The past two days has been about seeing what we didn't see before, revisiting sites we wanted to see more of, and last minute shopping to get teaching materials and souvenirs.....
Yesterday 5 of us went to the Archaelogical Museum - totally amazing;the Spice Bazaar - shopping! ; the Pera Museum of Art - beautiful; and then for dinner the whole group went to dinner at a place featuring music and belly dancing. Great views of the Hagya Sofia Museum and the Blue Mosque - gorgeous lit up at night! The music and dancing left a bit to be desired but hey, we were together and then survived amazing taxi rides home "double time speed" and for some double rates as well. Which reminds me that in general, I have been impressed with the integrity of all the people who have dealt with us language challenged people across the region. A few people have been taken advantage of - mostly by taxi drivers.
This morning, however, we found a taxi driver who really went out of his way for us! The same 5 of us (Abbey, Stacy, Jeff, Ben, and I) decided to go to at 6:45 AM to see the Gate of Theodosius, where Mehmet the Conqueror's army broke through the wall of Constantinople to overthrow the Byzantine emperor. It is not an easy place to find when we only speak English and have a tiny map and vague name and the driver spoke only a little English. But after several stops and turn-arounds we finally arrived - at least the driver said we had (maybe he was just tired of us!) so we piled out and looked at the wall in front of us. Abbey, the expert on these things said, "This isn't it - we're going to have to walk about a mile and a half to get there!" I suggested we go ahead and walk through the opening and see what was on the other side. And there, in large gold script was a sign proclaiming that we ewre indeed at the sight we had been looking for. Relief was huge and we took pics and clowned around before catching another taxi back to our hotel. Mission accomplished in 45 minutes! It was great fun.
We split up for the morning and I got a few last minute items purchased (I am about 10 pounds overweight on 1 bag but the other is full - I may have to scoot down to a shop to get a bigger bag in the morning - cheaper than overweight charges by 50%! We then went back up to the Blue Mosque site and explored for a couple of hours before meeting back up with the group to attend a Whirling Dervishes "performance". We were able to meet with one of the sect members/performers for a bit before the program, which was informational. The hour long program was very reverent and solemn.... so much for the oft used term "whirling dervish" to mean someone frantically rushing about! It was rather magical, really.
Our farewell dinner was at the first restaurant we ate at - deja-vu - can it really be the end already? Bittersweet and yet we are all ready to get home to the joys of driving, school beginning, cell phones, cooking, and being in charge of our own lives. Thank you for sharing the journey with me/us!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
"Home" to Istanbul
The karavansaray proved to be a very comfortable hotel and once the wedding celebration ended (12:15 am), was quiet and peaceful. Yep, we're in Turkey - cheese, olives, bread, tomatoes, and cucumbers for breakfast - and Nescafe coffee......walked to two mosques - the Old Mosque, with beautiful large calligraphic decorations and then Sinan's masterpiece, the Selimiye Camiisi. It is a stunning structure and definately a testament to Sinan's desire to create open spaces with an open reach to the heavens. His main goal was to be able to surpass the dome of Hagya Sophia AND open the space, moving columns out of the central meeting space. The Selimiye dome is 1 meter larger in diameter and the decoration so exquisite. Pictures don't even begin to capture the essence.
We then drove to the BeyezidII complex with a medical school and hospital, just out of town. The Ottomans were excellent healers in their day, with surgeries and psychiatric treatments, some not all that different from some techniques used by advanced hospitals in the world today. Still glad I live in the 21st century!
Driving back across Turkey, I thought about the travelers across the centuries....traders of the Spice Trade, Nomadic herders, Silk Road caravans, Crusader knights, conquering armies of the Greek, Illyrians, Macedonians, Roman, Byzantine, Selchuk, Ottoman, Italian, and more and beyond (WWI and II). And now a group of tired teachers....so much now to process and reconcile.
We then drove to the BeyezidII complex with a medical school and hospital, just out of town. The Ottomans were excellent healers in their day, with surgeries and psychiatric treatments, some not all that different from some techniques used by advanced hospitals in the world today. Still glad I live in the 21st century!
