SUGGESTED STINEİARBES “Bedroom of the Mediterranean.” Further up the coast awaits the sparkling Aegean Coast, housing the sun-bleached ruins of some of the ancient world’s most powerful cities: Bergama Foça, and Ephesus. THE BEST OF TURKEY (3 WEEKS) Begin in İstanbul, the traditional gateway to Turkey. Bargain for baubles, bangles, and beads at the Grand
RUNNING WITH THE PACK Backpackers have taken over Istanbul’s most historic neighborhood, Sultanahmet. Hip international types trade war stories in the shade of Hagia Sophia before moving on down the coast. The (well)beaten track leads to: Kuşadası, with a detour to the Greek island of Samos; Bodrum’s discos , with a jaunt to Greek Kos,
DOWN BY THE SEA Bordered on three sides by sea, Turkey offers up every imaginable flavor of coast¬line. Rumor has it that Marc Antony imported Akyaka’s powder-white silica as a gift to Cleopatra on their honeymoon. Alagadl Beach, on Northern Cyprus, and Patara are two of the last preserves of the endangered logger¬head turtles. Munch
The modem Republic of Turkey is one of the world’s great paradoxes: it is neither Europe, Asia, nor the Middle East, but rather an awe-inspiring amalgam of the three. The empires that carved Asia Minor between them over the past 10,000 years from the Hittites to the Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans each left their
MAIL SENDING MAIL TO TURKEY Airmail : letters under 1 oz. between North America and Turkey take 4-7 days and cost US$1 or CDN$1.45 (sending a postcard costs about $.50). Allow 6-7 days from Australia (postage AUS$1 for up to 20 grams), 4-8 from Britain , 6-8 days from Ireland (postage IR&0.32 for 25g), and