There’s turmoil in Turkey but the ongoing protests spreading beyond Istanbul’s Taksim Square weren’t obvious during the 500-plus kilometers that The Idiot MedTrekked during May.
That may change — indeed the protests in the park have already altered the socio-political complexion of contemporary Turkey — but here are some memorable MedTrek shots from the shores of the Aegean/Mediterranean Seas.
Turkish flags are omnipresent….
….from the seaside to mountaintops.
Markets are visually rich…
….women are working…
….bus stops are full and…
….monuments are still standing.
The coast is sometimes urban…
…often very rural…
…occasionally a military zone….
….but usually peopleless…
….except for an anchored boat.
Homeless dogs follow MedTrekkers,…
…sheep stroll by a thermal power plant near Akyaka…
….cows enjoy the sand…
….and MedTrekkers walk in water..
….before sunbathing and….
…ending it all with a Turkish bath.
Photos: Joel Stratte-McClure and Liz Chapin
About Joel
Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."