typhoidmary's VirtualTourist Home Page

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Me, the bro, & mom at Anıt Kabır

If you have read the book...

Yes, I am one of those do-gooders, who, for better or for worse, advises health departments about communicable diseases. Right now Turkey is stuck w/me and all my know-it-all colleagues. Luckily I am stuck with it too and think I can probably learn more from Turkey than it can from us :)

I currently live in Ankara, which is not known as a major tourist destination, but if you are a fan of modern Turkish history there are some fascinating sites. My favorites are Anıt Kabır, Kurtuluş Savaşı Müzesi (War of Liberation Museum) housed in the first parliment building of the Turkish Republic, and the Cumhuriyet Müzesi (Museum of the Republic) housed in the second parliment building. If you want an interesting background on the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the Turkish Republic, these three site will fit the bill. However, I can not remember ıf the Republic and Liberation museums have signage in any language but Turkish. Although, my Turkish was so bad that I might as well have not known a word when I first visited them and I still enjoyed myself. Perhaps you will too

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Seker, Ankara formerly of Istanbul

Street Animals of Ankara

Ok, I'll confess, this has little to do with travel, unless you are like me and seem to collect animals. We currently have a bit of a UN going: a cat from Japan (not from a Bowie song), an Afghan dog, an American cat, and a Turkish dog. To shamelessly promote myself and my causes, here are some links to Turkish animal welfare sites:
http://www.haytap.org/
http://www.dohayko.org/
http://network.bestfriends.org/turkishanimals/news/

PS: To those that say why not focus on humans, my days are human public health, my free time refugees and street critters

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Egirdir golu, Isparta il

Isparta-Egirdir

I have decided I'll focus my page on the, shall we say, bits of Turkey no one goes to...like Isparta/Egirdir (which my Turkish friends think I am crazy to have wasted my time visiting). I stayed at Ali's Pensiyon on Yesilada, which was once an island fully separated from the shore, but now has a causway built between the 2 (for those that might prefer the more "untouched" Yesilada, remember that the causeway brought electricity, which Turks enjoy as much as anyone). It is a very low key vacation spot, especially if you visit in March. No bars, no clubs, but amazing hiking, fresh fish, and boating. The region is also famous for its rose farms and produces most of the world's rosewater and attar of rose (used in perfume making). While riding the dolmus between Isparta and Egirdir, you pass through the rose farms, which are spectacular when in bloom.

I am a Fenerbahce girl, not for any good reason. My friend is a Fenerbahce boy & he and his wife take me to games. So...uh..we rock...Galatasarayi sucks. Blue & yellow rule

Note: If you live in Turkey you take sides...Beskitas, Galatasaray, or Fenerbahce. I'll still like you if you are not fener