About Turkey
WELCOME to Turkey, a bridge between Europe and Asia, with an extremely rich cultural heritage. Perhaps no other land has witnessed so many diverse civilizations over the last 10.000 years. After the great Mesopotamians, the Hittite and Urartu kingdoms flourished, and in western Anatolia the Ionian and Roman civilizations predominated. Turkey is without doubt one of the world’s largest 'open air museums' with magnificent landscapes, natural beauty and numerous historical, archaeological and cultural sites.
Istanbul holds the honour of having been the capital of 2 huge empires in the past: first the Byzantine and then the Ottoman Empire. Anatolia itself became a crossroads of peoples, cultures and religions. Christianity, for example, thrived here, and the Islam was glorified by the Seljuk's and Ottomans.
A visit to Turkey should not only take in all the great sights and monuments, it should leave plenty of time for leisure and pleasure. Turkey offers immense resources in these areas: majestic mountains ideal for climbers, hikers and skiers, over 8000 km of coastline laced with picturesque bays and coves, lakes, year-round summer in some areas, yet plenty of snow in others, a solid and expanding tourism infrastructure, one of the world’s healthiest cuisines and extremely hospitable people.
So, to visit Turkey is to venture through time to a place where the mysticism of the east, meets the timeless treasures of nature and the power of the gods combine into a paradise that has to be experienced to be believed. Blue Cruise specialise in Gulet cruising and accommodations along the southern coast of Turkey providing holidays for those who wish to enjoy the stunning coastline, relax in the splendour of nature and history and savour excellent fresh cuisine. Gulets are ideal for couples, friends and families to share, or for groups who may wish to charter a whole boat on a sole occupancy. Our many years of personal experience and passion for boats and surrounding blue waters of Turkey has enabled us to select a skilled and knowledgeable team who are familiar with Gulets and life on deck from their creation in the Bodrum Shipyards to their maiden voyages on the sea to provide you with the best of Gulet Cruises in the waters off Turkey.
A trip to Turkey is an enchanting experience and an unforgettable adventure!
Tips for Travellers in Turkey
Turkish Baths are great fun and a visit to one of the ultimate Ottoman pleasures is a must for any holiday. To take full advantage of the the experience, make sure you go at the beginning of your stay so your skin leave it to the end of the holiday, your tan will be scrubbed away! If you're travelling around with hire car and intend to visit mosques, keep a 'mosque kit' in the car to avoid embarrasment. Before entering a mosque, the head, shoulders arms and legs of ladies should be fully covered; this can easily be accomplished with two large locally made shawls, which can also be used as beach wreaps, picnic table cloths or sofa throwes when you get home. One shawl tied sarong style over shorts will enable men to enter a mosque without giving offence (with a shirt, obviously!). Mosquito bites won't give you malaria. Buy an electric mossie repellent, and the tablets or liquid to go with it, as soon as you arrive, and turn it on before you go out in the evening. Use lots of repellent on any exposed skin, especially around sunset. If you've forgotten to bring any with you, the local brand is called "KOV" and is available at any chemist.
New Turkish Lira: The re-denomination of the Turkish Lira by dropping six digits, effective as of 1st of January 2005, heralds the beginning of a new era for the Turkish financial markets and economy. As of January 1st, 2005, the new monetary unit of Turkey will be the New Turkish Lira (YTL).The transition to New Turkish Lira will bring about many changes:
* The new monetary unit of the Republic of Turkey will be the New Turkish Lira (YTL in domestic, TRY in international markets). The New Turkish Lira will be further subdivided into the New Kuruş. One New Turkish Lira will be equal to 100 New Kuruş.
* Turkish Lira (TRL) values will be converted into New Turkish Lira by removing six zeroes; thus one million Turkish Lira (1.000.000 TRL) will be equal to one New Turkish Lira (1 TRY).
* Any reference made to Turkish Lira at legislative and administrative transactions, court decisions, legal transactions, negotiable instruments, documents that would produce legal effects and documents related to payment and exchange instruments will be considered to have been made to New Turkish Lira at the conversion rate specified above.
* Both new and old liras will be legal tender during 2005. At the end of 2005, the banknotes of Turkish Lira will be withdrawn from the market and the New Turkish Lira will be the only legal form of tender.
