Old rocks.

Each of us had certain things we wanted to achieve during our visit to Turkey. For Sue, one wish was to visit very ancient sites and to indulge her interest in the Hittites and other very ancient civilizations. And so we boarded a plane for Ankara. We were met at Ankara airport by our guide, Cihat, and taken to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.


Cihat and Sue hit it off immediately because they both shared an interest in this time in history. We had to have a private tour because this period in history is not part of the regular tourist trail and Cihat jumped at the opportunity to brush up on his knowledge and share his enthusiasm with a kindred spirit. Cihat is a young man of 23 years but looks like he should be in shorts and long socks. He has completed his university study and National Service and now is trying to establish himself as a tourist guide and has his immediate future mapped out to enrich his experience and to develop his skills. He is also such a nice young man with a real interest in people and a lovely manner. Good luck with it all, Cihat.

The museum was quite interesting and contained some amazing displays from 14 century BC.

Of course, my interest was the pottery.

From there, we were off to Hattusas. It’s the site of the Hittite capital city built around 1600 BC and covers a sizeable area. It all would have gone right over my head and certainly not been on my radar but it expanded my understanding of the scale of Turkish history. Hattusas is mostly ruins but understanding what was there, how they lived, why the site was chosen, how it was defended etc. certainly made it very interesting. Also, many of the artifacts we saw in the museum in Ankara came from Hattusas. Cihat’s enthusiasm and knowledge was contagious and I enjoyed the visit very much.

Another ancient site visited was Catalhoyuk. It’s further south near Konya but dates back even further than Hattusas. Recently, deeper excavations have identified habitation dating back to 12 000BC. To look at the surrounding lay of the land, you just wonder what else lies beneath the earth in the area. The excavations look unimpressive but what they reveal is astounding.

Again, we were the lucky recipients of another private tour because Catalhoyuk is not on the tourist trail and, again, met a wonderful man to be our guide. Mustafa is a retired repairer of Turkish carpets and also a student of the Koran for over 20 years. He is passionate about his religion, his family, his culture and his country. Our visit to Catalhoyuk coincided with the recent referendum in Turkey and we had some very interesting discussions with Mustafa and Cihat about life in Turkey and future directions for the country.

Another old rocks experience was Ephesus, however, it was not of great interest to Sue because most of what was on view dated from only about 1 000 BC and was of Greek and Roman occupations. The day we were there, a tourist liner was visiting and the place was totally overcrowded. It’s a shame because it’s impossible to really appreciate what is on view when being shouldered and elbowed by thousands of tourists and bombarded with jabber from guides in every language. Sue and Caitlin became separated from our guide and could not find the group again thus missing any chance of learning about the site. Ephesus is very much on the tourist trail and we were very spoiled after our experiences with Cihat and Mustafa. Nevertheless, there is a lot to see there and buildings we’ve all seen in tourist publications.

Entrance to the brothel.

The ancient toilet block was of great interest. Apparently, businessmen would conduct commercial negotiations in the relaxed comfort of the heated toilet block. Although the world renowned Library of Celsus looks like the meeting place of intelligent and well informed people (men only in those times), it was linked to a brothel close by via a secret passage. Some things never change! Although much excavation and restoration has taken place there, much more is yet to be unearthed and many years of work awaits archeologists. There is much to see and learn about at Ephesus. It’s a fascinating place and one day is not nearly enough to take in all it has to offer.

Our last site of old rocks was Hierapolis. It is the ancient city on the site of the travertine terraces at Pamukkale and this was one of the places Caitlin wanted to visit.

 The terraces are stunning and are constantly formed as the hot springs flow down the slopes and deposit calcium. They can be seen for miles around and are the main draw card for the area. The supposed healing powers of the water from the hot springs led to the establishment of Hierapolis in ancient times and it was used during the Greeks, Romans, Byzantium empires and through to today. The ruins at Hierapolis are extensive but there is so much more to be excavated. What used to be a sacred pool is now a public swimming pool and we also waded in the water from the hot springs. It was very crowded at Hierapolis but there were some pretty, peaceful places away from the entrance area to sit and soak it up.

Turkey is full of ancient treasures to be enjoyed and explored. The country’s geography and history are rich and varied and what we saw was just a small sample.

Next, Magical Cappadocia.

18 million people!

Hi Everyone

No wonder Istanbul is so large - some estimates put the population at about 18 000 000.  I may have travelled to a couple of different parts but I have no idea of where I was taken.  One tour we did was on the Bosphorus which took us between the Asian and European sides of the city.  We saw battlements from various occupations, beautiful mosques, the amazing Dolmabache Palace, a lighthouse that has now been converted into a restuarant and wonderful houses on the water......  and many other things besides.

