFFEE lovers – You have a couple of options if you are a ‘milk and sugar with a little coffee’ person. First off, sorry, no sugar subs, but you CAN do this! But for milk – Canned coconut milk, ghee, heavy whipping cream and coconut oil. I personally prefer the fresh organic heavy whipping cream(I told you I am picky about my dairy products now!) or coconut oil (blend really well!). For the coconut oil, I use an ice cube tray and make little single serving coconut oil cubes (keep in the fridge). This makes it an easy go to for my morning coffee ‘creamer’.  

5. COCONUT MILK – This is one of my most used items during Whole30. A lot of indian/thai meals use dairy and canned coconut milk is a great substitute. It is perfect for making soup creamier. Only use the canned milked as there are no additives.

6. GHEE – Just spend the money and buy it – or make your own. Yes, it is not exactly like butter so you have to get use to it. Perfect for the bulletproof coffee, roasting veggies, and topping a baked sweet potato.

Hobo meal when we were out camping! Whole30 compliant while out and about!

Buy from the store:

– Trader Joes Just Mango Slices (dried mango) – NO sugar added(be careful because they get mixed in with the sugar ones!)

– Trader Joes Salsa and Pineapple Salsa(I think there is no sugar)

– Trader Joes Roasted Plantain Chips

– Trader Joes Ghee

– Trader Joes Almond Butter

– Trader Joes Grass Fed Angus Beef Burgers – reasonably priced

– Sesame Oil – Little pricey but gives a new flavor to roasted veggies and great for stir fry!

– Fish Sauce – Smell terrible but so good on thai dishes

– Coconut Aminos – Lifesaver for Asian meals which we love to make!

– Sam’s Club Coconut Oil – massive container

– Trader Joes or Aldi Nuts are great to have on hand for snacks(which technically is not encouraged)- the Whole30 list tells you which ones are preferred. Nuts are just expensive, but really good options to have on hand!

– Aldi Salsa – There are some that do not have sugar!

– Aldi Sweet Potato Chips – While this is technically not Whole30 ideals, the ingredients are only sweet potatoes, oil, and salt. And it was a heck of alot easier to buy these then make sweet potato chips (which we did our first round).

– Aldi has Grass-fed beef and chicken now

– Aldi avocados, avocados, avocccaaaaddddoooossss  – So versatile! Breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Actually most of our produce came from Aldi or TJ.

Cooking – My advice for first-timers… KEEP IT SIMPLE! While it would be great to recreate your favorite Chinese meal Whole30 style, it is not always easy. Don’t frustrate yourself, but instead learn how to make the simple items great!  Also, PLAN AHEAD. Food just takes more time in general when you cook from scratch. I am a planner when it comes to meals and Jason is not. So the last few times we have done Whole30, Jason just does it. He is better at last minute game-plans. However, if you are a planner and take your lunch to work, it easier to have a list of options to cook so that I wasn’t frustrated!  Something like, Breakfast – Eggs and Avocados, Lunch – Salad with Tuna, Dinner – Chicken with roasted veggies. Nothing hard!

Eating out – This one is just hard, and we just gave ourselves some grace. There are lots of eating out guide out on the web – like this one. Whole30 also covers how eat out in a little question guide.

Lastly, if you mess up, IT IS OKAY. Just continue on with the program! Your life is NOT ruined. Actually, Jason and I got engaged around day 2o something during our first Whole30 (couple that eat together, stay together 😉 ). So we celebrated by going to eat Mexican Food which is exactly the opposite of the goal of Whole30… let’s just say that after 20 days of no grains, dairy or alcohol, that was NOT a good idea to have the margarita! But the next day, we were back on track and finished out the rest of the program!

The more I write on this, the more I have to say! Maybe I’ll write another post about it in the future!

Questions:

What would you like to know more about?  Meal prep? Whole30 Instagram accounts?

What did you find helpful?

What area of Whole30 are you finding difficult?

TRAVEL: Remembering Cappadocia

2017, HOBBIES, PLACES, TRAVELS, TURKEY, WEEKENDS Catie

 

Today we head to Cappadocia, and I can’t help but reminisce about last time we were there. Three summers ago (yep 2014), just 5 months into our marriage, we took our first international trip together.

Our agenda? Turkey, of course! From Istanbul, we traveled to Cappadocia region and then onward to Adana.

While I am sure this is not a surprise, Cappadocia has a lot of history. The land has been occupied by the Hittites and a few other empires along the way. Early Christians thrived in this area which accounts for the numerous churches throughout the area until Islam(Selcuk Turks then the Otomans) came in force. Elevated caves and underground cities became a source of protection during that time. Tours are always a helpful way to learn the most about the history of the area and what you are seeing.

While I had been to Cappadocia before, we were still excited to see the area together! During that trip to Turkey we spent a lot of time reconnecting with old friends, our three day stay in the middle of our itinerary was like a mini retreat for us to experience something new together – just us. We enjoyed walking around the ancient town of Goreme and seeing the old cave homes and business creatively intertwined and renovated with more modern architecture.

Another day we rented a scooter to get around the area. There is so much to explore and having a scooter allowed us to wander and navigate the region on our own timetable as opposed to going with a tour. We explored the open air museum, found a pottery museum, climbed a castle, and journeyed through one of the many underground cities.

 

 

This weekend, however, will be the exact opposite of our sunny, summer visit. The forecast shows winter to be in full swing and a layer of snow is predicted to greet us when we land in Kayseri Airport. For the weekend, we will stay at Castle Inn (Instagram), a smaller one-of-a-kind five room boutique hotel renovated from a 150 year old house in Ortahisar, next to Goreme. Just from my email communications with the owner, Suat, I know we will love this hotel! (In my book, half of a good hotel stay is my interaction with the people who work there.)

Being located in Ortahisar means that we will have immediate access to Red Valley, Rose Valley, Goreme, Urgup, Uchisar, MustafaPasa, Avanos and many open air museums/amazing rock formations. A hot air balloon ride (our first!) may be on the itinerary as well…

Here are some helpful resources I have been using to plan our weekend:

Pegasus Airlines and car rental

Captivating Cappadocia

Castle Inn Cappadocia – Anything you need, they can set up for you!

Winter skiing – here and here

…………..

If you have never been, it should definitely be on your list!

If you have been, what did you think???

HOLIDAY: Swiss Hotel Lighting of the Tree

2016, EVENTS, HOLIDAY, IZMIR, LOCAL, TURKEY Catie

 

Since this is our first Christmas season in Izmir, I didn’t know what to expect. When I lived in Istanbul before, I never even checked to see if there were holiday events in the city, malls, or international groups. This time around, a little research on Instagram and Facebook events/groups showed many holiday events. We did make it to the IWAI Christmas Market before we left town early on our #funkchristmas2016 tour. Fortunately, we made it to one more event with some friends of ours for the Lighting of the Tree at the Swiss Hotel.

The evening was lovely. The hotel very thoughtfully decorated and an itinerary of Christmas music. While either the pianist and violinists played or the choir sang, guest enjoyed cookies, special tarts, and my favorite, mulled wine.

It was a perfect send off to our Christmas vacation the next day and for others a perfect start to their holiday season. If you are living in Izmir and are looking for Christmas events, this is one I would definitely recommend!