Visiting Exciting Turkey in the Throes of Restoration
Oct 13th, 2014, 09:14 AM
#41
We were together with our visitors, from 11AM to 7PM.
drove to emirgan to find that Sabanci museum and changa were closed on Mondays.
continued to rumeli kavagi where we coul see the Third bosphorus bridge construction almost at mouth of the bosphorus while partaking of the very seasonal blue fish and some decent meze including aubergine with tomato sauce, sampire with garlic-lemon-olive oil sauce, spicy tomatoe-onion-pepper mash, fried mussels and calamari. Guests and Eser enjoyed a small bottle of Raki.
They said they both felt very safe everywhere in Istanbul the 9 days they had been here and had seen no indications of anything to the contrary.
the Bosphorus on a weekday in partially cloudy warm weather was quiet, peaceful and extremely pleasant.
drove to emirgan to find that Sabanci museum and changa were closed on Mondays.
continued to rumeli kavagi where we coul see the Third bosphorus bridge construction almost at mouth of the bosphorus while partaking of the very seasonal blue fish and some decent meze including aubergine with tomato sauce, sampire with garlic-lemon-olive oil sauce, spicy tomatoe-onion-pepper mash, fried mussels and calamari. Guests and Eser enjoyed a small bottle of Raki.
They said they both felt very safe everywhere in Istanbul the 9 days they had been here and had seen no indications of anything to the contrary.
the Bosphorus on a weekday in partially cloudy warm weather was quiet, peaceful and extremely pleasant.
Oct 17th, 2014, 12:04 AM
#44
The anti Kobane policy demonstrations have subsided.
The government will be passing a new police-state law which will allow not only entry and search on grounds of "reasonable suspicion" but also arrest and confiscation of private property in proven cases of anti-government activity of any sort (including slurs against international reputation!!!)
The main opposition party says they will appeal to the Constitutional Court the moment the law is passed by the parliamentary majority of the leading islamist party.
Already $30 billion investment has left the country. It is expected that more is and will be fast leaving in view of current situation.
Already the government has been destroying bridges between Turkey and all the oil rich Middle Eastern nations which invested in Turkey and of'course reducing income from trade with Iraq, Egypt and Syria, (no reduction in trade with Israel.)
It is interesting that the Turkish Lira is still as valuable as it is under these circumstances.
This may mean that the government will try to pull forward the national elections of 2015 to April and try to keep the economic crisis at bay until that time.
Again, no travelers' advisories or warnings at this time for istanbul or any touristic destinations except for those in the Southeast and East.
Another sort of advisory for Eastern Black sea coast and valleys is "flood" and "landslide" warnings due to heavy rains.
Snow is also expected on higher elevations of eastern and Northeastern Turkey.
The government will be passing a new police-state law which will allow not only entry and search on grounds of "reasonable suspicion" but also arrest and confiscation of private property in proven cases of anti-government activity of any sort (including slurs against international reputation!!!)
The main opposition party says they will appeal to the Constitutional Court the moment the law is passed by the parliamentary majority of the leading islamist party.
Already $30 billion investment has left the country. It is expected that more is and will be fast leaving in view of current situation.
Already the government has been destroying bridges between Turkey and all the oil rich Middle Eastern nations which invested in Turkey and of'course reducing income from trade with Iraq, Egypt and Syria, (no reduction in trade with Israel.)
It is interesting that the Turkish Lira is still as valuable as it is under these circumstances.
This may mean that the government will try to pull forward the national elections of 2015 to April and try to keep the economic crisis at bay until that time.
Again, no travelers' advisories or warnings at this time for istanbul or any touristic destinations except for those in the Southeast and East.
Another sort of advisory for Eastern Black sea coast and valleys is "flood" and "landslide" warnings due to heavy rains.
Snow is also expected on higher elevations of eastern and Northeastern Turkey.
Oct 24th, 2014, 11:43 AM
#45
We have had first snow with a vengeance, up to half a meter at Eastern Turkish province of Hakkari, and some inches at the skiing resort of Uludag at Bursa, not far from Istanbul (the latter melted but the mountain will receive new snow next week)
We will be returning from beautiful weather at Nicaea tomorrow to showers, possible flooding and high winds on the land route and in Istanbul. We decided not to risk the ferry.
Turkey finally bowed to United States pressure to allow help to Kobani to cross the border against ISIL but has been dragging feet, putting up all kinds of bureaucratic barriers.
