We’re on a dream trip in Turkey!.

By Posted in - Europe & Featured Post & Turkey on October 30th, 2011

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Istanbul is blowing me away. Actually let me rephrase that – Turkey is blowing me away.

We spent a few days in Cappadocia hiking among the fairy chimneys, feeding stray cats and watching life unfold. We even flew in a hot air balloon! Fast forward to today where we are walking the streets of Istanbul with Brooke of Brookevstheworld.com.

We’ve seen candy being made in the streets and sold on the spot, we’ve haggled for spices at the spice market. We walked in awe within the beauty of the Hagia Sofia. We purchased some Turkish Viagra (it’s a sweet made of walnuts, honey & figs) and we even saw a fight break out over a small fender bender. Rug sellers have tried to lure us into the shops. In short Turkey has been everything we dreamed it would be and more. It’s been a dream trip.

Sometimes you get to a place and wonder if it will live up to your expectations and Turkey definitely has. I’m already dreading the day we have to leave.

My sister, Bridgette has been ooohing and aahhhing over Turkey for years now and I’ve followed in her footsteps and it’s absolutely unbelievable that Randy and I are here soaking it all up now.

For me a dream trip is a smorgasbord of factors – the people (the Turks are amazingly hospitable), the food (every corner there is another great food to try), the activities (seriously, it’s Istanbul – it has everything from culture to nightlife) and just a general feeling of experiencing new things and seeing life in a fresh way. If I get a feeling of being Tog Drunk (yes, I made this phrase up) then it’s a pretty good sign I love where I’m at. If I feel so enamored with the life around me that all I see are photos that means I’m tog drunk. Signs of tog drunkeness are losing track of time and direction and even losing items (like sweaters) that you own without realizing it for several hours. I am tog drunk in Istanbul for sure.

So I wanted to ask  – what are your dream trips?

Do you have one place that just keeps calling to you? Have you ever been able to realize that trip and if so did it live up to your expectations? What was it that made it so incredible (or on the flip side not so incredible)?

And unless your dream trip is camping sans electricity did you use any electronics on the trip to document everything in order to share it with family and friends?

I couldn’t travel without my camera and I would be seriously hindered without my MacBook and Iphone. On this trip we brought along a second computer for Randy – a netbook. It’s been pretty good but it is extraordinarily slow, painful almost. About 3 days ago I lost the USB cord for my Compact Card Reader. At the same time one of my 16GB memory cards died. I bought a replacement cord in Istanbul but discovered it doesn’t work on the Mac. We figured it would be no problem since we could just use it on the PC then transfer the files. It does work but that computer is so slow I can’t even download the images! So really why are we even carrying this thing around? Soon we’ll be receiving an Asus Eee Pad Slider and we’re psyched! We’re hoping this can replace his computer with greater speed and less weight/bulk! We can’t wait to test it out and give it a full review!

Having 500+ photos trapped on one Compact Card and then having another 16GB memory card sing it’s last tune has made me nervous for more available space – especially with the Swiss Alps happening in the next week! I gotta find another card reader to get these photos downloaded.  I have become dependent on my travel electronics – is there an electronic you can’t live without on the road – Camera, Tablet, Computer, Phone?? If so, let us know in the comments.

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!

(22) awesome folk have had something to say...

  • Turkey’s For Life -

    October 30, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    Dream trip? We came to travel around Turkey for 6 months – we’re still here 8 years later. This country does something to you. 😉
    Julia

    • Bethany -

      November 1, 2011 at 11:36 am

      Yes – I can see how that could happen! Turkey was so amazing – much more than I expected. Really love it there! Thank you so much for offering to help us plan as well! We got so busy at the end we weren’t able to figure much out until right before we arrived. But I definitely appreciate your offer to help us! @Turkey’s For Life,

  • Laura -

    October 30, 2011 at 6:02 pm

    I’m stopping in Istanbul for a few days at the beginning of December and can’t wait!! Happy to see your enthusiasm about it 🙂

    • Bethany -

      November 1, 2011 at 11:38 am

      LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT. Didn’t want to leave. It’s a little bit crazy & hectic but the people are so nice and the atmosphere is really warm and welcoming. The chaos just added to the beauty! Let me know if you need a place to stay, I have a great recommendation for the apartment we just stayed in. We’ll be doing a full review and video on it soon but we really loved it and location was perfect. Have fun!! @Laura,

  • Ashley -

    October 30, 2011 at 10:03 pm

    I love, love, love when somewhere is 100x better than you were ever expecting! My current dream trip is Japan – I’ve been thinking about going there for years, and even took Japanese in college in preparation….I’ll finally be there in January and am expecting nothing short of amazing.

