Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Turkey
VIDEO: Vintage Turkish Taxis
Millions of people get around Istanbul each day via dolmuş, a shared taxi. Similar to the colectivo of Latin America or the dollar vans of New York City, a dolmuş is generally a mini-bus or van that follows a fixed route for a fixed price. At the beginning of the route, ...
Video Of The Day: Time Brushing Istanbul
Recently a Turkish friend asked my daughter Vera's middle name. It's Alcazar, my grandmother's maiden name from Trinidad, and more commonly known as a Moorish Spanish word for fortified palace. I was surprised to hear the response, "Oh, like the cinema?" It turns out there ...
Photo Of The Day: Turkish Tulips
April showers bring May flowers, as the saying goes. We're getting plenty of rain this month in Turkey, but we've had flowers. April is the big month for tulips in Istanbul, and you can see them planted all over town as 11.5 million were planted for this year's season. I ...Holistic Healing Practices From Around The World
Nowadays, it seems like there's a pill or shot to cure every illness. But do we really know how safe these unnatural remedies are? Throughout my travels and by talking with locals from other cultures, I've learned there are many natural treatments that are also effective in ...Fact vs. Fiction: The Bazaars of Istanbul, Turkey
Shopping in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul will overload your senses. Colors, shapes, smells and sounds approach you from every direction in what can only be described as immersion in consumption. The bad news, however, is that the touts are waiting for you. Cast a wayward ...15 palace hotels that will make you feel like royalty
Have you ever wondered what it's like to live like a king or queen? While you may not have been born into royalty, you can still live lavishly, if only for a weekend.
While five-star hotels can offer plush bedding, spacious penthouse suites, and high-class amenities, it's ...Photo of the Day: Truck in Cappadocia
Today's Photo of the Day is of a truck in Cappadocia, Turkey. Random, even by my personal standards of Photo of the Day image selection. I like the view it offers of the state of Turkey's ephemeral infrastructure as well as the harsh winter of 2011-12. I also have ...Eight Underground Cities
As a rule, people generally prefer to live above ground. Whether it's claustrophobia, prohibitive construction costs, or just enjoyment of the sun, people have generally stuck with above-ground structures across the globe. In instances where above-ground cities have ...Navigating the unique street food of Turkey
One of the best ways to get to know a country and a culture is through its food. While restaurants often serve delicious local and international meals in a pleasing ambiance, the best way to taste authentic regional and budget-friendly cuisine is by sampling the street food. ...A journey through Turkey in high definition
In this video, titled "Going to Cappadocia" by Kyoto Studio, a filmmaking couple from Krakow, Poland, documented their journey through Turkey as they visited Ölüdeniz, Marmaris, Dilek National Park, Kusadasi, Cesme, Izmir, Efez, Cappadocia, and Istanbul. ...
Turkey's unique national pastime: oil wrestling
While America has baseball, New Zealand has rugby, and Australia has cricket, Turkey has a national pastime that some may find a bit odd-- oil wrestling. Also known as "grease wrestling," the sport involves men clad in black leather pants carrying wicker bags that ...
Turkey gets ready to celebrate its annual Mesir Festival
Every spring for the past 500 years, Turkey has been celebrating the traditional Mesir Festival in the city of Manisa. Not only does the event encompass parades, concerts, and exhibits, but also the throwing of spices.
Mesir, also known as "power gum," is a blend of 41 ...Discovering the wonders of Turkey through photos
Turkey is a historical country filled with culture, beauty, and natural wonders. In fact, there are many interesting facts that many people may not know that help add to the enchantment and splendor of the country, like the fact that the world's oldest known human settlement ...More Istanbul shopping and dining secrets from Daily Secret
Last week, Gadling included Istanbul in our picks for 2012 luxury travel, and introduced you to Daily Secret, a web-based "guide service" offering insider intel to 12 cities, including Istanbul. We got so many more great Istanbul secrets from editor Laura Wells (many with ...Daily Secret offers insider intel for Istanbul, Athens, Shanghai and more
Last month, I went to a designer-clothing pop-up sale in the back of a restaurant, scored an invite to an exclusive party with Champagne and gourmet truffles, and got the manager's private phone number of a hot new nightlife spot. I'm not famous or especially well-connected, ...Photo of the Day: Smoked Turkish cheese
It used to be a common expression to say that someone "smoked like a Turk," and I can confirm after living in Istanbul for nearly two years, Turks still love their smoking. Even after the indoor smoking ban of 2009, cigarettes and nargile (water pipes) are very common ...Luxury Vacation Guide 2012: Istanbul
Travel like a modern sultan with design-conscious hotels, bespoke shopping, and high-end dining at the crossroads of two continents: Istanbul, Turkey.
In 2010, Istanbul made headlines in every travel magazine and newspaper as it was home to one of the European ...Ten big travel adventures for 2012
A new year always brings new possibilities, particularly in the realm of travel. With 2012 now officially underway, it is time to start plotting our adventures for the year ahead. This year, rather than share yet another top ten list of adventure travel destinations, we ...Send a holiday greeting from above the clouds
Procrastinated on sending Christmas cards this year? It's not too late to send a holiday greeting to say "Happy New Year" (or Mutlu Yillar in Turkish) with a travel theme. Turkish Airlines has a fun website for generating a virtual holiday greeting with a view of the ...New Georgia border crossing provides a whimsical welcome
Customs checkpoints tend to be dreary, depressing places.
A rare exception is the new Georgia border crossing with Turkey, located right at the crossroads between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. There, German architect Jürgen Mayer H. recently unveiled a modern, ...