This weekend we hope to see a 150-200 man well trained Kurdish force with heavy arms on vehicles to cross if the resistance at Kobane is still alive.
The new presidents believes he runs the country. Obama calls him about Kobane to allow him points on that issue. The PM hides info from President and speaks less but sometimes says the same thing and sometimes contradicts the president and himself. The Foreign Minister and Minister of Defense on the rare occasions they speak say totally contradictory things to everyone else.
Today five consulates in istanbul received a yellow dust in envelopes, USA, Germany, Belgium, Canada, France. Germany, belgium and France missions were not well-prepared and some (18) personel were exposed to the dust.
The lab results on the dust will be available by Monday.
Things still appear unchanged from previous advisories.
We will be returning from beautiful weather at Nicaea tomorrow to showers, possible flooding and high winds on the land route and in Istanbul. We decided not to risk the ferry.
Turkey finally bowed to United States pressure to allow help to Kobani to cross the border against ISIL but has been dragging feet, putting up all kinds of bureaucratic barriers.
This weekend we hope to see a 150-200 man well trained Kurdish force with heavy arms on vehicles to cross if the resistance at Kobane is still alive.
The new presidents believes he runs the country. Obama calls him about Kobane to allow him points on that issue. The PM hides info from President and speaks less but sometimes says the same thing and sometimes contradicts the president and himself. The Foreign Minister and Minister of Defense on the rare occasions they speak say totally contradictory things to everyone else.
Today five consulates in istanbul received a yellow dust in envelopes, USA, Germany, Belgium, Canada, France. Germany, belgium and France missions were not well-prepared and some (18) personel were exposed to the dust.
The lab results on the dust will be available by Monday.
Things still appear unchanged from previous advisories.
Oct 24th, 2014, 12:06 PM
#46
"The Ottoman administration wisely indoctrinated their palace guard into Alevism, so that they could not be converted to become Islamists or jihadists by the dominant sunni religious establishment."
Interesting
Interesting
Oct 24th, 2014, 12:49 PM
#47
This weekend we hope to see a 150-200 man well trained Kurdish force with heavy arms on vehicles to cross if the resistance at Kobane is still alive.>>
too little too late I fear. Fiddling while Rome burns.
too little too late I fear. Fiddling while Rome burns.
Oct 27th, 2014, 11:53 AM
#48
The Peshmerga still have not been allowed through Turkey.
The Ottoman bureaucratic heritage is used to delay them.
A small scale Gezi Park protest is taking place at Scutari, on the Asian side where the local municipality is trying to build a mosque at entrance to a public park, and cutting tens of old trees, against court rulings. Crowds supported by the opposition party deputies environmentalist NGOs and the Istanbul Bar Association blocking the way to construction machinery swell up to some thousands despite heavy rains.
The yellow powder sent to foreign missions in Istanbul turned out not to contain anything seriously harmful and the 25 quarantined personnel were allowed to leave the hospital.
The elections in Tunis may be a significant ray of hope for Turkey if used wisely by the main opposition party.
Weather getting cooler but still have not turned on heating in our building. Rain for a few more days, then couple of days better weather followed by more rain. Dams reaching 30% water level.
Daylight savings time means that it starts getting dark after 5PM in istanbul. Rather deppressing under overcast skies, unless you snuggle up with the latest episodes of the Walking Dead, Castle and other favorites, to escape from the endless talk shows.
The Ottoman bureaucratic heritage is used to delay them.
A small scale Gezi Park protest is taking place at Scutari, on the Asian side where the local municipality is trying to build a mosque at entrance to a public park, and cutting tens of old trees, against court rulings. Crowds supported by the opposition party deputies environmentalist NGOs and the Istanbul Bar Association blocking the way to construction machinery swell up to some thousands despite heavy rains.
The yellow powder sent to foreign missions in Istanbul turned out not to contain anything seriously harmful and the 25 quarantined personnel were allowed to leave the hospital.
The elections in Tunis may be a significant ray of hope for Turkey if used wisely by the main opposition party.
Weather getting cooler but still have not turned on heating in our building. Rain for a few more days, then couple of days better weather followed by more rain. Dams reaching 30% water level.
Daylight savings time means that it starts getting dark after 5PM in istanbul. Rather deppressing under overcast skies, unless you snuggle up with the latest episodes of the Walking Dead, Castle and other favorites, to escape from the endless talk shows.
