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November 2011

November 10, 2011

Princes' Island

Princes' Island: a lovely day trip by boat from Istanbul. It was a little over an hour ride. Plenty of time for napping, photography, knitting, reading, listening to audio books, and my favorite activity: Find the Loo. There was only one, which would have been less of an issue if it had taken less time to find it. But you can see, all's well that ends well.

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During the summer months the Princes’ Islands are popular destinations for day trips from Istanbul. As there is no traffic on the Islands, the only transport being horse and cart, they are incredibly peaceful compared with the city of Istanbul. They are just a short ferry ride from Istanbul, In spring and autumn the islands are quieter and more pleasant, although the sea can be rough in spring, autumn and winter, and the islands are sometimes cut off from the outside world when the ferry services are cancelled due to storms and high waves. During winter, with the addition of the biting cold and the strong winds and the resulting ferry cancellations, the islands become almost deserted.

Our timing was good, as winter hadn't shown up yet. The day was overcast, but not terribly cold. The general plan was to ride the ferry out, tour around the island via horse and buggy, have some lunch, and strike off back to Istanbul.

The thinking on the horse and buggy was that Hope and I would go. Tom has a serious horse allergy, and generally disdains anything that has to do with horses, including, going to circuses because they genuinely make him sick. Hope, on the other hand, has expressed a serious interest in the horses and carriages that drive past our apartment. Unfortunately for her (and perhaps for me, because on a nice day, I would certainly enjoy it, too) the cost is rather *ahem* high. Something like 40 Euro for 20 minutes. Translation: $2.75US per minute. Traipsing around the island would take 40 minutes and would cost 60Turkish lira. Translation: a lot less.

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At the last second though, as Hope and I were getting in the buggy, Jeff threw out the idea that he and Tom should join us. There isn't much of anything else to do on the island, so if they were going to have to hang out waiting for us for 40 minutes, shouldn't they just come along?

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Knowing how allergic the child is to all things livestock, I thought this was a bad idea, but caught up in the moment, thinking about having the menfolk hang out in the cold, that we would be out of doors in the buggy, that surely, surely he wouldn't have a severe allergic reaction in this situation, I said, "Sure! Hop in!" Whereupon on I hopped out and took a photo. If a buggy ride happens on an island and nobody photographs it, did it really happen? 

The island is a odd mix of serious money and beautiful buildings, and places that have seen better days. It was quite peaceful after the raucous crowds and relentless traffic of Istanbul.

 

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Busy Main Street. Two way horse drawn traffic.

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The horses were as one might expect on an island in Turkey. Not exactly the same caliber of beast one sees in Vienna. But clearly serviceable, for the most part clean and in reasonable weight, all wearing shoes appropriate for their jobs.

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The child, however. Remember the one allergic to horses? He is currently writing a letter to the editor of Bad Parent Weekly. A newspaper that according to my children features me prominently.

Yes, I knew better. And I am sorry. Poor kid.

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And so we rode around the island. Hope loved it. Although we were all glad it ended because by then, Tom was threatening to hack up a lung. Luckily, he hasn't had any asthmatic symptoms, but, really, I must remember to bring allergy medication along for these sorts of things.

We walked around Princes' Island for a bit, and look! They really are ubiquitous, aren't they? 

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We settled for some Turkish tea and a hearty lunch at a seaside restaurant. And headed back to Istanbul.

 

 

 

 

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November 09, 2011

Istiklal Street

Istiklal Street: (English: Independence Avenue) is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends (traveler planners, English translation: crowded! We were in Istanbul at the end of October, which is not exactly the peak of tourist season, and it was packed). It is an elegant pedestrian street, within easy walking distance of the Galata Tower. The street is approximately three kilometers long, which houses exquisite boutiques, music stores, bookstores, art galleries, cinemas, theaters, libraries, cafés, pubs, night clubs with live music, historical patisseries, chocolateries and restaurants.

Hmmmm. This is what I saw. I am so jaded. The children were asking me the other day when the last time I had been inside a Starbucks; they like to point them out to me, but they have never actually seen me inside one. And, Monica, I believe it would have been with you, way back in Nanjing. We didn't have on where we lived in the Czech Republic, and now, well, would you chose Starbucks if you could have coffee anywhere in Vienna? (Cousin Jim gives a loud WOOT! and waves his approval.)

