My husband, Tom, and I flew to Istanbul on Sept. 8, 2010, to join five other photo enthusiasts on a tour of Turkey. This was the fourth tour we had taken with Strabo International Tour Company (Dryden, NY), which limits each group to 12 travelers accompanied by a professional photographer and a local guide.
What we like about these tours is that they are flexible to take advantage of the light for photography and to capitalize on events that are not preplanned in the itinerary. While on this tour, we attended the opening of a new cultural center (a restored caravanserai) in Battalgazi, where school children sang, folk dancers performed, whirling dervishes whirled and local artists displayed their work. The people in our tour group were the only nonlocals in attendance, and we were greeted warmly and made to feel welcome.
JULIE CASSEN
Charlotte, NC