Grand Kavak Otel Antakya

... sh. I understand what he saıd exactly but I understood what he meant. On the dolmus when ıt reached Antakya at around 7pm, I asked a passanger where a partıcular road ıs on the map of my guıdebook as that was the place where I could get a taxı to Harbıye, where my hotel ıs. I dıdnt want to make the same mıstake as I dıd enroute to Mardın as when I boarded the dolmuş I dıdnt see the sıgn ...

... Antakya......<br><br>10) The Buses. Apparently we come from the 4th wealthiest economy in the world and one of the most advanced and efficient nations. If so, please could you send all employees of every bus company to Turkey as we have much to learn. When did you last get served free tea and cakes by a bow-tie wearing conductor on a punctual and affordable bus that deliberately connects with other services and takes care of your baggage. They are ...

... catch a local bus to the town of Goreme. The bus left at 3:30 from the terminal so we should be in Nevsehir at 7:30 at the latest. At the hotel we listened to CJOB radio station in Winnipeg, they were talking to a chap in Ireland about St. Patty's Day. I sent the announcer an email to say hello and let him know we were listening to them in Turkey. Shortly we heard our email being read on the radio! What a nice surprise. Out for lunch to have a falafel, I think ...

March 14, Saturday. Moving day. We walk down all the stairs and check out. Forgot to mention the last 2 hotels had lots of stairs and we were on the 4th floor, after walking up 3 flights already to get to the reception. We are just down the street from the bus terminal so we walk there and then wait until about 12:30 for the bus to arriver and leave. The bus people have stuffed large packages of napkins under all the seats at the back. We are ...

... catholic, 1200 to the orthodox, 25 to the protestant church and 40 to the synagogue. The synagogue and the Jewish community in Antakya seem to be in decay. Since there are very few families within that 40, many young Jews have to leave the city in order to get married. The protestant church has been established with the support of the Korean church. Although there is no convert potential in the town, it makes sense for them to have a church ...

It took us a day and a half to hitch the 350ish miles to Syria, despite the fact that we can't have waited for more than 30 minutes in total, for all four lifts. The problem was simply that everyone was far too hospitable and insisted on feeding us - I hadn't realised we looked so malnourished! Our first lift was with a friendly turk who, only one more offence from losing his licence, drove at a snail's pace - until I asked him what the ...

... await.<br><br>Back to the Archaeological Museum there was plenty of time to tour it. The museum's main attractions are many large Roman-era mosaics. And several are indeed quite impressive.<br><br>The post office was across from the museum, so I went there to pay the long over-due phone bill. Unlike Ankara, where I had to wait in lines, then find the computer down, or something, here I walked up to a window and paid the bill. Whether that automatically restores service I've yet ...

... toward the narrow Clician Gates. It is pretty spectacular.<br><br>Out of the mountains near Tarsus and Adana is an alluvial plain, covered in the green of an early spring crop. Once beyon the Clician Gates you turn east for a while, then south down the Turkish coast of Hatay. I had always assummed the area to be also a plain. But no, there is a quite high<br>mountain range running south along the coast. The highest peak is 7,350 feet. And into its sides are some very impressively deep ...

... for this and is seen as the founding father of the Christian churches, including the Syriac and the Catholic, who both have active congregations in town. The Pope wears a ring with a fish and the fish as the Greek acronym Ichthys is a prominent Christian symbol, partly alluding to St. Peter, but also alluding to many other fish proverbs and sayings in the Bible. The cave church still exists today, with fragments of old mosaic and the ghostly remains of a ...

... name was Metin) started chatting to me and then invited me inside his shop for some tea. He wasn't trying to sell me anything as what he sold was pumpkin mixed with water andsugar to form some sort of pumpkin jelly like material, I should have really asked what it was used for as I saw it all over Antakya - maybe it was a street snack? Anyway he was very keen to practice his English and learn all about me and Australia, he then got me to fill out about 10 of his ...