Turkey is a wonderful place in which to travel. The buses are
easy and nice, the hostels are clean and new, the landscape is
breathtaking. However, my favorite part of Turkey is the people. Our
first day in Turkey was spent on a bus. I managed to make friends with
several Turkish people that first day.
The family below (left) on
the swing is heading up to Ankara to visit family. The young women are
sisters and the man is their father and the proud grandfather of the baby who is
sitting on her mother's lap. The young men (right) are entertaining us
while we wait for another bus. They are practicing their English while I
attempt to learn basic Turkish phrases.

Our travels through Turkey took the route outlined below.
Unfortunately, we have been doing so much and having so much fun, I have not had
the time to keep up with my online travelogue through Turkey. So, I will
just write down the highlights below and you can see our Actual
Itinerary for more daily details and links to the photo stories.
CAPPADOCIA:
June 7 - June 10, 2000
Amazing balloon ride with Kapadokya Balloons over the fairy chimneys of
Cappadocia. We also hiked a lot and met a very nice man who took us into
his cave home and offered us grapefruit and Turkish tea.
ANTALYA: June 11, 2000
Enjoyed the old harbor and met a friend of my friend Deb Haan. His name is
Talat and he is the skipper and owner of a tour boat.
FETHIYE: June 12 - June 16, 2000
Incredible 3 day journey on the Aegean Sea on the Pinar 111 wooden gulet
yacht. Laughed a lot with freinds Mary and Eleny and met some nice Aussies
and Canadians. Swam, water skied, hiked, feasted on great food and danced
under a full moon on the front deck until the wee hours of the morning.
EPHESUS: June 17- June 18, 2000
Perhaps we are just a little spoiled with ancient archeological sites, because
we were just a little bored at this amazing site which is supposed to be a major
tourist attraction in Turkey.
ISTANBUL: June 19 - June 22, 2000
Enchanted with this historical and colorful city. There is a lot of living
going on in this city. Local markets pop up everywhere, the docks are
filled with fishing boats, ferries and hundreds of people enjoying the day and
eating fish sandwiches that were prepared on a docked boat. We saw
beautiful mosques and the great Ottoman palace of Topkapi Sarayi. We also
ate delicious food at the Doy Doy restaurant and enjoyed our room and the
hospitality at the classic Hippodrome Hotel which is located right behind the
Blue Mosque. In fact we had a superb view of the mosque right from our
window.