Notes on Travel to Turkey
A vast geographic portion, The Republic of Turkey is situated over the extreme southeastern Balkan Peninsula (Thrace), the high table lands of the Western Anatolian Plateau, and the Anatolian Peninsula. The territory is 97% on Asian soil and includes more than 767,000 square kilometers. Turkey is bordered on three sides by seas: Black Sea (to the north), Aegan Sea (to the West), and the Mediterranean Sea (to the south), and thus it is noted by Europeans as a perfect beachfront getaway for summer seasons. It is also completely engulfs a fourth sea, the Sea of Marmara, a sea traffic bridge between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. It is bordered in the west by the Hellenic Republic (Greece), and in the east by Syria, Iraq, Iran and the former Soviet Union republics. One of the unique features of the land is found in Istanbul, the Bosphorus, a waterway that adjoins the Sea of Marmara (and traffic from the Aegean Sea) to the Black Sea.
sauna and rubdown. The tradition comes from the long-standing Islamic ideal of cleanliness.
One of the best ways to get aquatinted with a culture is to sample its unique cuisine, and in Turkey the cuisine is exceptional. It is customary to view over the back counter a selection before ordering in smaller restaurants, and to make the selection based on your tastes and their recommendations! Popular dishes include a variety of vegetarian delights; tarhana corbasi (tomato and yogurt soup), pilav (rice and light sauce), pilaki (navy beans in tomato sauce, some have meat). The dolma (stuffed vegetables with rice and meat) are often exceptional. Zeitin (olives) are of course in abundance! Pide (a pizza relative) is popular for early of mid day meals; it includes a combination of eggs, tomatoes, cheese, sometimes meat and always interesting spices! Local municipalities often fix fish prices. Tap water is chlorinated in major cities and generally considered acceptable for tourist, though bottled water often saves mishaps!
