I have been in and out of Turkey now for 30 years. The number of tourists over that time has exploded and what was once a busy city with tourists is now a busy city almost overrun by tourists. From the Topkapi Palace, Harga Sofia, Blue Mosque in the Sultanahmet area to the sensory overload of Grand Bazaar in Fatih to the area around the Galata Tower and up to Beyoglu and the old tram. A boat ride over to Kadikoy in Asia finds a much more relaxed area. The magnificent Dolombahce Palace in on the waterfront Besiktas where Attaturk died is not as open as it once was with photography now not allowed inside. I was also fortunate to work out on the Euphrates River at Ilic, a 2 hour drive from Erzincan. During my trips to Ilic the Euphrates was dammed for water storage and power generation.