8 Things That Surprised Me About Traveling in Turkey

I became obsessed with the idea of visiting Turkey – and, more specifically, Istanbul – back in college, when I read a book that was partially set in Eastern Europe throughout the 1900s (this one, in case you’re curious). I fell in love with everything about Istanbul in that book, and my very first trip to Europe in 2012 was to Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Istanbul.

But it was just a teaser; I only got a taste of Turkey on that trip. And I knew that one day I was going to want more.

Fast forward to 2019, and I decided it was finally time to *really* visit Turkey. My dad ended up wanting to join me, and we booked a 2-week tour with Intrepid Travel that hit up a lot of the highlights of Turkey, from the crazy streets of Istanbul to the fairy chimneys of…