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In 2007 a fellow quilter and I again hit the road. Mary Ellen and I spent 3 weeks in Turkey and 1 week in Egypt. Turkey was surprisingly comfortable to visit. Languages do not come easily to me. After three weeks I had still only managed to master the words "water", "thank you", and "seven". Not a very impressive showing.
However if a traveler has a little courage, they'll find it a huge blessing that speaking English is such a popular goal. Most of the time we were able to find English speaking staff in hotels and bus terminals.
Even for the three days in Eastern Turkey where we had to depend upon sign language, it proved surprisingly easy. Pointing to maps, clocks and menus will take care of the major issues. The people of Turkey were very friendly and went out of their way to make us feel welcome, not to mention to make sure we got on the right bus.
The Turkish countryside was so varied and dramatic. We traveled by bus through mountains to plains to the fairy chimney's of Cappadocia. It was a delight. The blending of the Christian and Muslim histories made for an unforgettable trip.