“It’s easy to get infatuated with a city that’s both old and new, religious and secular, European and Asian”, wrote Tatyana Leonov of the intoxicating city of Istanbul. Here, East meets West – the beginning and the end of the Silk Road. Centre of the once mighty Ottoman Empire. From the ancient port city of Ephesus (Efes) to the soaring Byzantine dome of Aya Sofya, Turkey has more than its fair share of world-famous ruins and monuments and it offers some of the most delicious food specialties, including the spicy Anatolian Kebabs, baklava for dessert and many more.