Well, another trip come and gone. And as is often the case, I have a few thoughts that struck me as I finished my blog. The overriding one concerns travels in a Muslim country. Through the big city and smaller towns, the mosque minarets abound. Mosques are always picturesque, and sometimes even spectacular. After a while, it dawned on my that while in the states, I don’t really give it a second thought that there are churches everywhere – I’ve grown up with them. In Turkey, it’s really no different, only it’s mosques that are everywhere…if so many people in the US could experience this, that the preponderance of Muslims are moderate business people and shopkeepers and people just like us. Unfortunately, the most visible Muslims are extremists, and likely so many individuals will allow these images to become the “reality” of who Muslims are.
Otherwise, I can say with no reservations that Turkey is the global capital of faux designer handbags and of drinking tea. And should you be contemplating a visit yourself, be advised that this country is more overrun with tourists than Italy!
Until we meet again!