Istanbul is huge.  It just goes on forever.  There's so much more to explore.

Carmel

Ramadan in Istanbul.

We were so lucky to be in Istanbul during Ramadan.  The night really comes alive around the Hippodrome after Iftar (breaking the fast) every evening.  Whole families arrive in the afternoon with their food and gas cookers and eskies full of goodies and take up position opposite the Blue Mosque and waiting for the dusk Call to Prayer.  And then it's party time.  There are vendors selling watermelon, special bread, fairy floss, cooked food of all descriptions and you can even have your fortune told.

There are stalls with glass blowers and calligraphy masters and places to buy tiles and needle work as well as the usual stalls in the Hippodrome.  The Blue Mosque is brightly lit with messages in Turkish, the fountain has coloured lights and there are a couple of stages where performances take place.  In addition, the place is crowded and the energy is palpable.  Everyone is smiling and laughing and families celebrate together.

I was fortunate to be invited to a private Iftar meal between friends and I learned about the purposes of Ramadan and a little about the Koran.  I can't help but see parallels between Ramadan and Lent but Ramadan is much stricter and more difficult to complete.  I have the greatest of admiration for those who manage to conclude Ramadan having fasted each day.  I know of one person who got up very early each morning and had finished breakfast by 4.30am and then the dusk Call to Prayer was at about 7.45pm of an evening.  How they function is beyond me.  However, there is a four day holiday at the conclusion of Ramadan and it is a time to catch up and celebrate with family and friends.

When we returned to Istanbul after our journeys to other parts, Ramadan was over and it all seemed quite dead around the Hippodrome at night.

Carmel.

Istanbul shopping.

Hi Everyone.

Actually, it doesn't matter where you go in Turkey the methods of selling are the same but I cut my teeth in Istanbul.  So this is what I imagine the coarse content of Bazaar Vendors 101 would cover.

Step 1:  Identify the prey. 
Step 2:  Observe for a short time to determine the best initial approach. 
Step 3:  Engage prey in conversation with a quick question re nationality or interest in goods. 
Step 4 (MOST IMPORTANT):  Keep talking and don't allow the prey to say anything but keep insisting you just want to offer apple tea. 
Step 5:  Gently guide prey into shop and seat prey in the coolest part of the store being careful to maintain your most charming smile and all the while being alert not to appear anxious about selling.
Step 6:  Engage prey in conversation about country of origin or impressions of Turkey or discussion of holiday itinerary expressing intense interest in replies. 
Step 7:  When you are confident prey is relaxed and enjoying the conversation, get another apple tea for the prey. 
Step 8:  Ask prey if they have ever considered buying a (e.g. Turkish carpet) while they are in Turkey ensuring that it sounds like an original idea that has just occured to you.  If they say yes, go for it. 

If they say they do not want (e.g.Turkish rug), try one, some or all of the following strategies:

• But I want you to have something special to remember your trip to Turkey by and what could be more special than a (e.g.Turkish rug).
• Of course, no obligation to buy, but let me show you just a couple and you can learn about (e.g. Turkish rugs).
• What do you do In Australia?  Oh, I could tell you had a good heart (and maybe give prey a gentle hug).  Well because you have such a good heart I can give you this (e.g. Turkish rug) for (take out calculator and press a few buttons with intent) only 2200 Turkish lira.
• If prey is really turned off by the price, enquire about preferred colours and bring out another (e.g. Turkish rug) of lesser quality.  Tap on calculator with even greater intent and adopt an expression of pathos before delivering the price.
• Follow a similar sequence with other rugs and prices all the time ensuring that the prey is convinced you are doing this out of concern for their welfare.
• Other approaches to try:  request marriage to prey, if prey says she is married requst to be her Turkish husband, ask prey if you can call her Mum and put your head on her shoulder, tell prey you have a cousin in their town and how much your cousin loves it, express exasperation at not being able to please despite all your efforts, pout, look disappointed.
• However, always keep talking and try to avoid prey getting a word into the conversation and, if prey says no, pretend you didn't hear it.

Don't misunderstand me, once I realised shopping in Turkey was not the same as shopping in David Jones, I really enjoyed the whole process and I hope the vendors enjoyed it too.

Carmel

What a rug!

Grand Bazaar

Spice Bazaar

Spice to your life bazaar!

Book Bazaar

Istanbul 2.

