Turkey - Istanbul and Canakkale 2009

I had the most fabulous holiday I've ever had, in Turkey, Sept 17-Oct 6, 2009. My first thoughts of Turkey were that all the women were covered as it's 90% muslim and that the society was very...well, different. I was delighted to find that all of my preconceptions about Turkey were way off base, and that it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with wonderfully friendly and generous people, and a history that goes back to the dawn of time!

My first 3 days were spent in Istanbul...the land of legend...historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinople. I was amazed at the ancient ruins, the walls and palaces built by Constantine himself, the knowledge that this city where I was standing was the capital of the Roman Empire in 330 AD! The city is HUGE, with a population of over 12 million, so I saw only a tiny portion of it, but what I saw was enough to render me speechless. ME? Speechless???

Ancient Fortress/Castle on the banks of the Bosphorus - the waterway that separates the European continent from the Asian continent, and the Sea of Marmarus from the Black Sea. There is actually an Asian Istanbul and a European Istanbul, depending on which side of the Bosphorus you're on!

The wall that surrounded Constantinople!

There are mosques and palaces everywhere you look in Istanbul!

Gotta love the hats!

After Istanbul, we headed to Canakkale. It's a beautiful seaport city, on the banks of the Dardanelles. The Dardanelles is the waterway between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara. It has been under siege since the beginning of time...Troy, Byzantium, Rome, Greece, Persia, Russia...EVERYONE wants control of the Dardanelles, but it has been under constant Turkish (Ottoman) control since the 14th century. The Gallipoli peninsula is the site of hundreds of thousands of graves of fallen soldiers from the siege of WW1 when Britain tried to wrest control of it. Canakkale is on the other side of the Dardanelles from Gallipoli, almost at the end.

Gallipoli Peninsula, the Dardanelles and mainland Turkey

WW1 Memorial on Gallipoli Peninsula

A Canakkale fisherman repairing his nets

Turkish woman selling corn on the Canakkale waterfront

Canakkale sunset with Naz, Winona, me and Sefic. I made lasting friendships in Turkey.

 A favorite new Turkish treat...

Stuffed mussels!
Did you think I was referring to Deniz, the mussel man?  He was yummy too!   :-D

After spending a few days in Canakkale, we headed south. Ephesus! The Mediterranean coast! Oh the Mediterranean.  I will be back, floating on it's clear turquoise waters, feeling the warm breeze, and exploring all the amazing harbors and islands.