Rose Gold Cappadocia

Turkey hasn’t really been on top of my list of countries to visit because I didn’t know a lot about it. Searching for its most beautiful attractions was a surprise: lunar like mountains, turquoise beaches, ancient historical sites and complex history. And then Istanbul, which is frequently compared to Lisbon. I had to check it out!

So I knew all of that but what I didn’t realize was how modern and developed the country was, how the roads and highways are so well maintained and how people in the countryside are amazingly nice!

We started our visit with Cappadocia. As I said in some previous posts on the blog, me and Luis aren’t very fond of tours and very touristic activities. We explored the zone in our own way, as we had a rental SUV, we were able to drive around those ravishing landscapes and stop whenever we wanted to. The weather wasn’t perfect for balloons, so there were none in the sky, which actually didn’t really bother us, as all we wanted was to appreciate nature. I guess that nowadays that is becoming more and more difficult because the area is a bit overly crowded with hotels, balloon ride stalls and shops in general. The little cities have adapted all too well to the digital age so every corner is a set for an Instagram shot. So here you will not find photos of me in a hotel balcony with air balloons at sunrise or inside the famous shop that has a patio full of rugs (though I have to say that they have a beautiful and a bit pricey selection of old dresses full of coins there) or the shops with the Turkish lights as background.

Apart from this, the further you go, the less crowded it gets. We had to wake up really early (like at 5.30am) to avoid the speedy Jeeps full of tourists that start buzzing around at about 9am (I guess that April is a very calm month over there, and still there were a lot of tours). I can imagine how crowded it can get during summer! Nonetheless the landscapes are mesmerizing, otherworldly and well worth visiting. Sometimes the views made me recall Petra and The Grand Canyon, with the canyons and rock formations in terra-cotta and yellow colored sediments. The natural shape of those spiky peaks actually seem supernatural and thinking about the people who decided to carve their own homes inside the huge stones while looking at them is totally astonishing.

Other thing I didn’t know about Turkey is that there are dogs and cats everywhere. All dogs are tagged for control and they’re really lazy all the time. Early in the morning, at Fairy Valley we were gathered by a really photogenic family of dogs! It’s such a pity that I have been struggling with dog and cat allergies for some years now, so I wasn’t able to pet them (so to make up for it Luis spoiled them with cuddles). I guess they understood that I really liked them so they stood by.

All and all, the 8 hour drive from Istambul airport to Capadoccia was well worth it. We stayed only for one day (2 nights) as we still had a lot to see in Turkey. Though I'm always trying to run away from cold weather (and in April we got 4°C at sunrise), I have to say that seeing Capadoccia during winter must also be a pretty amazing experience. 

The day we left we got to see a lot of nature! There are soooo many volcanoes a bit to the south (near Konya)! They looked so still and wonderful. We actually drove up to two of them! It was weird to walk on top of a place that was once so dangerously active! I don’t have a lot of experience with volcanoes so every time I see one I look like a child analyzing the rocks and the soil!!

On our way to Antalya we followed an UNESCO brown sign on the road and found an amazing archaeological site with ongoing excavations that dates back to 9000BC!!! For sure we weren’t expecting that! The site is pretty big and it is a ‘city’ where its people built multi storey buildings. So there were many people living in the same buildings at that time, just like today. The most curious thing is that to access their floor they had to go to the top of the buildings and go down to their own houses using ladders that went through other people’s houses!

Through the whole drive we were accompanied by huge mountains with snow and at the end of our drive we actually had to go up one of them to cross to Antalya.

I loved Cappadocia and the whole trip to the South was lovely but the extense exploitation of the land for touristic purposes (in Cappadocia) as well as the Turkish people's apparent unawareness of pollution related problems (we saw so many garbage around in the streets and rivers) made me think that the world has still so much to learn about preserving nature and natural resources.

Next stop Antalya!!!! <3

California, I need you again and again!

After Death Velley and Yosemite we went to San Francisco. I wasn't prepared for all the wind and for the 17ºC, and because of that we didn't get to explore it as much as we wanted to because we didn't have warm clothes with us. We drove up and down the beautiful hills and I got to do some shopping in the most amazing thrift and vintage shops. I strongly recommend Decades of Fashion for real vintage. In the same street you'll find a bunch of other vintage and second hand shops. Sadly, Mission Thrift was my second favourite but it closed some months ago. There I found the most amazing ethnic and sequinned skirts as well as cool scarves and tops for really cheap prices.

We went to a very cool curiosity shop called Paxton Gate. And in the end of the day we got to see the amazing Golden Gate, we have a copy of it in Lisbon, so for us it was like 'Ooooh! So this is the real deal!!'. We slept somewhere near Point Reyes National Seashore before going South, so unfortunately we only spent 1 day in San Francisco. We only had a few days left till our flight back to Portugal from LAX, so we went down the Pacific coast freely. Next stop and an absolutely amazing one was Point Reyes itself. What a beautiful and calm place, we felt such peace there and we felt like life was moving slower. Apart from the natural wonders we found little villages with cute shops and art galleries.

As we went up the hills in the direction of the cliffs and the ocean, we were welcomed by a dense fog and fast swirling winds, which made all even more whimsical.

Between the golden fields and the friendly cows we found the bluest shores. Down at the beach, a family of elephant seals was resting, raising the curiosity of two deers that were strolling down the rocks. We couldn't stop staring at those fascinating creatures in the wild.

