Six-plus months into their self-propelled journey from the northern tip of Scotland to Syria, adventurers Colin and Julie Angus share another exclusive Rowed Trip expedition dispatch about their travels by oar and pedal power. “Dubbed Europe’s hottest new vacation destination, Bulgaria has a gorgeous coastline, delicious food and friendly people.

via travel.latimes.com

It's that time when Germans dust off their national colors and fly them proudly. It's because of the 2008 European soccer championships, which you could argue is the biggest soccer tournament in the world next to the World Cup. The last time you would have seen so many German flags flying was back in 2006, when the country hosted the World Cup. My friend Marc Heydenreich reminded me the other day how important soccer is to Germans, in light of the schuld, or guilt, the country still confronts over WWII.

via gadling.com

The world champion struggled for pace at last week's Turkish Grand Prix, finishing third behind team-mate Felipe Massa and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Raikkonen, though, insists he has put his struggles at Istanbul Park behind him and is looking forward to the next race in Monte Carlo. "Afterwards it's always easy to say what we could have done. But I never do that and this case is closed," the Finn said on Ferrari's website.

via skysports.com

The Romanian squad travelled to Turkey on Monday to train for the European Championship without striker Adrian Mutu. Mutu, who is the fourth leading goal scorer in the Serie A with 16 goals for Fiorentina this season, stayed behind because his wife is about to give birth to their second child. Romania will play a friendly against Montenegro on May 22 before travelling to Switzerland for Euro 2008 on June 2. Romania was drawn with Italy, France and the Netherlands at the June 7-29 tournament.

via canadianpress.google.com

Located by the entrance to Istanbul's university, Beyazit Camii is of the oldest mosques in the city and the oldest surviving imperial mosque.

The Beyazit Camii was built between 1501 and 1506 using materials taken from Theodosius's Forum of Tauri, on top of which it was constructed.

Again, the architect of Beyazit Camii looked to the Ayasofya for inspiration, employing a central dome buttressed by semi-domes and a long nave with double arcades, although the mosque is half the size of the church.

via sacred-destinations.com

Marmaris is known as the city by the sea to many people who visit it, and there is a good reason for it. This city, which is close to the island of Rhodes, sits on the southwest corner of Turkey, with its own bay and a shoreline that also looks out over the Mediterranean Sea.

Due to the bay, and its location on the sea, the place has proved to be incredibly popular with northern Europeans who are looking for a place to take their boats on a sailing or yachting holiday.

The city is world renown for its sailing and yachting, and even the International Yachting Club of Marmaris is well known for its amazing races in October, which feature 100 boats and 1,000 racers.

If you are a person who loves to sail, then you need to pull up anchor and come to Marmaris, where you will be able to sail the sea that has been sailed by 8,000 years of sailors, from the Greeks to the Romans to the Ottomans to our present day yachters.

via 1888articles.com

Marmaris a spectacular bay surrounded by pine-clad mountains and probably the most popular beach destination in Turkey.

Marmaris is known as the city by the sea to many people who visit it, and there is a good reason for it. This city, which is close to the island of Rhodes, sits on the southwest corner of Turkey, with its own bay and a shoreline that also looks out over the Mediterranean Sea.

Due to the bay, and its location on the sea, the place has proved to be incredibly popular with northern Europeans who are looking for a place to take their boats on a sailing or yachting holiday.

The city is world renown for its sailing and yachting, and even the International Yachting Club of Marmaris is well known for its amazing races in October, which feature 100 boats and 1,000 racers.

If you are a person who loves to sail, then you need to pull up anchor and come to Marmaris, where you will be able to sail the sea that has been sailed by 8,000 years of sailors, from the Greeks to the Romans to the Ottomans to our present day yachters.

via 1888articles.com

Erzurum is a real historical treasure, with its centuries-old mosques, forts, towers and large tombs with dome shaped or conical roofs. The Twin Minaret Madrasah, the symbol of the city, dates back to the Seljuk period. The architrave of its portal, with its stone carvings, is among the most beautiful examples of Seljuk art. The minarets on either side of the portal are 26 meters high and decorated with turquoise colored glazed tiles. Üç Kümbetler, a group of three tombs, is one of the monumental structures in Erzurum. The largest of these tombs is the tomb of Emir Saltuk, the founder of the Saltuk State. The tomb is constructed according to an octagonal plan. The most interesting mosques in the city are the Grand Mosque, built in the 12th century, and Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque built in the 16th century. The Rüstem Pasha Caravanserai was built by Rüstem Pasha, the Grand Vizier of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. The caravanserai, which displays the characteristics of 16th century Ottoman architecture, is still in use as a market place. In it are the workshops processing the famous “Oltu” stone.

via articledashboard.com

Istanbul was founded in antiquity for the same reason it prospers today: its location on the banks of the broad Bosphorous River made it a strategic port linking the continents of Europe and Asia. Today, Istanbul -- Turkey's tiny foothold in Europe -- is a strategic asset in the country's play for European Union membership. A sophisticated but unpolished gem, with a dazzling skyline framed by seven hills, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the world's most intriguing destinations.

European Istanbul encompasses the contemporary heart of the city, the Beyoglu peninsula, and the historic district of Eminonu on the Golden Horn. This glittering bay fed by the Sea of Marmara surrounds the point housing the historic treasures most admired by visitors. Visitors can choose to sleep in Beyoglu's 20th century neighborhoods or within the ancient city walls in the small hostels and inns of Eminonu. Read the rest of this entry »

via familytravelforum.com

Istanbul (previously Constantinople) is the largest city in Turkey with a population of almost 14 million people.

