Travel Log

Istanbul is the place where East meets West; Eastern and Western cultures that is. At least according to the tour literature that I picked up at the airport when I arrived. I was really looking forward to Turkey for two reasons. First, many of the people that I met in Greece had already been here and they loved it. Secondly, arriving in Turkey was a completely new experience for me. My education, like that of so many kids growing up in the United States, included a moderate amount of information about Europe. However, I knew absolutely nothing about Turkey other than the tiny bit of reading I was able to do while traveling around Europe. So I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

After a few days seeing the sites in Istanbul I'm off to the southern part of Turkey where I'm planning on visiting some of the Roman ruins that I have heard so much about. Trains aren't really an option here in Turkey so I am taking a 10-hour overnight bus to the town of Selcuk on the southwest coast. Selcuk is a well known jumping off point for visiting the ancient city of Ephesus.