TRAVELS Archives - Page 11 of 12 - following the funks

TRAVEL: Weekend in Bodrum, Turkey

March 8, 2017November 14, 20222017, PLACES, TRAVELS, TURKEY, WEEKENDS Catie 1 Comment

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

February 23, 2017October 5, 20172017, 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.]

TRAVEL: Remembering Cappadocia

January 27, 2017February 23, 20172017, 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???

WRITING: Airbnb Published Article

January 12, 2017January 12, 2017HOLIDAY, PODCAST, TRAVELS, TURKEY, WRITING Catie 2 Comments

If you have been following our story for any amount of time, you know we are HUGE fans of Airbnb.

Like MAJOR fans…

Like…. we have used Airbnb rentals in over 25 different locations, 9 different states, and in 9 different countries!

Plus, Jason and I talk about Airbnb in almost every episode of our lifestyle/travel podcast. The advantages of a kitchen, central location, and twice the space for half the cost of a hotel makes our short or long-term stays much more affordable and comfortable.

Last year, an article I wrote was featured on AirbnbGuide.com. This article list 5 ways an Airbnb host can make a rental more inviting for guests. We ourselves have never been hosts, but as you read above, we have been guests many times! If you are interested in be host for Airbnb, here are subtle but quality tips.

If you’re considering Airbnb, you can join the community for free! There is a short verification process for both the host and user, but after that, you are good to go! Also, if you sign up via our referral then we both can earn up to $20 toward our next trip.

Have you stayed in an Airbnb before? What did you think? Would you stay again?

Are you an Airbnb host? What did you think of the tips? Any other suggestions?

Comment below and let us know!

REVIEW: 2016 – You were a big year

January 10, 2017January 31, 2017EVERYDAY LIFE, FAMILY, FOOD, HOBBIES, HOLIDAY, HOME, LANGUAGE, LOCAL, MOVING, OUR FAMILY VALUES, OUR FAMILY VISION, PODCAST, TRAVELS, TURKEY, YEAR GOALS Catie

2016 Review FunkTravels Blog — (photo cred to libbyasaystudio.com)

While it is safe to say that we are happy to see the new year, 2016 will always be one to remember for our family!

Several words come to mind as we think back to our year: Anticipation, preparation, happiness, sadness(Both the sadness of mourning and the joyful kind that comes with change), transition, struggle, identity, finishing, loneliness, longing, dreaming, adventurous.

As I was considering how to write about 2016, it truly centers around one major event….

BEST AND MOST CHALLENGING THING THAT HAPPENED IN 2016:

Jason and I (plus our 8 bags) moved to Turkey.

WHICH ALSO MEANT THAT:

Before moving we made the most of traveling to the states (mostly via my work conferences) and spending time with family. These little side trips took us to Minneapolis, Manhattan(Kansas), Chicago, Washington D.C. and Denver. Somewhere in there we celebrated our 2nd Anniversary! (Click on the links to take you to the podcast episode.)

I ran a half marathon in Chicago with my sister and mom.

Over the course of 6 months, we sold/gave away most of our household and then stored the rest of it. (episode 11)

Jason found his first client that hired him KNOWING we were going to be living internationally (and it has worked so well!).

After 3 years as a study abroad program assistant Iowa State, I moved on so that, together, we could pursue this move.

In July, we moved out of our first home together.(Episode 14)

In August, we left our 6 (now 7) nieces and nephews behind. Oh and the rest of our family. (jk, we love ya’ll too!) Which also meant that we missed meeting our new niece born 3 weeks after we left the states.

In August, we also left an amazing church and community of people.

Due to the coup in Turkey, we delayed our entry into Turkey and had the unexpected joy of spending a month with Jason’s cousins in Spain. While in Spain, we took a road trip through the Andalucia Region and spent the night in Morocco. (episode 15 and episode 16)

From the end of July to October 5, we lived in someone else’s home, hotel, Airbnb, apartment, or tent (yes, we count those 2 nights!).