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But I digress. The street is meant to be quite charming, with a twee little antique tram that runs back and forth all night, hauling tourists from one end to the other.

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The street is lit up, and beautiful, with chestnuts roasting on an open fire, which smell so unbelievably good, although I have never actually tried to consume one.

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And the children danced back and forth across the street, hopping from gelato shop to gelato shop hoping to wear us down.

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My children have titled this particular photo: SNAGGED. Lovely children I have.

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And then, I broke one of the cardinal rules of traveling in Asia. Well, wait, Turkey's isn't really Asia. It's Asia Lite, right? But one of the cardinal rules is that one should never order western food in an eastern country. I mean, if you order spaghetti in Phnom Phen, you will quickly realize you are not in Italy.

But this ... a burger joint. That smelled really, really good...

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Jeff wasn't feeling well one evening (for the gluten intolerant, every bite in a country where you can't speak the language is a potential minefield), and I could just smell those fragrant burgers grilling ... So, I broke the rule.

And it was good. Really, really good.

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Maybe there are some things I miss about my home country.

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November 08, 2011

Republic Day, Turkey

I'm going to start this post with a gorgeous photo: this is the Maiden's Tower.The tower was first built in 408 BCE (Before Current Era, or, the Period Previously Known as Before Christ, But Now Known as Before Current Era, which is to say, A Really Long Time Ago), to control the movements of Persian (ah! Persia! Not Called Persia any more! Now called Iran) ships in the Bosphorus (still called the Bosphorus! Although, I have been using an alternative spelling: Bosporus, which is how my spell check would prefer I spell it. Neither seems to be more or less correct). Back in the Pre-Christ - or, I mean, Pre-Current Era period, the tower was set between the two cities of Byzantion and Chrysopholis. Which, of course, eventually became Constantinople. Which, we now know as Istanbul. Is that all clear?

Really, all I wanted to do was show you this pretty picture before I got into a discussion of Republic Day, but it seems I am in over my head.

The tower, used as a lighthouse for centuries, has been transformed into a popular café and restaurant, with an excellent view of the former Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman capital.    <--Istanbul! 

No, we did not go. Don't you know that "popular" really means "expensive?"

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Anyway, if you want to know why this tower that has seemingly been there forever, is called the Maiden's tower, I can pass along one legend. Apparently, there was a sultan, who had a lovely daughter. One day, an oracle prophesied that she would die of a poisonous snake bite on her 18th birthday. The sultan, in an effort to protect his daughter's, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus. The princess was placed in the tower, where she was visited only by her father.

On the 18th birthday of the princess, the sultan brought her a basket of gorgeous fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket, however, an asp that had been hiding among the fruit bit the young princess and she died in her father's arms, just as the oracle had predicted. Thus, Maiden's Tower.

Sound like a Disney movie waiting to be made? Except for the part where she actually dies, and there aren't any talking mice, either, but I am sure the Disney folk can work those bits out.

But, Republic Day. Did you come here to learn about Republic Day in Turkey? If so, you have been sorely disappointed, and, frankly, I warn you it is not going to get much better.

Flags were everywhere. Almost as prevalent as the Blue Evil Eye charms. Almost.

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Because, what really interested me about Republic Day in Turkey, was that we had just celebrated National Day in Austria. So, I thought, what gives? Does every country have a National Day or Republic day?

 

Turkey! I love the bright red flags.

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Coming from the US, I am aware of Independence Day (aka, July 4th).

And I was aware of National Day in China (October 1st, and celebrates the day the People's Republic of China was founded, which you may or may not find ironic, depending on whether you believe the wiki definition of "republic" which has something to do with "government by the people" as opposed to "government that will run people over with tanks if they are not careful").

And I know that the Czech's celebrate just about monthly: (1) January 1st, the restoration of the independent Czech state, created in 1993 after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia (2) May 8th, Liberation Day, the end of the European involvement in WWII and (3) October 28th Independent Czechoslovak State Day, the Creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918.

And I had recently learned about Austrian National Day; they close all of the shops.

So, I wondered, does every country have a Republic/National Day?

And, in what I realized was a blinding glimpse of the obvious, because, hello, most countries start somewhere, and why would you not celebrate that moment, indeed, yes, most countries do.

Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics, and  National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country.

When in Rome. Or in this case, Istanbul. 