Driving back across Turkey, I thought about the travelers across the centuries....traders of the Spice Trade, Nomadic herders, Silk Road caravans, Crusader knights, conquering armies of the Greek, Illyrians, Macedonians, Roman, Byzantine, Selchuk, Ottoman, Italian, and more and beyond (WWI and II). And now a group of tired teachers....so much now to process and reconcile.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thessaloniki to Edirne
Must have been tired - slept through the alarm so had a quick breakfast before we toured the Ottoman sites of Thessaloniki. The city was named Thessaloniki for Alexander's wife and step-sister. It is the second largest city in Greece. The old Ottoman sites were built on old Greek sites and later new Greek sites on top of them. There is a lot of excavation going on in toen as they put in a subway system. We had brief stops at the "White Tower on the port and the fortifications on the acropolis of town - also the old Ottoman neighborhood. It is a beautiful city with a lovely port. We then drove a couple of hours to Kavala - used to be Philippi - for lunch. The harbor doesn't allow for any swimming or even dipping of ones feet into the Aegean, but we at least spent a relaxing hour sampling bakery goods and walking along the waterfront. All too soon it was back on the bus for 5 more hours of road trip, mostly on 4 lane divided highways. The scenery along the coast was quite picturesque, and without all the curvy roads, most of us could enjoy it, too! I have decided that there needs to be an Aegean/Adriatic cruise in Jim and my near future! The coastal cities of Turkey, Bosnia, Croatia, Albania and Greece were so lovely and so beckoning......
The border crossing into Turkey was a bit intimidating - NO PICTURES ALLOWED - armed gurads and checkpoint gates, machine gun "bunkers" and barbed wire fences surrounding....we had no trouble, but it was a bit creepy.....we were then back in the land of mosques and for a time on a cobblestone "highway". We entered Edirne, a quaint, picturesque city about 7PM and discivered that our hotel for the night was to be a 16th century caravan "sarai" or Ottoman Motel. It is amazing in its design and history. The only problem is that tonight it is also the scene of a wedding - with very loud Turkish music still going on at 11 PM - looks like it's an ear plug night!
It almost felt like "home" to get back to Turkey, where we had become familiar with the language (and able to use a few expressions), food, and customs. After a good dinner, we wandered the main pedestrian walkway. There are a large number of old Ottoman style buildings, probably 19th century, all around the town, plus Sinan the architect's most impressive mosque from the 1500's. Most of us then came back to try to finish blogs, re-pack, and go to sleep before our on foot exploration tomorrow as a group. Last day of the "educational" part of our trip! Tomorrow night we are back in Istanbul and Hotel Bristol to work on curriculum projects and any repeat tours or last-minute shopping. To the USA on Monday!
Albania to Greece
Woke up in the amazing hillside town of Gjirokastra, with its steep stone streets and slate roofed houses, all overseen by a huge castle-like fortress and former Bektashi monastery. The Bektashi were the liberal sect of Islam that came with the Ottoman conquerors and made it easier to convert to Islam because they drank Raki (strong alcoholic grape product - Uozo in other countries) and didn't require their women to cover. (Sufiism would come later). We climbed up the hill to the monastery/castle and enjoyed the labyrinth of hallways, rooms, and cisterns. There was quite a collection of cannon, a tank, and a US spy plane, shot down in the 1950's, in and about the fortification walls. There is also an old stage for celebrations and cultural gatherins held every two years during dictator Hodga's reign. Gjirokastra was his birthplace and our second visit was to that location, now an ethnographic museum of costumes and household furnishings of the upper class of Albanians in the 19th and 20th centuries. After a hike back down the hill, we bid our Albanian tour guide farewell, boarded our bus for Thessaloniki, Greece and began our scenic adventure through the mountains of southern Albania and northern Greece (old Macedonia). While splendidly scenic, most of our stomachs were at least mildly unhappy. At least it was light and we could enjoy all the sights.....
We were into Greece by lunch time and our food blogger, Abbey, found us this amazing family restaurant where the food was either fresh from the garden or the farms nearby. We ate family style of home baked bread, fresh goat cheese, green beans, chard, potatoes, carrots, and roast beef, followed by what we were told was candied zucchini, but tasted more like candied sweet potato. It was the best food of the trip, I think. And the atmosphere so perfect, on picnic tables under a grape arbor.....a perfect Grecian lunch.....Alexander would have approved. But, the road called us on.....
