ruins – Obermillers

Traveling Abroad: Athens

We have come to the last city on our European adventure of 2014. Hard to believe we went to all these cities. I am so happy to have blogged about it so the memories will always be there. I am a little sad writing this one as I fear it could be our last Europe trip for a long time. I mean travelling to Europe with 3 kids seems like a daunting prospect. I think I will just cross my fingers that my husband’s job will one day be there and we will have the chance to call Europe home. For now I will give this last account.

In Athens we were able to stay in the city center through Airbnb. The location was perfect for us as it was close to food and public transportation. Our Airbnb hosts were great and with little fuss we were in the apartment. It had two bedrooms and I spent the nights with Isla while Ian stayed with Wells. It was great to be able to make the kids’ food as there were grocery stores where we could easily get supplies. We ate a lot of olives and brought quite a few home with us!

Our host provided us with tickets to see the major attractions! It definitely helped us keep down on costs. We hit the Acropolis first as that is what we were most excited about. It was as beautiful as I imagined. However, it was under construction and in keeping with the rest of Greece had a lot of hired people standing around. I would highly recommend it but be sure to wear walking shoes as it is a bit of hike. Also, sun protection and lots of water are a must. My husband was lamenting that he forgot sunglasses and a hat! Wells had a good time posing for pictures and we met a really nice family while we were there who took a lot of our pictures for us! There are lots of different parts to see so I recommend carving out a half day to see everything.

Another must see is the new Acropolis museum. I have been to a lot of museums and this is one of the best planned and aesthetically pleasing museums I have ever been in. I could definitely have spent a lot longer there than we did if our kids weren’t getting so hungry! There are also helpful guides in the museums to answer a lot of your questions.

There are lot of little sites to see throughout Athens. There were several temple ruins throughout the city, some of our favorites were the Stoa of Attalos (huge modern reconstruction financed by Rockefeller!), the Temple of Hephaestus. I would say three days is enough to see all Athens has to offer unless you plan to make a day trip outside of Athens. I can’t imagine how hot it must get in summer, but for us April was the perfect temperature and weather.

I hope you have enjoyed our tour of Europe. In further travel posts I will be recounting the European trip I took with my son and husband in 2012. Also, our upcoming trips to California and Kauai. Our third Hawaiian trip with Wellington and Isla’s first! I hope you will join us for those and feel free to ask any questions you may have. I am happy to share more of our in-depth research with you!

Traveling Abroad: Pamukkale

After we left Celcuk we headed on a train for Denizli. Once we arrived in Denizli we hopped on a bus (hour ride) for the small town of Pamukkale. It is mostly a resort town from which you can see the travertines of Pamukkale and the ancient Roman city which was built around this amazing wonder. Though there was not much to do in the city but travel to these sites they were breathtaking and worth the hassle of getting there.

Since the town is so small getting around is mostly done on foot. The food options are sparse. My husband found a place for a Turkish Kebab one night that was okay and the next night as we were walking back from Pamukkale we stumbled upon this family owned restaurant. They were so kind to us and insisted we stay there and eat, also offering free soup and gifts for the kids. It was such a hospitable experience and the food was good, too, and cooked made to order. Wells still likes his Cailou doll.

The hotel we stayed at was one of the better ones in our Turkish visit. The bathroom still was not up to par with the American standard but what made the difference was the amazing breakfast. This family owned hotel put out quite the spread of food every morning and it was so amazing. We all filled up so much that we didn’t need lunch. Our favorite was the dried figs! They were out of this world and we bought some at the market in Istanbul to take home.

Now on to the main reason for being there, Pamukkale of course! My husband did most of the planning for this trip so I was a bit surprised when we arrived and there was ancient Roman ruins of Hierapolis. The ruins are very well kept and restored. It is definitely worth exploring but you need to carve out a good chunk of time as the ruins are spread out from each other and require a bit of a hike and sometimes uphill. We did not bring our stroller so we were unable to explore as much as we like. We did see the theater which overlooking the mountains was awe inspiring. I understood why they built a city so high with views and thermal pools to use.

