Turkey Travel Guide

Jez Rourke asked:




The Finest Beaches of Turkey

When people think of grand beaches, they generally think of places like California, Florida or Hawaii, but they rarely think of a country like Turkey. Despite being under-publicised, Turkey offers a wide variety of beaches that stretch along the Mediterranean Sea.

In this article, we will take a look at the top ten beaches found in Turkey.

Patara Beach: Patara is the longest beach in the Mediterranean, and was hailed by The Sunday Times as the best beach in the world. Accommodations are limited, loungers and umbrellas are available to rent, and it is backed by ancient ruins and dunes.

Oludeniz Beach: Oludeniz is Turkey’s most famous beach, and therefore in peak seasons, is the most crowded. There are good hotels to stay at, very good bars, water sports available, scuba diving and is surrounded with resorts.

Olimpos: If you are looking for a more romantic and relaxed atmosphere, then this is the beach for you. It is far more secluded and smaller than the other two beaches mentioned so far, and is backed by a forest, which is filled with Roman ruins.

Side: Side is only an hour away from the airport, and is very popular with holiday groups. There is a village and a beach filled with fine sand, as well as some Roman ruins to explore nearby.

Iztuzu Beach: Iztuzu Beach is a national conservation area, and is one of the last breeding places in Europe of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. It can only be reached by a 20 minute boat ride from the nearby town of Dalyan. There is a lot of beach, and the water is warm and shallow. Nearby, there are some cliff tombs you can explore as well.

Cleopatra’s Beach (Alanya): Alanya is one of the biggest resorts found in Turkey, and Cleopatra’s beach is splendid and very popular. The beach and resort offer great accommodations, facilities and things to do. There is also an old fortress nearby.

Kemer: Kemer is a lovely seaside town located right on on the sea front. There are a number of small beaches you can visit, as well as many day-trip opportunities. Most of the beaches are made up of small pebbles, although there are a few with sandy beaches.

Bodrun: Bodrun is home to the original mausoleum, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is also home to the Castle of St Peter, which used to be a crusader fortress but now serves as the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. The beaches in town are small, but many people visit them as an afterthought to sightseeing.

Pamucak Beach: Most of the beach is public, but on the south side there are some resorts. It is close to the Aqua Fantasy water park, and there is a small hotel where you can get refreshments and amenities. The water is pretty choppy, and there aren’t any life guards, so be careful.

Sinop: Sinop has many fascinating things to see, and the beaches are small. Because the water comes from the Black Sea, it can be rather chilly too.

Sam Rosenberg asked:




Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. This is an old fishing town. Most of the surrounding area is undeveloped. Until 1970 it was an important harbor town. However after construction of Fethiye road its importance as a harbor port declined. Now it has emerged as a tourist resort. In the absence of mass tourism, Kalkan resort town has remained unspoilt and is a charming town on the brilliant blue sea coast. It lies snugly curled up at the foot of the Taurus Mountains overlooking the beautiful bay.

Kalkan’s economy is now entirely dependent on tourism. The town has proudly and painstakingly preserved its historical distinctive Ottoman Greek Architecture. Kalkan resort town has preserved the old historic architectural style. The houses line up the narrow streets winding up from the harbor. Houses are often covered with bougainvillea of different colors and they look so pretty. Most houses are two storied and are built of stone. They often have courtyards and gardens. The houses are built so as to keep cool in summer. The windows and balconies on upper floors open facing the sea so as to get the cool breeze from the ocean. The ground floors are generally used for shops or for storage; residence is generally on the first floor. You notice decorative elements on sills between floors and on top of windows.

Good dining has always been a tradition of Kalkans and this has reflected in the very large number of restaurants in Kalkan; in fact it is said Kalkan has probably the highest number of restaurants per inhabitant as compared to other Turkish coastal towns. Roof terrace restaurants and bars of Kalkan are renowned in Turkey; it is so nice to sit at one of these harbor side restaurants and watch the pleasure boats and fishermen go about their business in the morning, or to watch them returning in the evening with their catch of fish.

Tourists generally spend the day time strolling along the bay and the marina. Swimming, diving and snorkeling in the bay quite enjoyable. There are many boat trips also available. By night time, Kalkan transforms into a bustling town; there is so much you could do. There is shopping, dining and generally strolling around by the sea side or doing window shopping. In the evening, shops come alive with T-shirts, boxes of Turkish delight, silver jewelry being sold. Turkish rugs are famous for their designs and craftsmanship, and many shops sell the rugs. Tourists find a lot of typical old style Turkish articles to buy.

