Arising from our book Travels Abroad, is the Postcards from Abroad Series. Travels Abroad is essentially a chatty travel journal, crammed full of colour photos. But there were other lovely black-and-white photos from those trips, which didn’t fit into the format of that book. This gave rise to four companion books, including this one, Postcards From Turkey: A visual celebration, in black-and-white, of this ancient land of layered civilisations.

When Max and Sue Hoppe visited Bulgaria in 2009 and 2011, they were delighted to discover that the closest airport, to the village where their family lived, was Istanbul, just a three-hour drive away. Turkey had been high on their bucket lists for many years. They used these opportunities to do some exploring and immediately fell in love with this fascinating, friendly, exotic and cosmopolitan country.

Through these “postcards” you’ll:

• wander through ancient Sultanahmet, the old heart of Istanbul
• overlook the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus and the Golden Horn, bustling waterways
• wonder at the lovely Haggia Sofia and the Blue Mosque
• take a tram to historic Taksim and Galata, with its Medieval tower offering 360 degree views
• discover the hidden gem of the Basilica Cistern
• enjoy a variety of street food
• take an overnight bus to incredible Pammukkale, a hillside covered in white travertine
• Wander through the ancient Greek city, Hierapolis of Phrygia
• Swim in a hot-spring littered with ancient carved pillars
• Travel to Cappadocia, to explore incredible rock formations
• Stay in a hotel room which is an old cave, carved out of rock
• Explore underground cities and churches
• And the cherry on top, take a hot air balloon ride over ‘love valley.’

All this just scratches the surface of the treasures Turkey has to offer.

When Max and Sue Hoppe visited Bulgaria in 2009 and 2011, they were delighted to discover that the closest airport, to the village where their family lived, was Istanbul, just a three-hour drive away. Turkey had been high on their bucket lists for many years. They used these opportunities to do some exploring and immediately fell in love with this fascinating, friendly, exotic and cosmopolitan country.

Through these “postcards” you’ll:

• wander through ancient Sultanahmet, the old heart of Istanbul
• overlook the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus and the Golden Horn, bustling waterways
• wonder at the lovely Haggia Sofia and the Blue Mosque
• take a tram to historic Taksim and Galata, with its Medieval tower offering 360 degree views
• discover the hidden gem of the Basilica Cistern
• enjoy a variety of street food
• take an overnight bus to incredible Pammukkale, a hillside covered in white travertine
• Wander through the ancient Greek city, Hierapolis of Phrygia
• Swim in a hot-spring littered with ancient carved pillars
• Travel to Cappadocia, to explore incredible rock formations
• Stay in a hotel room which is an old cave, carved out of rock
• Explore underground cities and churches
• And the cherry on top, take a hot air balloon ride over ‘love valley.’

All this just scratches the surface of the treasures Turkey has to offer.

Max and Sue Hoppe are a couple from Port Elizabeth who are, well, let’s just say ‘past their prime.’ They love to travel and see the world, with open eyes and minds, and are taking every opportunity to explore some places that have been on their bucket-lists for ages, and some they would never have even thought of, until their kids moved there and they went to visit.

In Travels Abroad, we’ll look for hidden treasures in Turkey, Bulgaria, The Emirates and Jordan…

• Exploring iconic cosmopolitan and exotic Istanbul
• Strolling through an ancient Greek city and swimming in a hot spring with carved pillars which were
  destroyed in an earthquake, centuries ago.
• Wander down an exquisite white hillside covered in travertine
• Gape at the underground cave cities and fly in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia
• Spend some time in a little rural village in Southern Bulgaria, and visit Sozopol on the Black Sea
• Do a road-trip to the Balkans and back via Plovdiv
• Discover a fascinating side to Dubai which is way nicer than bling and designer shopping!
• Explore rugged mountains and ancient forts and mosques in Fujairah and Ras-al-Khaimah
• Gallop on Arabian horses through the desert at sunset
• Discover the delights of old Amman in Jordan
• Wander in awe through the ancient carved-rock city of Petra
• Spend a night in a Bedouin tent in Wadi Rum after exploring its natural beauty
• Float in the Dead Sea
• Discover more of the Emirates, especially Sharjah.
• Explore a haunted abandoned fishing village at sundown