Travel, 50+, Turkey

Ah, Turkey, the cheaper Greece. Who hasn't been there? Flopping on the beaches, sipping no-no drinks at your hotel pool and being herded to see the nearby remains of some previous civilization and a natural wonder...

...and more recently, the hordes of Russian deserters and refugees who have made certain cities so packed by them it's difficult to find an actual Turkish citizen. Then, of course, they will find you. Whenever they need to hustle a mark, they will find you. A sigh of relief gusts through your lips and the cold sweat recedes. You realize, you did not accidentally land in a wrong country.

You should have known, though. The toilets at the airport... The ones with just a hole on the floor and somehow, every single time a semi-wrapped gift popping out like a middle finger from the underworld giving you the familiar stinky hello. The staff yelling and banging at the door as you try to survive the experience. Only in Turkey. (Probably.)

Reminders and hints are not so much needed, if you end up inland sans touristy sight. It's all locals in there, so much so that even the hustlers will hustle you in the local instead of the common broken English, German or a few other languages you will find where Europe pours the contents of the poor wallets each skin cancer season.

Despite trying both worlds, I have personally not found a Turkey that works for me. It's not bad per se, but wherever I have ended up, something has been off in the general atmosphere. Something less than obvious, but it is there. A mysterious uneasiness echoing on wavelengths that human senses do not fully grasp.

Weirdly enough, the same goes for food. I usually find something to enjoy and graze around for days, weeks or even months. Turkey... no. There are a couple of dishes that work once or twice, but somehow the local cuisine I have been able to locate in the restaurants has failed time after time. All the neighbors visited have had something nice, a pleasant surprise here and there. How is it possible that Turkey, that has indeed influenced the cuisines of the neighbors and farther away, can provide plate after plate of boring? Is this a recent times thing or am I just incompatible with Turkish things overall?

The Judgment:
I know a bunch of people who seem to enjoy Turkey and swear on it's Mediterranean supremacy. Some people even loved it so much they bought a house to retire in over yonder. Yet, the place has just never clicked with me. Wherever I have roamed, it has always been sort of a lukewarm experience. While I usually find something to either like or dislike in every place, Turkey has been just mediocre with a deep lack of anything rousing (translation to youth: mid.) So-so beaches, okay ruins, kinda okay chow, average time in places, semi-chaotic and demi-decadent surroundings. Even the weather has been gray and overcast most of the time. And yet, some people keep telling that "you just haven't found your Turkey, yet". Third time was not the charm. How many chances should I give a place?

Would I go again? Maybe. I will probably pop by on the way to somewhere else. The main question is: which places should I give a chance to?