Magical Musicians

Compelling. Evocative. Toe-tapping. Those are my lasting impressions from this afternoon. What was I doing, you wonder? I took advantage of some discount tickets and went to listen to the Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra that was on tour in Istanbul. It was a lovely concert. The sort that makes you forget about everything that has gone on before during that day . Music that places you in another world that has nothing to do with the one you normally inhabit. Music that has the power to take you away from everything is why music is such a part of our lives. I have to admit though, that it has been a long time since I’ve been that carried away by it. At times I felt as if their fingers were flying faster than my ears could even hear! And the dulcimer player was simply amazing - I couldn't even see the sticks they were moving so fast over his instrument. I highly recommend seizing the opportunity if you ever get a chance to see them. These musicians are also magicians, able to take you away for a brief hour or two. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Sadly no pictures, as cameras were confiscated and checked at the door. Although you can check out a youtube video of them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bma1WoR3Gd4

What?!?

Today when we arrived in Taksim square it became clear pretty clear that *something* was going on. The question was what? There was an tank right in front of where our bus stopped. Half of the lanes of traffic we blocked. There were more police buses then I had every seen before. As I continued to walk along I noticed police on top of building with their guns (we laughingly referred to it as the police fashion show), there were two to three times as many police out as would be normal for the typical Sunday protest, and the police were holding their guns in such a way that implied an eminent shooting. Despite all of this I never did see anything that warranted such a large show of force. There was rumor that there had been a bomb threat (turned out to be just that, a rumor) but things weren't blocked off that much. Turns out (at least as far as I can tell) that the opposition party to the ruling party had requested a protest, been turned down by the government, and claimed they would hold the protest anyways. The police show was to keep them from being able to do so. I have to say that if they had shown up, I'm pretty sure the police would have been fairly successful. They were stationed at the top of every side street, periodically along Istiklal, armed with gas and guns. It could have turned ugly. Thankfully it didn't. Just another peaceful day with a large show of force.

Running or Swimming?

This past weekend I completed my third 15k as part of the Istanbul Eurasia Marathon. It is something that I've done every year I've been in Istanbul partly because it is just really cool to be able to say that I have (1) run across the Bosphorus bridge and (2) run from the Asian continent to the European continent. I can't think of many places where you would have that opportunity. I have to admit though, that this year was a bit of a downer. I didn't even marvel and smile at the signs that say "you are now entering Europe/Asia." All because it was raining the entire run. And I don't mean a nice drizzle that just keeps you cool. No, we had so much rain that some of the stairs we passed looked like waterfalls, I splashed into numerous puddles that were ankle deep, and the whole view was greatly missed due to the heavy clouds and dark weather. So the best that I can say is that I finished the run this year with a slight improvement to my time (not as much as I had hoped, but that too I will blame on the weather). In the three years that I have run this race I've gone through snow, rain and sun. I hate to think what I could face if I do it again next year. Perhaps a wind storm strong enough to blow me off the bridge? As for this year, I am still deciding if I was really running or more like swimming.

*I do have to give kudos to the marathon organizers, who despite some of the normal nonsense did manage to give us dry t-shirts and cheap rain ponchos when we finished running. That is the only reason that I didn't freeze on my way back across to catch the bus back to my land of a hot shower.*

Beykoz

Saturday I got the chance to explore another area of Istanbul with one of my Turkish colleagues. Technically we said we were going to take photos, but instead we ended up spending more time sitting, talking, and enjoying the cooler region of Istanbul. Beykoz is pretty far up the Bosphorus - what seems more like a smaller town then a part of the big Istanbul city. It is apparently a region which draws many of the immigrants from the Black Sea region because of its cooler temperatures and extra greenery. The houses are in that style (according to M - I wouldn't really know) and the streets were a lot of fun to wander. However, I enjoyed sitting along the side of the Bosphorus in a city run cafe the most. It probably didn't hurt that it is the middle of Ramazan either, as it means there weren't nearly as many people out at the cafe mid-day.

