Not much of the news coming out of Turkey these days is positive โ refugees, bombs, riots, censorship and the usual rhetoric from the imperious Erdoฤan. The western media do so love to stoke up a drama. You could be forgiven for thinking the place is falling apart. Well, it isnโt. But the headlines are putting visitors off. According to some estimates, bookings by Brits are down by over a third. A glance at the travel agentโs window reveals the bargains to be had, reflecting a tourist trade going through lean times. It would be foolish to suggest there aren’t any problems but Turkey remains one of the safest holiday destinations anywhere.
Itโs been four years since we returned from Turkey and weโre content with our lot in old Norwich Town. The slowish pace of life suits us well. But, weโre often nostalgic for our easy come, easy go days of Bodrum. During one particularly wistful afternoon in the boozer, Liam and I took a drunken stagger down memory lane. Over the last few years Iโve scribbled a word or two about my best bits of Turkey and Iโve even won writing competitions with my musings. So to cure me of my melancholy, Liam suggested I put them all together. So thatโs what Iโve done. And very cathartic it was too. Iโve called it Postcards from the Ege, Jack Scottโs Turkey Trail.
Hereโs the blurb:
With such an immense political and cultural heritage, itโs no surprise kaleidoscopic Turkey is such a feast โ a prime cut of authenticity, seasoned by the West and spiced by the East. Jack Scott knows a thing or two about the country. He lived there for years and travelled widely โ to Istanbul and along its south-western shores from Izmir to Alanya. In Postcards from the Ege, Scott shares some of his must-sees and personal highlights. Follow Scottโs trail. Come to Turkey.
The e-book has just been published on Kindle by Springtime Books. It’s a steal at a couple of quid and if it encourages people to sample the extraordinary land we used to call home then thatโs all to the good.
Tรผrkiye’ye Hoลgeldiniz!
Perking the Pansies 
Jack, how proud am I? A perfect little ‘best-bits’. Can we go back to Turkey now??
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I’m sorely tempted ๐
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. . lean days for the tourism industry doesn’t begin to explain the situation. With five star hotels offering all-in for less than a hundred lira a day and kids under 15 free you can read the desperation in every line of their blurb. Just by the way, up here in the mountains, we are paying 2.5 lira per kilo for prime strawberries – what a bloody rip-off!
Good luck with the new publication – let’s hope it does these nice folks some good.
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The trouble with all-inclusives are they do so little for the local economy, though I understand why it appeals. Shame about the strawberries. Still cheaper than here. I hope this makes you feel a bit better!
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these are Turkish owned hotels sending sms to everyone they can find. Actually we couldn’t feel much better than we do, but thanks for the kind thought ๐
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Just bought it.
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That’s brilliant. Thank you!
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Good for you, Jack! Great idea!
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Thank you ๐
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Congrats Jack! Sure to be a hit. An unrelated, writerโs question: do you have to get–is clearance the word–to use the title? Will Carrie Fisher track you down and slap you with a noodle for using her title?
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A good question. I’m fairly sure you can’t copyright a title otherwise we couldn’t quote any title – plays, films, songs and such like. And my title is Ege not Edge – Ege being Turkish for the Aegean and pronounced with a hard G (so doesn’t work as a play on words when read out loud!)
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Thanks Jack. That makes sense. Love the play on words. ๐
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We’ll get you back one day.
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One day ๐
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