Oct 27th, 2014, 12:13 PM
#49
thanks for the update, OC. Not surprised about the obstruction of the Peshmerga.
We too have reverted to our winter clock, so we are back on GMT, with it getting dark here too by 5 pm or so. Not my favourite time of the year.
We too have reverted to our winter clock, so we are back on GMT, with it getting dark here too by 5 pm or so. Not my favourite time of the year.
Nov 6th, 2014, 08:02 AM
#51
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What a nice new palace the president is building for himself...
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/cos...&NewsCatID=344
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/cos...&NewsCatID=344
Nov 6th, 2014, 01:54 PM
#52
I made a few recent tweets about the new palace in Turkish. Here is a summary translation :
The new building will be used by the President.
The former President's Offices will be given to the Prime Minister.
So, who gets the Prime Minister's offices? The Janissaries? or the Village Militia?
The President declared that "Turkey is finally showing its significance in the world by building the new palace. Our country will finally be seen to have the ranking it deserves."
Did he mean ranking in terms of becoming subject of derision or as an example of lack of taste and aesthetics?
What happens to the architect who planned the secret tunnels, underground dungeons and the peepholes, etc. and the workers who built them? Will they suffer the same fate others like them have suffered in previous Sultanates and authoritarian states?
Great weather to continue for another 5-6 days, what we call the "Pastrami Summer"
There is a new Hopon-Hopoff boat cruise on the Bosphorus which starts at Kabatas, the end of the tram line and stops at a few piers on both continents. The winter schedule is only four trips, I believe but even that is quite useful for those who wish to combine some cruising with a lunch and a hike at some interesting spots on the Bosphorus.
The new building will be used by the President.
The former President's Offices will be given to the Prime Minister.
So, who gets the Prime Minister's offices? The Janissaries? or the Village Militia?
The President declared that "Turkey is finally showing its significance in the world by building the new palace. Our country will finally be seen to have the ranking it deserves."
Did he mean ranking in terms of becoming subject of derision or as an example of lack of taste and aesthetics?
What happens to the architect who planned the secret tunnels, underground dungeons and the peepholes, etc. and the workers who built them? Will they suffer the same fate others like them have suffered in previous Sultanates and authoritarian states?
Great weather to continue for another 5-6 days, what we call the "Pastrami Summer"
There is a new Hopon-Hopoff boat cruise on the Bosphorus which starts at Kabatas, the end of the tram line and stops at a few piers on both continents. The winter schedule is only four trips, I believe but even that is quite useful for those who wish to combine some cruising with a lunch and a hike at some interesting spots on the Bosphorus.
Nov 11th, 2014, 08:17 AM
#53
Just One new tweet :
Ahmet C. Celebiler @ahmetcelebiler 9s10 seconds ago
#Turkish #ChamberofArchitects declaring illegal the #Ankara #PresidentialPalace, wrote to the #Pope asking him to refuse to visit edifice.
Ahmet C. Celebiler @ahmetcelebiler 9s10 seconds ago
#Turkish #ChamberofArchitects declaring illegal the #Ankara #PresidentialPalace, wrote to the #Pope asking him to refuse to visit edifice.
Nov 11th, 2014, 05:42 PM
#56
because Turkish "Pastirma" which is not at all like pastrami (as you discovered) is a sun-died beef covered with a layer of fenugreek-paprika paste concoction and this additional warm and sunny period allows some new "pastirma" to be dried up.
Turkey came 6th among all countries in number of tourist visits according to statistics, above Britain, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Thailand, etc.
I doubt any will even drive by the ugly structure so-called the AK palace after the ruling party.
Turkey came 6th among all countries in number of tourist visits according to statistics, above Britain, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Thailand, etc.
I doubt any will even drive by the ugly structure so-called the AK palace after the ruling party.
Nov 13th, 2014, 12:05 AM
#60
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P.S. I hadn't heard of the Sulaymaniyah incident - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hood_event
It all sounds a bit strange, especially the reference to the Ergenekon investigation. Did the AK Party know that the Turkish soldiers were there?
Not that it really matters to the TGB.
It all sounds a bit strange, especially the reference to the Ergenekon investigation. Did the AK Party know that the Turkish soldiers were there?
Not that it really matters to the TGB.
