Türkiye 

OK, we went on a whim - and it was  very inexpensive.   I've always had a romantic notion about Constantinople, now Istanbul; the Grand Bazaar, the Mosques, the Bosporus, Troy.  And, while visiting Rome we heard that the best Roman sites were actually in Turkey, at Ephesus.   And now we have the chance to go - did I mention it was really inexpensive? 

It turned out better than Jackie or I could have possibly wished.  We saw places we never knew existed, followed the Silk Road, kept running across biblical references, saw stunning scenery and had a group of incomparable fellow travelers.  We have never, in any travel, had a better guide or driver (more to follow, later) and the Turks proved to be the friendliest, warmest hosts we have met in any country. 

Listed below are a number of stops and pictures / stories regarding each.

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A Note:  I invested a couple hundred hours in this set of pages.  Every picture was edited and we did additional research to add detail to each section.  I learned more about this trip in the last months than I thought possible.  Especially in the pages for Ephesus!  I nearly quit on those pages.  The more I looked, the more I learned, the more I wanted to share.  It almost became the never ending story.  

 We owe a great deal of gratitude to our guide books, the info given us by Gate 1, and a thousand thanks to Wikipedia, from which a majority of the info was gathered. We put these pages together far too long after the fact due to other travels and such.  Consequently I may have put views in an incorrect order and I certainly may have made some factual errors.  Those with whom we traveled will be quick to spot these inaccuracies and we will be pleased to correct them if we're told. 

If any of our fellow Turkey Travel Companions would like copies of any of the pictures, please drop us an email.  The pictures on the pages have been heavily edited for use on the Internet and are unsuitable for albums.  Sent me the "name"  of the picture and I'll email an original to you.  

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Istanbul 

    Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar

Troy

    Dardanelles, Hellespont, Pergamum