Tourists and visitors to Kalkan resort town come to enjoy the laid-back relaxed life style in this Turkish sanctuary. There are a few good hotels catering to the tourists. One of the popular hotels is Hotel Pirat; it is only 80 km from Fathiye or 130 km from Dalaman airports. Pirat Hotel is overlooking the harbor and the bay of Kalkan, right at the front of hilly resort islands backed by hills and mountains. The view of the bay from the balcony is enchanting. This 136 room hotel has all modern amenities. Excellent outdoor swimming pool, children’s swimming pool, sports facilities such as table tennis and billiards are available. There is provision for diving school, parasailing, jet ski, canoe, sailing and all water sports are available at the beach for a modest fee.

loubieloubarlow asked:

party dance for holiday village turkey 2009

Kimberly Edwards asked:




Type: Sauce

Serve Over: Turkey & Mashed Potatoes @ your Holiday Feast

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15-20 min

Yield: Enough gravy for 8-10 people, and leftovers from your Holiday Feast

Ingredients:

Remaining Pan drippings – From roasting your turkey, chicken, duck or goose

Butter – If you don’t have at least a few tbsp of chicken fat in the drippings floating on top

1/2 cup All-purpose flour

~ 3-4 cups Mushrooms – Sliced – as many as you like, and whatever type you prefer (I like a lot of mushrooms – don’t be afraid, they shrink a lot)

~ 1/2 cup Red wine – Any kind you like

~ 3 cups Chicken broth – You may use water if you don’t have broth, but broth is better, especially if you don’t have a lot of turkey drippings. This measurement will depend upon the amount of turkey drippings you render while roasting.

Sea salt – To taste

Freshly cracked black pepper – To taste

~ 3-4 drops Gravy browning – * Only for aesthetics, and is unneeded if you don’t care about the color of your gravy.

Instructions:

1. Once turkey is finished roasting and you have transferred it to a serving dish, but keeping it warm, assess what you have in the bottom of the roasting pan. If you have a few tbsp of chicken fat floating on the top of the drippings, you have enough and do not need to add butter. If there isn’t enough, add butter to make up the difference.

2. On a medium-low heat (because the drippings and pan is extremely hot already), add red wine, and using large spoon or wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the roasting pan until everything is loosened from the bottom of the pan and dissolving nicely into drippings and wine. (This is provided things aren’t “VERY” burnt at the bottom of the roasting pan – If they are, you will need to use a new pan, but save all the drippings and crunchy bits that aren’t burnt)

* Tip: The brown, crunchy bits in the bottom of the pan is where most of the flavor of your gravy will come from. They are your friends!

* Tip: This is called “deglazing”, and wine assists in this process.

* Tip: Use an oven mitt or towel to hold the side of the pan since it is scalding hot, so it doesn’t move around while you are scraping and stirring. It is awkward on your stovetop, as your roasting pan will probably take up 2 burners (front and back).

3. If you don’t have at least 1 1/2 cups of turkey drippings, make up the difference with chicken broth, and add mushrooms.

4. Constantly stirring, cook mushrooms until they are completely softened and cooked through.

5. In a mason jar (or whisk in a bowl), shake the flour and about 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water (chicken broth is more flavorful, of course) until there are no lumps.

6. Add the freshly shaken flour/broth (or flour/water) mixture to the pan, stirring constantly.

* Tip: At this point, you may want to turn down the burner temperature if the pan’s contents are bubbling too hard.

7. Constantly stirring, take your gravy to a boil and cook for another few minutes after to make sure there is no floury taste left.

* Tip: The flour is the thickener of the gravy, and it reaches it’s full thickening power after the mixture has boiled. If the gravy is not thick enough to your liking, add a bit more flour and water to the jar and repeat process until desired thickness is achieved.

* Tip: If the gravy as dark in color as you like, add 3-4 drops of gravy browning. This has no flavor, it is strictly for aesthetics.

8. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, and pour into a gravy boat.

9. Serve over your Amazing Turkey and Fabulous Mashed Potatoes & Enjoy!

* Tip: We store our leftover gravy in a mason jar as well. It is easy access and fits in the fridge better than a Tupperware might with all of the awesome leftovers you will have to find room for.

This recipe is tried and true…I learned this from my mother, and her from her mother! I don’t know how far back it goes!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as you are preparing for Thanksgiving or Christmas…

Eat Deliciously!

Your Holiday turkey is simply NOT complete with out the Gravy! This Blue Ribbon Gravy is amazing and flavorful. The Perfect Compliment to your Amazing Turkey! ~ Kimberly Edwards

hepcatbop asked:

chocalarta turkey holiday village july 2009

Brad Vitosh asked:




For generations people have been dropping turkeys into the oven and roasting for hours. They use stuffings and little pop up timers. Guess what? You can make a great turkey this way. But wouldn’t it be great to go one step better? Smoked turkey is more flavorful and is tenderer than oven roasting. Breaking away from tradition can be hard but I’m here to walk you through the process.

