
So I am fresh off the plane from Istanbul, and one of the best trips of my life traveling around Turkey!
I am also superbly jetlagged and can barely remember my own name which is why I am writing a photo post instead of my usual 3000 word anecdote or rant. Everyone likes pictures, right? I just can’t wait until I edit everything and regain my brainpower to begin sharing my adventures with you guys!
5 months ago when I moved home from Europe for the first time in years, I decided to invest in an iPhone 5 and sign up for a phone plan. I had been making do with a slide phone and pay as you go for the better part of three years. It was time to join the big leagues. Best. Decision. Ever. Seriously, my iPhone is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m addicted!

Now the camera on this fancy phone is SWANK! It takes really great photos for a cell phone, and I definitely used it a lot when I was in Turkey, instagramming anything and everything, sharing my adventures in real time with everyone. Iphoneography (yes that is a word now) is the new big thing on the social media sphere, and I am doing my part to conquer it. I eat images for breakfast, so this is right up my alley. Now if you don’t follow me on Instagram (shame on you) I’ve gone ahead and selected the best of the bunch for this post, while I slowly trudge my way through the thousands of photos and videos I took on my big-girl camera and new GoPro.
Now traveling with a nice phone camera is a great idea! Nowadays, we share information quickly and fast. It is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends when you are traveling, and it’s so easy to send a photo straight from your phone. Also, it’s really easy to capture beautiful, fast moments without fumbling around with a proper camera and being obtrusive. On an iPhone it’s as easy as swish and flick. Almost like Harry Potter (100 points to anyone who understands that reference).
Here are my favorite photos I took on my iPhone while traveling around Turkey. Don’t fret, I will have lots more posts coming soon about my crazy adventures!
Istanbul

My first day in Istanbul, outside the Blue Mosque

The incredible ceiling of the Blue Mosque

The famous Aya Sofya

Inside the Aya Sofya

Learning to cook traditional Turkish food with Turkish Flavours!

Exploring the famous spice market

The harem inside the Topkapi Palace
20 course lunch on the Asian side of Istanbul

Crossing back over the Bosphorus by ferry 
The incredible Hotel Empress Zoe where I stayed

Beautiful lights for sale in the bazaar
Cappadocia

Cappadocia landscape

Making some pottery

Sunset after the snow

Cappadocia is famous for these weird pilar-like volcanic rock formations


Old Greek village of Mustafapasa at sunset

Hot air balloon ride at dawn with Royal Balloon


Exploring Cappadocia with Middle Earth Travel


Rappelling off of a castle

Trekking

ATV adventures


Some of my favorite Turkish deserts, including backlava

From the roof terrace of the Kelebek Hotel

The jacuzzi in my cave suite at the Kelebek Hotel
Ephesus

Driving up the coast to Ephesus with About Ephesus Tours

The library at Ephesus

The House of the Virgin Mary, where it is said she spent her final days

Ephesus

Roman theater at Ephesus

Goodbye Turkey!





