Guest Post by Leigh Oshirak Schuberth
Meet Leigh Oshirak Schuberth
Leigh Oshirak Schuberth is an American who spent her childhood years living in Madrid, Spain with her family. A native of nowhere (her father was in the military) Leigh lived in six states before graduating high school. She resides in Marin County with her husband and son (when on breaks from college) and has a home in Sonoma Wine Country where she and her husband make Zinfandel and a Tuscan Blend of Olive Oil. She loves cooking, hiking, and spending time with her family and little dachshund Frankie. Her love of hiking has taken her to many places near and far including the summit of Mt. Whitney many times, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Everest Base Camp in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal and numerous week long hikes in the John Muir Wilderness in the Eastern Sierra of California. In July, Leigh will hike the Tour du Mont Blanc in Italy, France and Switzerland with her best girlfriends. She credits travel with being her best teacher and will complete her goal of traveling to all seven continents in February 2025 when she visits Antarctica. Leigh is recently happily retired from a 30+ year career as a Marketing Executive.
Leigh’s Favorite Place to Travel
Turkey!
Leigh’s Top Travel Tips and Hacks
Download and use the TripIt app – it’s been a game changer for Leigh and she loves it! It organizes all the information in one simple place (hotel, flight, rental car, etc. And if you do the paid version, you can add all other things like tours, dinners and more).
Believe or not, Leigh never EVER checks a bag – even on a 2 week Europe trip! Leigh always uses travel packing cubes and takes lots of mix and match clothing.
If you must check a bag – make sure you throw a business card inside, just in case. Once Leigh’s husband had his suitcase taken as plane was too full and the outside luggage tag got ripped off. He had no suit case for a 2.5 week trip to Sardinia and Sicily! They eventually laughed about it but it was a hard way to start a trip.
Q&A GUEST POST with Leigh Oshirak Schuberth: Turkey 🇹🇷
Q: Tell me why Turkey is such a great travel destination.
A: Turkey has incredible cities and coastlines that rival any of the European countries (Greece, Italy, Spain, France… you get the picture). It is also advantageous to Americans as they are not on the euro, instead they are on Turkish Lira and the dollar is currently very strong against the TL.
Turkey has it all, an incredible city in Istanbul that was settled originally as Constantinople in the 7th Century B.C. The location straddles both Europe and Asia making it the crossroads of the world for trade (one of the key ports) and the Bosphorus is a beautiful backdrop to this incredible city full of history. Istanbul very much reminds me of San Francisco, beautiful waterfront city with three suspension bridges that take you from the European side to the Asian side.
Q: How many days should you plan to visit Turkey to really experience the people, food and culture?
A: This is difficult to answer because it depends on what kind of traveler you are and how much time you can get away. But there is a lot to see. I’d suggest at least 10 days. Must see spots are Istanbul, Cappadocia, Bodrum, Cesme, Ephesus (ancient ruins). I’d consider spending 3 nights in Istanbul, 3 nights in Bodrum, and 4 nights aboard a traditional Turkish Gulet Blue cruising the coast visiting all the small villages and jumping into the sea frequently.
Must-see whilst there:
Istanbul
Dolmabace Palace (mind blowing decor, beautiful baccarat chandeliers (the largest one in the world), and gardens
Topkapi Palace
The Basilica Cisturn
Grand Bazaar
Spice Market
Sultanahmet (the general area near the mosques)
The Haig Sophia
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
A boat ride on the Bosphorus
Bodrum (the spot in the summer where all the Turks vacation, book early as it gets crowded!)
Visit the beaches and enjoy the fresh seafood
Cappodocia
The Balloon Festival (July annually)
Q: When is the best time of year to visit? What is the weather like then?
A: I’d suggest August and September. It’s very nice and sunny in the south (think beautiful beaches and lots of fab people) and August is more crowded so we prefer September.
Q: What should you not forget to pack when visiting Turkey?
A: An empty duffel bag or suitcase to bring home treasures. In Istanbul you have the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market and Turkey produces some of the best cotton products in the world – many of the top home furnishing companies source there as a result, turkish towels, incredible linens, rugs, beautiful ceramics, apple tea service sets, there is no limit to the things you can find and bring home. The shopping and finding is often more fun as their hospitality is second to none. If you stop into a rug shop in the bazaar you will be greeted with apple tea, then you can sit while they show you the rugs, tossing them ever so slightly so you can see how the pile of the carpet looks different in subtle ways. Even if you don’t buy anything it does not alter the experience.
Q: Tell me a bit about the people & culture of Turkey. Is English widely spoken? What is the main religion?
