Enjoy the Lovely Scenery that Turkey Has to Offer with Great All Inclusive Turkey Holidays to Beautiful Marmaris.

Marmaris is famed for its nightlife but it offers much more to visitors than its numerous bars and clubs. This area of Turkey’s south western coast, where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean sea, has breathtakingly beautiful scenery: with majestic mountains, heavenly beaches and inviting waters. If that isn’t enough to entice you to Marmaris on your next holiday to Turkey, then there is also plenty for visitors to do, there is a vast array of activities and day trips available in the nearby area. For those who like to keep active there is cycling, horse riding, sailing, diving and a variety of water sports such as jet skiing and banana boats. If you prefer something a little bit more laid back and relaxing there is an assortment of boat trips that explore the beautiful coastline. As well as jeep safaris and historical trips.

If you are looking for a hotel where you can enjoy the areas natural beauty, then the Halici Semera Hotel is a great choice. This 4 star hotel, is situated perfectly with breathtaking views of the surrounding scenery. Guests can enjoy views of the picturesque harbour, the town of Marmaris, the mountains and of course the crystal clear waters waters of the sea.

The Halici Semera Hotel is perched on a hillside, with white washed, chalet style buildings. These buildings are dotted over the hillside, set on different levels, there are steps to reach both the rooms and the hotel facilities. Unfortunately due to these steps this hotel is not recommended for people with walking difficulties or children in push chairs. Although, if you don’t mind a few stairs, the higher up you are the more fantastic the views get, with an awe inspiring panorama.

Watching The Sunset in Sarimrakli, Turkey

It was a nice afternoon as arrived in our hotel in Sarimsakli, Turkey. The weather was friendly with a temperature of around 27 degrees Celsius. We stayed in Berk hotel and resorts which is some meters away from the beach. We took the chance to go a bit walking on the beach while watching the beauty of the sunset. It was so far a wonderful afternoon.

The sun setting in Sarimsakli. The beach in Sarimsakli, Turkey.

The beach in Sarimsakli, Turkey while watching the beauty of nature, the sunset.

Sarimsakli is a town in the Ayvalik District of Balikesir Province in Western Turkey, Turkey. The town's name means "land of garlic" in reference to the region's considerable production of the Alliaceae plant.

Touring Troy, Turkey

I guess you are very familiar about the dangerous computer virus called Trojan Horse or Trojan Virus. A Trojan Horse derives its name from the Trojan War. Legend has it that King Odysseus built a Trojan Horse as a gift to the city of Troy to signify surrender. He then ordered the Greek army to retreat and left the ‘gift’ outside the city gates. However it turned out that the Horse had more than 40 soldiers hidden in its belly. Once inside the city of Troy, these soldiers snuck out and opened the gates for their fellow soldiers who went on to attack the unsuspecting city with iron weapons.

It is an honor for me to visit this historical place named Troy in Turkey. I thought I can only see it on postcards or images in the internet but I was really there. Our tour guide explained to us about Troy, also called as Ilion and Troia in Greek, Wilusa in Hittite or Truva in Turkish.

Troia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998.

Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida. It is best known for being the setting of the Trojan War described in the Greek Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. Metrical evidence from the Iliad and the Odyssey seems to show that the name Ἴλιον (Ilion) formerly began with a digamma: Ϝίλιον (Wilion). This was later supported by the Hittite form Wilusa.

A new city called Ilium was founded on the site in the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus. It flourished until the establishment of Constantinople and declined gradually during the Byzantine era.

The Trojan Horse during our vacation in Turkey last September 2011.

In 1865, English archaeologist Frank Calvert excavated trial trenches in a field he had bought from a local farmer at Hisarlık, and in 1868, Heinrich Schliemann, wealthy German businessman and archaeologist, also began excavating in the area after a chance meeting with Calvert in Çanakkale. These excavations revealed several cities built in succession. Schliemann was at first skeptical about the identification of Hissarlik with Troy, but was persuaded by Calvert and took over Calvert's excavations on the eastern half of the Hissarlik site, which was on Calvert's property. Troy VII has been identified with the Hittite Wilusa, the probable origin of the Greek Ἴλιον, and is generally (but not conclusively) identified with Homeric Troy. continue reading here.

The South Gate of the Agora in Ephesus, Turkey

If you are planning to visit Turkey, you might want to include the ancient Greek city of Ephesus in your itinerary. This is one of the very interesting and historical sights in Turkey. The ruins of Ephesus are a favorite international and local tourist attraction. I had never seen such ruins as big as Ephesus.

One of the impressing historical sights there is the south gate of the Agora which is also known as the gate of Mazeus and Mythridates. They were the ones who erected this gate for their emperor, Augustus, who gave them their freedom. It is located near the Library of Celsus.

