Turkey: The Real Rocky Mountain High.

My journey to Turkey started in Cappadocia and ended in Istanbul. Between the mountains and the capital city of this beautiful country, 2 things were constant...great food and stray cats!😸😁

Hot Air Ballooning over Göreme

I arrived in Cappadocia, (better known as Göreme to the locals) late in the evening in time to watch the sun go down, walk about town, and find some dinner. Right away I was struck by how lively and illuminated this little town was. Every accommodation in town is pretty much a cave...but not in the traditional sense like the Flintstones lol. These are fully decked-out hotels with all the amenities you would expect in any hotel. The next day I experienced a private tour of all the highlights of Göreme, which included Uchisar Castle, Pigeon Valley, Deverent Valley, Kaymakli Underground City, the Göreme Open Air Museum, and a few other low-key spots.

Additional Note: The food in Göreme was fantastic and more importantly...affordable! Did not have 1 bad meal during my entire stay...🍴🍗🥩🍤

A cool experience I arranged was a photoshoot of me in different locals within Göreme, alongside a vintage old school car. Another great experience and something new for The Traveling Tattoo! 😁

The next day I embarked to my final destination, the Capital City of Istanbul. I learned a lot about this beautiful city during my brief 2-day stay. The people are friendly, the food again was fantastic, plenty of interesting places to see, and the shopping! Now if you are interested in high quality knock offs, Istanbul is the place to be!lol. Of course I made time to see a lot of the main highlights of Istanbul...such as Taskim Square, The Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, The Grand Bazaar, and Galata Tower. A few interesting facts...there are over 80 million people that reside here in Istanbul alone, and that's not including all the stray cats!lol Never in my life have I seen so many stray cats and dogs for that matter...all domesticated and comfortable around people so no need to worry! 😸🐶

Now the 1 thing I have to say that was disappointing was that I did not get to take a hot air balloon ride while in Göreme. The winds were too strong the 2 days I was there. When making plans to visit, be sure to do check what months the winds are little to non existent. Although missing out on that experience was disappointing, this only gives me reason to come back to Turkey.😄