Turkey Travel Blogs

Warmer Climes
Oct 8, 2005 (27 photos)

... had travelled very little previously, but John had been to Turkey twice before, so spoke some Turkish. Istanbul (population 15 million), Turkey's major city (and a huge sprawling city it is), is like a piece of Turkish delight waiting to be devoured - ...

just who were the Ottomans?
Dec 9, 2007 (66 photos)

... to different clothing, to women with heads covered....and although all we did was cross the boundary of water for 2 hours, Turkey feels altogether different than Greece (and it certainly is in the category of religion... Greek Orthodox vs. Muslim)... but ...

Lunar Landscapes
Nov 2, 2005 (35 photos)

... Bedrock (i.e., the Flintstones). It is a weird and wonderful place; there are many unusual land formations in this area of Turkey called Cappadocia, a World Heritage Site. Our first day was spent exploring the Goreme Open-Air Museum, a cluster of rock- ...

whirling and twirling...
Dec 12, 2007 (20 photos)

... all over the world.  He was born in Afghanistan but his father took him on this long trek over to and around Turkey, eventually settling in Konya.  Mevlana's most quoted phrase which you may know is...".come, come whoever or whatever you are... ...

Ramazan Ends
Nov 4, 2005 (10 photos)

... so struck up a conversation with Urs. The other men teased the Kurd mercilessly. Kurds are the largest minority in Turkey and although their teasing was good-natured, very real tensions do exist between the Turks and those of Kurdish ancestry. Just ...

Istanbul not Constantinople
Feb 22, 2006 (5 photos)

We made it! I am exhausted and totally ready to go to bed. The Representative from Friendly Planet met us at the airport and loaded us onto a bus and took us to the Point Hotel near Taksim Square giving us a little history as we went along. PHOTO_ID ...

Happy Birthday to Rumi...
Dec 10, 2007 (24 photos)

... oil pipeline in Iraq gets invaded by these five Turkish guys who are trying to turn on the right valve to direct oil to Turkey.  They say they believe they really have more right to the Iraqi oil fields than the Americans.  And of course, the ...

Where are all the Whos?
Dec 16, 2007 (71 photos)

A big day of checking out Cappadoccia...it's a region of central Turkey with some pretty unique landforms.  Looks like Who-ville in the Grinch..  But there are no Whos inside anymore... There's all these rock cones called faerie chimneys that ...

Visiting the Capital
Oct 15, 2005 (25 photos)

... clerks people in stores and hairdressers are men. There are more women in "behind the scenes" positions. Like many countries, Turkey has high stakes entrance exams for people wanting to get into university. Karla told us that they are very difficult ...

A DAY AT THE KONTOR
Aug 6, 2008 (6 photos)

... and, come to think of it, restaurants in the States only pay their servers $2.50 an hour, too.  Also, working in Turkey is fun. At eight, a Ukrainian named Helen comes in.  She's our fourth server/barwoman.  She's very funny.  She ...

Its Istanbul not Constantinople
Sep 14, 2006 (10 photos)

... anyway, it is the anti-Themes. We left Istanbul amazed by what we had seen, and incredibly excited to see what the rest of Turkey had to offer. The bus ride was actually pretty neat. Turkish buses are so much better than our buses, complete with bus ...

Our journey has finally started
Jun 16, 2007 (2 photos)

Day 1 - June 15 2007 Home to Icmeler, Turkey Accommodation - Alinder Hotel Arrival Airport - Dalamar Today was always going to be an emotional day but maybe we never realised just how emotional. For the last 7 weeks we have been living wýth Mum and ...

Istanbul in a day
Jun 27, 2008 (20 photos)

We start the day by heading to the train station to get what we presume are tickets to Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia but aren't quite sure given the challenging language barrier.  Next, we head to Topkapi Palace which is breathtaking.  Among ...

Back to Istanbul
Sep 21, 2007 (4 photos)

... up and down, side to side, stop here then go etc...it was quite amusing.  We had a 3am border check in Turkey, wrestled a bit with some pushy line avoiding Romanians...and hopped back on the train to continue sleeping. The weather is cold, stormy ...

More Turkey
Jul 17, 2007 (10 photos)

Ý read a very interesting book Ý got from one of my tourmates:  Nine Parts of Desire, The Hidden World of Ýslamic Women by Geraldine Brooks written in 1995.  Very interesting if you want to know more about women and Islam.  To expand ...