 

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 And, for your viewing pleasure, here they are, in alphabetical order. The countries that celebrate Republic/National Day:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

   

H

I

J

K

  • Kazakhstan 25 October (Republic Day, declared sovereign republic within the USSR 1990)
  • Kenya 12 December (Independence Day, from the United Kingdom 1963; Republic Day, (Jamhuri Day), 1964)
  • Kiribati 12 July (Independence from the United Kingdom in 1979)
  • North Korea 9 September (declaration of a democratic people's republic 1948)
  • South Korea 15 August (both the liberation from Japanese rule 1945 (Gwangbokjeol) and the declaration of the South Korean state 1948) and 3 October (Gaecheonjeol, the ancient Korea founded in 2333 BC)
  • Kurdistan 21 March (Nawroz, Kurdish New Year celebrated on the spring equinox)
  • Kuwait 25 February (National Day) (26 February is Liberation Day, from Iraq 1991)
  • Kyrgyzstan 31 August (Independence Day, declaration of independence from the USSR in 1991)
  • Kosovo 17 February (see 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence)

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

  • Vanuatu 30 July (Independence Day, from the United Kingdom and France 1980)
  • Vatican City 24 April (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope 2005)
  • Venezuela 5 July (Independence Day, declaration of independence from Spain 1811)
  • Vietnam 2 September (National Day, declaration of independence from France and Japan 1945)

W

Y

Z

  • Zambia 24 October (Independence Day, declaration of independence from the United Kingdom 1964)
  • Zimbabwe 18 April (Independence Day, declaration of independence from the United Kingdom 1980; it had previously declared independence as Rhodesia in 1965.

Impressive list. I haven't counted, but I would guess it covers most of the countries of the world. So, just think. You could spend a life-time traveling from country to country celebrating National Day. Of course, you might run into trouble. I find the stores tend to be closed and foraging for food can be difficult. But if you decide to go for it, let me know how it goes. I have a Turkish Flag you can borrow for October 29th.

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November 07, 2011

Istanbul: of Cafes and Narglia

Tea drinking is a national sport in Turkey.Small cups of tea are served in short thin glasses served with sugar cubes. But never, ever milk.

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Enjoyed by all ages at all times of the day, tea drinking weaves into the social fabric of Turkey's national pride. And is often enjoyed with a game of chess.

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There are many cafes that are for men only, but this one caters to tourists on the edge of the Grand Bazaar, so we all enjoyed a cup of tea and some chess.

And a hand warming at the brazier. It wasn't terribly chilly while we were in Istanbul, but the sun did not shine all the time, and it was a bit damp, so hand warming with a cup of tea was rather nice.

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Now, Nargaile. Are you wondering what that is? A word you might recognize is "hooka." The nargile (NAHR-gee-leh), or Turkish water pipe, is an old way of smoking Turkish tobacco. Sometimes called a hookah or hubble-bubble by English speakers, the nargile was very popular during the Ottoman Empire from the 17th to the 19th centuries, but saw a fall-off in demand in the Turkish Republic as tobacco-lovers switched to cigarettes. After World War II, it was mostly old men who smoked nargiles.

In the late 1990s a revived interest in all things Ottoman revived the nargile as well, and now it seems that younger men—and even some women—are enjoying its calming vapors.

These women were enjoying an afternoon of public tobacco smoking. And tea drinking. But that really goes without saying. 

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A hookah is also known as a water pipe: the smoke is cooled by water.  The nargile consists of a glass bottle into which a metal pipe device is placed. The bottle is half filled with water, and a long flexible hose is attached to the pipe. Atop the pipe are a small metal tray to catch cinders and above it a small cup-shaped bowl  to hold the tobacco. Cool-dude modern smokers sometimes drop a glow-stick into the bowl when smoking at night, to give a soft mellow light to the bubbling water.

A specially-formed plug of tobacco is placed in the opening, and a glowing coal is placed atop the tobacco, igniting it. (The coal is of a special type chosen for its long-smouldering life.) The smoker attaches a mouthpiece to the flexible hose, sucks on it, and draws tobacco smoke down through the pipe device, through the cooling water, along the flexible hose and into the mouth.

The tobaccos used are often a special dark, strong, very high-nicotine tobacco grown near Antakya and Konya. Don't puff strongly as on a cigarette. Rather, suck the smoke gently and don't inhale deeply. The sucking should generate pleasant bubbling sounds in the water, which is part of the fun.

