OK, as promised, here are the answers to the search questions[*]: The tile image for the page background is from Rüstem Paşa Mosque (click here and go to slide #3 to see the original). And the border pattern comes from the Cavaranserai. It is part of the carving on a wall (click here and look at the upper right of the small images to see the original). Did you find them?

Worries?

When I first started thinking about this trip, I had two questions I asked a friend who had just come back from Istanbul: (1) Will I feel safe walking around as a woman alone? and (2) Can I drink the water? She reassured me on both points, but here are my observations.

Traveler's Tip:
Women, take a scarf along. You'll need to wear it when entering a mosque (a hat doesn't work).
1. I felt safe as a woman traveling alone. I had no problems when I was apart from the group; however, we were never in any areas where I might expect a problem. Like any place, I am sure Turkey has its problem spots, but I didn't see them. And even though it is a country where many women go around covered, that wasn't expected of me (except when I went into a mosque, of course).

What I learned:
People have been drinking bottled (or jarred?) water for a very long time in Turkey. It is not a modern development.
2. During my time in Turkey, I drank bottled water, for the most part. During the first couple of days (before I met the tour), I did drink some tap water and I always used tap water for brushing my teeth. I had no problems. Mine did recommend using bottled water for everything, but since I had already been using tap water for my teeth the first couple of days, I continued with it. I was told (I don't remember who said it, but someone who seemed to know) that the problem many people have with the water in Turkey is due to its mineral content, not to bacteria. Bottled water is available everywhere. There are many vendors with carts on the streets of Istanbul. (Some people on the tour did have "tummy issues", so it's probably best to be safe.)

Practicalities

Traveler's Tip:
Wash out socks and underwear in the sink whenever you'll be in the same hotel two nights.

There were opportunities to do laundry on the trip. Two of the hotels offered to take clothes and wash them for us overnight (one charged by the load, the other by the piece). Very convenient.

Electric current and plugs are the same as in most of Europe - the two-prong plugs I got for Scandinavia worked just fine here. I'd recommend having two plug adaptors along. I often wanted to recharge both my camera and my iPod at the same time. (Neither one needed anything special other than the adaptor plug. The chargers were built to handle both kinds of current.)

ATMs are available in the cities, so it's easy to get cash. Stores accept both Turkish Lira and Euros, especially in Istanbul and Kuşadası. In fact, in the most touristy areas, prices are often displayed in Euros only.

Traveler's Tip:
Get an "e-visa" online ahead of time, to save time at the airport.

You need a visa to enter Turkey; it costs $20 and is easy to get at the airport (or online before you go). Also, no special vaccinations are currently required. (Note: this information is true as of 2013, and applies to U.S. citizens.)

If you are staying in Istanbul, your hotel can probably arrange transportation from the airport for you. My hotel quoted a cost in Euros and I paid it to the hotel when I arrived, not to the taxi driver. While I was waiting at the airport, I met a couple staying at the same hotel, so we split the cost. (There are people standing right outside the arrival gate holding signs with hotel names. They are actually the ones who arrange the taxis. The other couple was talking to the person holding the sign for my hotel.)

Weather and Dress

A quick note about weather: The climate is very much like southern California. On the whole, it was quite comfortable. One day was quite hot (Aphrodesias), one was very humid (Antalya), and it was a bit blustery on my first day in Athens. We got a bit of rain, but not much. Evenings got a bit cool, and the early morning balloon ride was a bit chilly. Other than that, the weather was very comfortable. (I was there in late September - early October.)

As for clothing, I traveled light. I find I take less for a three-week trip to Europe (or Turkey) than I do for a weekend away at home. It's amazing what you can do when you try (especially when you're traveling to a warm climate). A light (fleece) jacket was enough for cool evenings, and I had a folding umbrella along. Other than that, I just dressed for summer. (I also had one somewhat dressy blouse along "just in case" but I never really needed it.)

A final word

I was talking to a travel agent when I was trying to decide whether to go to Turkey or one of the other places on my "gotta see it" list. Her comment was: "Go to Turkey. It hasn't been discovered yet, but it soon will be." And even though you might not believe that when seeing the hoards of tourists from the cruise ships, she was right. Except in Istanbul and Ephesus, I was not overwhelmed with tourists. But many of the museums were closed for renovation, preparing for more tourists. And especially in Cappadocia, you could see that they are building things up, especially hotels. Now is definitely the time to go to Turkey.

And finally, I'd like to say what I tell everyone who asks my about my trip: "You have to go to Turkey!" It's a beautiful, fascinating, and friendly - an experience which was both a great vacation and an education.

Thanks for visiting! Güle güle!