Posts Tagged ‘tour’
Tour To Turkey
Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Turkey’s Exploding Tourist Market
Turkey enjoys not just a geographic location between Europe and the Middle East, but a cultural location somewhere in the middle as well. It is a country of fabulous variety, a hybrid of many different peoples, cultures, and ideas. Its proximity to Europe, beautiful destinations, and tourist-friendly attractions have made it a premiere destination for Europeans. In the last ten years, the number of foreign visitors to Turkey has increased from under 10 million to roughly 30 million people, a decidedly substantial increase. Turkey is currently one of the top 10 destinations in the world for tourism…..yet most Americans rarely hear about it. Even fewer visit. I think it is time to rethink that policy.
I have been personally curious About Turkey ever since high school, when I took Latin classes and slowly realized that the present-day locations of many of the sites we were reading about were located in this country. Troy, many Ancient Wonders of the World, and a few ancient authors (Herodotus springs to mind) all sprang from what is modern-day Turkey. My older sister was going to go with me when I graduated high school, but she decided to over-land Africa with me instead. Consequently, neither of us have yet been. Perhaps one day we will be lucky enough to cruise the Turkish Riviera and explore its deep-blue waters.
Most of the beach resorts and vacation destinations are located on the southern Aegean and the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The area has become increasingly popular with Spanish tourists in recent years, due to its proximity to Spain, the cheap price (relative to the south of France, for example), and its myriad natural wonders. Antalya, the tourist capital of this nation, is increasingly popular, not just with the Spaniards, but the ubiquitous German and English travelers as well.
Yet Turkey has much to offer beyond its gorgeous beaches. Istanbul is one of the most-visited cities worldwide, and has a wealth of attractions for just about any visitor. The city also makes for an interesting blend of cultures. As a holy site in Islam, Istanbul sees many pilgrims make the trek every year. Istanbul also has Europe’s largest shopping mall. This mirrors the spiritual-material dichotomy which characterizes much of Turkey.
A slow trickle of Americans is starting to come to this intriguing land. There has been a push in recent years to offer many Tours To Turkey, especially amongst the larger companies. Yet Turkey has much more to give, and I feel the current tourist traffic is much less than the country merits.
Beyond the beaches are the many cultural attractions. Cappadocia is one of the prime must-see spots on my list for Turkey. The pictures of the landscape are absolutely fascinating. It has this sort of ruined, bizarre, sublimely beautiful feel to it. The underground cities of early fugitive Christians also greatly interest me. To hide in this landscape, underground, so close to the Holy Land…. These were hearty people.
Furthermore, the ancient ruins of numerous civilizations litter the landscape. Troy is located in Turkey, after all. Troy! Ephesus is another popular stop along the archaeological and cultural tourist route. Turkey was at the center of the Ottoman, Byzantine, Trojan, Greek, and Roman civilizations. It has always been at the crossroads of civilization, and in many respects this holds true today. I am honestly genuinely surprised by the lack of American tourist growth here. Does this reflect unease with the country’s Muslim identity, and its proximity to Iraq, Iran, and Syria? I would like to believe this is not the case. For some reason, many Americans must not realize what a safe, friendly, frequently touristed destination Turkey is. Hopefully us Yanks will realize this sometime soon and not be left out of the party.
About the Author
I’m a world traveler and recent Columbia University graduate. That said, I’m older than your usual grad…. because I took off tons of time to travel extensively!
Tours, Travel Guides, & Tour Reviews!