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Oh, the fun, fun, fun of blossoming nicotine addiction. Ah, well, it was interesting to see.

Hope won the chess game, if you were interested, although she had some help from her dad. None from me. They can both beat me. Which is not to say that they are great chess masters, but rather that I play a singularly lackadaisical game of chess.

 

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November 05, 2011

The Evil Eye

The evil eye is a look that is believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike.

To ward off the evil eye, one must carry a nazar (Turkish: nazar boncuğu or nazarlık).

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These disks or balls consisting of concentric blue and white circles representing an evil eye are used as a talisman and are most frequently seen in Turkey.

They are everywhere in (the touristy bits, anyway) Turkey.

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Doesn't this make you feel safer? Or, maybe, a little creeped out? I'm never sure which.

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Everywhere. We brought a couple home.

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 Well, maybe a few. Or a bunch? But who's counting?

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November 04, 2011

Istanbul: The Grand Bazzar

The Grand Bazaar is exceedingly grand. It is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops which attract between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily. We did not manage to cover all of the ground, but who could? And why would you want to?

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The grand bazaar began construction in 1455 and opened in 1461. It is well known for its jewellery, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like.

Today, the grand bazaar houses two mosques, two hamams (bath houses), four fountains, and multiple restaurants and cafes. The sprawling complex consists of 12 major buildings and has 22 doors.

The Beyazit Gate of the Grand Bazaar 

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The strategy of the vendors in the bazaar is to lure you in, because once inside, there is no escape. You have to pay someone to take you to an exit.  Ha! Kidding. But it sure felt that way.

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This covered bit also give you the appearance of being in one a shopping street out of doors. Only, no rain.

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Turkish Delight was everywhere, and Hope was happy to leverage her cuteness for free samples. This dude was from Morocco. Authentic Turkish Delight, sort of.

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The thing that attracts me, retail wise, in Turkey is the pottery. Oh, my. The colors, the designs, the history. The blues. It makes me weep, for the sheer gorgeousness of it. I knew I wanted to leave Turkey with a bowl or a plate, but how to decide which one?

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For Jeff, the olives were more compelling. It's not the sort of of souvenir one can look at and enjoy a decade from now, remembering fondly the days we spent wandering the streets of Istanbul, however, since my track record with fragile items is less than stellar, maybe he has the better idea. Ten years from now, odds are I'll be looking at shards.

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And here we are in the less touristy bit. This is where Turkish people shop. It reminded me so much of China. Being here reminds me of all the things I love about Asia: the smells, the food, the markets.

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However, while I generally don't mind a bit of a crowd, I would recommend for the future traveler, Republic Day is not the best time to go to the Bazaar. Maybe the day before, or the day after. But the day of? Busy, busy, busy.

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November 03, 2011

Istanbul: The Bosporus Tour

Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city (although, not the capital, which is Ankara), and its cultural and financial center. Located on both sides of the Bosporus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. Istanbul's population is estimated to be between 12 and 19 million people, making it also one of the largest in Europe and the world.

The key fact interesting nugget that all schoolboys that I know like to toss around is that the city is in both Europe and Asia. We were staying on the "European" side of Istanbul, specifically in the Galata Tower area, right in the corner of the Golden Horn and the Bosporus.

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Here's a view of the tower at sunset. There is nothing like having your apartment right next to an easy-to-spot landmark. At least, for me, this makes it more likely I'll manage to make my way home. The tower is located, not surprisingly, at the top of a steep hill, so we would scramble down like spry young goats in the morning and crawl wearily back up after a long day trekking about. But it really is a nice area. Touristy, and yet just dodgy enough to feel the tiniest bit edgy.

The Galata Tower, called Christea Turris (the Tower of Christ in Latin) and built by the Genoese in 1348, is a medieval stone tower in the Galata district of Istanbul. One of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and affords a panoramic vista of Old Istanbul and its environs.

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On our first morning in Istanbul, we wandered down to the Golden Horn, and walked along the waterway, looking for a map.

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We found, instead, a boat. And got on. A boat tour of the Bosporus had been high on the list of things to do, and since we were there, mapless and planless,  we decided to hop aboard and head up the river to see the sights. It was about a three hour trip (hour and a half up and back) with an English language guide voice pipped in through the boat to explain the sights we were seeing.