Day 3 of my vacation

Day 1 found me at the archaeological museum. Day 2 I painted the labyrinth. Day 3 I met with a colleague and he took me to a couple of areas of Istanbul that I had never wandered around before. We both had our cameras and we just looked for some of those shots that beg to be taken. It was amusing to me that he was surprised I was able to keep up walking with him for 5 hours...especially when we took at least 3 sit down breaks for refreshments. Not that I'm complaining about that, but it would take a lot more than that to tire me out. It was so nice to have someone to explore with, especially one who actually speaks Turkish. It just opens up so many more opportunities. We could go places that I would hesitate to wander around on my own. My two favorite pictures I shot, are of course, of people...

Out in the Park

Bird in a Cage
Originally uploaded by paulmcdee

I was rather amused today as I was wondering around Yildiz park by something I saw. There were families out picnicking everywhere, and at one blanket I saw that a family had brought their pet bird out in the cage with them. Why not? I'm sure it enjoyed the fresh air. Just seems a bit odd, a little like taunting the poor thing...look this is what you *could* be out flying around in.

Of course it's not as odd as the woman I used to see in Savannah. She would load her large bird cage up in a wagon and take her birds for a walk...every day. Yes, Savannah definitely had a bird lady.

Yedikule

A short glimpse
Originally uploaded by ccarlstead

Yesterday I went off an adventure. But then that’s what I call it any time I try to take a bus to someplace new, I only end up at my desired destination about 50% of the time – hence the adventure. Luckily yesterday was one of those times. I took a bus to Yedikule, which is a fort from 1457 that is still in remarkable good shape. As I was riding the bus I kept pondering the name Yedikule…partly to make sure that I knew where I wanted to get off the bus, partly to see if I could pronounce it correctly…then it hit me. Yedi kule. Yedi means seven, kule tower. I was going to a fort with seven towers. It all makes sense. It is the only “inland” fort that I know of – although you can still see the Marmara Sea from the top of the ramparts. It is inland in the sense that it was built into a section of the formidable city walls that surrounded the ancient city of Byzantine. It was lovely! Not in the least because it was almost empty (I think I only saw maybe five people the entire time I was there – including the guardian). After trudging up a long and steep staircase on the side of the walls (with nothing to keep one from falling off the edge!) I was able to explore the ramparts and towers to my heart’s content. Climbing up into the towers I followed dark turning stairwells that would suddenly expel me onto the top of the tower (a flashlight would have been nice). The views were stunning – along the city walls one way, over the Marmara Sea and the waiting ships another, over an overgrown old cemetery, and over a city neighborhood. I felt on top of the world being able to see so many different aspects of Istanbul that I usually am only down among.

A different type of mall

Modern
Originally uploaded by ccarlstead

Friday evening found me heading over to the European side of the city with friends for an evening out. I didn’t have any idea where we were going, or what our plan was. I was just content to be along for the ride and get off campus. I didn’t expect the sight that greeted me when we got out of the car at Kanyon Mall. Think modern architecture meets the Jetsons. Picture a central, rounded, tall business park with a four story mall swirling around the bottom. All curved lines and openness. It was so modern it made everything I’ve seen in Texas look old and boring. You could tell we were in a ritzy part of town by the shops that were there (and the number of students that we saw flitting around relaxing after three days of exams) and just the general atmosphere. I was surprised to find this was one place in Turkey where when you enter a store a salesperson didn’t immediately attach themselves to you and follow you around (I’ve been working on convincing myself this occurs because they get paid a commission, not because they are concerned you will shop lift). Frankly with the increased price of things here (we were looking at dresses in the 2000ytl range) I was surprised that we were left alone. Perhaps because they figure very few people actually buy things here, and I’m sure they are much better at reading who those people would be. Even the movie theater was impressive. Large undulating walls with messages and movie times scrolling past, small screens showing ads and trailers in the bathroom, and by far the most spacious seating I have yet to experience in Turkey. When you throw in the lighted tree sculptures out front, the ice rink and even a fake river with light swans floating around it really felt like I was somewhere completely unknown. It is images like this that continue to befuddle me and make me question just how Turkey is developing. It’s hard to reconcile this level of development with the situation I know exists in smaller towns farther east. Istanbul continues to be a fascination mix of Europeans and Asian, developed and developing.

