how turkey stole my heart

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

So Sarah and I put our Big Boots on, quite literally, and set off to see a country we didn’t know all that much about. Ahead of us was two weeks of bus traveling around the western and central Turkey with a start in Istanbul. After what seamed like 2 full days of travel we finally arrived. I have a theory about new places. It’s kind of like meeting new people, you either hit it off or not. Walking around the streets of Istanbul that first night and gazing at the brightly lit window displays of Turkish Delight with people rushing around us like they do in any big, busy city I felt great! The sense of old and new, Europe and Asia, the feel of something unknown and yet familiar was exciting. I could tell Istanbul and I will be just fine…
It was a great start however a big journey was still ahead of us. Reflecting back on our little adventure I have to admit we had no idea what we were getting into… We had a group of 35 people who were all joyful, timely and respectful, very happy travelers… cause you know all it takes sometimes is one bad apple. The whether was nearly perfect with only 2 days of rain, our first tour day and our very last ( quite appropriate because of all the tears …) Our driver Adil was impeccable and skillful, his driving kept us safe but never bored. And then there was Ender, our guide. Over the course of our long travel we got to know him a little more every day and I know I’m not alone in saying this we loved the man more and more every day. He could talk about world history, religion, linguistics, literature, geography, economics, politics and who knows how many other things with great depth and expertise. But it wasn’t just the things he knew. It was the way he talked. You always had a feel of what was juste, there was a sense of right and wrong a humanitarian point of view. Only a kind and compassionate person can do that.
It is the little things that make all the difference, always. He would give us candy when we were on time, the beautiful birthday cake for one of the girls on the bus, handouts for the things we would talk about, he would read us the local newspapers which gave us an insight of the daily life, politics and nature of his nation. Holding the bright yellow bus mike close to his chin Ender will point out how lucky our group was because of this exceptional weather and the things we saw that many others could not. I couldn’t help but think we were even luckier because we had him on this journey with us… Thank you Ender!
My images dont really do justice to some of the majestic views … Have never been a good landscape photographer, instead I was drawn to the “small” things along the way. To me the cats, dogs and birds, hands, smiles, rain drops… portrayed the mood of our travels. I figure you can see the rest in any travel book you open.
Lastly here’s a note I took one night: ” Hotel Akol/ Canakale. Sarah and I are in our room overlooking the Aegean Sea at dusk and the lights of this charming city beneath us. Drinking a local Cabernet we hear the pop music from the bar downstairs overlapping with the early night prayer flowing from a cobalt minaret in the distance. It’s quite magical. 23.11.12″
I know I will be back again someday… Until next time, Turkey!