I love the Today Shows "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?"  I just love seeing the world.  I was very excited to see he was in Istanbul Turkey this morning.  It used to be the best kept secret, but no longer.  Besides the Today Show being there, Newsweek magazine recently labeled it "The Most Fun City" to visit.  Not only is it fun, it is beautiful and if you love history, it is full of history.  It is the oldest city on Earth and was the site of many Empires.

Everyone always talks about the ruins of Greece...no disrespect, but the ruins and mosques in Turkey blow Greece away.  What a beautiful country.   I dated a girl in high school and my first few years in college that was from Turkey and her parents, both professors, spent the entire summer visiting family in Turkey.  I was asked to go and it was the best trip of my life...I still thank my parents for paying for the trip.  I was gone for 10 weeks and saw everything.  We spent a few weeks in Istanbul visiting her aunt and uncle.  We never stayed in a hotel, always in her families homes and I was able to see how they lived and I really got to enjoy the culture.

I love New York City and have been there numerous times visiting my father in law who just recently retired to Florida, but New York does not compare to Istanbul.  Istanbul has 15 million people, double New York, and it is the youngest city in the world.  Nearly 60% of the citizens city is less than 30 years old.  It is young and thriving.  At the same time, it is filled with history and unbelievable buildings.  A few of the palaces are uninsured because no insurance company can afford them.  They are massive and filled with treasures.

The bridges over the Bosporus River look like San Francisco.  In fact, many locals call Istanbul the San Francisco of the Middle East.  All I am trying to say here is that if you ever get the chance to go, don't say "Turkey, why Turkey?"  Go!  You will love it.