Perhaps you have a general interest in Turkey and are looking for blogs to check out. One option is to go to Twitter and enter a search term like “Cappadocia”. You will get tens of Tweets each day with links to blog posts from people who are currently visiting Cappadocia. The same can be done for Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, and so on.
Photo courtesy of photos.com - hamri mohammed samir
However, after a few days these blogs will move on to other topics that have nothing to do with Turkey. Thus, if you have a deeper interest in Turkey, you will not want to subscribe to these blogs. Plus, they are all pretty similar and require a little bit of work to find. Don’t get me wrong, I think these blog posts have value, but here I want to point you to dedicated Turkey blogs. For now I am going to focus on English language blogs. Below are the blogs I follow (in random order) and can recommend. All of them are written by foreigners living in different parts of Turkey. From these you can do some searching and most likely (see their blogrolls) find every dedicated Turkey blog available.
The format for this post is as follows: I give the title (click on it to open the blog in a new tab) followed by a little description and my impression of the blog. Lastly I include a quote from the About page if the blog has one.
This is a very professional looking blog that lives up to its name. Natalie travels all over and writes about it. Her posts include great photos as well.
She posts around 2 times per week give or take.
The About page is long so I copied a few paragraphs here: “Nine years ago, I left the UK to live a life abroad. I didn’t know where I was going to settle down but my travels bought me to Turkey where I am now permanently based.
I instantly fell in the love with this country, its history, its culture and people. My aim in life is to explore the whole of Turkey and document my travels on this blog.
This is going to take me years to accomplish as Turkey is a big country with a population of over 70 million people. So many places to go and so many people to meet.
I hope that over the years, you will enjoy my tales and continue to be an avid reader of my blog. I love to hear from people who have visited Turkey and their lasting impressions of the country, so feel free to contact me or comment on any of my blog posts.”
2. Turkey’s For Life
This is a very focused blog- on Fethiye, a city in the southwest of Turkey. The couple who write the blog include books and a hotel reservation service as well as recipes and other vignettes into their life in Turkey. They seem to post at least 4-5 times per week.
Again, the About page is long so I just took out a blurb on the blog. “Our blog, Turkey’s For Life, tries to focus on all of the many positive and great things about Fethiye and other parts of Turkey. The area around Fethiye itself could take years to explore – and then there are all of the other fantastic places in Turkey like Istanbul, Cappodocia, the Black Sea – really too many to mention. We haven’t even touched the surface ofTurkey yet!
You’ll find lots of recommendation for places to see in Fethiye, places to eat and drink and things to do around this area and other parts of Turkey on our blog. All of this is very subjective – everything you see on Turkey’s For Life is just an indication of the way we like to spend our days – so there’s no guarantee that what we like is going to be liked by everyone. We’ve heard very few people complain about the places we mention though!”
Jennifer Hattam writes about her life in Turkey including her travels and random experiences living in Istanbul.
She posts about one time per week.
Benim hakkimda [Translation: About me]: “San Francisco girl living in Istanbul.”
When Joy is not traveling she is writing about food, mainly her creations in Turkey. She makes beautiful dishes using ingredients she finds in Turkey. This is a good one for all foodies.
She posts 4-5 times per week.
About Me: “From the vast Midwest cornfields to the big cities on the East Coast, now I find myself living in the historical, cosmopolitan Istanbul. I cook, eat, travel and write about my adventures here. I hope to eat my way across my new country and share the stories with you. Afiyet Olsun!”
5. The Earth Laughs in Flowers
Mackenzie writes about her life in Turkey as well as current events around the country. She seems to cover all the key events and holidays.
I am not sure how often she posts.
From the About page: “Recently Married in 2009 I moved from my home in Scotland to my new home in Turkey where I live with my Husband. Since moving to Turkey I have become a full time housewife where I am starting to learn the art of being a housewife and learning the ways of Turkish life and the language…
… my blog [is] to pass on the information and things I learn throughout my day and tell you about the tips and advice in hope that they may help you.”
Jake writes about life in Adana. He includes recipes as well as events and guides for visitors. He has a nice video introducing himself and the blog.
He posts 2-3 times a week on average.
