TURKEY-FIRST IMPRESSION

Karacabey at night

Turkey has leaped into the 21^st century with both feet.  Modern highways whisk cars, trucks and buses to all corners of the nation.  Skyscrapers dot the skyline of every major city. (However, I am not too impressed with the architecture.  I am equally unimpressed with traffic engineers). Supermarkets, gas stations,  and outlet malls are on every corner. Urban factories churn out cars, washing machines and TVs.  Every man, woman and child seems to have a cell phone, every guesthouse has Wi-Fi, and English is spoken almost everywhere. 

Deli case at the local supermarket

Karacabey main square

At the same time,  village life goes on much as it has for thousands of years.   Olive trees dot the hillsides.  Fields full of tomatoes, cucumbers and squash cover every bit of arable land. Near the coast acres of hothouses look like snow on the ground.  Flocks of sheep graze every patch of available forage.  Little old ladies in babushkas and wildly patterned balloon pants and skirts ride  tractors alongside  their husbands and sons who are invariably clothed in horizontal striped sweaters, dark vests and snap-brim caps.  Their dour faces look like dried apples parched and wrinkled from years in the sun (and possibly too many cigarettes).

Despite their generally dour appearance, the Turks are friendly and helpful.   Throw out a few words of Turkish  and one is rewarded with a big smile and a new friend.   Although generally very quiet, the Turks become gregarious with a little encouragement (or a few drinks). We feel very safe here and Turkey is one of the easiest places we have traveled.

Countryside on the way to Izmir

Room for one more?

My impression of the food here is mixed.  Most rooms come with a breakfast of cheese, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, jam, boiled egg, and tea or coffee.  The bread is usually white and tasteless.  However, the cheese is usually a very good feta or cheddar. In a few places we have had some of the best yogurt I have ever had. I am not fond of boiled eggs and am already tired of the breakfast here being a granola and fruit kind of guy.  Restaurant food is good if one takes the time to find where the locals eat.  Lamb and chicken predominate and we have had some great fish as well.  The best food has been in locansas which is the local equivalent of a diner.  The mezzes or appetizers are served cold but are a vegetarian's delight with eggplant, beans, tomatoes, and olives.  Salads are fresh and dressed with lemon and oil and, as a bonus, safe to eat.

City goats grab a bite

A happy? local

Driving in Turkey is an adventure but no more so than driving in New York or Los Angeles.   Turks, like good race car drivers, treat the other moving objects on the road as static obstacles to weave amongst.  To the casual observer, the Turkish style of driving looks crazy, but when one finds the rhythm of the street, it is actually predictable, relatively safe, and  a fun place to drive.  (Deb probably disagrees with this last statement).  Roads are good and well signed but cities can be difficult to navigate.  However, our new best friend (our GPS), whom we have dubbed Lady Garmin, guides us in and out of the cities.  Also, she somewhat reliably finds us diesel when we are low on fuel, a place to spend the night and restaurants when we are hungry.

Horse carts compete with automobiles

Turkey has not been my favorite place to travel but it is growing on me.  So far we have seen some spectacular antiquities, some beautiful beaches and dramatic landscapes. The Turquoise Coast is among the best in the world.  The mountains, which often plunge directly into the sea,  are barren on top and pine or scrub clad at lower elevations.  The condition of the antiquities doesn't  compare to other places we've been but the history oozes from the stones under our feet  

Sunset over the mountains