Random Thoughts From Turkey

 A Turkish woman sells bags of oranges at the site of some ancient Roman ruins.  At first I didn't like the fence between us, but now think it adds something to the photo.

I spent the last week exploring parts of Turkey, country where I have very little experience.  Most of my time was spent in the south along the Mediterranean Sea, but I was able to eek out a couple of days in Istanbul as well.Here are some general observations as I sit in Paris' Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) on my way back to Atlanta.

• The first thing that comes to mind is Turkey is the cleanest country I've ever seen.  I watched a man collect up a random piece of trash on a subway car, exit the car at a station simply to throw it away in the garbage bin, and then reenter the car to continue his journey.

• Turkish is an evil language that resemblances no other form of communication used on this planet. I felt like a complete foreigner, unable to conjure up even the most basic of phrases.

• The history of Istanbul is staggering.  I should have read "Istanbul For Dummies" before I arrived.  

•  The towns along the Mediterranean are replete with oddly dressed Russian tourists.  I felt as if I were thrust back into the 1970's.

• Turkish men are oddly pear-shaped.

• Everyone wants to sell you something.  It's starts off with a innocent shared experience of tea and then progresses to more pricey items.

• Turkish Airlines cornered the market on turquoise leather seats.

• Turkish food is very good but you may have to struggle to find a good bottle of wine. 

• Taxis are way over-priced, but in they are all relatively new and painted the same shade of "taxi-yellow".

• Turkey is a progressive Muslim country, which I thought would be a good model for others to strive towards. People simply practiced their own beliefs and let others do the same, always being respectful toward one another.