Wells is getting to the age where he definitely has very firm preferences. He has no qualms about making his preferences known. How is it that it usually seems to be the exact opposite of what you want? What an uncanny ability preschoolers seem to have to be disagreeable. I hope it is just a phase of him finding his voice. It ranges from clothes to wanting a cup of a certain color to books. Wells is very attached to a few different books given to him by grandparents and others that we often have to read, almost every night. Amazing how fast they can almost memorize these books. Here are a few of Wells favorite books.
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons is a particular favorite and one that I enjoy for the lesson it teaches. Pete loses all of his buttons but handles it in a way that is a great lesson for all children. I don’t want to spoil the plot for you! I think this is a must read for helping teach children how to deal with disappointment.
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is a new favorite that he received. Wells got the original from his grandpa and then this set from his uncle for his birthday. I had never heard of it before but it is wildly popular right now. It has an interactive quality that engages the children. Also, the animations are top-notch!
It’s a Busload of Pigeon Books!
For our train crazy son his uncle found the perfect book for him! Locomotive takes you through an amazing description of trains, making it thrilling for train loving children. This book is long and usually has to be spread over two nights. Wells loves this book and the length ensures that he never seems to tire of it.
Locomotive
These books are a few of Wellington’s current favorites. I love books for gifts because they ignite a love for learning and something that families will often have forever.
On the next leg of our journey in Turkey we headed east, leaving the European side of Istanbul for Cappadocia a central region on the Asian side. This is the farthest east my husband and I have ever been. We flew there on Turkish Airlines, and if you ever have a chance to fly Turkish Airlines take it; we had the best experience of our lives! It is quality all around. On our one hour flight we received a meal that included a sandwich, salad, and chocolate mousse for dessert. Also, they had baby food for Isla and fabulous hospitality from the flight attendants. Compared to flying in America this quality was definitely a pleasant surprise.
The town of Goreme
After we landed we had to take a shuttle to the town of Goreme. It was very simple and relatively inexpensive, around 40TL ($18) for both of us (kids were free). The shuttle took us right to the hotel (Goreme Country House). Now this about lines up with all of our other hotel experiences in Turkey. The unfinished bathroom was not very clean. The bed was very uncomfortable, and the linens were sparse. It did come with breakfast that was cooked by the owner everyday, and was more of a western breakfast with eggs. It was on the edge of town, about a ten minute walk to the center.
Goreme is very walkable and everyone is very friendly in the town. We ate more Turkish pizza and kebabs. We got our meals mostly to-go so it was easier with the children. There was a grocery store here so it was easier to supplement meals and buy bottled water.
What to do in Cappadocia? If you like the outdoors and hiking there is a lot to do. We spent 4 nights there but found that 3 would have better for our family as hiking with children is much more difficult. On one hike we got very lost because of the trail markings. We started at a little town and it was supposed to be an easy and simple hike but we ended up gone for hours. If you do go hiking, purchase a trail map, which will help immensely. There were numbered trail markers, but the maps accompanying them were destroyed.
The trail markings, possibly why we got lost.
We did a group tour one of the days. Always negotiate the price directly with the tour guides. You will get the best prices that way, rather than going through your hotel. This whole day affair includes a lunch. It should be less than 100TL per person. Also, look for a tour guide that speaks English well. Ours did not speak English very well and it did hinder the quality of the tour. Be sure to take lots of water; buy a 5 liter bottle in the grocery store before you go or you will be paying a lot by the attractions. On this tour (known as the Green Tour) we visited the Selime Monastary, Derinkuyu Underground City, and Ihlara Valley. We were a little rushed, maybe because we were carrying a 2 year old and 6 month old. I would definitely recommend doing the tour because seeing these on your own would be very difficult, especially without renting a car. If you had a car or scooter, though, you’d be able to go at your leisure and probably see more in one day. Here is a great post going more in depth about the Green tour.
A view from the Ihlara valley hikeIn the underground city. Be prepared for lots of stooping.Wells trying to pet the goat and then running from the goat when it starts to chase himA stop at a viewpoint of Goreme.
