TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Hagia Sophia is a familiar landmark of Istanbul. The cathedral was built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian between 532 and 537 and is considered the prime example of Byzantine architecture. It is famous for its huge dome. After Byzantium was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the city became Muslim and Hagia Sophia became a mosque. It was very dark inside. My main impression was of its immense size and the incredible height of the roof. There are some beautiful mosaics as well. I believe it has now become a museum.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - PERGE, TURKEY

One of the most interesting ancient ruins we explored was in 1997 at Perge in Turkey. Originally a Helenistic settlement, Perge became a major city in Ancient Rome. The ruins are quite extensive and it was easy to visualize the ancient city. From top to bottom: 1) where sculpture, now in a museum, was displayed; 2) entrance to Perge; 3) fountain and waterworks; 4) colonnade and agora (i.e., street with columns forming the market area of the city).

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ALANYA, TURKEY

All along Cleopatra Beach are hotels, some quite inexpensive, with each hotel claiming a slice of the beach for its umbrellas and loungers. This is the best beach we've ever seen for swimming. There are usually big waves, but no noticeable undertow. The sand is nice and very clean, and the water is beautifully warm. Hills surround the beach on all sides, adding to its scenic beauty, and there is a view of the Turkish fortress perched high on the rock overlooking the bay. The main road is just the other side of the hotels, giving easy access by minibus to restaurants and any other parts of Alanya you may wish to visit. On a former vacation in 2001, we found an outdoor fish restaurant where we had a table directly beside the sea. After a while, the full moon rose above the mountains making a lovely reflection in the water. It was a most romantic setting! On this trip in 2006, we tried to find the restaurant, but to our great disappointment it was no longer there.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ALANYA, TURKEY

One of our favorite activities while in Turkey is to go out for a day's swimming off a gulet, one of the boats that are to be seen everywhere along the Mediterranean coast. The entertainment provided by the crew is one of the day's major pleasures. Photographed in 2001 in the last picture at Alanya are Hassan on the left with his crew. The third photo shows a very amusing dance performed by a crew member. Hassan was a very nice man. He asked me many questions about Canada, explaining that he wanted to emigrate. I remember thinking, "How very sad. Lacking the skills that Canada would recognize, he most likely would be unable to achieve his goal, and, even if he did succeed, he would find the differences in culture very difficult to adjust to, and would probably be terribly homesick for his life in Turkey." He was unhappy because he was unemployed all winter - he did not own the gulet - and had a seven-year-old son whose future he worried about.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ALANYA, TURKEY

This photo captures perfectly the atmosphere we experienced on our visit to the south coast of Turkey in 2006. Instead of the brilliant summer sun you expect in the Mediterranean, dark clouds and heavy, heavy rain seemed an almost daily occurrence. My very favourite place to swim is at Cleopatra Beach in Alanya. There was only one opportunity to swim in our three days there, and even then, we had to run to escape a cloud burst. We had a drink in the outdoor bar of our hotel and hoped the rain would stop, but it didn't. It wasn't all bad, though. To be in the Mediterranean in stormy weather was new and different. The threatening clouds and violent rain created a feeling of adventure, particularly when having to go somewhere by boat.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - FETHIYE, TURKEY

In 2001 we spent a month on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. We were in Istanbul on 9/11, and decided not to spend the planned two weeks in Syria because we were unsure about the intentions of the US government with respect to that country and would not have felt safe going there. Instead, we had a wonderful time in Turkey where the people were very kind to us, many of them no doubt believing we were Americans. Here you can see a typical boat called a gulet that you will find everywhere on the Turkish Aegean and Mediterranean. We often took a day trip on one of these boats for swimming as in the second photo where people are using a rope to assist them to get on board. We would swim all day at several scenic locations, and enjoy a barbecued chicken lunch accompanied by humourous entertainment put on by the crew.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KNIDOS, TURKEY

Knidos, an ancient city located at the westernmost point of Asia Minor, was in existence as early as 300 BC. There are two harbours, one on the Aegean and one on the Mediterranean. Knidos was an important seaport, being the final landfall before ships crossed over to Egypt. Our boat trip to Knidos was a hair-raising experience. Because of its location at the end of the Datca peninsula which separates the Mediterranean from the Aegean, the seas at Knidos are often very rough. The day we went was no exception, and we felt grateful to have arrived safely. We enjoyed Knidos very much. It was just the sort of out-of-the-way place with lots of history and ancient ruins that we love to visit.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

This boat trip took us across the Sea of Marmara from Yalova to Istanbul which you can see in the far distance. The setting sun made for a wonderful view of the city as we approached it.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Taking a cruise on the Bosporus is definitely a must for travelers in Istanbul. First of all, it is beautiful, with the intense sparkling blue of the water and the brilliant sunshine. Then, there are the palaces, mansions and small villages along the way. Most of all, there is a feeling of excitement when you realize just where you are, poised between Europe and Asia on your way to the Black Sea!