In October, we signed a year long contract on a newly renovated apartment (episode 18) in Izmir, Turkey. You can listen into our podcast episodes to hear more about the long saga of acquiring gas for hot water, dropping a 10 foot pipe down 6 stories, and the leaky roof… (episode 19, episode 20, episode 21, episode 22)

In the Fall, we took a course about language learning and then implemented our plans towards slowly learning Turkish (and figuring out how that will work for us).(episode 19 and episode 20)

We visited Ephesus with friends from Iowa living in London. (episode 20)

In November, we spent Thanksgiving in Istanbul with old friends.(episode 22)

In December, we enjoyed some time away on our #funkchristmas2016 tour in which we made our way through Switzerland, France, Germany, and Prague (episode 23 and episode 24).

We somehow managed to be right on budget with our moving fund which has allowed us to rent an apartment, set up accounts, get our visas, buy furniture, and take some language. Now we are back to our monthly budget!

Crazily enough, that international move means we spent about a 3rd of our year living outside of the U.S.A.!

HARDEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED:

Leaving my job. I will say that my job at the beginning wasn’t all roses, but over time it grew into a job I really loved. I enjoyed my co-workers and miss that community dearly.

The failed coup in Turkey (episode 12 and episode013). While we did make the most of this, the events that have been happening in Turkey made the 2 months leading up to our move MUCH harder for people to celebrate with us about.

Being the better of our 2 vehicles, my car’s transmission went out 1 week before our move overseas. And with that, so did about $4,000 of moving money we hoped to have as a little extra backup. However, we are thankful that our car at least made it to the end! (episode 14)

BEST DECISIONS WE MADE:

In January, I convinced Jason that we should have a shared project of podcasting our way through our move(episode 1). One year later, our little side hobby of podcasting about our life changes and international move is still going strong. The first four episodes talk about our past travels to San Francisco, Boston, Italy, and Dubai. Our most listened too, Episode 9 announces our move and explains our decision to move overseas. Episode 13 premiers our first guest speaker!

In March we had a crawfish boil… in IOWA. Our long time friend, Mandy ‘B’ and her husband hosted a group of friends at their home, and we somehow managed to store a massive box of overnighted crawfish into our refrigerator (which then leaked into the rest of our fridge… but #WORTHIT).

In April, I took a day photography workshop with Alex+Val Education, and it was SO helpful. It has really given me more confidence in how to use my DSL camera on manual settings. I also purchased a new 50mm lens which I LOVE.

We both agreed that spending our first week in Turkey sailing was one of the best decisions yet. It is definitely NOT something we EVER thought we would do. Ok, maybe I thought I would, but Jason had no plans too. This experience was even better because Jason celebrated his 30th birthday on a catamaran on the coast of Turkey. Our sailing buddies, the Rowells and the Parrots, helped us share the experience via epsiode 17.

JUST FOR KICKS:

Best Purchase: Hands down, my GAP overalls.

Similar ones here.

Favourite TV Show: We went through a quite a few tv shows, beginning with Grimm and finishing the year with The Blacklist. But by far, I would say that Broadchurch is a MUST watch.

Catie’s Jam: Can’t Stop the Feeling! by Justin Timberlake

It is the new Happy by Pharrell Williams song of 2016, and song is better to watch with the video while you listen, at least the first time!

HOW ARE YOU DOING NOW?

I will be the first to admit that our year could look pretty and perfect to outsiders, but as you can see above there was some really hard moment. I found myself more than once crying. Some times it was from the deep loss of identity and community. Other times it was over my nieces’ invitations to come play, but having to say no because we are choosing to live 3 plane rides and multiple time zones away.

While it has been extremely hard to leave family and friends back home, this change has also been so growing for our marriage. While it is exciting to fulfill our dreams of living internationally together, there were a lot of hard conversations due to missed expectations and frustrations which thankfully followed with many more opportunities for grace and forgiveness. God is faithful to continually supply grace and love towards us, and we too much extend it towards one another. He has also given us new friendships, a new home, strength and support every step along the way.

SO WHAT NOW?

I am busy making our home cozy and studying language as well. Now that we have hot water and a dry roof, it seems like 2017 is starting off wayyy too smoothly. Jason continues to work with his U.S. clients via his software consulting business, Tough Space. So far it has been working well, but it is also a balancing act as we try to set up our home and learn Turkish as well.

The podcast will continue into 2017 on the same schedule! Other thank that, we have been looking into some other online entrepreneurial projects. Maybe you will see some of that down the road!

But for now, THANK YOU for being part of our 2016 move and following along on our adventure. We are excited to see what 2017 will hold!