Turkey

[cmenzo1]

Hi Ira!

Isaac and I recently returned home from a trip to Turkey. We began in Istanbul and then made our way to Izmir where we quickly rented a car and sought to explore the "countryside" areas (i.e. not sprawling metropoli) of the country.

The number one question I got prior to going, from friends and family alike, was "why?" -- why on earth would we choose Turkey when there were so many "beautiful" places to visit. It seems like a very stigmatized place and when tourists do go, they tend to stick to the urban centres.

Isaac and I found the less popular towns and cities in the country to be amazing. Every city, it seems, has some sort of greco-roman-jewish history and it was fascinating to explore. Many places outside of the cities had sights were Isaac and I were the only observers.

It's definitely a place I would recommend exploring.

Christie

[pedahqfn_makdeck]

Wow. That sounds really beautiful Christie! I agree, no one really knows Turkey outside of Istanbul. In fact, I find in general people assume a capital is an easy summation what the country has to offer, which is not the case at all. It's just the tip of the iceberg. This is a wonderful suggestion and will be added to the map with the other suggestion this week! Thank you!

[Spike Colby]

I'll second this - even though we stayed pretty close to the Coast (by far the most popular area), we still ended up in ruins that outstrip their Greek counterparts by way of being almost wholly undisturbed, and we would be alone!! Wild. The Greek/Roman Empire may be named for the area that centres on Athens, but it's heritage and legacy goes far beyond that. For a long time The West of Turkey was as integral to the Empire as the Islands themselves. These towns are definitely bikable.
Start in Ephesus and see the old seats of the Greek Empire!

Hi Ira!

Isaac and I recently returned home from a trip to Turkey. We began in Istanbul and then made our way to Izmir where we quickly rented a car and sought to explore the "countryside" areas (i.e. not sprawling metropoli) of the country.

The number one question I got prior to going, from friends and family alike, was "why?" -- why on earth would we choose Turkey when there were so many "beautiful" places to visit. It seems like a very stigmatized place and when tourists do go, they tend to stick to the urban centres.

Isaac and I found the less popular towns and cities in the country to be amazing. Every city, it seems, has some sort of greco-roman-jewish history and it was fascinating to explore. Many places outside of the cities had sights were Isaac and I were the only observers.

It's definitely a place I would recommend exploring.

Christie

[pedahqfn_makdeck]

Perfect. These are going up on the map!