We had chosen Laguna hotel in Icmeler district (15 minutes to Marmaris by minibuses), small affordable but very nice hotel. Here are some photos of this lovely hotel, from Icmeler and 2 more from Marmaris center at the end of the article. The room and beach has an amazing panoramic view. The beach is soft sand and laying under long palm trees are just great. The bar near the pool is unique as well and you sit under the water for a cool feeling. We especially liked the music provided here 3 nights a week including entertaining but not loud Mediterranean guitar music and a Turkish night which is full of traditional food and cultural activities like music and dances. I also suggest you to not always stay in the hotel and go to the bars&clubs street in Marmaris. This place is fun, lively and provides everything for the tourists who seek entertainment without borders as well. You can go crazy here. Don’t worry natives of this place also like it.

I will not talk about the facilities in the hotel because now almost all hotel in this district are all inclusive with every facility you can imagine including excellent food, restaurants, sporting, SPA activities etc. For us, the pleasure for the soul, eyes were the priority and we left our holiday with great feelings. If you want to choose this hotel first check booking.com because they compare over 30 of major hotel reservation websites at once. You just enter your destination and this service finds all the rates from these websites for an easy comparison. Check Laguna Hotel here: Marmaris Hotels And one more addition, don’t miss the offers for yacht tours and attraction offers for historical places (lots of Roman, Greek ruins around), Pamukkale and rafting as well.

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My new Travel Channel documentary episode proposal is about Turkish Rock Metal music scene and about the youth who enjoy not only listening but also producing highly qualified music. Forget about Sultanahmet, Topkapi, Sish kebap, Turkish bath, Turkish food a bit and look carefully on the streets of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Eskisehir etc. You will also see educated university students who read a lot, know many wise things about life and express themselves with rock music. Actually, Istanbul is home to an army of loyal followers of old & new progressive rock scene including Pink Floyd, Yes, Camel, Dream Theater, Riverside etc.

Do not ignore them. They are like a social shield of Turkey protecting modernism the full-religion oriented Arab countries. Anyway, I will give you three perfect examples how we make top quality music as well.

Nekropsi: This group produced one of the most unique progressive rock albums of all times. Mi Kubbesi today was regarded by veteran prog rockers as a masterpiece.

Pentagram: One of the best Turkish heavy metal groups of Turkey. They have excellent albums with very unique sound which blends oriental riffs with classical metal.

Asia Minor: Another Turkish prog rock legend from 70s which managed to catch virtuosity of King Crimson and Camel only in two albums. Unfortunately, even in Turkey, I have met only a few people who ever heard about them. Obscure band in top excellency.

Have you heard about Brenna Mc Crimmon? A talented Canadian woman who devoted all her life about the music of eastern cultures and can talk & sing in Turkish perfectly. Look at the her video below with Baba Zula (a very interesting Turkish band which uses both western and eastern instruments in their music) and be inspired.

I can continue about this blog post for many pages but no time really I will close it by a few videos of Turkish Anatolian Rock masters. Open your eyes and do not be a victim of mainstream !

Baris Manco

Erkin Koray

Mogollar

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Let’s start from Istanbul, which is the cultural and historical highlight of Byzantine and Ottoman empires. The places you should certainly visit are Spice Bazaar (Plenty of mystical spices, Ottoman recipes), Topkapi Palace (The home of Sultans), Hagia Sophia (One of the largest cathedrals in the world which was built around 1500 years ago by Byzantines) , Miniaturk (A park where you can see around 100 miniature models which perfectly reflects the architectural and natural wonders of centuries that reside in Anatolia and Istanbul), Bosphorus Cruise (It is the best way to see what gems are near the shores of Europe and Asia including historical ancient Ottoman villas).

After spending one or two days at Istanbul you should continue to Canakkale which is known for its Troy history/findings and Gallipoli where bloodiest First World War battle between Allied forces (Mostly ANZACs) against Ottoman empire took place. You can see the trenches and battle areas. By the way, you can begin swimming because after this part of Turkey to the down, the Aegean sea is wonderful.

