Turkey has a number of problems, the biggest of which seems to be inflation. The annual inflation rate is over 50%. On my first day in Istanbul, I went to a restaurant and paid 9 million Turkish Lira, which seems to be a lot but it was only about $15 U.S. Turkey is a relatively cheap place to visit. Istanbul is a very nice city packed with a lot of interesting sites like Blue Mosque, Topkapi palace, Aya Sophia, Underground Cistern, the largest bazaar in the world, very old buildings, and ruins present just about every corner.

Since Turkey is entirely Muslim, there are numerous mosques everywhere. And almost every one of them has a Minaret with loudspeakers to enable a summon be broadcast throughout the city. Mosques are large with rugs everywhere for kneeling.

Over half of Turkish women keep their heads and bodies covered. Young women wear oversized coats with long arms and scarves covering the head.

I have seen a huge number of carpet stores, which seems to be everywhere.

When you are in Turkey you have to bargain. It’s a golden rule. You bargain for hotels, food, anything. The visit was extreme, but I’m going there again next year