Military Museum?

Yesterday we decided to go to what I thought was a military museum in Istanbul. I thought it was something dad might find interesting and I'm working hard to include him in my plans for outings. The sign on the building as we passed it on the bus was mili saray depot muze. For some reason I thought this meant military, perhaps its proximity to the naval museum was what mislead me. If I'd thought about it I would have realized that saray means palace. Turns out that this was basically a museum which was a storehouse of many of the things that came out of the numerous palaces in Istanbul. Housed in the former kitchens of Dolmabahce Palace it was a place you could poke around in for about an hour. Which we did. Luckily dad found enough interesting random things (a 3-d picture maker, old telephones, some guns) along with the hoards of candle sticks and porcelain to keep him interested for a while. Its one of those random finds which just isn't quite what you were expecting.

A night on the Bosphorus

25 June 2007
Originally uploaded by ccarlstead

We had our end of year school party last night. Spent four hours on a boat going up and down the Bosphorus. Not that I noticed the scenery for most of the evening - only when we were going past the bridges (especially pretty when they began to light up with different colors once it got dark) and once we got past the area of the Bosphorus that I had previously travelled. D was nice enough to point out sites of interest and give us a bit of history. It's so nice to have someone who can double as a tour guide as a friend. She always makes sure she points out things that might be of interest to those of us who are still learning the city. It was a hot night, but as I flitted from group to group I forgot about the sticky weather and just enjoyed being outside and socializing. After dinner the music got cranked up and we started dancing like crazy. You should have seen some of the guards! Turks love to dance! And I have to admit that I think two years of dancing with them will teach me how to move my body better. The night unfortunately had to end on a sad note as I said good-bye to several friends who are off on their new adventures. They may be leaving but won't be forgotten (after all these are the people that will make great travel destinations for me in the future!)

Cross dressers

As I was wandering around Taksim today waiting for a friend I was meeting for lunch I ended up on a couple of streets I'd never ventured down before. About half way through my maze of walking back to Istiklal I passed a woman (?) wait, that's just a man dressed as a woman. As my mind registered that another cross dresser left a building to join her. Definitely a side of Istanbul I hadn't seen until today. I wonder where exactly I was....

Street Shopping

It always amazes me the sort of things you can buy on the street in this country. A (perhaps not so) short list of what I’ve seen people selling this weekend in Istanbul: electric keyboard, binoculars, cell phone charger, nuts, scarves, bookmarks, pins, shawls, cold water (thank god! It’s getting hot!), watches, children’s pajamas, shirts, fish sandwiches, prayer beads, socks, electronic toy robot, duckling (alive!), perfume, sunglasses, books, balloons, evil eye bracelets, purses, muscles (cooked), gum, tissues, tea, street food (that could be a whole separate list – perhaps some other time), shoes, toys, headbands, cell phone sim cards, lottery tickets, flowers, underwear, pens, alarm clocks, lighters, jewelry, wallets, skirts,…I could keep going but this gives you a good idea of the variety of objects that are available. With street vendors like these why do you need a shopping center? The only trick is finding a vendor that is actually selling what you are looking for (or else you can just discover you actually do need that pair of rainbow striped kneed high socks – OK so it’s not so good for impulse shoppers). It definitely makes walking down the street a lot more interesting.

Hans: Hidden Corners

Yesterday I made the very good decision to join an “Edda tour.” Edda is an elderly woman who runs walking tours around the Sultanhamet area of Istanbul. The great thing about these tours is that you’re not going to the normal sights. All of the big places that you have to hit when you’re here for the first time are easily done on your own. Accessible and obvious you don’t need a guide to find them. However there is a whole other world in the area which you can’t even begin to dream about without experiencing it. This was the real benefit of Edda.

