Wrapping up Turkey and Croatia

With my Turkey and Croatia trip fully blogged now, its time to think back and appreciate the journey!

Thank you for coming along with me to this very interesting part of the world and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing about it!

I had the idea of doing separate wrap ups for Turkey and Croatia. But I already asked Gimpy and Vino to do it for both, so it wasn’t that fair if I did it. So here goes…

My Top 3 Highlights

Highlight #1: Hot Air Ballooning in Cappadocia

How could this not be the #1 highlight? From the very start of the planning process this item was always at the top of the checklist. So when our first attempt at going with our GAdventures group didn’t work out, things were looking a bit grim. Fortunately, with some flexibility and a bit of effort, we were finally able to make this dream a reality!

And what a highlight it was! Pictures don’t do this experience justice. Just to be up there, to see the landscape, the colourful balloons and the sunrise is otherworldly. While its a feast for the eyes and senses, its also somewhat meditative when you’re there. The balloon itself drifts with the wind and there’s little to no turbulence. The only sounds you hear are occasional bursts of flame from the pilot and your fellow passengers, who are likely just as awestruck as you are.

So what you have, is this prime opportunity to take a step back (not literally) and genuinely appreciate where you are and what you’re doing. In between taking hundreds of photos, I put my camera for for a moment, and took it all in. Its rare times like these that I get this unfiltered feeling of being blessed. It puts a smile on your face and always will when I think back to it!

Highlight #2: Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes National Park is an absolutely beautiful place to visit. While Croatia as a whole is stunning, Plitvice is the cherry on top! I chose this as a highlight not only because its incredibly scenic, especially in the fall. But because of the circumstances in which we were able to enjoy this place.

Firstly, we were advised to visit the upper lakes before making our way to the great falls and lower lakes. This proved to be the best advice, since we literally had all of the upper lakes to ourselves all morning. So, to add to the natural beauty of the region, the chance to experience it uninterrupted and having it all to ourselves is the highlight. Unless you’re going far on the roads less travelled, you rarely get these places to yourself, so it really was a treat.

Secondly, I’ve always enjoyed walks/hikes through nature (even though I complain about it the entire way). While appreciating your surroundings is one thing, I’ve found that another benefit to these excursions are who you’re doing it with. This time was no different and it was a great chance to continue developing my friendships with both Vino and Gimpy. And while this wasn’t the only opportunity we had together, its a memorable one and a shared experience. And sometimes its these shared journeys that are more valuable then the destination itself. Maybe its cheating to be lumping my travel companions under this highlight, but this trip would have been completely different without them, so…Highlight!

Highlight #3: Business Class Travel

Part of the reason I wanted to do this trip, was to make use of Aeroplan’s lucrative reward flight redemption, particularly those in business class. I’d been accumulating points for a while and being able to see the “fruit of that labor” was pretty cool. I’ve never travelled in anything more luxurious than premium economy, so to experience several business and international business (There’s a difference!) class cabins on different airlines was a treat!

There is something to be said about flying in premium cabins. The flights are more comfortable, the food is exponentially better, and the service is top notch. There’s also additional benefit whilst on the ground, including lounge access, priority check ins, security screenings and boarding. While I’d likely not shell out my own money to reach for this class of flying, I can certainly see the benefit and value of doing so with rewards.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a massive “point guy”, but I have been dipping my toes into this area of “travel” and this redemption was my first crack at it. I’ve learned a great deal about the accumulation, management and use of points across various programs. Its a fascinating niche in the travel world and I’m excited to continue learning and experiencing more of it.

I will say that travelling to new places and adventures remains the driving force behind what I do. But at the same time, I’m also realizing that there is this other side of the journey. Flying from point A to B, is not simply a means to an end, but also can be part of the experience. And at the end of the day experiences is why I travel.

Favorite Meal

When you go away for a month, it becomes really difficult to pinpoint one meal that stands out above the rest. So I’m going to try and narrow it down to 3.

360

The first and easiest meal to highlight is our Michelin star dinner at 360. This is the only planned meal we had the entire trip and it didn’t disappoint. Everything was done beautifully and was very delicious too! I think the combination of location of the restaurant on the old city walls of Dubrovnik, being outside and having all Croatian inspired dishes made for a rich culinary experience, one that I won’t forget in a very long time.