After we went South, stoping only for curiosity sake at Silicon Valley. We drove to Santa Cruz. We visited the funfair and got to see some really sociable sea lions at the wharf. We heard about a place called Mystery Spot, we usually don't go to these kinds of places but I have to say that if you have kids it's a pretty awesome place to visit. It consists in a house that's totally crooked, located on a hill, so all perspective points are distorted, thus when you think that something is going up it actually goes down and vice-versa (they say it's a gravitational anomaly.. hum...). As I said before, we're not very into guided tours or any situations that include a guide, but it was quiet ok.

After Santa Cruz we went to Monterey, a lovely city with hundreds of sea lions swimming around the fisherman's wharf. We also got to see some cute harbour seals catching some sweet hot sun rays in the morning after.

It's a pity that we don't have a lot of photos from this part of the journey, but I guess we were really soaking up all the beauty from places like Carmel-by-the-sea. Which was the place where we really started feeling the Spanish influences when it comes to architecture, since we visited the Carmel Mission Basilica Museum. After it, Point Lobos was absolutely glorious. There we were able to spot, right from the coastal trails, and really near us, a few dolphins, harbour seals and even blue whales! We didn't want to spend our money in those boat trips where you have like 50/50 chance of seeing a whale. We got really lucky, they were far, but totally visible without binoculars. In the afternoon we passed by San Luis Obispo, a place where my dear Luis had already been and that's where Madonna Inn is located, a super kitsch inn/shop/restaurant, very Disney style.

We spent our evening in Santa Barbara, a place I regret not having seen in daylight. The next day we reached Santa Monica, passing through Malibu, but it looked too crowded when compared to the places we've been the days before. It has the tall buildings so typical of seaside resorts and we only went to a Camera Obscura that's near the beach just for fun and we drove away right after it.

LA was amazing but I felt we didn't have enough time to explore it. We were also tired as it was the end of the trip. After all we drove more than 8000 km (about 5000 miles) in 17 days. We walked around Venice Beach and drove around the city. I did a bit more vintage shopping at Melrose Trading Post flea market (which happens every Sunday), located in Melrose Avenue, which is also where you can find a lot of vintage shops. We drove around Beverly Hills, and the mythic Mullholland Drive. I really wanted to see the Sheats Goldstein house and nearby there was a house with loads of things for people to take as they pleased. I got a lovely hat and some cool books that I brought to Atlas Hostel in Leiria. We went to Carroll Avenue in Angelino Heights, a very old neighbourhood with beautiful Victorian-era houses, that was used countless times as set for movies and tv series.

There was still so much to explore. I guess I have to go back and stay longer. I'm sorry the posts about this trip were published so slowly but I've had so much work lately that it was impossible to keep a fast pace. If you have any questions about what to do or places to visit don't be shy. I hope to be able to post as I travel on my next trip (which is in about two days!!!). I'm really excited about it! See you soon!

<3

California Deserts

As we arrived in Palm Springs at night, it wasn't possible to understand how it is organised as a city, so the next morning we were absolutely overwhelmed. As I believe I said before, I love the desert and arid places with hot weather. Coachella Valley is as dry as it comes and is embraced by beautiful and dramatic mountains.

Half of Palm Springs is made out of country clubs, as I expected. Whenever I thought of it before coming there I always imagined retired rich people with a dark tan and pastel coloured golf apparel either hanging out next to a swimming pool or driving golf carts around. Sorry if this sounds prejudiced, but I find it kind of funny, though.

One thing I loved was the Spanish architecture heritage and the super organised and lovely neighbourhoods. As we walked and drove around soaking in the vibe, we decided to go north, towards Joshua Tree National Park.

I have never seen Joshua Trees and now I want to have one but can't find it anywhere in Portugal! They're really cool and funky looking and there are thousands of them. On our way to Yucca Valley we had to stop a few times as the surrounding nature was taking our breath away. Yucca Valley is a little city with loads of hipster/alternative shops and coffee shops. We had lunch there and visited some vintage shops.

We heard somewhere that there was this place called Pioneertown, only a few minutes away from Yucca Valley, which was created in 1940's as a set for western movies. So, not as old as it seems, it's old and interesting enough to take a detour. Some of the buildings have real businesses inside.

This day we had to drive to Las Vegas but we had time. The drive is 3 hours and a half , so we had time to stop whenever we wanted.

One thing about driving from point A to point B that I've learned is to enjoy the ride. Because in between are all the things you didn't predict and you can be surprised if you take a minute to look around. You may find amazing things if you do decide to go check what's around you. This is how we found The Amboy Salt Flats and the Amboy Volcano Crater, this black beauty in the middle of the sandy Mojave Desert. I have to say that I've never seen a volcano before, and Luis was laughing at me because apparently this is a really small one. Nonetheless I was psyched to be there and to think how those black rocks laying still on the ground were once vivid lava (don't mind me, I have become an enthusiast of geology and mineralogy throughout the years but I'm still very naïve in the field).

Ok, so, after all, we were driving for a bit on Route 66 without knowing, I guess it could have happened before but we were too absorbed with everything to notice it! 😅

One thing I knew I wanted to see near Las Vegas was Ugo Rondinone's Seven Magic Mountains. They're beautiful and we got lucky to see them as this public art exhibition ended at the end of 2018!

All over the roads we drive by, there are peculiar things, some made by nature and some by men. I'm not sure if I felt this way because of the harsh contrast between it and the calmness of the deserts we were coming from, but Las Vegas did not win my heart. We were even thinking of getting married there before we arrived, but Vegas is not worthy of the celebration of such a pure thing as the love me and Luis have for each other. I guess it's just not for us, as I couldn't feel anything but the cheesiness and fakeness of everything around me. Therefore I will skip my Vegas experience and my next post will be about Grand Canyon!! <3