Over the course of the day we were lead up stairs, through tiny doors which led to a large open courtyard enclosed by two or three stories of rooms…exactly what is meant by the word han. A han is basically a workshop/lodging area dating back to the Ottoman Empire. I had read about hans in several books about turkey but finally seeing several in person has made the concept much clearer to me. The general idea is that a han provides a way to keep all of the specialty workers in a close space so that a complete product can be produced by with each artisan doing his small specialty. Let me explain what we saw in one of the hans which dealt with jewelry. Up a small stairwell and through two doors we came out into a small room where a wave of heat hit us. Metal grates lined the floor (to collect any accidental loss of gold) and machines which looked more then a little confusing formed a line on either side. Here people would bring a small amount of gold to have it reformed – into a flat piece, lengthened into a long rope of gold…basic processing happened here. Next door we slipped up another set of stairs to find men working on setting stones for jewelry. As far as I can tell they were solely responsible for creating the brackets that hold a jewel in and affixing that stone. In yet another we were shown polishing methods…Each separate room we crowded into made me realize just how many different skills and different people work on completing just one piece of jewelry. It truly is a system of creating crafts by specialty work. Never again will I go through the bazaar without appreciating the level of craftsmanship in each hand made item.

The tour ended with an exceptional view out over the section of Sultanhamet which we had covered, from high up on the roof of the largest han in town. I could have sat there for hours just soaking in the bird’s eye view of the city. But it was time to go back down and wonder out into the world of Sultanhamet that is my more normal experience.

Riding the Ferry

The sun is starting to shine daily, and I’m down to just a light jacket when I go out for the day. How happy am I that it is finally spring? With the start of the warmer spring season I am also pleased to be able to enjoy one of my favorite parts of exploring the city: ferry rides. The ferry is, in my mind at least, the best form of public transportation there is in Istanbul. Not only do you get to avoid all of the traffic and get to your location faster, but you can soak up the sun while traveling. Bored? Throw the sea gulls a bit of your simit (basically like a large bread pretzel). Thirsty, there is sure to be a man walking by soon chanting “chai” or “Nescafe.” And don’t forget the sights. The best view of the Sultanahmet skyline is from the ferry from Kadikoy to Eminonu or Kerikoy. It always reminds me that I am in another country, as I sit and count the number of minarets I can see poking up from the buildings. Not interesting enough for the 20 minute ride? Start to people watch. I guarantee you that you’ll see something entertaining there. Whether it’s a group of Fenerbache football fans (say that three times fast) chanting or a cluster of small kids enjoying the ride the people watching on the ferry is fabulous. And with your sunglasses on (yet one more benefit of sitting in the sun) they can’t even tell if you’re staring at them. Yes, I’m happy spring is back and I can go back to fully enjoying the entire experience of riding the ferry instead of just thinking of it as a way to get across the Bosphorus.

Pickles

Wandering around Taksim after church Sunday I stumbled across one of what I consider the hidden jewels of this city when a protest or political rally forced me off the main thoroughfare. Tucked into a side street Ann Marie and I came across Petek Tursulari – a pickle shop. Now I know you’re thinking, "How can you have shop just for pickles?" But in turkey pickling is not just about cucumbers. Pickled peppers, pickled carrots, pickled beets, and pickled olives … along with some vegetables I couldn’t recognize in the jar.The colorful display is what caused us to stop. “What a great picture! I have to take that.” And as we opened the door to ask “photograph çıkabilir miyim?”the two guys invited us inside with big smiles. As I snapped a few photos one of them was hurriedly slicing a pickle and offering us a taste. Yum! We exchanged a few sentences – Turkish, or my lack of it, limiting a conversation – and learned that their pickles come from Bursa, and that they actually export to Berlin.Who knew? And so with several more smiles and an olive sample for Ann Marie we parted from this pleasant interlude in a dreary overcast day. Perhaps I need to get detoured more often in this town. Who knows what else I might come across?