That's the tower in the background

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As expected, it was a fascinating trip, with a scintillating voice over giving clear and interesting information about the historic and cultural significance of the Bosporus. We all certainly enjoyed it.

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Seriously, it is a beautiful ride. The waterways are chock full of interesting craft and the river was lined wth Turkish flags in anticipation of the coming National Day (October 29th, if you are the sort to keep track of Other People's Holidays).

The Dolmabahce Mosque was commissioned by queen mother Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan in 1853; not terribly old. That's all Wiki has to say about it. And since I snoozed through the tour, you are SOL for more info on it.

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Random beauty shot demonstrating the plethora of Turkish flags.

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Attractive boat in the waterway. Look, I slept through it. It's not like I was (a) taking notes of (b) taking photos.

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The Süleymaniye Mosque  is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the city, and one of the best-known sights of Istanbul. This one was built in 1550, so old. At sunset. Rather pretty. Actually, all of Istanbul is beautiful. I am really in love with this city.

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And I'll finish the day with a shot of the Galata Tower at night. See? How could you not love this?

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November 02, 2011

Happy Austrian National Day

In commemoration of this day (which was technically way back on October 26th), the day on which the State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation when the  last WWII troops left Austria and the passage of the law on permanent neutrality, the Uniqa building lights up in the Austrian flag colors.

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There's a powerful lot of information in that first paragragh. I shall address thusly:  (1) The Austrian flag (2) Austrian National Day (3) The Uniqa building. 

(1) The Austrian flag looks like this. Someday my children will be stunned to discover how few national flags I can recognize at a glance. While they can identify something four continents worth of flags, I am lucky when I can remember that the Czech flag is red, white and blue. So, for those of you like me, the building does in fact resemble the Austrian flag.

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(2) Austrian National Day: as mentioned above, this day recognizes the day on which the last foreign troops left the Austrian territory at the close of World War II; therefore de facto the first day Austria was again an independent and sovereign country. Austrian celebrates in a very Austrian style:  so called "marches for fitness" are organized to raise awareness among the population about the benefits of exercise and fitness. I love this sporty nation.

(3) The Uniqa Building: we love this. And so does everyone who visits our apartment in the evening. Because this light show is on every single night and we can see it from our dining room table. Here are some details:

Prominently located in the 1st District, the Uniqa building stands at an impressive 20 floors and has been fitted with 45,000 Barco LED blocks covering a staggering 7,000sqm. The LED blocks, attached to profiles in between the window panes, bring the building to life and make it one of the most striking towers in Vienna...

Did I mention I can see this from my seat at dinner? Provided I sit on the same side as the map. It is a downside: you either get the Map or the Building. We don't have assigned seating, so it is luck of the draw which particular family member gets which view. But we all get something.

Here's a little more on the building:

The content for the LED is a specially designed video file written for Uniqa by Licht Kunst Licht. It emanates light from within, interprets the architecture, interacts with it, deconstructs it and reassembles it successively. It departs from the two dimensionality of a conventional laterally confined video screen by staging the architecture omnidirectionally. It integrates itself into the structure, connects the evasiveness of the images with the durability of the architecture, palpates the building envelope – silent and subtle, without beginning or end.

Tom will tell you that each "show" lasts a week, and there are three different "shows" that cycle. I'm not quite so sure, but I bow to his superior powers of observation. Tonight, the night of the Austrian Flag, was the first night to deviate from the pattern since we arrived.

Below, are a few examples of what we see. Come for dinner one night, it's really an amazing sight.

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November 01, 2011

It's All In Your Perspective

And here we have the upscale Lipizzaner shop. They don't sell Lipizzaners, but they sell chocolate, coffee, and more. The "and more" being tortes.

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Gluten free tortes! The Ying and Yang torte, the Lipizzaner, and the Pink Lipizzaner. These run 25Euro, if you are wondering what to get Jeff for his birthday. Although, frankly, I am not exactly sure a gluten free torte is exactly his speed.

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The larger size, on the right side of this photo, the "classic size torte," is 35Euro.

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One imagines that all of this somehow supports the Spanish horses in Vienna, although I am not absolutely clear on this point. The day I walked by and happened to have my camera the shop was closed for an Austrian National Holiday. Some other time, perhaps, I can gather more details.

What really caught my attention, though, I confess, is the trademarked slogan for this particular shop.

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I have spent way too much time in Mongolia to not twitch when I read this.

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