I'm going on a RS tour to Turkey in the fall and would like to meet people who have either been or are going and talk about Turkey before I go...things we could do include learn Turkish words, watch Turkish movies on DVD, talk about current events in Turkey (I have links to 2 online Turkish English-language newspapers), and anything else we'd like to do. If you're interested, let me know.
Posted by
Istanbul, Turkey
7 posts
Hello Fred, I'm living in istanbul, you can ask me whatever you want... Which cities will you plan to visit? For example you can use "biletix.com" for searching current events and "yemeksepeti.com" for ordering foods in Turkey. Let me know if i can help...
Posted by
Land of La
8701 posts
Took the RS 7 day Istanbul tour led by Mert Tanner last year. GREAT trip!!! Mert is fabulous!!! First thing you should learn is how to say hello, which is "Merhaba." When you get your RS travel packet it should include a small guidebook with phrases. Very useful. Fascinating country with it's convergence of Christian, Musilm, Ottoman, and Asian influences. Istanbul is more modern than you might think. Easy to negotiate on foot or with their stellar tram system, funiculars, bus and taxis. Ferries take you from Europe to Asia. Good books to read before you go are "Turkey, Bright Sun, Strong Tea," "Istanbul, The Collected Traveller An Inspired Companion Guide," "Ataturk" by Andrew Mango and "Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire."
Can't wait to return to Turkey and see more of the country.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I just returned from RS Turkey tour. Our guide was Mert Taner and he was terrific as was the trip.
RS has a listed of recom reading and viewing that you should receive soon from ETBD office after full payment.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
I took the RS 13 day Turkey Tour in 2010 and of the 9 RS tours I have taken, it was right up there competing for the best one. I was not sure what to expect from the locals as related to Americans but found the most hospitable and helpful folks that I have ever found. Remarkable scenery and we spent 2 days in Istanbul before the tour, another 2 days there on the tour, and then returned for another 5 days after the tour was over. I would return there in a minute. Happy travels.