The glories of Turkey evoke a special affection that is awash with timeless traditions and the appeal of travel. A living museum with more antiquities than Greece, Turkey will dazzle your senses with spiraling ruined temples, medieval castles and Islamic architecture as seen in the imposing mosques of the 16th and early 17th centuries. The lavish use of ceramics, sculpture and sacred frescoes, tucked in among vaulted ceilings, shape an exotic image of a culture and the people. In the tidy tile-roofed villages, obedient burros clomp through teaming markets bursting with glorious produce sold by the most hospitable people this side of Ireland. The land has not made the people rich, but has made them resourceful farmers, fishermen, weavers and marketers.
Turkey is among a few, select countries that produce a surplus of crops.
Hooded women dabble in the fragrance of olive oil over crackling coals while gossiping with their neighbors. Mustachioed men sit at sidewalk cafes, puffing on crinkled cigarettes and sipping coffee with lasting power as the shoe shine man creates a lusty glaze on a pair of scruffy boots. Turkey's proud gateway, is a vibrant mix of antiquity and the dominating presence of the sea. The Bosphorus flows down from the northeast through Istanbul, separating Europe from Asia, joining the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea and creating magnificent vistas whether you are enjoying breakfast in Asia or lunch in Europe. With a Lonely Planet guide book, or The Guide Istanbul, available in Istanbul, you can dig into the city on your own.