First Croatian Breakfast

Thinking back, I don’t think this was the BEST breakfast I’ve ever had in my life. But, it was the one that hit the spot the most and for that its one of the most memorable. Gimpy and I spent two weeks in Turkey and while Turkish food is great, its a predominantly Muslin country. So from the time we left North America until we arrived in Croatia, we didn’t have any pork. Compound this with a late arrival and skipping dinner the night before, and we were both super hungry the next morning in Zagreb. So when we had that first breakfast with grilled ham, we were overjoyed. Add to this, a crispy poached egg and it became that much more special!

Grilled Fish on a boat

To this day, I still don’t know what our captain of the boat in Kekova did to make that fish SO GOOD! I ordered a few other fish dishes during my time in Turkey, but nothing came close. We’d been cruising through the area for a few hours and had anchored for lunch. While some people swam and others chilled, our captain pulled out this make shift grill, marinated some fish with a secret sauce and proceeded to make the best fish I’ve had in a long time. It was perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside and juicy the inside. I can still smell and taste it when I think about it!

If I could change the itinerary…

Even though one of my highlights is the flight reward redemption, it’s also something that made planning complicated. Part of the strategy in maximizing redemption value is to avoid high fee airlines. This is how my entire flight itinerary only cost around $400. But maximizing value often also means indirect flight routes between destinations. So instead of one or two layovers to get to Turkey it was three or four. Instead of a direct flight to Croatia, there was a layover in Vienna. Instead of two flights home, it was 40 hours in transit.

So reward redemption aside and only looking at the itinerary. The easy answer is to maximize time at our destinations and minimize time in transit. We lost a good day or two flying instead of exploring places. We also could have arrived in Dubrovnik and driven to Zagreb instead of splitting our time in Zagreb. So while the itinerary and stops were fine, I think we could have maximized our time on the ground a bit more, which likely would have led to some extra adventures.

What surprised me?

Turkey surprised me! Thinking about it more, I’ve kind of summed up my experience of Turkey as a place that doesn’t really have a defined identity. In no way am I saying this in a negative or disparaging manner. In fact, I think its what makes the country such a unique place to visit.

Geographically, it is literally in between Asia and Europe and borders the Middle East. Culturally, you have all these influences from their different neighbours. They’re a little bit European, a touch of Asian and a bit of Middle Eastern. Physically, its the same thing. Our group had trouble identifying “locals” and “tourists”. Things like skin tone or complexion, shape of eyes, or amount hair all run the gamut.

And so, in Turkey you have this place that historically, has been ruled by Greeks, Romans, Ottomans etc. You have a country that has participated on the axis side in World War 1 and the Allied side in World war 2. A country that was once a Christian country and then one that’s become a Muslim country.

So, as one of the girls on our tour very aptly put it: “Turkey is all about its layers, layers in history, geography and even their food”. And its true, it’s so complex and has such a rich history, that it makes what it is now, such a surprising place to discover.

One memorable story from this trip

The hot air balloon story is pretty memorable. But I’m going to go with a mistake I made in Kas. There had been torrential downpours happening intermittently throughout the day in Kas. Gimpy and I had just finished lunch, and decided to walk around town. The clouds looked menacing and  we started to feel the first few drops of rain. Gimpy indicated that there was a place for shelter right beside us. Stubbornly, I saw an awning about 100 feet ahead of us which I thought we could make. Unfortunately we didn’t, and we were caught in a deluge. To make matters worse, the awning I thought was adequate, was far from it. All in all, because I didn’t listen to Gimpy, we were both completely drenched. This led to me being eternally apologetic to her for the duration of our trip. Though, I think at some points she definitely milked those guilty feelings!

 

Did I pack appropriately?

Primarily, yes, though there is always room for improvement. The thing that comes to mind right away, is my ability to dress in that “semi formal” or “smart casual” style while travelling. When i pack, it tends to be primarily for function. So on this trip (and on previous ones as well), I was pretty cognizant of times when I was under dressed. There were a few evenings when a small group of us would head out to grab drink or listen to some music. And I really didn’t have anything that kind of suited that environment. Or I’d be in a T-shirt and shorts and end up dancing away with a wedding party in a bar.

So times like this, I felt a little self conscious that what I was wearing didn’t quite fit the occasion. Its not a really difficult issue to resolve, and I ended up buying a collared shirt when Gimpy and I did some shopping in Istanbul. Which, came in handy when we visited 360 in Dubrovnik. So for future trips, I simply need to be a bit more aware of these situations and pack for them.