Today's archaeological site lies 3 kilometers southwest of the town of Selçuk, in the Selçuk district of İzmir Province, Turkey.

taken during our 10-days vacation in Turkey last September 2011.

At the right side of this gate, you can find the information that says below,

"The richly ornamented gate was financed by the imperial freedmen Mazaeus and Mithridates in 2 B.C. The refined articulation of the southern facade with alternating projecting and re-entrant elements, as well as the use of arches and beams, was repeated in the original side wings of the building. Statues of the imperial family stood on the inscribed attic zone. The unadorned northern side was connected to the Agora Hall. The re-erection of the gate (1982-1988) was made possible by Anton Kallinger-Prskawetz."

Visit to Ephesus, Turkey

The dream of visiting Turkey especially in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus finally came true. It was last September this year when we had a 10-days vacation in this country.

Ephesus is a very interesting ruins located near Selcuk in Izmir, Turkey. It was amazing how they did those architecture during those ancient times.

The image you see here are the latrines in Ephesus and you can still see it today. These are actually public toilets of the city and our tour guide said that there was an entrance fee to use them during those times. There were still no hydraulic hose or pumps during those times but the people of Ephesus still had a good source of water to supply to the people living in this ancient city. The latrines were part of the Scholastica Baths and built in the 1C AD. There was a drainage system under the toilets.

Ephesus is truly a must when visiting Turkey. Such a fascinating historic place to see!

A Visit to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey

I can't imagine how many tourists were at the Grand Bazaar during our visit last time. Would you believe that this bazaar is visited by thousands of people including locals and tourists each day. It is said that it attracts between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily.

As I entered this place last time, all that I said was a huge WOW! I can't believe that this bazaar is so large that a day-visit is not enough. You can find everything in this place.

Don't you know that The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world? It has more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops.

Below are some of the images I took during our visit last September 2011. such a very interesting place!..and yes, especially for those who love shopping.

The grand bazaar began construction in 1455 and opened in 1461. It is well known for its jewellery, pottery, spice, and carpet shops.

Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like.

Wonderful Trip to Ephesus, Turkey

Hubby was asking tonight if Ephesus was once a Greek city. He said that he read somewhere that it is. He finally found the travel flyer that says, Ephesus was once an ancient Greek city.

It was truly a wonderful and interesting trip we had in Ephesus. It is on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province in Turkey. No wonder an online friend told me that there are more ruins in Ephesus as in Greek today. The ruins in Ephesus are truly amazing. The architecture during those times are truly a work of engineering considering that they still don't have the modern machinery and equipments like what we are using now.

the library of Celsus in Ephesus..We visited this historical site last September 23, 2011.

There were a lot of international and local tourists at the time we visited Ephesus last September 2011. Partly owing to its easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport and via the port of Kuşadasi, this archaeological site is now a favorite destination of both local and international tourists.

striking a pose in Ephesus. In my background is the Theater of Ephesus. It was like taking a journey back in the past..a must-visit place when visiting Turkey.

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here. The city was the site of several 5th century Christian Councils, see Council of Ephesus. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard.

Staying in A Hotel in Kumburgaz, Istanbul

This is a nice place where we stayed in Kumburgaz. It is a wonderful place on the Marmara sea, about 60 km far from the centre of Istanbul. Our 5-star hotel have some bars inside and outside of the premises. Of course, you can see there used bar equipment. I love this place especially that it is located on the seaside. You can see the floating bar of the Artemis Princess Hotel in my image there. I remembered walking at the beach during our stay in this hotel.

Overall, I would say that it was a memorable and exciting trip we had in Turkey.

Visit to Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Istanbul, Turkey

It was a superb trip we had in Turkey last September 2011. The 10-day trip was worth it. We did visited a lot of historical sites in the different places in Turkey. One of it was Istanbul, the most populous city in this country. It is also the cultural and financial center of Turkey. Istanbul was one of three European Capitals of Culture in 2010.

One of the interesting sites we visited in Istanbul is the Hagia Sophia, literally means "Holy Wisdom" and called in Turkish as Ayasofya. It was once an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque and now a museum. It is famous for its massive dome and the it is considered as the epitome of Byzantine architecture.

It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the previous two having both been destroyed by rioters. It was designed by the Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician.

Never miss this place when visiting Istanbul. It's truly worthy to visit. There is an entrance fee when going inside. If I am not mistaken, it cost 20 Turkish lira, around 10 Euros.

the Fountain (Şadırvan) for ritual ablutions in the left side front of Hagia Sophia. It was once an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque

Interior view of the Hagia Sophia, taken during our visit last September 20, 2011.