    My first dream trip was Paris. We were there 8 years ago (yikes!) and I still think about how magical it was – my first trip abroad and my first big trip with my fiance. We’re planning on returning for another visit exactly 10 years after our first 🙂

    • Bethany -

      November 1, 2011 at 11:44 am

      I agree! It’s funny – Paris was the first place that really took me by surprise too! In fact, I was just thinking that I loved Turkey so much I actually moved it into the Paris/Venice category. It’s that perfect for me! Japan is another place I dream of visiting. Have fun in January – I’m sure it will be nothing short of amazing! @Ashley,

  • Denise -

    October 30, 2011 at 10:34 pm

    I must admit that I visited Istanbul for one week and I wasn’t overly impressed (and I was being shown around by local friends), but I guess every traveller is different, thank god.
    My dream trip is Japan, and the only reason I’ve never been is that it’s an expensive country. But now, I’m done waiting. After I land down Under (Via Vietnam, which is a dream trip about to come true), I’m going to start saving for a long trip to Japan

    • Bethany -

      November 1, 2011 at 11:46 am

      Well everyone is different for sure and I’m sure Japan will be an amazing trip for sure! I loved Istanbul and Turkey on a whole. We had such a great time in Cappadocia too but I would also love to see Japan! @Denise,

  • Alan -

    October 31, 2011 at 5:20 am

    . . gets into your blood, doesn’t it? Welcome!

    • Bethany -

      November 1, 2011 at 11:40 am

      It does. Absolutely fabulous! @Alan,

  • Stephanie – The Travel Chica -

    October 31, 2011 at 8:08 am

    I was completely blown away by Istanbul, even though I was only there for 1 night. It would be great to go back and explore the rest of the country.

  • Scott – Quirky Travel Guy -

    October 31, 2011 at 5:59 pm

    Turkey is a country I hope to make it to someday. History, food, culture… you are in an awesome place!

    • Bethany -

      November 1, 2011 at 11:41 am

      Scott – it’s awesome. Seriously, can’t lie. I bet you’d love it too! Move it to the top of the list – it’s that good. @Scott – Quirky Travel Guy,

  • Amanda -

    November 1, 2011 at 8:23 am

    The dream trip I’m currently trying to orchestrate involves traveling around Eastern Europe (especially Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria). I’ve been dreaming about this part of the world for years, and it’s looking like I’m finally going to get to explore it next summer!

    After that, though, Turkey is my second dream trip!

    • Bethany -

      November 1, 2011 at 11:57 am

      Ever since Serbia I’m itching to see those countries too! Tried to squeeze them in this round but didn’t happen. Be sure to check out Serbia when you go – it’s great. Everyone is really nice and it’s cheap – SO cheap!! Plus Novi Sad is one of the cutest cities ever – lots of cafes, bookstores – perfect! @Amanda,

  • Anthony -

    November 1, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    Have you eaten the REAL Turkish Delight there yet? I heard a story on NPR’s DInner Party Download and they talked about how amazing it is. I hope you ate some!!

  • Arthur Hale -

    November 2, 2011 at 8:54 am

    Would love to travel Turkey, but my real dream destination is India!

  • Nomadic Samuel -

    November 2, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying Turkey! It’s honestly one of the countries I most want to visit. I’ve also had huge expectations for a certain place/destination only to ultimately be let down – so it’s really cool in this situation your high expectations are being met & hopefully even exceeded.

  • Leanne -

    November 6, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    My dream destination is South America at the moment. It used to be South Africa but I have managed to do that twice now (it is absolutely amazing by the way) and have seen the big 5. I found the best thing I had was my iPhone actually – I didn’t have a normal camera but some of the pictures I got on a phone camera were incredible, and of course still managed to keep in touch with everyone back home. My only problem with my iPhone is the flipping keyboard – way too small and I keep hitting ‘send’ halfway through text messages it drives me crazy. So starting to hate the onscreen keyboards so the Slider looks pretty useful from that point of view.

  • Andrew Darwitan -

    October 14, 2013 at 8:18 am

    Turkey is a wonderful country. It’s actually the country that opened my mind to explore traveling (although right now I’m unfortunately still stuck in office cubicles to freely travel on my own). As for my dream travel, I keep on getting drawn to Brazil, esp. Rio De Janeiro and the Iguazu Falls. I think it’s very exotic and I’d love to visit it someday. I’d really want to visit Antarctica one day too, I think that one will surely be a lifetime trip. =)