Turkey is a place to which the phrase "East meets West" really applies, and that's especially true of Istanbul, where the continents of Europe and Asia come together, separated only by the Bosporus. On the vibrant streets of Istanbul, miniskirts and trendy boots mingle with head scarves and prayer beads.

Istanbul has many attractions for visitors, especially those interested in history and religion. The ancient city is a layering of civilization on civilization, empire built on empire. It's been called as momentous as Rome, as captivating as Paris, and as exotic and chaotic as Bangkok.

via sacred-destinations.com

There are places on earth which can't refer to one culture and one belief only. They are the indelible traces of human history, long, intricate and sometimes bloody. One of these is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey – the building not only magnificent, but also exceptionally beautiful.

The story of this great building started, like it often happens, with the place where another ancient construction used to stand. This was the church built during the reign of Constantine the Great – that very Constantine who was the first of the Roman emperors to adopt Christianity. He transformed Byzantium into a new capital, which we now call Constantinople – the city of Constantine.

Not only did Constantine leave Rome – on the shores of the faraway Bosporus he started construction of a new Christian city. That is why even though its art had pagan, western routes, it was greatly influenced by the eastern, Christian principles. Already in V–VI AC the new cultural, artistic and architectural movement appeared, which was based on Christian dogmas. Moreover, the new constructions had oriental roots. For instance, the East was the motherland of a dome, which allowed new constructive and aesthetic opportunities. Characteristic of the Byzantine churches is the central cupola and deviation from classic forms of a basilica.

via articledashboard.com

The most famous sight in Turkey's Cappadocia region—and rightly so—is the Göreme Open-Air Museum in the Göreme Valley only a 15-minute walk (1.5 km, 1 mile) from Göreme Town and a short ride (6.5 km, 4 miles) from Ürgüp. The Göreme Valley holds the region's best collection of painted cave-churches. Medieval orthodox Christian monks (1000-1200 AD) carved the caves from the soft volcanic stone and decorated them with elaborate Byzantine frescoes.

The valley, and other troglodyte ("cave-dweller") habitations in Cappadocia, may have been inhabited since Hittite times, but Göreme is known for its thousand-year-old churches. It's best to visit as early in the morning as possible because the summer heat is intense at midday. Also, tour groups fill the small churches by mid-morning and it's more difficult to enjoy them.

For one thing, groups may block the entrance, which cuts off the natural light, which is the only sort of light in the churches (unless you bring a flashlight/electric torch). Most of the frescoes in the churches have been damaged—many of them badly damaged—by wind, water, weather, earthquake, and shepherd boys who sought refuge in the caves and used the faces of the figures as targets for pebble attacks, having been taught that images were sinful. But the beauty of the churches and their decoration is still apparent.

via turkeytravelplanner.com

Watch out! Here comes another one. We're walking down the boardwalk in Oludeniz, Turkey which also doubles as a paragliding landing zone. It's no wonder people leap from the surrounding mountains and glide down to a soft beach landing, into this bay that's one of the most photographed areas of the Mediterranean coastline. Oludeniz means "dead sea" in Turkish. The actual town is named Belcekiz, but if you walk a couple hundred meters down the beach, you reach a peninsula of sand which creates a sheltered lagoon. The still, deep blue water behind this spit of land is the "dead" calm sea.

Campgrounds on the lagoon provide quiet places to relax, with or without the family. Bring your tent or rent a fully equipped caravan or camper trailer. Back in the town of Belcekiz, you can choose from a range of hotels. Besides the beautiful beach and bay, the reason we came here was to trek along the Lycian Way. It's a meandering trail that follows the contour of Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey.

via travelsinparadise.com

The hotel is a special category hotel located in the Old Town of Antalya, Turkey, just few minutes from Mermeli beach as well as the harbor. The Alp Pasa Charme Boutique Hotel is just 3 kilometres from Konyaalti beach and 8 km from Lara beach. The area attractions includes Selge, Phaselis, Manavgat waterfalls and many more.

The hotel complex with authentic Konaks in Ottoman style, dating back to the mid 18th and the early 19th century, has completely been restored with great care to reflect its historical surroundings. Additionally, the hotel also features an open air museum with 100 artefacts on display, enhancing its ancient ambiance. 60 rooms, 135 beds, 7 suites, 1 honeymoon suite, 1 ottoman room with fireplace. Rooms are all individually decorated and have private bathroom including whirlpool bath, satellite TV, air-conditioning, mini bar, hairdryer and balcony.

Explore the city center, which is right outside your door, soak up the sun with a drink on the terrace in the garden or visit the nearby marina.

via wayfaring.info

The St. Sophia Mosque was originally a Byzantine Christian church, but in 1453 the mosaic murals of saints and angels were covered with colored plaster, and it became a mosque. In 1935 (500 years later), the plaster was carefully removed when the Turkish government declared it a museum. The dome of St. Sophia is huge, and high, and old, and so large that building engineers say it can’t be built, and will not stay in one piece if it were. Another one of the “bumblebee” buildings that has existed ‘lo these many centuries. The green marble columns inside are said to have been moved here from Ephesus.

St. Sophia and the Blue Mosque are next to each other, and the buildings and the grounds around them must cover a square mile. It’s difficult to describe the size of the buildings or their grounds, so “enormous” must suffice.

via travel-tidbits.com