youngadventuress
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These pictures are SO incredible, lady! I can’t believe they’re from your iPhone! I may need to invest in the 5 soon. Obviously I was stalking your adventures via instagram, per usual, but seeing all your shots together is really awe-inducing. Especially the hot air balloons and the Bosphorus. Oh, and the food. I wouldn’t mind a 20-course turkish feast. Not at alllll.
I’m itching to get to Turkey and can’t wait to see more posts! xx
Thank you honey! I have lots of posts planned soon !!
Also get the iPhone 5, best decision ever!!
My iPhone broke the first week here in India and it has been a serious struggle without it. You get addicted to those things and once you go iPhone there is no going back haha. I can’t wait to read more about your travels as I am dying to go to Turkey and these pictures make me so jealous!
MY WORST NIGHTMARE!!
Turkey was definitely one of the most colorful places I’ve ever been! I’m forever thankful for smartphones, but preferred my big, bulky camera and the nuances it gets (and my htc was crap!). Now, to start pining!
Agreed, I took most of these same pics on my dslr but I wanted to share my trip in realtime which made the iPhone a must!
It really looks like the ultimate Turkey trip, Liz! I’m so glad you had a great time! Can’t wait to hear all about your experiences.
It was amazeballs! Can’t wait to start writing!!
Wow! This are incredible. It’s hard to believe they came from your iPhone! I’m really jealous of the pottery to got to do there. I have taught pottery lessons for years now and have worked in numerous galleries doing custom work, mostly for wedding registries. I think it would be a remarkable experience to be able to do pottery in another country.
Wow that’s awesome! This place was amazing, a total hole in the wall studio for these two twin brothers. They sell most of their stuff outside Cappadocia, no tourists visit it all, but they let me indulge my fantasy and play with the pottery wheel for a few minutes
Your photos are beautiful.Thank you for sharing. I’ll gladly follow you on Instagram if I get to look at images like this from time to time.Glad you had a good trip.
Thanks Rori! I post lots of pics like these on my Instagram, @youngadventuress
These photos are stunning, Liz! Looks like you had the most fabulous time! Can’t wait to hear all about your Turkish adventures soon!
)
(And I’m really hungry after looking at all these mouthwatering food pictures! Are those Sigara böreği in the frying pan? I could seriously live off them
I can’t remember the food names but I have them written down
So tasty!
Wow! Hard to believe such awesome photos came from a phone! Your post makes me even more excited for my return trip to the states next month as I will be getting an iPhone 5!
I would LOVE to know what apps/filters you use for your photos. The colors are stunning. Please let me know!
Looking forward to seeing more Turkey posts. I was in Istanbul last month, so your trip is bringing back some great memories. And now I HAVE to hot air balloon in Cappadoccia!
I mostly use snapseed to edit my phone photos, it’s amazing! I have a list of the apps I use on a other post called the Sunset Project, check it out
Wow! I love that first picture of Cappadocia… the snowy mountains, the plateaus, the plains, the village, the awesome stoney architecture on the hill where you’re standing… Love love love!
Seriously Cappadocia blew my mind!!!
Wow. Gotta admit- these are some wicked shots. Especially the ones of Cappadocia… Turkey may have to go a little higher on my list when I move to Europe. Thanks for sharing!
Do go! It’s so amazing!! I will have tons of great posts coming soon
its so hard to leave Turkey, isnt it??
Cappadocia looks great in the snow. We had a bunch of rain, meh, but the snow is really beautiful!
It was so pretty in the snow!
So, I will mention that your photos are absolutely gorgeous, and it looks like you had an amazing time….but I will also mention that Turkey seems to have a lot of rocky pillars that look like dude parts, because apparently I have the mind of a ten year old.
Agreed! You’re not the only one who’s though that! They even call the valley with the most peen shaped rocks “the valley of love” HA
Those are photos from your iPhone? Wow is all I have to say! And incredible, amazing, etc. haha. Looks like an awesome time! I will be sure to check out your turkey posts once they come rolling in on my twitter feed
Yup! All taken in my iPhone 5!! Best investment ever! Can’t wait to start sharing more adventures soon
beautiful pictures!!
Thanks munchkin!
You’re killing me over here! Turkey is a travel dream of mine. I just shared a bunch of these photos on my Tumblr!
Wahoo thanks a million
Love the food pics! Making me hungry over here!
On the second uploaded picture, are those also the weird volcanic like pillars between the buildings? Are they windows on them?
Yes those are windows! They’re cave houses! People built into those rocks and built houses, most of them now are boutique hotels
super cool, right?
Great pictures Liz! Always incredible what you can capture on the go with your iPhone.
I think we (myself and Will) might have been in Istanbul at the same time as you! We were flying from Nairobi to Bangkok, moving from weeks of safari to incredible SEA. Decided to take a full day layover in Istanbul to enjoy walking around the incredible sites and enjoying some of the delicious local fare.
Istanbul is an incredible place to spend a few days. Glad you enjoyed it!
Is it easy to travel around Turkey on your own (as a female)?