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

During our 2001 visit to Istanbul, we spent a few hours at Topkapi Palace and saw these two beautiful buildings. In the first photo is the Treasury and in the second, a Byzantine church which now functions as a concert hall.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

In 2001 when we visited Turkey, we saw the new bridge over the Bosporus at Istanbul for the first time.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - FETHIYE, TURKEY

Here we are near Fethiye, Turkey in 2001 following a wonderful swim. Nothing on vacation can top this! The salt water is warm and buoyant, the sea is a deep blue, the swim is refreshing, the other tourists are friendly. What more could you ask?

TRAVEL THE WORLD - DALYAN, TURKEY

These rock tombs were photographed in 2006 at Dalyan on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. They are the burial place of the kings of Caunos and date from 400 BC. The tombs were carved on a rock face high above the town.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KAS, TURKEY

We visited Turkey in 2006 and had unusually bad weather. On other vacations we had been able to depend on calm sunny days perfect for swimming in the sea. From Kas, a quaint seaside town with no beaches, surrounded by mountains, and not much changed since 1988, we took a boat to a beach not very far away. It was too cold and windy to swim, however, and by the time we returned the seas had become very choppy. On the boat trip back, although we were not in any danger, the rough seas you can see in the photo made for a very uncomfortable ride.

TRAVEL THE WORLD, DATCA, TURKEY

In 2001 when we travelled to Datca on a peninsula in southwest Turkey, we spent a day with Sugre on his boat. It was a gulet, a Turkish two-masted wooden sailboat. These boats, powered by engines, are plentiful everywhere along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. On our four trips to Turkey, we often went with other tourists for a day on a gulet - trips that involved touring in spectacular coastal scenery, swimming off the boat, a delicious barbecued lunch, and if all of this was not enough, enjoyable - often very funny - entertainment provided by the crew. Sugre was an especially nice man. We had the boat all to ourselves with Sugre and his daughter with whom he had a sweet, loving relationship.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

In Istanbul in 2001, we saw this lovely turbe or mausoleum where the Turkish sultan, Ahmet III, is buried. It is just one of many examples we have seen in our travels of beautiful Islamic architecture.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KAS, TURKEY

Kas is one of our favourite places in Turkey. It is a small resort town on the south coast surrounded by mountains. Because of its location on fairly treacherous roads and its lack of beaches - you swim off the rocks - it doesn't attract a lot of tourists and so ugly new development has not detracted from its charm. Evy's Restaurant which we discovered in 2001 was a delight. You eat from a French menu in a beautiful garden. Evy was present and we had a long chat with her. She told us that when she first arrived in Kas to establish a restaurant some years earlier, the people were hostile, disapproving of a woman having her own business. Many unpleasant things were done in the hope that she could be persuaded to leave. No doubt they didn't like the competition either. She persevered, however, and told us that she is now accepted as a local, loves Kas, and has many Turkish friends.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Nothing can be more mysterious than the harem of the Turkish sultans at Topkapi palace in Istanbul. Here was located the very centre of palace intrigue. And to consider all the beautiful women who, once sequestered here, could never leave, makes one shiver.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SIDE, TURKEY

When we visited Turkey in 2001, we went to Side to see the ancient ruins including the Roman Temple of Apollo featured in the photo above. We were disappointed in Side, because of the way modern development had been allowed to encroach on the ruins. This temple bathed in light at sunset was very nice. We stopped here for a while and had a long chat with a young couple from Vancouver. They were very upset about an expensive Turkish carpet they had purchased and then asked the shopkeeper to ship home for them. When it arrived, there was a $400 duty charge to be paid. This was refused by the husband's mother who returned the carpet to the shop in Istanbul. The young people were on their honeymoon, and now had to return to the shop in Istanbul to hopefully sort things out. We realized how fortunate we were that our own carpet had arrived home safely without duty charges, but we had no idea what had made the difference.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - XANTHOS, TURKEY

Here we are in 2001 at Xanthos, a famous ancient site in Turkey near Antalya on the Mediterranean coast. Xanthos has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. It was first developed as a city by the Lycians and captured around 540 BC by the Persians. Later, the Greeks and then the Romans took over. The lady on the left is Nadine, the archaeologist in charge of the dig. We were delighted to meet a fellow Canadian, and she was very kind, taking us on a tour of the large site, describing what we were seeing, and explaining the purpose of the current excavations. We love to explore ancient sites. This was a very special occasion, the only time we had the privilege of speaking to the archaeologist.