Thursday's Child: Nisanyan House

Nisanyan house
Photo credit: Rainer Stratmann

In October, I’ve been writing about hotels we’ve stayed in that are remote.  The final one is the Nisanyan Evleri, located just outside Ephesus, Turkey.  Although it was less remote than some of the others, we still required alternate means to deliver our luggage.

Nisanyan house is perched on the hillside above Sirince, just a few miles outside of Ephesus, and it’s a steep and winding drive to get there. The hotel itself was accessible by car, but the outlying house that we stayed in wasn’t. The path to the houses is narrow and bumpy, and is followed by a steep staircase.  Carrying the luggage all that distance would have been unwieldy. 

Upon check-in, we had noticed a motorcycle complete with sidecar sitting on the path.  Instead of carrying passengers, it carried our luggage to our house!

The dining room.  Photo credit: Rainer Stratmann

Although we had a busy day in Ephesus and the surrounding area, we still had enough energy to wander down the winding paths into the village.  It was a labyrinth of lanes twisting down the slope, and of course we got lost on the way back.  But asking a young cyclist for directions in a combination of rudimentary Turkish and pantomime only added to the adventure.

Mealtime at the Nisanyan Evleri was heavenly.  Because the hotel is a little out of the way, it’s much easier to eat there than to find a restaurant, and the dining experience was so wonderful that it was an easy choice.  The lamb shank, cooked to tender perfection and served with vegetables, was one of our best meals in Turkey. 

Walking back to our house after the meal, it was so dark that we could see every star in the wide-open sky.  But the cobbled path was lit by torches so we could safely make our way back.  At night, the village was peaceful, and the lights twinkled through the darkness.

Sirince at night.  Photo credit: Rainer Stratmann

A Taste of Turkey - Part One

My family and I were fortunate enough to visit Turkey in March, and I wanted to post a few pictures before we leave for our next trip.

 We saw the Blue Mosque on our first day in Istanbul, as well as the Grand Bazaar and Hagia Sophia.

What a wonderful, walkable city Istanbul is – so easy to get around, and incredibly welcoming.

For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of flying with Turkish Air, you won’t be familiar with the excellent travel bags given to everyone boarding the plane.  These little beige bags come complete with everything you need for a great travel experience – eye shades, ear plugs and lip balm.  But most important, they contain lime green socks.

These socks were particularly important to our family, because one of us (I won’t name names, but he wears men’s shoes) forgot to pack socks.  And until we got to Istiklal Caddesi to buy him new ones, the lime green plane socks worked just fine.

Cappadocia was one of the true highlights.  From primitive cave dwellings to moonlike landscapes, I’ve never seen anything like it.

For me, one of the thrills of this trip was seeing the Temple of Artemis, near Ephesus.  Although it’s only ruins now, it was one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, and I couldn’t wait to see it.  It would have been slightly more exciting to share this moment with my family; however, they were too busy taking pictures of the peacock in the next field to pay attention to - did I mention this? - one of the wonders of the Ancient World.  

And finally, my favourite market sign in Turkey:

Because you wouldn’t want to get ripped off.