Exploring Turkish Landscapes: Crossing inner boundaries

There is a long tradition, well documented in travel writing, of people looking for escape, whether from themselves, a failed relationship or a dead-end job. They leave home hoping to find something better than that they left behind. I never really thought about where I fitted in until I started writing the essays in this collection. Travel is so much a part of my life now I almost can’t remember a time when I wasn’t travelling, researching a new trip or saving up to put my plans into action. I was forever a tourist, always looking for new and exotic places to get away from the mundane and experience the unknown.

The first time I came to Turkey I was just one of many young Australians on the great pilgrimage to Europe and other distant lands. For a long time this has almost been a rite of passage for Antipodeans. The sights, sounds and smells of foreign countries are colourful and appeal to our appetite for adventure and challenge. When the enterprise becomes too trying, there is always the safety of a return ticket to fall back on. After a given period of time we’re expected to return, a little older and a lot wiser. While some go for a year, others never make it back.

Introduction

In the Sultan’s City

Göreme

Lisa’s Little Men

My Turkish Ramazan

Kurban

All Singing, All Dancing

Dancing Away the Sequins

Shopping for Confidence

To the Wedding

How to Improve Your Turkish

Sundays in Fenerbahçe Park

Turkish Delight

Up Close and Personal

You Are My Sunshine