Profile: Turkey

Meet Turkey

- Under the Black Sea
- Home of Istanbul, the city of two continents were East meets West (Europe - Asia)
- Has been home to Greek, Roman and Ottoman empires through the ages to name the most influential
- Officially secular thanks to Atatürk and his 1923 war of independence but high majority of practising Muslims (and current political party of power is pushing for a more Muslim state)
- Uses the Latin alphabet also thanks to Atatürk

Stray Dog Rating (out of 5): I purposely lowered Bulgaria in case I needed to rate higher and I still have to raise the ceiling and give 5.5 cats out of 5. Not only small towns but in Istanbul the vermin were brazen enough to repeatedly jump up on empty chairs at dinner. Dogs 3.5, oh and I noticed because members of my tour group patted each flea-infested one within whistling distance.

Sidewalk Safety: Actually the sidewalks were smooth and reliable but anywhere off track, path, cave, dead end, cliff top would be littered with broken glass. As for traffic, the entity with greater momentum always won. [Physics Lesson: р = m(v) where m is mass, v velocity, р momentum] Therefore if you were a pedestrian basically any vehicle that wasn't at rest took precedence. However if you were an aggressive bus you would overtake cars going down a mountainside even if they were practically forced off the road to make way for you.

Cuisine: Stop with the kebaps! Many places I was lucky to find a pide (squashed football shaped pizza without sauce) but often resorted to the meza (bland appetiser dips of eggplant or sort of salsa). The Cappadocian dishes slow cooked in clay pots you got to crack the lid off of with a hammer was alright, the pickled vegetables plate the best. There was a finger-shaped crumbly sweet nutty dessert i had once that i couldn't understand the name of. On the cheap one could get a tost sandwich - essentially pide between bread on a grill. The beer wasn't much better as Efes, a mediocre pilsener and i don't like pilsener, was so popular it was usually the only option most places. Cities might offer a tiny step up with Bomonti 100% malt or if you were super lucky Efes dark for a premium. (Maybe since Muslims aren't supposed to drink and most don't.) Shout out to Patos Rolls - essentially spicy Doritos with each one (you guessed it) rolled up.

Rambling Impressions: A country with vast historic significance as many important civilisations were rooted in this land. The ruins of these are innumerable and intriguing, although some have not been kept in very good repair, while others have been reconstructed well.
Istanbul is dazzling and offers a unique experience although it is very much a tout town where haggling and enticement quickly loses its charm and becomes exhausting. I'm not much for religious buildings but these mosques are impressive in their stature and ornament, while the history of the 2500 year old massive Aya Sophia makes it excellent. Other cities and towns, including the more religiously conservative ones in the east where almost all women are covered, exhibit their riches in less showy ways and many are quite comfortable and beautiful. Altogether the country is astounding from its great green mountains and rolling fields to the aquamarine waters of the coast. Being primarily on tour my interactions with the locals was often as a group and through a translating guide but they seem a very humble, modest and eager to please people who hold pride in their country. Despite the food I would like to return to hike the 500km Lycian Way from Fethiye, studying more of the gluttony of ruins along the way and making better use of the gorgeous beaches.