Regrets?

Similar to the change in itinerary, I’d spend more time in certain places. Especially in Croatia, we had a pretty aggressive timeline. So we packed in a lot for our day in Dubrovnik, and I think it would have been great if we spread that over an extra day or two. Alternatively, we only passed through Zadar for a few hours. But after seeing a bit of the city, I think I would have liked to have spent an extra day or two there. It looked amazing, but we didn’t have enough time to really explore it.

 

Advice for people considering similar trips/destinations?

My first thought is: Separate the two countries. While I wouldn’t have changed our trip for anything. I do believe that giving each country your undivided attention is important. In talking with Gimpy, we both felt that we went on two trips since both were so different from each other. So concentrate on one or the other and make that the primary destination.

Turkey

For Turkey, my best advice is to go without hesitation. At the time of writing this wrap up, there is a lot of attention on Turkish security and safety right now. And I have to imagine that news and world events will dissuade many from visiting. But having been and experienced a lot of what the country has to offer, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you passed because of fear. Past that, I think I would suggest that you plan to go beyond Istanbul. Turkey as a country is so diverse that you don’t fully appreciate its complexity until you’ve seen a few different regions of it.

Croatia

For Croatia, flexibility is key. If you put yourself on a schedule with places to be at specified times, you’re going to miss out on some of the gems along the way. I believe that Croatia is a place best visited with no set plans in mind. Whether that means driving through the country, stopping anywhere that suits you to take in an incredible view. Perhaps it means extending a stay in a city because it catches your interest. Or modifying your plans because a local told you to do it another way. These are things that Croatia is really good for. I know these scenarios are generally applicable to most places you travel to. However, I think Croatia is especially well suited for that. They are incredibly hospitable, can communicate in English, always felt safe and is such a small country that whatever change you make, you’re not that far off your original heading.

Final thoughts?

Unstable?

This has been an extremely unique trip for me. In some ways I’d say this has been the most “unstable” trip I’ve planned and taken in a very long time. What started out as a conversation two years ago on another trip, eventually turned into a full blown adventure of its own. The original goal was simply Turkey and hot air balloons. It then morphed into the “world of points and redemption” and eventually a second and third destination in Montenegro and Croatia.

It began with Gimpy and I talking about it. Funkycat (from Japan) and Vino making plans to join us in Croatia. Then Funkycat having to cancel due to work. Gimpy and I deciding to drop Montenegro in order to spend more time in Croatia and Turkey. All this before we even left home.

We did our tour with GAdventures through Turkey and we’re crushed when our chance to balloon didn’t happen. Gimpy, a tour mate and myself then made a last minute, last chance attempt to fly back to Cappadocia for one day in hopes to go up, which we did! Keeping in mind, that had we not cancelled Montenegro, we wouldn’t have had this shot.

We got to Croatia, joined Vino and had to deal with a problematic airBnb, an ambiguous ferry schedule/ticket and a random portable stop light on the highway. All the while seeing some amazing scenery and eating some amazing food.

This trip could have gone in so many different directions and yet, we’re here now. I look back at all the things that could have changed, affected, diverted us from this trip. And all I can feel is this sense of gratefulness and blessing for having gone through it exactly how we did.

Loved it!

Turkey is this wonderful and complex place that is rich in culture, diversity and history. And Croatia is full of natural beauty and distinct culture that you can’t help and feel at ease wherever you go. Its probably not the most common pairing of countries one plans for, but I’m glad we did it. There were very acute differences in both countries and I think being to both back to back really helped me to appreciate the differences that much more.

I’m thankful for the people that I met along the way, and the people who were along with me throughout. Its always been good to establish new relationships and strengthen existing ones. I do especially want to thank Gimpy and Vino for coming with me on this adventure.  Its rare to find people you travel well with and I’m glad that Gimpy survived me in Turkey, and Vino was able to tough it out in Croatia.  Specifically for you two: “Diggy Diggy Hole”, “Fresh legs”, “Pinch Pinch Pinch” and “Wide Angle Lenses” 🙂

Every time I have the opportunity to travel, I am reminded of how blessed I am to be able to. And with every trip, I grow in appreciation for how creative and lovely this world we live in truly is. I’m excited for what my next adventure holds and look forward to see what is in store!