After Canakkale, you should continue with Kusadasi, Marmaris and Pamukkale. Some of the most famous attractions are Ephesus ( Ancient large preserved Roman city with lots of spectacular ruins and ancient theaters, burials, baths etc). Marmaris is your stop for entertainment and crazy night life (If you seek). This tourism center has excellent sea near the beautiful forests where you can use many camping sites as well.

Your next destination will be rafting at Dalaman river and Pamukkale which is a world heritage site. You will see a mountain of pure white like snow. Actually these are calcium stones piled by warm/hot waters through thousands of years. You can walk and even become stay under this mineral water as well.

These are the must-see destinations when you hire a car. And I can easily say that it is just the top of the iceberg which is waiting to be discovered by you. Turkey is a nice destination for a larger Europe travel plan as well. Be sure that it is in your path.

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Buy Mesir Paste at Amazon.com

There is a traditional festival which is held in Turkish city Manisa, where spicy minded people live. Imagine a paste made from 41 different spices and herbs. Mesir Paste also known as Sultan’s Paste is an Ottoman Empire invention which began in 1522 and they are thrown to the people for free because the mother of padisah Suleyman the Magnificent had recovered from an heavy disease with this receipt.

Small packets of this paste are thrown from a central mosque to the people (99.9% men) and they try to catch them even using their umbrellas upside down. Everyone will tell you these small packets of energy and hormone boosters are just for health. Are you kidding? Do not believe that! My people will not run for health as much as they run for their hidden night fantasies. And, just because it is free, they will do everything to grab. That’s the second reason. I have never eaten in my life but will try surely next time I go to Istanbul, it is quite imaginable what awaits the person who gets a big piece. Here is the list of herbs used in this traditional receipt with English, Turkish and Latin names. I say Oh My great Thor!

• Allspice (Yeni bahar) (Pimenta dioica)
• Alpina officinarum root (Havlican koku) (Alpina officinarium)
• Anise (Anason) (Anisum vulgare)
• Black cumin (Corek otu) (Nigella sativa)
• Black myrobalan (Kara halile) (Terminalia nigra)
• Black pepper (Karabiber) (Piper nigrum)
• Buckthorn (Topalak or Akdiken) (Nerprun alaterne)
• Cardamon (Kakule) (Elettaria cardamomum)
• Cassia (Hiyarsenbe) (Cassia)
• Chebulic myrobalan (Kara halile) (Terminalia chebula)
• China root (Cop-i cini) (Smilax china)
• Cinnamon (Tarcin) (Cinnamomum verum)
• Cloves (Karanfil) (Syzygium aromaticum)
• Coconut (Hindistan cevizi) (Cocos nucifera)
• Coriander (Kisnis) (Coriandum sativum)
• Cubeb (Kebabe) (Cubebae fructus)
• Cumin (Kimyon) (Cuminum cyminum)
• Dried orange blossom (Portakal cicegi)
• Fennel (Rezene) (Foeniculum vulgare)
• Galingale (Havlican) (Alpinia officinarum)
• Ginger (Zencefil) (Zingibar officinalis)
• Iksir sugar (Iksir sekeri)
• India blossom (Hindistan cicegi)
• Java pepper (Kuyruklu biber) (Piper cubeba)
• Licorice extract (Meyan bali) (Glycyrrhiza uralensis fisch)
• Licorice root (Meyan koku) (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
• Mastic (Cam sakizi) (Mastichum)
• Millet (Hintdarisi) (Pennisetum glaucum)
• Myrrh (Murrusafi) (Commiphora Molmol)
• Muskroot (Sumbul) (Adoxa moschatellina)
• Mustard seed (Hardal tohumu) (Brassica nigra)
• Orange peel (Portakal kabugu)
• Rhubarb (Ravend) (Rheum Palmatum)
• Saffron (Safran) (Crocus Orientalis)
• Citric acid (Limon tuzu)
• Senna (Sinameki) (Cassia senna)
• Turmeric (Zerdecal) (Curcuma domestica)
• Udulkahr (Udulkahir)
• Vanilla (Vanilya) (Vanilla planifolia)
• Woad (Civit) (Isatis)
• Yellow myrobalan (Sari halile) (Fructus myrobalani)

And a possible dialog with a tourist about Mesir Macunu.

