What impressed us the most about Turkey was the friendliness of the people. In the cities, you often meet some super-friendly people---but they usually have a “brother” in the carpet business. But in the villages, people talked to us, offered us walnuts, even invited us into their homes. In Mustafapasa, we came upon a family in a courtyard, in the midst of massive food preparations for a wedding that night. All 29 of us were invited into their home, met the bride, and were even invited to the festivities!

Left: Food preparations for the wedding. Looks like the entire village will be invited!

Below: The happy couple, to be married that evening.

Homes can be smaller since so many activities are done outside. At left, a family stomping grapes in their courtyard. The husband called out to us, asking our guide were we were from. When he heard America, he greeted us in English.

Below, these enterprising ladies wait for tourist to walk through the village, and they come out to sell their wares. Diane purchased some of their hand made scarves. Turkish matrons often dress in different colors and patterns.

Left: Pumpkins are grown for their very nutritous seeds. The rest of the pumpkin is fed to the animals. What's the most efficient way of feeding pumpkin to the local livestock? Well, just leave it in the street after the seeds have been scraped out.

On any given day, there are at least fifty men fishing off the upper deck of the Galata Bridge. You can even purchase the hand made props for the fishing pole. The lower deck of the bridge is a continuous row of restaurants, and as we strolled back to the Sultanahmet side, Bob’s head was grazed by an errant cast thrown too short for the water.

Right: Children playing in a fountain on a pedestrian street in Konya.

Yes, you can get McDonald's delivered, on a vespa. We saw similar delivery vespas in front of a Dominoes pizza place.

One of the major pastimes in Turkey is backgammon. In villages and cities, you can hear the roll of the dice and the slap of the pieces being moved across the board.

Playing backgammon on a balmy evening in Antalya.

During our travels, the bus stopped along the highway at one of the many makeshift roadside stands. This woman, who lived in a nearby valley, had fruit and snacks available for travelers. Our guide bought us Turkish bananas--a bit smaller than what we see here, and the chocolate-tasting carob pods, which they call locust beans. We also bought some pomegranate syrup.

But the most interesting part--alongside the temporary, jury-rigged shelter she had set up was a modern satellite dish. She said the dish to the television is the only way she can get her kids to stay there with her after school!

At right is a winding, coblestone street in the beautiful village of Siringe. Small houses, restaurants where Mom makes bread in front of the fire, and locals selling handicrafts...a town so picturesque it is overrun by tour buses.

Luckily we arrived early, before the crush. As we strolled along a street, some residents were picking walnuts from the tree in their front yard. We greeted them with "Merhaba", and the wife offered us some walnuts. Very typical of the friendly encounters we had throughout the country.