Turkey Traveller

Istanbul is the European capital of culture for 2010, to quote the website "The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development." What this means for anyone travelling to Istanbul this year is a year long program of special events and sprucing up of existing attractions in Istanbul. Including new exhibitions and museums, special events celebrating Turkish music and culture including a music festival and other live performance arts, exhibitions celebrating the countries history of visual arts and a map of guiding you to traditional arts and crafts centers of Istanbul. At the height of the summer there will be an Ottoman style imperial performance in Sultanahmet square involving fireworks, acrobats, wrestlers, riders, horse races and martial arts. For more information about Istanbul as the European capital of culture for 2010 and a

Istanbul without a doubt my most favourite city in the world, located in north western Turkey split in half by the Bosphorus, the straits that separate Europe from Asia. Not only is it the only City in the world to be situated in two continents simultaneously, but it is also one of the largest cities in Europe. The sheer scale of the city is at first intimidating and later impossible not to fall in love with, hence the reason I return every year. For most visitors your first glimpse of the city will be as your plane comes in over the Sea of Marmara, complete with seemingly motionless boats, once you sight land you notice the glittering minarets and tightly packed high rise blocks before touch down at the thoroughly modern Atatürk Airport. Once you venture out into the city you will be immediately struck by the hustle and bustle of life in Istanbul, the packed streets and noisy roads as twelve and a half million people go around their daily business. Istanbul is not known as the “Cit

Eskişehir (meaning old city) is located on the banks of the river Porsuk in north-western Turkey in Eskişehir province on the main road and rail route between Ankara and Istanbul. Eskişehir is currently largely ignored by western tourists (although has a thriving tourist industry of visitors coming from the east) presumably due to its landlocked location and sometimes harsh climatical conditions. However Eskişehir is truly one of the gems of central Turkey, the city itself is very modern and beautiful and offers a range of eateries, shopping destinations, Turkish baths, nargile houses, museums and Ottoman architecture. The two universities give the cosmopolitan city a lively and youthful vibe; it’s a fantastic destination for foodies as the quality of the restaurants here is very high. The city has a few local delicacies including helva, boza and my personal favourite çiğ börek, a fine pastry mixture filled with ground meat, spices and onions then pan fried in hot oil and chased down