The People

While we were in Turkey a loyal soccer fan gave Mieko a towel with the logo of his favorite team, Besiktas. She wore it while we were traveling and was very well received by the Turks, who were both surprised and happy that a Japanese would take an interest in their soccer team. We were walking along the street in a small town 500 miles east of Istanbul when the man on the right noticed the scarf and invited us into his shop for tea. His son brought out a copy of the morning newspaper showing the team's celebrations after their victory the previous day. There are not many people more friendly than the Turks.

The Many Faces of Turkey

Being at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, there are a lot of different faces in Turkey. These kids were on school excursion, visiting a mosque in southern Turkey.

Ouch

This proud man is attending his grandson's circumcision ceremony at a mosque in Istanbul.

Obama Fans

Barack Obama is very popular in Turkey, as well as throughout the world. When I ask these college kids what they thought of him, this was their reaction. If the election were held today in Turkey, Obama would win by a landslide.

And What Do You Think of George W. Bush?

You can't find a person in the country who will say anything good about the man.

The little kids are not shy.

Nostalgia

This is a reenactment of a performance by a military band of the Ottoman Era. I encountered them in a park in central Turkey.

Young Turks

The mother, in the background, ask me to take a picture of her children and send it to her. I hope she is happy with the results.

More Faces

I got this picture of a group of college students with their teacher who were posing for a group photo in an amphitheater at the ancient Roman city of Ephesus.

The Future

This little girl was being taken care of by her brother at a roadside stand in central Anatolia.