A: In my experience the people vary quite a bit based on education etc…. Turkey is a Muslim country led by an unpopular Erdogan. Most Turks that I know long for the leadership of Turkey’s Ataturk, the founder of Turkey’s Republic. The political situation is a bit complicaed at the moment. We have best friends who are Turks as are our neighbors in Glen Ellen. Like any country there are progressives and conservatives. Every day you hear the beautiful call to prayer and I must say it’s haunting in the most exquisite way, so much tradition and culture in the country and especially Istanbul and Ankara the capital. In my experience English is spoken to a certain extent, it is taught in school, but I have found that business people and doctors and lawyers are very proficient as any international business or travel will require fluent english. Our best friends are fluent but not perfect, then again who is?
Q: What is the best airport to fly in/out out of? Any specific airport tips?
A: The International airport is Ataturk (IST) and it is MASSIVE. They call it the crossroads of the world as you are a rocks throw from europe and asia and as such many of the international carriers make their connections in istanbul. For the beaches you would fly to Dalaman, Bodrum or Cesme. If you fly to Turkey consider Turkish Airlines, it is quite lovely and they have an airport lounge in Istanbul that rivals the Emirates lounge in Dubai. Several floors and multiple restaurants and a site to behold for a weary traveler.
Q: After arriving at the airport, is it best to take a taxi to your destination? Rent a car? Take public transportation? Do they have rideshare services (like Uber) in Turkey?
A: Upon arriving in Turkey you need to get your bearings and the first thing you need to do is get your VISA. that can be done at a machine BEFORE you get to customs, it’s simple you can use a credit card and once done you then get in line for passport control. I have never taken public transportation and have never rented a car. The traffic in Istanbul rivals some of the worst traffic I have ever experienced so we have always hired a driver, it’s very reasonable to hire a driver for 4 or 5 days and then you don’t have to deal with the traffic and the parking on your own. It’s a lot to adjust to and I personally wouldn’t want to drive. If you don’t wish to hire a driver, use a service like UBER which operates differently in Turkey. YOu can use it to request a ride but it will connect you with a taxi. In istanbul there are 2 ride share companies to use, BiTaksi and Uber. Both are fine.
Q: What are the best areas/cities/towns to stay in Turkey? What are your hotel recommendations?
A: Anywhere along the Bosphorus is lovely. Those tend to be the international hotels like the Mandarin, The Four Seasons, The Stay, The Shangri-La, etc… but other neighborhoods that are great to stay in are:
Ortakoy (near Bebek where all the beautiful mansions are on the shore, the most expensive real estate I have ever seen!)
Kadikoy
Beyoglu
Karakoy
Q: Is Turkey kid-friendly?
A: I think so, we’ve taken our son 3 times and we always find stuff to do. He LOVES the food!
Q: What are some must-do activities/unique experiences to do while in Turkey?
A: You must have a Turkish Breakfast – their hospitality is second to none, you have never seen a breakfast spread like you see at the nice hotels in Turkey!
You must experience the ritual of the Turkish Bath at the Hammam, it’s so lovely and unique.
You must go to the mosques and palaces to appreciate the culture and the opulence of the Ottoman Empire, you have not seen a gilded palace more opulent that Dolmabace palace.
You must try doner kebab, ayran (milky yogurt drink), and raki (a very strong liquor that is served everywhere!).
Q: What are some sites in Turkey that you absolutely shouldn’t miss?
A: The Cistern in Istanbul, The Haig Sophia, The Blue Mosque, and the Palaces.
Q: Where can you find the best shopping in Turkey? What area can you find unique, artisan goods and clothes?
A: The Nisantasi District is the top spot for the high end shopping in Turkey. Of course you can find amazing goods in and adjacent to the Grand Bazaar, lots of linens, cotton towels, fouta towels, robes and lots more.
Q: Let’s talk food! Tell me about the food scene in Turkey. What’s the typical cuisine? What are some must-eat dishes? What restaurants should not be missed?
A: The food is delicious, think very traditional mediterranean diet, delicious locally sourced olive oil, fish and seafood to die for, kebab such as the doner kebab, so much delicious food in Turkey. What they do with eggplant, chickpeas is amazing. Their traditional breakfast is tomato, cucumber, parsley, olives and while cheese (we call it feta, they call it white cheese) and so many pastries like borek that are to die for. And of course baklava and turkish delight and kunefe.
My favorite restaurants are:
Istanbul
Balikci Abdullah – incredible fish restaurant with beautiful views
Hosgeldiniz- Hamdi Restaurant – great kebabs
Kumkapi – food is okay but great for live music by the gypsies
Hunkar Lokantasi – very traditional Turkish home cooking
Ciya Kebab Lahmacun – good Lahmacun (a popular Turkish flat bread)
Bodrum
Q: What do people mainly drink in Turkey?
A: People drink ayran (a refreshing Turkish drink made from yogurt, salt, and water), coffee, and raki (strong liquor).
Q: Any additional recommendations or tips about traveling to Turkey that you’d like to share?
A: I’ve been everywhere, and Turkey is my favorite spot. Always something new to discover and it helps that we have best friends who live there and who are Turks. We always leave wanting more time in our beloved Turkiye!