I spent four or five days in Istanbul alone before Sue and her daughter, Caitlin, arrived. At first I was very wary and nervous but I soon learned to go with the flow and, once I did that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Istanbul strikes me similarly to other great cities of the world, you could live there all your life and never see it all and my visit barely scraped the surface. So all I can do is give you my impressions of this exotic and exciting place. Brisbane is a great place to live and Istanbul is a great place to visit.


A woman travelling on her own is a real curiosity, I discovered, for men and women alike and a small, softly spoken woman is often mistaken for prey. It doesn’t matter if you are walking from A to B or looking in a shop window. My first lesson in this was the very first time I stopped to look at something on my very first foray from the hotel. I was ready. I was going to be careful. I wasn’t going to get roped into anything. I’d heard about vendors in Istanbul. So I stopped to watch a woman making a carpet and it was fascinating.

The next thing I knew, she invited me to sit next to her and then she showed me how to make the knots and let me do a few and then she wanted to show me some of the rugs she had made and then I was in the bowls of the earth with a rug salesman. He showed me beautiful rugs, plied me with apple tea, accepted my protestations that I wasn’t buying a rug and then got huffy when I woke up and made my escape. So much for having my wits about me, caught hook, line and sinker!

Other times when I was just walking around, soaking up the atmosphere, getting my bearings, people watching, deciding what to do next, someone would materialize at my side offering to be my guide, asking me if I was married, offering to be my Turkish husband if I said I was married, offering to take me to their cousin’s carpet shop or telling me they had a brother living in Australia. I discovered, in Turkey, it’s easy to pick an Aussie by their freckles so I, of all people, had no hope of passing myself off as an English rose! And, true to form, I got lost many times. The streets of Sultanahmet were never planned, I can assure you. I wasn’t there at the time, granted, but they just go anywhere. They are narrow and cobbled and unpredictable and I spent many hours walking in circles trying to find my way around. They are also teeming with Istanbul drivers AND Istanbul parkers. (I once saw a bus run over a no parking sign and park right there!) My saving grace was that I knew our hotel was just below the Blue Mosque which is in a very elevated position with tall minarets so, night or day, if I could get back there than I could get back to the hotel.

Hippodrome wall & Blue Mosque from hotel.





Hagia Sophia



Blue Mosque






Inside Topkapi Palace

Our hotel was right in the middle of the old part of Istanbul and so it was very easy to explore that part on foot. The centre of it all seems to be the Hippodrome which was built and used by the Romans during their occupation. It was a gigantic stadium but now all that remains is the park area in the centre, some walls and the surrounding streets. However, the area close to there is a conglomeration of Turkish culture and history. There is the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Baths of Roxelana, the Topkapi Palace, the Egyptian Obelisk and the Serpentine Column, the Basilica Cistern and numerous other highlights too many and varied to mention in anything short of a travel guide. You could spend a month just in this small area alone. Istanbul has been occupied and governed by many civilizations from prehistory to their current democracy, from Christian to Muslim to secular and it has resulted in a rich and interesting culture of which they are rightly very proud. Turkey was established as a country only in 1923 in the aftermath of World War 1 and its first leader was Kamal Ataturk of Gallipoli fame. He set about forming a secular state that is still evolving, note the recent referendum, but they have a rich history and culture that is enchanting.  Mostly we heard about the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire and, of course, Kemal Attaturk.

Basilica Cistern

Egyptian Obelisk




 



Istanbul 1.

Getting really excited and nervous as Sue dropped me to Portland airport. We said a temporary goodbye and I was on my own. The trip from Portland to Istanbul was a long one. I had a four hour flight to Chicago and then another four hour wait during which I needed to find my way around this huge and confusing airport. I found myself standing with a group of Americans who were as lost as I was (despite all of us having asked for directions to the International Terminal). We found our way to a train and a man in uniform on the platform who told us we were in the right place. So we all hopped on the train with fingers and toes crossed and then we discovered that Stop 4 was the International Terminal. Chicago Airport didn’t strike me as particularly user friendly. It’s organized very differently from other airports. I was flying Turkish Airlines and they must have the very last departure gates in the place. It was a long, quiet walk to the departure gate and not much happening when I got there so time for a couple of Tai Chi sets to get the circulation going and to calm me down. Turkish Airlines is good but my slackness in not sorting out my seat was rewarded with a possie at the back of the plane near the warming ovens. So I had a flight of acclimatization to warm Turkish weather. I had a spare seat next to me so managed a bit of a restless sleep on the eleven hour flight.




