yestravel

Med coast

kja

My apologies, tedgale, for a bit of failed humor. Many people I know in the U.S. (which is my country) joke about trying to pretend to be Canadian when traveling abroad during times when the U.S. is seen with less than unanimous aclaim or in countries that are undergoing tense periods. Because Tim Horton’s is a Canadian coffee / donut chain, one idea that many toss about -- solely in jest -- is to carry one of its mugs. I wasn’t seriously promoting the idea, nor was I presuming to know anything about your caffeine ingestion. I meant no offense.

tedgale

None taken at all, kja. I knew just what you meant.

tedgale

Yestravel: I can say in response that I was surprised by your husband's mention of his age on FB the other day. I would have given him 10 years less.

tedgale

Yestravel: The friend who responded was the one who taught at the university in Antalya? We didn't get that far on our previous trip and I'd like to visit Antalya for the Greek ruins.

yestravel

Yes, that one. She really enjoyed living in Antalya. We never got there either.

kja

Antalya is lovely, and there are, indeed, some amazing ruins in that area.

Keiracaitlyn

I was in Istanbul and Ephesus of May this year. Both were very welcoming and I would not hesitate to go.

Andee01

I am from Australia and there are current travel warnings regarding travel to Turkey, including avoiding Istanbul and other regions. Our government indicates there is a high threat of terrorist attack. I assume there are not the same travel warnings in other countries.

geetika

I'd go in a heartbeat, in fact Turkey and Egypt are on my list for repeat visits. My 80 year old mom who went with us in 2014 told me recently she'd like to go back to Istanbul!

Just flying in an out of IST is also a good idea, concentrate on seeing parts of the country you haven't been to before.The common man is usually welcoming of tourists who are quite often a source of his livelihood in these countries.

otherchelebi

Ted, shame on you writing of Greek ruins in Antalya. They are Roman ruins in the broad sense and most of the better known ones are Lycian although there are Luvian ones and others. You may wish to check books by John Freely.

tedgale

Otherchelebi: Thanks for the clarification. I've only seen photos.
I would welcome your expert view on visiting Istanbul.
We could omit it entirely if the atmosphere is now repressive or unpleasant for tourists
For example, I seem to recall a comment from you, months ago, that the area around the Chora church is no longer welcoming to westerners.

geetika

Tedgale, Aspendos is a must-see if you go to Antalya. I've never let DH forget he refused to take me there, he claimed to be "ruined out" and said one amphitheater was just like another! Sacrilege!!!

tedgale

Thanks for the tip Geetika

otherchelebi

ted, situation very fluid regarding visa reprisals but seem controlled in terms of IS activity.

Keep checking my general thread for details and current perspectives.

My opinion on visiting Istanbul has not changed. I recommend Karakoy, Ortakoy and hotels on Gumussuyu Boulevard at Taksim.

You are right about Chora museum area but getting there by taxi and arranging one to pick you up will not be difficult, The frescos are first class. I do not recommend walking the side streets in the whole area.

If visiting Antalya, and any other Mediterranean region making a simple transfer on your way back will be easier, allowing you to check your luggage at Antalya, Dalaman or Izmir airports all the way to Toronto if flying Turkish.

Transferring on arrival may need a longer doorway due to possible delays, congestion and jet lag.

East of Antalya, all the way to Mersin has less frequently visited but also excellent antiquity with great natural beauty and could even involve a descent to Paradise.

For a part of that area my earlier trip report may give you an idea
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...o-virtuous.cfm

gertie3751

Hello tedgale. Just my take... have been bouncing in, out and around Turkey for all of this century. Last trip was exactly a year ago. I'm an elderly solo female traveller and fairly intrepid. Tend to travel without a group, on public transport, don't speak Turkish, have never had visa problems (UK passport), have transitted through IST lots of times, several times most years. Hard to say which bit I like best: Istanbul is a joy, the Aegean coast has better Greek remains than Greece (though I love Greece too), was in the eastern end of Turkey in 2013, Kars, Van, Diyarbakir, Urfa, Mersin, places that are off the tourist route entirely, especially now. Can't comment on the Black Sea coast but it's next on my list. Love the food, love the climate, have only met with friendliness and smiles. GO!
Any questions please ask ... or ask OC.

pthomas156

My husband and I ("elderly" too as we just got on to Medicare!) stopped in Istanbul for three days last October (2016) on our way to India on Turkish Air. It was somewhat off-season so the tourist traffic was down in general, but we saw no other Americans in the entire three days. Every time we heard someone speaking English they were from Canada or the UK. Clearly Americans had been scared off. On rather short notice (a month), I was able to get into a reasonably priced top Tripadvisor hotel, which I'm usually planning too late to snag. Everything seemed perfectly normal to us other than that. We noticed some changes at the airport; the terrorist event that happened some months before that had occurred in the entrance area of the airport. When we went, you had to go through the screeners the minute you stepped foot inside the door. I haven't been paying that much attention to what's going on there now, but that's my experience from a year ago.

tedgale

Thanks to the most recent respondents.

I'm now looking into the details of flight arrangements.

These are rather complex, as we are 1. trying to fly on Aeroplan points and 2. trying to organize an itinerary that includes both Turkey and Andalusia.