The city tour started in Sultanahmet. Hagia Sophia's vast dome, the Blue Mosque across the square, the cisterns underneath. A lunch of köfte and a glass of tea in a courtyard, then the bazaar's noise. Istanbul on day two still feels like arriving.

The south tour walked us down into the Ihlara gorge, a green river cut through the rock with churches carved in the cliffs. Lunch was riverside, trout off the grill. The chimneys above had been the headline; the valley floor was the quiet surprise.

The drive in from Antalya climbs to Pamukkale, and the hillside appears white from a distance like snow that never melts. Barefoot up the terraces, warm mineral water underfoot, Hierapolis's ruins waiting at the top. We swam in the antique pool after.

Ephesus on the last full day. The Library facade, the great theatre, the cart-rutted marble. Then up to Şirince, a hill village of old Greek houses where they press fruit wines; we tasted half a dozen and bought the cherry. A soft end before Izmir.