When cooking your turkey in the Smoker you need to make sure to cook it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This means that the coldest part of the turkey is 165 degrees F. This isn’t a suggestion. Test in at least two places and remember that turkey bones heat faster so keep the thermometer away from bone and white meat cooks faster than dark meat. Run the smoker at temperature range of 220 degrees F to 240 degrees F. Plan on 30 to 40 minutes per pound.

What you need to smoke a turkey:

The first thing in you need for a great smoked turkey is a good turkey. Now whether you are going to hunt your own or buy one, you want a fresh turkey. A free range Turkey is what to look for. Now I know this isn’t always cheap or easy but if you can then I recommend it. If you do pick up a frozen turkey always follow the instructions for defrosting. Also do not get too large of a turkey. A 20 pound turkey will take 10-14 hours and larger turkeys greatly increase food contamination risks. A 12-16 pound turkey will be good.

You also need a smoker, a good meat thermometer, a good hardwood like cherry or apple, and patience. For the smoker you can use a kettle style grill if you are familiar with low temperature cooking in it. Most people don’t do turkeys very often so even if you are a master of smoked brisket or low n’ slow barbecue ribs you should pay particular attention to what you are doing. Nothing can take the place of experience.

The good meat thermometer is a must. It should read fast and be very reliable. For the wood I recommend a fruit wood because the flavor works best with turkey. Something like a cherry or apple would be good, though hickory and oak can add a nice flavor as well. Be careful not to over smoke a turkey, especially if you are doing a long smoke.

Smoked turkey has a different color and texture than oven roasted turkey. The meat may appear pink and have a smoother texture. This is normal. The smoking process causes a chemical change in turkey that causes this color change. As long as the turkey registers a temperature of 165 degrees F. it is safe to eat no matter the color.

Make sure you have everything together before you start. The turkey needs to be completely thawed. Remove all the stuff inside and trim off any excess skin. Remove any pop up timer devices, wash in cold water and pat completely dry.

Prepare your smoker. You will want to build a fire to hold a steady temperature right around 230 degrees F. Since most smokers start hot and cool down as the fire settles into a good smoke that you plan on putting the turkey in at about 250 degree F and let the smoker drop down to the cooking temperature. Use a smoker that will supply you with a consistent heat, like a Bradley Smoker.

Putting the turkey in at this point will give you a great meal. However there are several options you can follow to enhance the flavor of your bird. One option is to use a brine. This will require you to soak the turkey in the brine for a good 24 hours before you cook. You could also apply your favorite dry rub. Of course the simplest method would be to brush some olive oil to keep the skin moist and help your turkey develop a rich deep tan.

Put the turkey in the smoker breast side up. You can use a roasting pan or heavy foil to help reduce any mess or just set it on the rack.

Wash everything. Once I get a piece of poultry on the grill or in the smoker I like to sterilize everything that might have come into contact with it. Salmonella is not something to take lightly. Once everything is completely clean you can relax. Check the smoker temperature every hour or so to make sure it’s behaving properly but you won’t need to do anything with this turkey for several hours.

Calculating 30 minutes per pound at about 230 degrees F, determine the approximate time that the turkey could be ready at the earliest. This is when you want to start testing the Turkey to see if it is done. Using a good meat thermometer to test the internal temperature turkey in two different places, leaving the thermometer in long enough to get a good reading. Remember, don’t test too close to bone. When you have two reading about 165 degrees F. then you can take the turkey out.

Let the turkey rest for about 15 minutes and carve. Giving the turkey a rest will allow the meat to relax, the juices to flow and the temperature to come up a little and even out. This is one of the secrets to a great bird. Don’t rush to carve or your turkey will be dry.

What a great way to start a new family tradition.

Shereena Lingiah asked:




Museums of Istanbul
If you take your holidays in Turkey in Istanbul, you won’t need to visit the museums to get a sense of history, because you’ll see it all around you. The city itself is full of amazing ancient streets and walls, towers and palaces. However, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum is a good value visit for Turkey holidays since it is not one museum but a combination of three: the main Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Museum of Islamic Art. There is an array of relics to see here: ottoman artefacts, a number statues, columns, and sarcophagi. The most well-known sarcophagus here is the one intended for Alexander the Great. Alexander was history’s greatest military commander responsible for amassing a huge empire that included Turkey, stretching from Greece in the West to India in the east and south into Egypt.

Troy
If your holidays to Turkey take you near the western Turkish town of