On another day we visited the Goreme Open Air Museum. It was so amazing to see all the churches carved out of the stone with well preserved frescoes. Some of these churches are very elaborate. The museum itself is of course open air and can be hot with the sun beating down on you. Also, this is not a stroller friendly museum as you generally have to climb or descend to see the churches. Even so, I would highly recommend visiting. You don’t really need a tour guide to see the museum, so if you can get a ride there and back (or walk if you are up for it) you can save some money.
Another popular thing to do there is hot air balloon rides. We did not do this while we were there as we generally didn’t think our children would enjoy (Wells is sometimes scared of heights) it or being woken up at the extremely early hour to do them. We read that it is a must do but we feel that we were able to get quite a few good views and save ourselves the huge expense it would be (200 euros per person!), not to mention probably not enjoyable with children. Our last morning there we did manage to see a few balloons in the air. It was a beautiful sight from the ground.
Hot air balloons at sunrise.Wells and Daddy marveling at the balloons.
In general I think Cappadocia is a must see especially if you enjoy hiking. I think 3 nights would have been more than enough. Do you want to visit?
When we first told our family that we were headed to Turkey and Greece on vacation they had quite a few concerns in regards to the political unrest in Istanbul. However, we had done our research and surmised that it was safe and obviously we would not be involved in any protests. Well, we got to Istanbul and it was safe, not a hint of any kind of trouble; but it was a culture shock in other ways!
People in Turkey absolutely LOVE children. Young, old, middle-aged, men, women: everyone loves children. Our children were constantly being touched and held. Coming from America where everyone is very mindful of personal space it was a huge shock. However, at the end of it I began to appreciate how much people loved my children; it warmed my heart. I would suggest making sure you bring a lot of hand sanitizer because by the end of the trip everyone was sick! When you travel in Turkey with children it affords you to skip through security and often head to the front of lines. Even when my husband was pushing the stroller, they would stop him, say “Where is the mother?”, and then the kids and I would be waived through while my husband had to go through the check! Be prepared for people to give you food and gifts. This was often the case and I just accepted them graciously.
Museum guard holding Isla
Getting around Istanbul with a side by side umbrella stroller was the most difficult part. The sidewalks are very narrow in some parts of the city. I would suggest a compact stroller for the city, one that folds down easily. The public transportation is exceptional with a metro and tram that covered a lot of the city and goes directly to the airport. It can get crowded but because you have children they are very accommodating and helpful with picking it up or moving out of the way. Note that there is usually only one disabled/stroller entrance/exit to the tram stops, and that if you have two adults traveling, the one not pushing the stroller will have to go through the turnstile.
Side of Topakapi Palace
In Istanbul we visited Topakapi Palace, Archaeological museum, Sofia Hagia, Blue Mosque, and the Grand Baazar. The museums were outstanding, particularly the Archaeological museum. It was a bit disappointing that it was under construction but what was open was breathtaking. The kids are very well behaved in museums and they were spacious easy to navigate with a stroller. The guards at all the museums were very friendly and not intrusive (will write more about this in my Greece post). There is a ton to see so be prepared to have your walking legs ready. The city is an explosion of color and activity.
In front of the Hagia Sofia
Now for accommodation in Istanbul. I would really not recommend either of our hotels. The Sultanahmet Suites were clean but you would not believe the steep stairs we had to mount to the 5th floor. While carrying two children this can get quite difficult. The Emin Hotel was really not the cleanest and I was very happy to leave that one and I try to forget that aspect of our trip. I would suggest being very wary when reading reviews and if at all possible use Trip Advisor and message past guests directly to get their opinions.
Blue Mosque
The food of Istanbul was okay. There are a lot of vendors to buy from and food can be fairly inexpensive if you stay away from the more touristy sections. We generally like to shop at grocery stores for a lot of our food on trips but Istanbul did not have any big ones like other European cities. It was mostly smaller, pricier markets without a lot of options. Turkish pizza (5TL, or $2.50, in Ephesus) was by far our favorite food. We also frequently bought simits (circular bread with sesame seeds) at stands near tourist areas for 1TL, or about $0.50.
Simit, simit!
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Istanbul. If you are expecting it to be like other European cities then you will be disappointed and should prepare for culture shock. Still, we appreciate this great city for all it has to offer. Has anyone visited Istanbul? Have you had a similar experience?