10257516_10100612612806024_3319060915963446566_o — Theater at Hierapholis

After we finished exploring the city we were exhausted! However, it was time to travel down the thermal pools to get back to town. Yes, that is the popular way to get down and it was a daunting feat with a baby strapped to you. I chose to have Isla strapped to me, rather than having to carry Wells down. It was scary at times but a once in a lifetime experience and we made it safely down the mountain, traveling from pool to pool. There is a kind of carved staircase where water runs through.

10298656_10100612613025584_6166698022568675344_o — Family picture before heading down the travertines

10258706_10100612613290054_8874794629200408867_o — Isla and I half way down the travertines

10295944_10100612613389854_6888715810503843914_o — Wells enjoying the thermal pool

10339362_10100612613928774_1286593502431119356_o — How Wells got down most of the travertines

This was another one of our favorite experiences. There are so many beautiful ancient sites to see in Turkey that I couldn’t fit the day trip we took in this post but considering it was my husband’s favorite site there will be more than enough to discuss. I hope you enjoy our pictures and experience. Feel free to ask any questions!

Traveling Abroad: Ephesus and Selcuk

This is the part of our journey that I was looking forward to the most. The ruins of Ancient Ephesus have been a dream of mine to visit (yes, I am a total history nerd). To start this leg of our journey we flew from Cappadocia to Izmir and then took an hour train ride to the town of Selcuk which lies a short distance away from the ruins.

The Rebetika Hotel was very roomy and spacious. The beds and bathroom quality were inline with previous Turkish hotels but the hospitality was excellent. The proprietors were friendly and well informed. Also, the breakfast was top notch. You sit on the grape-vined rooftop deck overlooking ruins while eating hot homemade cheese pastries. I still crave those amazing pastries. It was idyllic seeing the rolling hills, and the surrounding reminded me of Tuscany.

We had to walk from the train station to our hotel. It appeared to be a short walk on the map but it tricked us because of the big hill leading up to it! It was quite the trek but then a local who was helping his family open a bed and breakfast walked us all the way to our hotel, pulling our bags! It was an amazing experience and another show of how friendly people are in Turkey.

On our way to the hotel we stopped for Turkish pizza for only 5TL. It was the most amazing pizza and for an unbeatable price. It is made fresh when you order! We went there twice while we were in Selcuk and tried the meat and cheese pizzas; the cheese was our favorite. We also ate kebabs, which were good but nothing compared to that pizza. There are also a few grocery stores to get fresh fruit and veggies, perfect additions to our meals.

Now on to visiting Ephesus. I have wanted to see this ancient site for years. We arrived to the site and it is very large. I strongly recommend an umbrella stroller for children. We did not take ours and we really needed it because the site is expansive and a lot of walking for a two year old. The site itself is beautifully restored with a lot of detail. The library of Celsus was breathtaking and we took a wonderful family picture. We seriously spent so much time just examining the detail of the library.

10256817_10100598792147734_5364762393236696108_n — Family photo at the Library of Celsus

One of the best parts of visiting the site at Ephesus is the ability to just wander around. You don’t have security guards following you around but they trust you to treat the site with respect, which is something that helps you appreciate it so much more. Also, we paid extra to visit the apartments which had restored homes that the wealthy inhabitants once lived in. The mosaics are well restored and you get an excellent aerial view of them. The hillside setting was picturesque and you could see why this place was so well settled with views of the water in the distance.

The next day after our excellent breakfast we headed out to explore more local historic sites. We visited the Basilica of St. John, which was once the largest basilica in the world, but is now reduced to ruins. However, it overlooks the countryside of Selcuk with breathtaking views. It was a quiet, peaceful attraction and was not very busy. After that we headed to the Temple of Artemis which was once one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and is now just a lone column. It was destroyed by the Goths. After that we ran into our hotel proprietor who convinced us to visit his friend who happened to be a rug maker! Whatever you do, do not agree to enter one unless you are seriously considering buying a rug. Well, they showed us many interesting parts of the rug making process but after that there was so much pressure to purchase one that it was very uncomfortable and not how we wanted to end our experience. After that it was time to head out and we walked to the train so we could look at the aqueduct ruins lying through the center of time.

10336847_10100598790506024_779840047894646221_n — The surviving column at the Temple of Artemis.

1175234_10100598793754514_4451047116574149033_n — Ephesian aqueduct

Overall, Ephesus and Selcuk are a must see in Turkey and should be at the top of your list.