turkish delight

enjoying an apple tea

topkapi palace, istanbul

mosaic tiles at ephesus

an ephesus local

library of celsus, ephesus

library of celsus, ephesus

turkish sweets, druel....

local flavour

turkey is one of the most intriguing countries that i have ever visited.  rich with history and culture and a vast and varied landscape, it is a feast for the senses and a traveller's dream destination.  in istanbul we spent hours trawling through the grand bazaar, haggling with shopkeepers in one moment and drinking turkish tea with them in the next.  i loved the decadence of the topkapi palace and the hustle bustle on the sultanahmet streets. i was blown away by ancient ruins, ephesus in particular (see photos above) so well maintained that you could imagine life at the peak of the roman empire.  best history lesson i ever had.

claudine xo

up, up and away

 champagne at 6am, sure why not.

celebrating a safe landing, phew!

hot air ballooning in cappadocia, turkey would undoubtedly be one of the highlights of our trip.  it was an early 4am start, pitch black outside and with a certain eery chill in the air.  we were picked up from our hotel and driven for what felt like miles to the headquarters of our hot air balloon company where hundreds of other tourists nervously waited.  we were split into groups and taken over to the giant balloons, given a 30 second safety brief and up we went...just like that!   i was overcome with so many emotions - fear, excitement, adrenalin - but after the balloon started to rise i felt an overwhelming sense of calm and wonderment.  no one ever tells you how quiet it is that high up in the air, the only sound was our balloon pilot firing up the balloon to make it rise.  and the views were spectacular, these photos will never do it justice but i hope they will at least give you some idea of the beauty of this natural landscape.

claudine xo