Aya Sofia and The Archeological Museum
Aug 12, 2007 (17 photos)

Saving one of the best for last this time...yesterday spent the morning at the magnificent Aya Sofia.  Just as good as the first time I saw it many years ago when I visited Istanbul with my mom.  Loads of people but the huge structure still took ...

One of the most amazing cities in the world!
Jul 21, 2007 (5 photos)

Arrived in Istanbul via overnight train from Ankara yesterday.  Rode the ferry to our hotel and the view was fantastic.  Stood at the front of the ferry watching as the city revealed itself and could feel the energy pouring into me!  Off to ...

Turkish Delights
Feb 20, 2008 (17 photos)

... seem to reach the apex of perfection. No matter how you look at it, the Turkish Central Asian states look west towards Turkey for their food and entertainment, it seems (except maybe Xinjiang which is isolated in China but is still full of Turkish Uighurs ...

I don't know how I feel about heights
Feb 24, 2006 (115 photos)

... to find out why they had such a hard time. We started off how we always do. "Merhaba Benim Adim Laura" We talked about Turkey and its wonderful people, For a short time we made friends with our driver. At one point the two taxis pulled up next to each ...

Rubbing Shoulders With the Rich and Famous
Oct 24, 2005 (25 photos)

... ruins, some dating back as far as 4,000 BC. The Lycians were pacifists; when Alexander the Great of Mesopotamia plundered Turkey, the Lycians committed mass suicide rather than die at his hand. Numerous ruins are under water and scuba diving is not ...

Istanbul
Aug 17, 2005 (13 photos)

... with David being in the company of two blondies. David was impressed with his three white cats. They all came from Van (east Turkey) and were a rare breed. They have one blue eye and one green eye and can swim. The carpet man was impressed with David's ...

Cotton Castles
Aug 23, 2006 (8 photos)

... restful. Sleeper cars in Turkey are wonderful! This train ride brought us into the Southern Aegean region where many of Turkey's top tourist destinations are located. Our first stop was the site of Pamukkale. The translation of the name Pamukkale is " ...

MORE THAN SIGHTSEEING
Aug 11, 2008 (10 photos)

... see the culture.  I figured I'd do some sightseeing on the way. First, I visited the ancient rock tombs at Myra, Turkey.  Upon arrival, I was overwhelmed.  There were the tombs; also, an eroding, stone archway led like a tunnel into the ...

Final few days in Istanbul
Jul 12, 2007

Again, before we get started, we have uploaded more photos from our remaining days in Istanbul which can be found HERE.  Again please have a look around and let us know what you think. It was great to read everyone's comments after the last update. ...

Athens to Istanbul
Dec 28, 2005 (19 photos)

... to go anyway. life shouldnt be such a rush. we wait. then we get our passports. we leave. slowly. crossing into turkey. watching the army. soldiers with rifles. officers with guns. workers building tents. mosques. people in head scarfs. a child with a " ...

Istanbul
Dec 30, 2005 (92 photos)

istanbul. city of mixture. staying with meltem and ege. feels like home. nice not to sleep on a train. relaxation. exploring the city without backpacks. can come home. can sleep in a bed. sheltered environment. we like it. baidi likes mango. gonna buy a ...

Hosca Kal Turkiye!
Jun 4, 2006 (17 photos)

... (or maybe freaks?) when kids and grown-ups would come and ask us where we are from and request a photo with us! Turkey was fantastic. It's a truly beautiful country - the sights, people, and food are incredible. There are so many things to see ...

A Taste of Mosaics and Baklava
Feb 29, 2008 (16 photos)

... around the town during the two days I stayed here. The city was the largest and most prosperous in southeastern Turkey. In part this is because of the GAP, the vast Southeastern Agricultural Project that now brings walnuts, pistachios, fruits, cotton, ...

Ruins, Turkish buses and used car dealers
Aug 24, 2006 (7 photos)

... the Venus Hotel were unbelievably helpful and gracious. Actually, our experience with pretty everyone we have encountered in Turkey has been glowingly positive. People here have been universally warm, cordial, and helpful and really made our experience in ...

Heavenly Hamam
Jul 27, 2007 (18 photos)

Took a quick ferry & two buses from Istanbul to Bursa this morning.  Staying along the main road in this town of approximately 1 million under the shadow of ULUDAG (2543m).  The town is known for its natural hot springs...and all of you who ...