Staycation to Turkey

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While waiting at the airport after our trip to the Netherlands, we got a message from Facebook user Muhammed Raheel. “Travel to Turkey,” he said, so now here we are on the way to Instanbul International Airport! 

1. Put on some tunes!

Whether its the classical music of Baba Hampartzum, the sound of the kemençe in traditional Türkü (folk music), or the more modern Turkish hip-hop of Kool Savas, there's Turkish music for every mood. Here are some pieces to get you started.

Baba Hampartzum was a composer in the 1700s who also came up with a type of musical notation. It's really beautiful, check it out:

Here is master Kemençe player, Hayati Daștan, playing some traditional folk music.

This is a song by Turkish-born German rapper Mero. 

2. Brush up on your Turkish!

In the 1930s, Turkey replaced loan words from Arabic and Persian with Turkish words. For example, the airplane we were just on would have been called tayarre from the Arabic tayira. In modern Turkish, it's uçak, from the Turkish word uçmak, which means 'to fly'.  At Transparent Language Online, they teach the modern Turkish, so we'll be all up to scratch. Learning Paths like "Hello", "Organize Your Trip" and "Getting Around the City" will be particularly useful to us today!

3. See the Sights!

Through the magic of the internet, we can check out all the fantastic places Turkey has to offer. Click on the pictures for the full panorama!

Istanbul's Egyptian Spice Market:

The 18th century Ottoman mosque, Yeni Valide:

Hidirlik Tower, built by Romans in the 2nd century:

The old part of Karanlik:

Egirdir Lake. Güzel!

4. Make something to eat!

What kind of trip to Turkey would it be without some real Turkish coffee? Tea for Turmeric  has a fool-proof recipe, even if you don't have an Ibrik coffee pot. Don't forget, you're supposed to drink the grounds!

Turkish food has become more readily available over the last few years, and is a particular favorite when it comes to street food in places like London and NYC. Who doesn't love a kebab? 

Because it's a port city, and also thanks to the reach of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish food has many influences, as varied as they are delicious. Flavors of olive, rose, figs, apricots, and raisins are popular, as well as proteins like lamb. You'll find many dishes with a side of yogurt or starting with a soup. And of course, there's that jewel of Ottoman cuisine: BAKLAVA. I will eat baklava until the inek comes home, so that is my Turkish recipe of choice for this trip. Here are step by step tips from Turkish Food Travel for a perfect baklava.

5. Watch a movie!

Turkey has been making films since the early 1900s, starting with a film about the demolition of Russian monuments. Yeşilçam, Turkey's answer to Hollywood, produced hundred of movies every year until its dissolution in the 1980s. I've chose a classic Yeşilçam film, Çöpçüler Krali, about a man who falls in love with the same charwoman as his boss. Oh harir!

Thank you for joining me on this trip to Turkey, and thanks again to Muhammed for suggesting it. If any of you have somewhere you'd like to Staycation to, let me know in the comments! Until next time, iyi yolculuklar!