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I’m on the train back to London now and it feels really strange sort of like the past 2 weeks didn’t happen – the whole 2 weeks in Turkey were amazing – especially the last 2 days,exploring Istanbul – and I’m already trying to work out when I can get back there and go further east and also spend a little bit more time in a few of the places – because although the tour was fantastic – and it you are thinking about going to Turkey I can highly recommend TravelTalk – but it was a tour and you weren’t always free to do what you wanted.

Turkey is a country of contrasts and contradictions – their national hero seems to be adored and was a very forward thinker who created a secular government and law system, who in acted laws that established amazing equality for women – education, financial, the vote – including the banning of the headscarf in schools and government offices. But now when Turkey is wanting to join the EU it seems to be in part trying to turn back the clock to the government and laws prior to Ataturk.

It is the contrast & contradictions that are Turkey’s appeal – mobile phones, satellite dishes are commons sites but so are tradiditonal food sellers wandering the street (apparently these are under threat if turkey joins the EU due to health laws :()

There are amazing beautiful building here both old and new but then we would pass by places that in Australia you would wonder why they hadn’t been knocked down that were home to families.

Istanbul for all it’s bustling internationalism is also very old school – with the call to prayer heard a cross the city and business’s in go slow mode during Ramadan and in some respects seems to have a rather love hate relationship with it’s westerness. But it is all this that gives Turkey and Instanbul it’s character – the ritual of being offered tea when doing a deal is lovely