Visiting the Hot Springs and Ruins at Pamukkale in Southwestern Turkey
Of all of the interesting places that we visited during our trip to Kusadasi was the day trip that we took to see Pamukkale. It is both a destination for locals and visitors to spend time in the soothing hot springs or to glide off of the cliffs in a hang-glider as well as the… Read more
The Amazing Ruins at Aphrodisias in Turkey
One of the day trips that we took from Kusadasi in western Turkey was to see the Greek ruins at Aphrodisias. Of all of the ruins that we visited, Aphrodisias was actually our favorite even though it is not as excavated as the ones at Ephesus. The cruise ships don’t typically do tours to Aphrodisias,… Read more
The Relaxing Port City of Kusadasi in Western Turkey
Anyone who has taken a cruise ship to Turkey has probably spent at least a day in the port city of Kusadasi. We actually flew into Izmir and then spent a week in Kusadasi using it as our home base as we explored as much of the west coast of Turkey as possible. We also… Read more
The Fascinating Rila Monastery Near Sofia, Bulgaria
We took a day trip from Sofia to visit the Rila Monastery, which is located about two hours away in the Rila Mountains southwest of the capital of Bulgaria. The monastery was first founded in the 10th century and gets its name, as does the mountainous region, from the hermit Ivan of Rila who founded… Read more
The Beautiful Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey
One of the highlights of visiting Istanbul is taking a tour of Topkapi Palace that sits high on a hill on a peninsula overlooking the Bosphorus Strait. The history of the palace is fascinating, and it is well worth having a guided tour so that you can learn as much as possible during your visit.… Read more
Ephesus in the Izmir Province of Turkey
The first ancient site that we visited during our trip to Turkey and Bulgaria was to historic site of Ephesus. We traveled up the coast from Kusadasi to Ephesus where we walked the trail amongst the various archeological remains. Originally built by the Greeks in the 10th century BC, it is a site that has… Read more