As at the time of writing this, we have visited, driven across or lived in 23 countries as we have explored as Life In A Can on the Phenix’s Great Adventure! As I write this we are in Turkey, for the 2nd time, because as a family Turkey right now is our most favourite of the countries we have been in. We all love it and if we could, would be a place we could definitely live! (But maybe not in the summer because its just tooooooooo hot!!!
So let me share with you our Top Ten things we love about Turkey:
- The People – Everyone in Turkey is just so friendly and welcoming and the LOVE kids. No I have travelled a lot and I am well aware of the people that appear to be super nice but actually it’s just a fake nice because they want you to buy something or they simply just want something from you! It’s just not like that in Turkey, it’s genuine, and it’s real and it’s natural. The Turkish people are naturally just really nice people and that means a lot.
- The Breakfasts – OMG, Turkey know how to do breakfasts, they are like the king of breakfasts! I mean don’t get me wrong, I love an good old English fry up with builders tea, but there is something just so magical about a Turkish breakfast. It’s a mouth watering buffet of the senses and you just don’t know where to start because you just want to eat it ALL! Imagine fresh bread, fried eggs, hams, cheeses, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, fruits, honey, jams, cream all washed down with juice and of course the Turkish Chai. It’s not just breakfast, it’s a whole social experience and is an absolute must if you head to this amazing country!
3. The Beaches – Turkey has some lovely beaches and of course so do many countries, but when you add it to all the other plus points for Turkey we have to include the beaches! Yes sadly there is still some rubbish from the lazy arses, who do not deserve to enjoy the beaches but unfortunately they are all around the world. But if you look past this, the beaches are lovely with some beautiful sunsets and the opportunity to explore some of the hidden ones by boat. We actually have a boat trip booked in about 5 weeks to explore the Blue Bays and to do some snorkelling for Laanii’s birthday so I am sure I will be back to let you know how lovely it was! The water is clear and the beaches are a mix of sand, shingle and stones, depending on which beach you are on.
4. The Play Parks – Now in the UK, playparks are generally few and far between and many are pretty shoddy! I actually didn’t realise how FEW play parks we had in the UK until we headed into Europe and found that there are parks EVERYWHERE, even if just a small one, there are parks all over the place. In some countries every block of flats has it’s own playground, and there could be 10 blocks of flats in a row, each with a playground. We have been through tired villages that still have an amazing playground for the village kids! In Turkey, in Fethiye we had the most incredible municipal play park, it is HUGE and FREE! It has so much play equipment you can easily spend all day there and it caters for every aged, with a whole inclusive/disability area, as well as a skate park, basketball and all set in beautiful landscaped gardens with art work and statues and bridges right along the coast. It’s honestly mindblowing and the kids love it there! If you ever head to Fethiye with kids you must go, it’s called the Sehit Fethi Bey Parki and your kids will thank you for it!
5. The Markets – Honestly if you hate fruit and veg, a trip to a proper Turkish market will change it all! The colours, the freshness, the variety! You just want to eat it all and they present it all so well and it’s all just so fresh and yummy, that we just love to visit the markets. We have been to many markets but no where has come close to the freshness and colour of a Turkish market! And frankly some of the markets we have been to have been shocking and I wouldn’t even feed the veg to a dog! Yes I am talking about you Albania! You guys need to seriously up your market game! Anyway back to Turkey and not only is the food fab but so is the clothing! Ok yes I will be honest it’s all ‘genuine fake’ but it is what it is and is normal in Turkey and if you don’t have the money on you, expect the vendor to be so trusting even if you have just met, to let you take the items and tell you to come back tomorrow with the money.. They are so funny also with signs that 100% say ‘genuine fake’ and ‘100% fake crap’ and ‘buy one get another for the same price’ it’s just so funny walking around the stalls and listening to them!
6. The History – There is so much history to explore in Turkey we have barely scratched the surface of the hat is there to be explored! One of our favourites has been the ruins at Cadianda/Kadyanda where you can find an ancient settlement high up in the hills and date back to the 5th Centure AD. There is a pathway that leads you all around the old buildings, the temples, the baths and more. The view from the top is breathtaking so you get a lovely walk, a lot of history and an amazing back drop too!
7. The Roads – Now we’ve travelled on many roads and with a caravan it can be pretty hair raising at times! And whilst there are lots of ups and downs of the hills and mountains, Turkeys roads are generally really good! You have to get an HGS Tag for toll roads but a lot of the roads are just general roads in really good nick and we really do appreciate it after some of the many terrible ‘main’ roads we have had to put our beloved Vinny and Suzy on!
8. The Paragliding – So Turkey is well known for its paragliding and I have to say a trip to Olundeniz is a magical experience if you like paragliding or just watching the many, many paragliders who fly from there! Of course we had to give it a go! The view was outstanding!
9. The Prices – I won’t lie the price of things has gone up lately but that is everywhere, but I’m general things are just so much cheaper in Turkey if you arrive with pounds, dollar or euros. Things like bread are 20p a loaf, a bus ride could be 30p, a taxi ride £2, a meal out for 4 with drinks £10 and a campsite £4.50 a night. You can of course spend way more if you choose to but for us travelling on a budget means we get to enjoy Turkey with out going bankrupt. However if you want alcohol then that is expensive!
10. The Landscape – We love the mountains and we love the sea and Turkey gives us both! Snowy mountains and clear waters and as you drive around Turkey the landscape just continues like this! It ticks both our boxes for sure!
11. The Turkish Bath – You simply can’t visit Turkey and not experience a Turkish Bath! I don’t have a picture of us having a Turkish bath as we don’t take our phones in with us but it is utter bliss! It’s the most amazing experience and if I could I’d have one every week!
So there you have it! This is why we love Turkey because it just ticks so many boxes for us as a family!
I’m sure there are other countries similar that we have yet to explore but as at today, Turkey tops our charts as the families favourite country so far!
