It’s almost 30 years since I booked the holiday that would change my life. Fresh out of uni and looking for adventure, I still remember that first transfer from Dalaman airport to Kalkan. A winding, single-track road, leading through forested mountains, past crumbling whitewashed cottages, the grandiose scenery like nothing I’d ever seen.
In the mid-Nineties, tourism was still relatively new — three decades later, villages have grown into resorts, hillsides are dotted with villas and hotels and those winding roads are now dual carriageways, whisking millions of visitors to their hotels. Yet Turkey’s soul remains unchanged: a great, warm hug of a country that still feels like home every time I step off the plane.
I love Turkey for its spectacular landscapes, warm seas, rich and varied cuisine (it’s fantastic for vegetarians) — but mostly for its people, who welcome visitors with good humour, warmth and a deep sense of pride in their country and its traditions.
• Turkey…
