Think you might want to visit Turkey? Or are you going to be on a cruise with a stop in Istanbul? Then you might want to peruse the services of my friend Serhan, a professional, licensed tour guide in Turkey. You might also want to take a look at these travel videos available from Amazon.com.
I have links to some resources to help you learn Turkish.
Istanbul
![[ Haydarpasa ]](images/istanbul-haydarpasa.jpg "Haydarpasa train station, Istanbul")
I am from Turkey, a country which is home to
countless cultural and natural treasures. The country, whose official name, by
the way, is The Republic of Turkey, lies on two peninsulas. The
larger one is Anatolia
and it is part of the Asian continent. The smaller one, called Thrace, is part
of Europe. Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman
Empire is located where these two continents meet. On the first day of
our trip together to Turkey, Cara and I entertained ourselves by repeatedly
taking the ferry between Üsküdar (in Asia) and Besiktas (in Europe).
Some people are easily amused, I guess.
Ankara
![[ Guards at Anitkabir, Ankara ]](images/ankara-anitkabir.jpg)
As beautiful and
culturally rich Istanbul is, I cannot get over my affinity for my hometown,
Ankara, the capital city of modern Turkey. Ankara is home to the Mausoleum of
Atatürk,
the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Other interesting sites include the
Archeological Museum which contains artificats belonging to civiliations that
existed in Anatolia thousands of years ago.
The Mediterranean Coast
![[ Patara Beach, Turkey ]](images/patara-beach-turkey.jpg)
As far as I
am concerned, there is only one place I can call "heaven on
earth", and that is the Mediterenean Coast of Turkey, especially
the area to the west of Antalya, all the way to Bodrum. This area contains
ruins from Lycian and Roman empires, pristine bays, all sorts of vacation
activites from whitewater rafting to para-sailing.
More Media
Additional photos and video from various locations in Turkey.