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Above, I took 500 digital photos. Here's a nice one of Beyoglu's Çiçek Pasaji in the morning. |
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I was in Istanbul for a week at the beginning of March, 2003. It was great to be back! Turkish traditional hospitality was as warm and welcoming as usual.
The only sour moment was when I, as an American passport holder, had to fork over the US$100 fee for a three-month visa.
Many Turks follow the news closely, and know as much or more about what goes on in the White House and the Pentagon than Americans do. They need to know because US policy affects their country, their economy and their own lives quite significantly.
Many Turks asked me about US policy toward Iraq. (The war had not yet begun when I was there in March.) Turks feared that a new Iraq war might bring the sort of extreme social and economic disruption that Turkey suffered during the previous (1991) Gulf War.
From travelers' reports, it seems as though 2003 may be a great time to travel in Turkey: not as crowded as usual, with stable low prices and the usual warm welcome.