From the About page: “My Goal with Adana Adventures is to be the Number 1 English language source for information about Adana. My tagline is “Helping you to make the most of your time in Adana”. Whether you’re coming through for a weekend, or relocating indefinitely, I hope that Adana Adventures will help you to experience more of this wonderful city than you would have otherwise and to walk away having enjoyed yourself.”
Terry, a lawyer from Philadelphia, writes about her life in Ankara. If you are interested in Turkey’s capital or are moving to Ankara, this is definitely a blog to check out.
From the About page: “I am a Philly Girl at heart, by way of West Chester, PA. My dream is to see the world by living in it. I want to bring the world closer by sharing my experiences of life, love, religion, food, music, and everything that makes us one… Recently, I married my Turkish beau. I quit my day job as a lawyer and moved to Ankara, Turkey! I am currently unemployed and don’t speak the language.”
Alan and J have lived in the village of Okçular for over 15 years and write about their life. They have done some great things to help the region through their Book Project. I highly encourage you to check it out and buy a copy.
From the About page: “This blog will traverse time and bend reality, just like the Tardis, from present day happenings to past adventures where memories have dimmed somewhat and frequent re-telling of tales has led to exaggerated new realities. But then, what the hell – a good yarn is a good yarn! Our life in Turkey has been full of interest and J and I don’t have a single regret about coming to live here – even when in the depths of some bureaucratic black hole (as we occasionally are) we have conjured up memories that have lifted our spirits; good, positive reasons why we love it here. Every morning we look out of our bedroom window and say to each other ‘Oh no! Not another beautiful day in Turkey!’”
Bilfredo’s tagline is “An Englishman’s guide to Turkish culture” He does not have an about page so nothing there, but this is truly a unique blog. You will have trouble finding anything like it anywhere else.
If you are moving to Turkey, this is a good site to check out. They are focused on real estate (connected to a company but no obligation comes with their advice) but give helpful advice on all aspects of living here.
From the About page: “This blog works together with a well known Turkey Property Company to write about issues facing people moving to Turkey. This blog will provide detailed information to make sure moving to Turkey becomes as easy as possible.”
This site does a great job of giving the latest news on happening for expats in Turkey. They also include regular interviews with expats living here. If you are looking for expats with whom to connect, check out this site.
From the About page: “Turkey Expat Forum is dedicated for Expats in Turkey who are looking for the latest expat news in Turkey and looking to talk and meet other expats in Turkey.”
Blogroll:
Besides the eleven blogs above on Turkey, I have listed below the other blogs I follow when I make time to read:
Blogging:
Problogger
Daily Blog Tips
Tentblogger
Marketing:
Seth Godin’s Blog
Politics/Spirituality:
Russel and Duenes
David Warren
Photography:
Digital Photography School
Travel:
Offbeat Travel
TravelBlog
Passportchop
Gadling
Nomadic Matt’s Travel Blog
Everything Everywhere
BootsnAll
Almost Fearless
Language Learning
The Everyday Language Learner – If you want to learn a language, this is a good place to start.
She posts around 2 times per week give or take.
I instantly fell in the love with this country, its history, its culture and people. My aim in life is to explore the whole of Turkey and document my travels on this blog.
This is going to take me years to accomplish as Turkey is a big country with a population of over 70 million people. So many places to go and so many people to meet.
I hope that over the years, you will enjoy my tales and continue to be an avid reader of my blog. I love to hear from people who have visited Turkey and their lasting impressions of the country, so feel free to contact me or comment on any of my blog posts.”
This is a very focused blog- on Fethiye, a city in the southwest of Turkey. The couple who write the blog include books and a hotel reservation service as well as recipes and other vignettes into their life in Turkey. They seem to post at least 4-5 times per week.
She posts about one time per week.
She posts 4-5 times per week.
I am not sure how often she posts.
He posts 2-3 times a week on average.
Besides the eleven blogs above on Turkey, I have listed below the other blogs I follow when I make time to read:
Problogger
Daily Blog Tips
Tentblogger
Seth Godin’s Blog
Russel and Duenes
David Warren
Digital Photography School
Offbeat Travel
TravelBlog
Passportchop
Gadling
Nomadic Matt’s Travel Blog
Everything Everywhere
BootsnAll
Almost Fearless
The Everyday Language Learner – If you want to learn a language, this is a good place to start.
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