Our first stop in Turkey was a little fishing town called Dikili. It was not a tourist destination but a provisioning stop for the ship. We were the only non-commercial ship in the harbor and the town did not want tourists. A small group of us went in to the town seeking lunch. Four different restaurants turned us away apparently not wanting foreigners. We eventually went back to the ship for lunch. That was our first taste to Turkey – unhappy people, statues of dictators, paintings of soldiers and large dogs everywhere.
This guy said everything about Dikili.
We eventually ended up in a wonderful Turkish town called Bozacaada. We would go back and explore this quaint local tourist friendly town again. We had one of the best lunches with the nicest people. Not everyone in Turkey is unpleasant.
The ship sailed through the Dardanelles on the way to Istanbul. This is the narrowest section of navigable water in Turkey. At one point it was less than a quarter of a mile wide. Easily defendable. Castles on either side and an amazing bridge our ship barely passed underneath.
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