Hays Travelogue

The disastrous Gallipoli Campaign of World War 1 is commemorated in a collection of small cemeteries scattered along the western coast of Turkey. This ANZAC site from New Zealand has concise information about the campaign.
P.S. It looks as if Turkey might have blocked Flickr. Whatever has happened, I can’t get into my Flickr account, I [...]

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Kilitbahir Castle, a fort on the European side of the Dardanelles Strait opposite the city of Çanakkale, was built in 1562 in order to control the Dardanelles and to collect taxes from passing ships. Steep stone stairs wind around each of the three towers. We climbed about halfway up one before getting too dizzy to [...]

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There is nothing like living abroad to make you appreciate some of your basic American rights, messy and contentious as they sometimes are. For instance, freedom of speech. Turkey currently blocks access to hundreds of internet sites including WordPress, YouTube, and GeoCities. Last week, a judge blocked Blogger because of a complaint by Digiturk, a [...]

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Near Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara is a chain of nine small islands called the Princes’ Islands. Some are inhabited and others are not. Throughout history, these islands have been used as places of exile and places of contemplation. Regular ferry service from Istanbul to the largest inhabited islands makes it an easy day [...]

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Our first stop was the city of Bursa, the first capital of Ottoman Empire, the end of the Silk Road, and a geologically active spot that has mountains and hot springs.

1. Visit the Silk Bazaar in the Koza Han and the Great Mosque.
2. Get soaped, scrubbed and massaged in one of the Turkish bathhouses.
3. Wander [...]

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