Turkey visit

[GeorgeO]

Just returned from week in Turkey.

Superb sightseeing in Istanbul-Topkapi Palace( now turned into a museum), The Hagia Sophia, the Blue mosque, the Bosphorous cruise, outstanding Turkish cuisine, the extremely polite and friendly attitude of the Turks. The Turkish economy is a vibrant and fast growing one, things look 'second world", infrastructure is excellent and we see how backward we in India are! Though an Islamic country people look both modern, and European in Istanbul and traditional, especially in interior areas. We did a side trip to Cappadochia which was also fascinating. Carpets, pottery and sightseeing , though poor weather meant that the hot air balloon trip was cancelled. Cab fares are quite expensive, food prices vary according to place and great street food options are available.

Big time bargaining-Indian style when shopping. Kebaps, honey in honeycomb-you chew it, and all kinds of traditional food-hamsi(small fish), cheese, olives, citrus fruits, Turkish Delight, baklava,salads, a wide variety of breads, wraps with different meats, sandwiches with different ingredients, dry fruits and nuts.The Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are worth a visit. Turkish Lira is 2.20/US$ down from around 1.60 last year so we got the benefit!

All in all, highly recommended.

 

[ghatgepatil]

Did'nt you try one of their 'hammams'?

 

[GeorgeO]

Saw many ads touting them, but ran out of time-besides I'm a great fan of the traditional ayurvedic stuff here, so I cant say I missed much by not going for one.

 

[kartick]

I was in Turkey last year for an official trip and it was surreal. I have not seen a more beautiful and culturally rich place ever. My stay was limited to Istanbul only but I had the pleasure of some local friends showing me around. I would definitely love to be back there and for at least 15 days.

The highlights of my visits were food : esp: kebabs near the blue mosque, balik ekmek (fish sandwiches) at Eminonu with local glass of beer, Lahmacun & Piddeh (Turkish versions of naan/pizzas), Midye dolma (mussles with rice), etc. etc., people : one of the friendliest chaps to interact and it made my experience become better all the time & music : I enjoyed the local music thoroughly & also bought Plaks (turkish for LPs) at Taksim square. That shop had an exhaustive collection of Jazz records.

When I was waiting for my flight back home at Istanbul airport, I happened to glance through a book on Turkey and I read a quote by Napoleon Bonaparte - "If the Earth was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital." I concur with it completely.