Travel Review: Tour of Turkey, Istanbul, Ephesus, Cappadocia, Sirince, Hagia Sophia, History & Culture, Nature

I would spent more there! I think there's enough to see and do to fill up two weeks of travel. 

The only site I would skip is the House of the Virgin Mary. I was surprised to find that it is more religious than historic, and there isn't really much to see there. It's a 19th century restoration job that's far more focused on prayer and worship rather than historical preservation. I'm relatively pious for an American woman but this hit my limit.

On the other hand, my mother, who is very religious, absolutely loved it and embraced every aspect of house. I think this site was a big part of the reason why she agreed to go with me to Turkey.

If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have gone the Ancient Church of Mary in Ephesus instead. But how could I have known until I saw it for myself? I guess one could say that it's an example of 19th century worship, and my interest was more in early Christianity. I know that's a nuance but I think it's a tip worth passing on to any other religious history nerds. And if you're an atheist planning a trip to Ephesus and Sirince, you can confidently scratch this off your to-do list. 

It was nice to see Muslims and Christians enjoying the site together. 

Oh one other tip for Americans: Chase Bank will not process debit card transactions from Turkey, and with tipping and purchases from crafts people in small towns, we ran out of Lira. If I had planned better we would have loaded up on Lira in Istanbul. My travel partner had a debit account with another bank and was able to use ATMS. 

We went back home, incidentally, on the day that Turkey stopped processing new visas for American tourists,  (in October, 2017) so here's hoping they let me return soon. This trip was amazing and I want to come back.