Arriving in Istanbul airport, I knew I had to get my visa and pay $20 US. I found the right place, lined up with all the others and got it. OK now I’m legal. Good. Now where’s an ATM. Bother, it’s empty. Went through Passport Control, unfortunately after a pretty young thing and so it was made very clear that I was a source of disappointment to the young officer. Went to baggage collection and found a trolley, good start. My bags came without too much delay my green bag was fine but, when I took hold of my big black bag, it just about took me with it – so heavy. Struggled with it off the roundabout and headed out the gates. A sight for sore eyes, as promised a man carrying a paper with my name on it. So he took my trolley and all I had to do was follow him. It was about 5 pm Istanbul time and it was Monday afternoon. The route took us along the water front past the Marmara Sea, old city walls and fish markets and it was love at first sight.

 It was also my introduction to Istanbul traffic. It’s all a game of bluff and horn blowing, as far as I can work out. In actual fact, I think they are very good drivers. They just use different rules. If I wanted to make a quick fortune, I think I’d set up a business fitting replacement brakes, clutches and tyres. Also there are very few older cars in Istanbul – lots of small ones but not too many more than a few years old. Little did I realize that it also had implications for pedestrians.

We arrived at the hotel and I was completely lost but who cares. I was finally In Istanbul. I received a phone call from Kursat, our travel agent, who offered to meet me at the hotel the following morning and show me the way to his office. All sounds good. I wasn’t hungry so I tried to unpack but I couldn’t get my head around it and hit the sack. Not too much jet lag, just overwhelming excitement. Our hotel in Istanbul was newly renovated and just below the Blue Mosque and the centre of the oldest part of Istanbul, Sultanahmet. The rooms were fine, the staff were very helpful and friendly and the restaurant on the top floor had a million dollar view.

 I’m going to miss that view and also the call to prayer five times a day. I feel that if anyone writes a symphony about Istanbul, it should include the sounds of car horns, carpet sellers and the call to prayer.

I didn’t sleep all that well but no time to be wasted and lots things to do. Turkish breakfasts are great. At our hotel, the Ergamon (highly recommended), it consisted of a buffet of fruit, Turkish yogurt (extra yummy), cereals if you wanted, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumber, various Turkish sausage meats, various Turkish cheeses, breads and homemade cakes and other things I didn’t have enough room to fit in. They also served good coffee, a commodity I soon learned to my sadness was in short supply around Turkey. But the view ……………. absolutely spectacular. I hadn’t heard it the night before but, while I was having breakfast, I heard my first call to prayer. Old Istanbul is full of Mosques and, once it starts, it echoes from one minaret to another around the city. What can I say ……………….. absolutely spectacular.

So Kursat kindly showed up at the arranged time and we set off. He’s a young man and I’m not young and the way to his office is a short walk up a steep hill. He also just about runs, so by the time we got to the top I was very puffed to say the least and finding it hard to keep up with him. I have since come to the conclusion that most Turks were mountain goats in their previous life. I was significantly fitter leaving Turkey than when I arrived because, it seems, there are endless hills in Turkey. After getting the drum from Kursat and some money from the ATM, I was on my own. Oh dear! Two steps from Kursat’s door, woman on your own and every carpet salesman in town can sniff it in the air. I don’t know what I did the first day or two, nothing very constructive. I just walked around and got my bearings, drank a lot of water for the heat and ate in a few cafes. Oh and not to mention getting roped into every second carpet shop in the area.

I suspect I would do quite well at Carpet Seller 101. I think I have heard most of the lines at least a couple of times and I have worked out the sequence of showing carpets to rope you in to the bargain of a lifetime, just for today/this morning, not for everyone but just for you because I can tell you have a good heart, blah blah blah. I was also saturated with apple tea because “I am Turkish. It’s how we show our hospitality. We love Australians. Come in, please. Yes, of course, no obligation to buy.” Despite all this, I had a ball. I discovered that they really come the heavy to try to charm!#*? you into buying, but they are truly hospitable and have a wonderful, cheeky sense of humour. For example, Carpet Seller #27: “Come and sit closer to me. I’m getting older and I can’t hear so well.” Carmel: “It’s OK. I’ll shout. You’ll hear.” At first, I found it very intimidating and frightening but then I started to have fun. It occurred to me that it’s a bit like driving in Istanbul all a game of cat and mouse and if you can have a few laughs while you’re at it, all the better. In the process, I saw some magnificent rugs and learned about how they are made, where they are made, why they are made, how they are bought, how they are repaired and who makes them. And, yes, I did get acouple and I love them. They’re just a kilims but I think they’re beautiful.

More on Istanbul soon.