Barbara Pedrotti @ Presidential Cycling Tour Of Turkey 2011
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Elton John – Dream Ticket $8.23 GREATEST HITS – ONE NIGHT ONLY: Elton and his band play all the greatest hits at New York City’s Madison Square Garden with special guests Billy Joel, Bryan Adams, Mary J. Blige, Kiki Dee, Anastacia, and Ronan Keating. Highlights include Candle in the Wind, Rocket Man, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, and Bennie and the Jets. THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE: Elton and his band are accompanied by London’s Roy… |
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Greek Islands $1.99 … |
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Rick Steves Best of Travels in Europe – Greece, Turkey, Israel & Egypt $14.99 Join popular PBS personality Rick Steves on a grand tour of the Greek Isles, and get a real feel for the people he meets. Find a true understanding of treasured local customs with visits to Athens and the Acropolis; The Peloponnese and the Mycenae Palace; The Greek Islands; Central Turkey, Ankara and Cappadocia; Turkish West Coast, Kusadasi and Ephesus; Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Kibbutz Ein Gedi… |
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Wolo Model 410 Wobbler Wild Turkey Air Horn – 12 Volt $38.99 The air-powered Wolo Wobbler Car Horn is extra loud for those who must be heard. A simple throw of the switch changes the Wobbler sound to either wild turkey (alternating sound) or steady sound. Comes complete with three durable red trumpets an extra heavy-duty compressor and all needed hardware. Battery Type: 12V, Portable: No, Multiple Tone: Yes, Works With: 12V vehicles, Horns Included: 3, Mou… |
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Cooking Mama: Cook Off $10.74 After her initial DS debut, Mama is whipping up some kitchen competition by pitting chef against chef in Cooking Mama Cook Off ? a unique 2 player family game designed specifically for the Wii home video console. Step-by-step, recipe-by-recipe, help Mama cook international dishes from 10 different nations and watch as the realistic foods actually change in appearance based on your actions! FEATURE… |
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A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey $31.65 Two well-traveled biblical scholors offer this unique guide for travelers to the ancient biblical sites of Greece and Turkey. Includes detailed site maps, walking tour information, historical charts, and a glossary of terms. |
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A Personal Narrative of a Tour of Military Inspection in … European Turkey $21.75 This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR”d book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. |
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A Thousand Sighs, a Thousand Revolts $16 Though the Kurds played a major military and tactical role in the United States’ recent war with Iraq, most of us know little about this fiercely independent, long-marginalized people. Now acclaimed journalist Christiane Bird, who riveted readers with her tour of Islamic Iran in Neither East Nor West, travels through this volatile part of the world to tell the Kurds’ story, using personal observations and in-depth research to illuminate an astonishing history and vibrant culture. For the twenty-five to thirty million Kurds, Kurdistan is both an actual and a mythical place: an isolated, largely mountainous homeland that has historically offered sanctuary from the treacherous outside world and yet does not exist on modern maps. Parceled out among the four nation-states of Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran after World War I, Kurdistan is a divided land with a tragic history, where the indomitable Kurds both celebrate their ancient culture and fight to control their own destiny. Occupying some of the Middle East’s most strategic and richest terrain, the Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the region and the largest ethnic group in the world without a state to call their own. Whether dancing at a Kurdish wedding in Iran, bearing witness to the destroyed Kurdish countryside in southeast Turkey, having lunch with a powerful exiled agha in Syria, or visiting the sites of Saddam Hussein’s horrific chemical attacks in Iraq, the intrepid, insightful Bird sheds light on a violently stunning world seen by few Westerners. Part mesmerizing travelogue, part action-packed history, part reportage, and part cultural study, this critical book offers timely insight into an unknown butincreasingly influential part of the world. Bird paints a moving and unforgettable portrait of a people uneasily poised between a stubborn past and an impatient future. From the Hardcover edition. |
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Active Service $24.35 How far would a father go to keep his daughter from marrying the wrong man? Rufus Coleman, the respected editor of the New York Eclipse, plans to marry Marjory Wainwright. Yet to her father, Professor Wainwright, Rufus is still the wastrel that he thought him to be as a student in college.To thwart the marriage the professor drags Marjory off with him and a group of students on a summer tour of Greece. Suddenly war erupts between Turkey and Greece! Will Rufus arrive in time to save the group? Will he redeem himself in the professor”s eyes? Will the strife of war and trial of separation overcome the love between Rufus and Marjory? |
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Active Service $52.41 How far would a father go to keep his daughter from marrying the wrong man? Rufus Coleman, the respected editor of the New York Eclipse, plans to marry Marjory Wainwright. Yet to her father, Professor Wainwright, Rufus is still the wastrel that he thought him to be as a student in college. To thwart the marriage the professor drags Marjory off with him and a group of students on a summer tour of Greece. Suddenly war erupts between Turkey and Greece! Will Rufus arrive in time to save the group? Will he redeem himself in the professor’s eyes? Will the strife of war and trial of separation overcome the love between Rufus and Marjory? |