Hey dear resort-rose Elisabeth, this is Turkish Mesir Paste.
-What is that?
It’s just an aphrodisiac. (Inner Translation : I wanna sleep with you, this is just a foxy hint to achieve my summer goal)
-Uhhh, I see and? Are you using it a lot?
……………

I am amazed to see that Amazon sells them as well.

Merkez Mesir Macunu (Sultan’s Paste) Natural Herbal Energy Supplement 2 Pack

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Istanbul has a population of 9,898,000 and it is followed by London with 7,429,000, Paris 6,385,000, Ankara 3,402,000, Berlin 3,388,000, Madrid 3,100,000 , Athens 2,884,000, Rome 2,554,000 and Izmir 2,387,000.

It is also stated that 65,000,000 lives in the biggest 26 cities of Europe. Another interesting statistics about burglary and stealing cars. Brussels is the leader in this category and is followed by London and Amsterdam. The most active car stealer cities are from Italy. Turkish cities were not in the first 20.

A view from Istanbul business area – Levent.

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The weird home is situated in Goldcity Tourism Center. The roof, balcony, toilets, rooms, windows, the door and even the garden and the tree is upside down. It fast became one of the most popular attractions for tourists in Antalya region. It is funny to learn that you open the doors by pulling to the up.

Actually, Turkish people began to build do very creative things concerning the homes in the latest years both intentionally and unintentionally as we show in building to building bridge and tree in a home examples

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I will introduce you Semih Sayginer, Turkish legendary billiards player who had won 25 times Turkish Grand Prix Championships and several World Championships and tournaments. One of them is by beating another legend, World Champion Ceulemans 3-0 in Germany in 1994. Unbeatable master of trick shots. Inventor of 40 authentic shots which became a part of the Billiards History. His efforts made the billiards an official sport with federation in Turkey. You can read further on his own website but first watch the following impressive videos that I have compiled for you from Youtube. Even if you don’t understand a word of billiards watch them. You will shout one word : Unbelievable !

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Did you know that Istanbul is a city of underground cisterns? There are hundreds of them beneath Istanbul. Yerebatan Sarnici (The Basilica Cistern in English) is one of the largest cistern in the world and one of the most popular tourist attractions of Istanbul. This facility, preserved up to the present day, was built in the 6th century by order of Emperor Justinian as a reservoir for the Great Palace of the Byzantine Empire. It is 140 m long and 70 m wide. The vault is supported by 336 columns, 8 m tall. After the invasion of Istanbul by Ottomans, they didn’t notice the cistern almost 100 years. Then, it is discovered because people were fishing there.

Pulsing lights, water dripping from the ceiling and music played over strategically placed speakers add an air of mystery to the place. You can see fish swimming in several areas.

It is a tradition to throw coins and wish for. Interestingly there are two Medusa heads supporting the column as in the photos heads down. According to some sources, they were placed intentionally at that position to humiliate pagan cultures and previous Roman religion. As a fun fact, James Bond canoed his way through the cistern in a scene from From Russia With Love movie!

There are several cultural activities like acoustic concerts, exhibitions during the year. There is a small cafe inside where you can drink coffee and feel the athmosphere.

Located near to Hagia Sophia in Sultanahmet region.

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Well you can wonder what these boys are doing in such position. Don’t have evil ideas instantly Actually it is an entertaining traditional Turkish game played in two teams. There are donkey team and jumpers team. Jumpers try to crash the donkey line by jumping on them. If they become successful they get the points. There is in most cases a prize like baklava or something similar to eat for the winners. Many people have backaches or other problems with their spines in Turkey and non surprisingly they played this games in their young times !

Look other funny photos and a video!

Turkish play even at the sea!

A girl donkey construction. Who wants to jump on them?

In schools

Video : Long Donkey in Classroom

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