Van Castle (Van Kalesi)

... . We got mobbed by the local kids trying to sell us crap and wanting money and food on the way. Pretty much the norm. The castle was huge and we spent ages climbing all over the place. I climbed up a tower and looked over into old Van that had been ...

... we hated it for one reason or another. Van's main claim to fame is Van Lake (3rd biggest in the world.. woohoo for you) and Van Castle. Another obscure claim to fame is that it's home to a unique breed of white fluffy cats with one blue and one yellow ...

... The second day was a different story all together. I felt fine, ready to go. So that is what we did. Now Van is known for a couple of things. A castle and the cats with the different coloured eyes, so we set out to see these two. The castle was easy. ...

... seen. Back in the city I went to where I had seen the cat previously, in a  tea garden at the base of the Van Castle. No luck there  either. The objective of the following morning was to visit the Akdamar Island with another of the iconic ...

... to view the spectacular scenery--at least along the south shore.    Anyway, all I did in Van was to walk down to and climb around the Castle. In the tea garden below I managed to see one of the reputed Van Cats. They are remarkable for ...

Traveled from İstanbul to Van, a small cıty ın Turkey's southeast, on the VanGölu Express traın. Thıs was my fırst major trıp by traın and I must admıt- I'm not a terrıbly bıg fan of 'slow travel'. The tourıst agency ın İstanbul quoted the ...

... boasts a (rumored) monster making it a bit like Loch Ness in Scotland. After our arrival we took a short hike to explore Van Kalesi (Castle), also known as the Rock of Van, an ancient Urartu fortress dating from the eighth century BC. From the top of ...

... natter to practice their English, it gives you time to take in the local shops and sights, and the exercise will do you good. The castle is huge 850 BC approximately, some of it made of mud bricks and straw and wood.  Reminds me of a Persian King's ...

Merhaba from Van, Turkey!   It's amazing how the weather can change your impression of a city. While the "sights" of Erzerum were still nonexistent, the sunshine and warm weather put us both in better moods. The city itself is not worth noting, but ...

... of enigmatic stelae from the 15th to the 11th century BC which were recently discovered in Hakkari. After visiting the museum, I headed to Van Castle, which is situated on a high (and rather steep) rocky hill with great views of the lake (and surrounding ...