Yesterday was ANZAC Day. If you’re not from Australia or New Zealand, you will be forgiven for not understanding its significance. If you are from Australia or New Zealand, it’s a big deal as I found out while visiting the World War I battlefields in Gallipoli, Turkey where thousands of Allied and Ottoman Empire forces […]

Traveling to Turkey was apparently pretty popular with the ancient Romans. And, one of their favorite places to go was to Pamukkale where the natural springs were believed to have healing powers. After visiting, I’m a believer. The water carries high concentrations of a limestone called travertine. When the water evaporates the white sediment remains […]

I arrived in the small town of Eceabat, across the river from Çanakkale near the historic sites of Troy and Gallipoli, at the end of the day. We took a little walk around town and made our way to a small pier where the local fisherman were wrapping up their day. Not seen in the […]

Not surprisingly, you’ll see mosques everywhere while you travel in Turkey. And, if you can’t see them, you will hear the calls to prayer throughout the day. It’s really not all that different than the prolific nature of churches in South America. You sort of become immune to it all. But, one night while out […]

OK, I know a couple of weeks ago I chose Ephesus for the suh-weet shot, but I couldn’t resist showing off my pic of one of the city’s most famous landmarks’ the entrance to the library. This marble and stone structure (or is it all marble???) gives you a real sense of how big the […]

The food and spice market in Istanbul can be overshadowed by the Grand Bazaar just down the road. But, any foodie (or wannabe foodie) needs to visit the spice market. There are lots of places to buy your carpet when traveling in Turkey. But, there aren’t many places like this in Turkey, at least not […]

I knew precious little about Ephesus before I went to travel in Turkey. Located outside of Selçuk on the central, west coast, this old city is at once beautifully preserved and accessible. In Greece, I found many of the ruins cold and behind velvet ropes. But, in Turkey most places were approachable, allowing you to […]