A man who doesn’t think differently from his time and environment can’t grow beyond his time and environment. ~ Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Please enjoy the following guest blog post from our dear client Mrs. Felicia G., who traveled to Turkey in April of 2018 with her husband.

Please put away any preconceived ideas you have about the country of Turkey! My husband and I recently visited Istanbul, Cappodocia and Izmir. In a nutshell, it is very safe and indredibly clean. The people of Turkey are warm, well educated, hospitable and excepting of all cultures. They also very much like Americans and the US, and almost everyone we spoke to had either been to the states or had a family member living in California.

The historical sites such as Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Galata Tower in Istanbul will transport you to a time of ancient civilizations and their citizenry. The sites are easy to tackle and the transportation system in Turkey is very user friendly. Istanbul is a very modern city not unlike Paris for its museums and cultural offerings. The food is delicious and a visitor would have to make an effort to have a bad meal here!  I recommend a guide, and EdenFYW hooked us up with the best in every city we visited. I particularly like the shopping in the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market. If you can recall from world history class, ancient Turkey was an integral part of the Silk Road which stretched from China through India, Turkey, Egypt parts of the African continent through Greece, Rome and Britain. The artisans and merchants of Turkey are well known for their rugs and textiles and we purchased several from the Turkish cooperatives we visited and we had fun bargaining with all of the various merchants who were very respectful if you decided against a particular item.

In Cappodocia, our hotel was luxurious as were all of them throughout the country.  We were scheduled for a balloon ride to see the geography of the area for which this region is know…the fairy chimneys. This is a must do. We were able to see how people lived in the caves in the local area, and in one such cave it was the owners grandparent’s home and he has made it his studio and souvenir shop. We missed the Argos castle unfortunately due to time but I always like to leave something for another visit. Again the people of the town were so hospitable and did everything they could to make your visit memorable.

Izmir, on the Agean Sea, is the gateway to the largest set of ruins of Ancient Rome and is a World Heritage Site. Our hotel was super high tech and we had a fantastic view of the water. Our guide was top-notch and even recommended some great places to dine after the sites of the day.  Once again EdenFYW did their magic. We definitely did not spend enough time here and am hoping to return!

All I can say to you is GO!  By the way, the dollar is very strong these days which made our trip even more enjoyable!