Turkey Favorites with Special Guest Lale Surmen Aran

Enjoy Rick's live Monday Night Travel party with this video recorded on October 11, 2021. Experience the fun, conviviality, intimacy, and spontaneity of joining Rick in his living room as he shares his personal, inspirational, and sometimes hilarious behind-the-scenes commentary.

Turkey — with one foot in Europe and the other in Asia — is one of Rick's favorite destinations. He's joined by co-host (and Istanbul guidebook co-author) Lale Surmen Aran for a virtual tour of Turkish delights. In Istanbul, peeling back the layers of a fascinating city, we visit Topkapı Palace, drop in on a prayer leader singing in a minaret, and suck on a hookah. Then we head deeper into Turkey: its urban capital, Ankara (with Ataturk's grandiose mausoleum); the ancient Roman ruins of Aphrodisias; and the unshaven eastern Turkish village of Güzelyurt, where Rick plays backgammon and befriends an imam. On the menu tonight is a meze plate from local Seattle restaurant Café Turko. Why not support a local business, get your own Turkish takeout, and join the fun?