On stepping out the exit doors at Antalya airport you immediately understand you’re at something of a tourism hub. Instead of the usual taxi ranks, a long line-up of dozens of bus ticketing booths to nearby seaside resorts awaits you. After pacing the length of the bus booths for a few minutes you’ll eventually discover […]
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Travel
Arrival in Antalya – Getting to Kaleici
Western Black Sea – independent travel?
It came as something of a surprise when so many Turkish friends, mostly from Istanbul, warned me off travels to this area. “It’s not safe, you’ll end up at the bottom of the Black Sea!” Luckily, I love a challenge. And I’ve also learned (eventually!) to follow my own gut instincts in life. In this […]
Adalar – The Princes’ Islands
A short ferry ride from the major Istanbul ports are the lovely Princes’ Islands. From where I was staying in Kadıköy it was easy enough to find the ferry which takes you across the Sea of Marmara, stopping first at Kinaliada (“Henna Island”), then Heybeliada (“Saddlebag Island”) and then to my destination, Büyükada (“Big Island”). The Tur […]
Antalya – A first glimpse
A recent fact-finding trip to Antalya was inspired by the words of a close friend who once advised me that if I ever found the courage to follow my heart to Turkey, Antalya would be the area she’d recommend for me to live. I guess her rationale was that the milder, sunny weather (2,640 hours […]
Culture
Turkish Residency (Ikamet) – lessons learned
Many years as a professional project manager drilled into me the discipline of sharing with others your lessons learned at the end of any project. And this was SOME project! So here it is, the story of my path to Turkish residency. Hope it helps. Why am I here? That’s a long story. In a […]
Building bridges – Naturally
A few years ago I was chatting with a Turkish teacher friend in London about her trip home to her family’s tiny village in central Turkey. She told me how she’d taken her parents the usual sack-load of mainstream souvenirs from her global travels. Her Mum’s response “Thanks…but please just bring me some foreign flower […]
Food & Drink
It’s winter, and that means…hamsi days!!!
Today I fulfilled another dream here in Turkey. Buying fresh hamsi, in season (winter), here at a local fish market (balik Pazar), and preparing a plate of this legendary pan-fried delight. The last (only) time I’ve cooked (assisted actually) hamsi was many years ago in North London – not the same. Has to be experienced […]
Turkish Tea – Friends for Life
To share tea and bright conversation with a Turkish friend is one of life’s great joys. The simple act of its preparation brings the sense of calm and familiarity upon which great friendships are built, stories shared, and occasions celebrated. All the elements of this familiar and reassuring ritual – the preparation, the aroma, the […]