Just returned home last night and realized I forgot to let y’all know I’d be away for a couple weeks.
Did you miss me? 
Antalya and Istanbul are incredible places; Istanbul, in particular, is a high-energy culture shock for westerners. If there’s another city with a more captivating geography (“7 hills,” the Bosphorous Strait, the mosques and palaces, and the seemingly unending mix of ancient and modern), I’ve got to see it!
Don’t worry, we missed you 
I hope you had a wonderful time in Turkey
Did you find any cool pencils over there?
Land of the world’s only 0.6mm leads!
Awesome. Istanbul is on my bucket list.
Welcome back. I work pretty closely with a few people out there. Glad you got to go and glad you’re back. Now buy some pencils dammit, and share them with us. We like living through your purchases.
Welcome back!
Where’s that stash of NOS Turkish Tombows? 
Istanbul is one of my favorite cities too. A perfect blend of east and west, and amazing food! And yea, so many great views all over the city.
Welcome back. What brought you to Turkiye?
Istanbul is an amazing, ancient city. I’ve been there 3 times and loved it. This was before Erdogan started messing with the society. I was treated well. The food was one of the highlights for me. I LOVE Turkish food. Their seafood dishes are so amazing. I hope that the culture swing is on the way back to something more peaceful and democratic. How many days were you in Istanbul?
Antalya is gorgeous too, fantastic Mediterranean resort coast. I was there last in 2006. So much construction going on. I imagine it’s probably 50% more built up than before. Bodrum is another wonderful resort town, very picturesque and rich in history. Terrific night life there too.
It’s a must-see at some point. There was a period where I was worried about foreigner safety, but from all I’m seeing as of late things have improved. It’s a terrific country in many respects. The culture there is very ingratiating and I met many nice people. If you’re a foodie, you can be in heaven in that country. It takes the best of various regional cultures and blends them together. A step above Greek, IMHO.
And then there’s the raki.
Ah, you know it Thomas! Hah. If we ever get to meet, we must toast some
Turkish Rakı.
It’s like a better, more drinkable version of Ouzo.
The French have something a little similar, Pastis. Also anise infused. Really tasty!
I’m down! 