TheTurkishBrit's VirtualTourist Home Page

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Sulemaniye Mosque (Yann Arthus Bertrand, thanks!)

I arrived in Istanbul on 24th March 1994 to visit a friend. I knew very little about Turkey (apart from kebabs)or Istanbul (except that it used to be Constantinople).And that was it! I fell in love with the city on the road from the airport to Taksim Square (and if you know the city you will know it is not the most picturesque!)
Two more holidays here in quick succession let me learn more about the city and see the Med coast for the first time, and 4 months later I moved here "for a year". Nearly thirteen (aargh!) years later I don't think I will ever return to England except as a tourist!
Favourite places in Turkey: Cirali (Olympos), Kas, Dalyan, Istanbul of course, Assos, Ayvalik, and Cappadocia.

I live on the Asian side of the city with my husband (Turkish) and two cats (also Turkish) in a district where there are so few foreigners that if you asked the postmen where I lived they could tell you!

Work as an English teacher at a private primary school means 8 weeks' summer holiday every year to go and enjoy all that Turkey has to offer..so why do I always end up back at the same favourite places?
:)

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Snow in the City

contrary to the belief of many who have not visited Istanbul it does snow here, and sometimes quite a lot!
This is a source of great joy for the kids and teachers (me) as we get to have a few days at home.
Winters can be very mild, but when the wind comes down from Russia it is wicked!

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Iskender Kebab

The meaning of life

apart from my husband (I have to say that) and my wonderful friends, one of the main reasons I love Turkey is the food !
Until you have tried iskender kebab, tender lamb on a bed of buttery bread topped with a tomato sauce and thick Turkish yoghurt, you will not understand! Then comes the Aegean cuisine..... then Antep...then Ottoman...each one amazing in its own right, and such a thrill for your taste buds.
And none of it would be quite right without a glass of raki on the side to toast loved ones.... and the chef!

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real or mini?

and if you can't see the whole country in one trip

you must go to Miniaturk! It's great... full of teeny weeny replicas of fanous sights from around the country. Also good for seeing real Turkish people, families enjoying a day out and school kids having fun.Far more real than the Istanbul you meet in Sultanahmet (although there, of course, the buildings are bigger and genuine!)

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the bay at Ayvalik

the great escape

One day, when I am old and grey (-er), this is the view I want to wake up to every morning! I will leave the noise of the city behind and move to Ayvalik, so that I can enjoy the views of the Aegean, and the fruit of the sea every day...I can't wait.

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20 minutes from the city centre.... Kucuksu valley

it isn't all busy city streets

even if you have visited the city, you probably have only seen Sultanahmet, Taksim and the villages along the Bosphorus. Believe it not, there is still green space to be had. This is the view from my home, and yet I live only 20 minutes from Taksim..... look closely and you can even see the fire-fighting plane having a practice run through the valley (well, I think it was a practice, didn't see any smoke that day!)

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A Bosphorus sunset

and if you're not convinced yet

how's this for a view?
This is the view I enjoy most weekends, when we pop down to our "local" fish restaurant on the Bosphorus. The sunset is amazing, and later we usually get to enjoy all the wedding fireworks going off right along the coast. Top that with great food and life really can't get much better!