by Dennis | September 27, 2015 | Eat, Shop, and Stay, Nilüfer, See, Do, and Play
Tucked away in an unassuming residential neighborhood a few blocks from Nilüfer’s bustling Fatih Sultan Mehmet (F.S.M.) Boulevard lies the eclectic and lively oasis known as Podyum Park Bursa. Newly opened in 2015, Podyum Park is an open-air dining, shopping, and...
by Dennis | September 8, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Fall, Orhaneli, See, Do, and Play
Sadağı Canyon lies hidden in the rugged mountainous area of Bursa’s Orhaneli district high up on Uludağ. The canyon is one of Bursa’s natural gems, and an accessible, 1.8-kilometer trail follows the babbling mountain stream that runs through the serene canyon. The...
by Dennis | September 5, 2015 | Eat, Shop, and Stay, Inegol, See, Do, and Play
About 45 kilometers southeast of Bursa’s city center, near the provincial border, lies the town of Īnegöl. With a population of around a quarter million people, Īnegöl has two current-day claims to fame: it is Turkey’s furniture manufacturing hub, and it is famous for...
by Dennis | August 30, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Fall, Kestel, See, Do, and Play, Summer
Nestled on Uludağ’s mountainside a dozen kilometers above the town of Kestel lies the hidden little village of Saitabat (Güvercinlik). Surrounded by plane tree forests, fruit orchards, and honey farms, the village itself is a sleepy little burg consisting of not much...
by Dennis | July 24, 2015 | Osmangazi, See, Do, and Play, Summer
“What do you think, should we go to the horse farm tomorrow and ride horses?” I asked the kids as we tucked them into bed one Saturday night. “Yea!” was their collective response in excited, near-perfect unison. The next morning, we hopped out...
by Dennis | July 15, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Nilüfer, See, Do, and Play, Summer
Under the shade of sprawling plane trees on a warm summer afternoon, my family and I sat at a table in the cobblestone village square with our friend, Murat, who had graciously offered that day to take us for a drive through Bursa’s countryside. There in the square we...
by Dennis | July 9, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Osmangazi, See, Do, and Play, Summer
We rolled out of bed one summer day off with nothing really on our agenda. Our kids suggested we head for the local pool or the little indoor amusement park at the shopping mall, both good options. But while thinking about it over my morning cup of coffee, a better...
by Dennis | June 26, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, See, Do, and Play, Summer, Yildirim
It was a sweltering hot mid-summer day down in the valley. The kids were wasting their time lazily lounging on the sofa in the salon under the steady flow of artificially cooled air from the A/C. My wife and I were getting tired of being cooped up in the house. And we...
by Dennis | April 28, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Culture and History, Iznik, See, Do, and Play
Just about an hour’s drive east of Bursa’s city center, hugging the shore of a freshwater lake and surrounded by olive tree-blanketed hills, lies the little town of Īznik. At first glance, it seems hard to believe that this traditional Turkish farm town was at one...
by Dennis | March 23, 2015 | See, Do, and Play, Travel Tips and Visiting Info
In my opinion, Bursa deserves far more than one day of your time. You could spend days exploring the city’s nooks and alleys and digging into the rich culture and history of this area. But if you have no other choice, it is possible to visit many of the key...
