12.10.21
#127
12.10.21
Goodbye Croatia, Hello Turkey
I remember about a decade ago I was watching a TV show with my (then) wife in my very comfortable living room, in my very comfortable chair, in very comfortable Orange County, CA. A TV commercial came on advertising the country of Turkey, possibly from their visitor’s bureau. I recall thinking, maybe even aloud, “Who the hell wants to visit Turkey?”
A few years later a friend of mine, Sara, told me she was visiting Turkey and I expressed the same thoughts, maybe even to her: “WHY Turkey?” I don’t recall her answer, but she was amazed, impressed and so were the pictures she shared.
So now I am IN Turkey, and I was on a call with my cousin a few weeks back and when I told her where I was going she posed the same, “Why Turkey?” question. What is it about this country that made/ makes Americans pose that question? I admit I had preconceptions and imagined a primitive country more Morocco-like than European-like. Over the course of Kathleen and my travels since 2019 we planned to visit the country TWICE, and we even had tickets but had to cancel them at the time.
Tunisia in 2019 was our first Muslim country and both of us were unsure how that would feel, but it was lovely, as were the people. It took about a day to get over the attire, the 5 times a day “call to prayer” which sounded over loudspeakers, and the language which was much different. Regardless, the food was delicious, and the people were as curious about us as we were about them. Turkey has the same prayer calls, but is VERY contemporary, with more selections of food, clothing, jewelry, and anything you wish to buy. At insane prices…
Since she and I are cold weather wimps, and it is now the start of “winter” (per the calendar) we kept searching for warm or warmish weather. We looked into Greece and their many islands, plus Malta, and Cyprus and then one day I looked at the map and found the furthest south place we could stay before running into Africa or having to trek to Asia. That city is called “Antalya,” –in Turkey–and that is where we are.
We did some research on the country and found it to be remarkably tourist friendly with one of the best railway systems in this part of the world, which was a very nice surprise since our usual haunts in Southern & Eastern Europe have poor rail systems, and per wiki, “an active network of 12,532 km (7,787 mi) of railways, making it the 23rd-largest railway system in the world.”
We’ve been here less that a week and every day we discover new “AHA” places, events, and views. For instance:
- The town is located in a bay on the Mediterranean and it has loads of history. Hadrian’s Gate was the entrance that the emperor entered in to back in the time of Christ. Likewise, there is a Tower, Hidirilik, which is undergoing renovation and that is also 2000 years old, plus some of the most beautiful mosques I’ve ever seen. Very close is the amazing Duden waterfall (look it up), plus within a view hours bus ride there are towns like Cappadocia, with unbelievable landscapes, and Pamukkale, with thermal pools flowing down travertine terraces.
- The difference between the US dollar and the Turkish lira (TL) is at an all-time low, which is hard on the natives, but means our dollars go far. Breakfast for two, including omelets, bread, and two cappuccinos are about $5.50. Last night we had a huge burger, which came with fries and a small salad, plus I added a Mediterranean salad and a glass of wine, and the total was $10. This also means our rent is cheap…Our planned AirBNB visit did not pan out so we are staying at an apartment/ hotel which is in “Old Town,” 2 minutes to an amazing viewpoint, and within 5 minutes’ walk to more restaurants than we need.
- Residency. One of our biggest hurdles over our three years of travel has been the common 90-day visa limitations. Albania and Georgia were possible destinations for us to get around this (12 mo. visa), but Turkey has the easiest residence process than anywhere we’ve been. Our plan is a one-year visa which easily transitions into a two-year permit and if we do that for eight years, we are full time residents. That is very tempting!
- It’s almost Christmas and I am writing this at a café with no jacket on and 63-degree temps. It IS rainy season, but it’s been warm so far and we don’t expect weather to be restrictive.
So if you share this blog and someone asks, “WHY Turkey?” you can tell them why!
Happy Holidays until my next post.