Our bus driver was amazing and got us right into downtown Thessaloniki where we only circled downtown twice before finding the right one way streets to get us to the Hotel Aegean. There we were met by our lovely Turkish tour guide and friend, Arzu, who got us settled in quickly and got us to a nice restaurant a block from the hotel for dinner. She is an amazing woman and really works so well with our group (we are worse than a group of school kids). Bedtime beckoned and 7:30 breakfast was going to come too quickly. A few walked to the waterfront, but I needed sleep!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday in Albania
We are so much better today! I forgot to mention that we overnighted in Shkodra - a charming town. The hotel is being renovated and updated, is situated at the end of a lovely walking mall and right across from a beautiful Mosque.(We were originally to have spent last night in Berati but with the delay we are trying to cram as much as possible into our 1 1/2 days in Albania) Albania is about 60% Muslim (a direct result of 500 years of Ottoman rule), 20% Albanian Orthodox, and 20% Catholic. There are a few minor religions (our guide knew about Adventists), but they don't really make an impact. Since Socialism and the forbidding of religion ended in 1992, people are open about religion but do not register a religion, as it was forbidden in the past and there is a natural distrust about sharing personal information. Politics still play a huge part in getting and keeping jobs, but religion less so.
Our day commenced with a visit to the Old City of Kruja, with shops, and ethnographic museum, and a museum to the national hero, Skenderbec (there are about 6 different spellings of his name!) , who kept the Ottomans at bay, until his death in the late 1400's. The interpreter at the ethnographic museum was a retired teacher, spoke excelllent English and gave one of the best and most efficient presentations of this whole trip - he was great! We shopped briefly but spent well, those who had exchanged money (I didn't have as much as I would have liked!) mostly on local weavings and carvings.
We then drove a couple of hours to the town of Berati where we hiked up a steep cobblestone road for 1 kilometer to another ethnographic museum, in an 19th century restored house and then up to Berati Castle, where there is an Albanian Orthodox church, the Church of the Sleeping Mary, that has an amazing collection of original icons, all maintained despite a ban on religion during the Cold War years. We then drove on another 3 hours to our destination for the night, Gjirokastra. We hiked up ANOTHER cobblestone hill for dinner, and finally were in bed by midnight.
Sick in Montenegro
Well....it was bound to happen, but we never expected it to be all of us (except 4) who would get food poisoning from pizza......so bad that one of our group - Ben (don't worry Ben's Mom, he's OK now) even had to go to an emergency care center....trust me - Montenegro is NOT a place you want to be if you are unwell. I was only queesy, as were a couple of us, but the rest had been tossing pizza since 4AM. Our poor tour guide! What a way to get to know your group. It took about 4 hours and a lot of negotiating, but Ben finally got re-hydrated and we were on our way to Albania. Now, the real fun.....Montenegro and Albania are emerging nations....their roads are not new and not well maintained. Plus, they are mountainous nations. Add sour stomachs, dehydration, and bouncy bus ride on curvy mountain roads and you have 5 hours of driving that were very difficult for us all to handle. But, we did survive! No sightseeing, just getting to our hotel, though our guide did tell us some Albanian history, which actually helped keep our minds off of the weird feelings in our mid-sections. As a nation only recently (10 years) emerging from a totalitarian dictatorship into the 20th century, Albania is very "behind the times" and struggling to catch up. The country only became a NATO member this year and has only been friendly to Americans for a few years - WE were the enemy that they built 700,000 private bunkers to protect the Albanian people from! As a result of Cold War tensions, we will be the first Americans many of the Albanian people will see or meet...it will be interesting! But a bit of food and rest are really all we need for now......
Sunday, July 19, 2009
3 Countries, 1 Day
Breakfast in Bosnia.....Mostar is lovely in the mornings! Bus pick up at 9....then 3 1/2 hours to Dubrovnek, Croatia. This is going to be a long bus ride.....beautiful country, but no more than 40 KM an hour because of all the climbs, grades, twists and turns...one grade was 9 %......lunch and exploring Old Town - a Roman fortified city on the Adriatic. Did wade in the Adriatic, but no time for real swimming, which was a disappointment to a number of us as we passed so many lovely beaches.
The border crossing into Montenegro was almost an hour. It was hot and fairly unpleasant, but teachers are flexible people and we kept pretty good attitudes. Once in Montenegro, we followed the coast for a while longer and then turned inland - and climbed over the mountains - amazing views of both the sea and inland. The road was very curvy and had even steeper grades than yesterday! The stone guard rails did not inspire great confidence, but the views were spectacular. I can see how this country managed to keep out invaders until WWI when politicians made changes on paper...... We finally made it to our hotel at 9 PM - 10 hours on the bus! (OK there were 2 restroom/food stops plus the 2 hours at lunch/Dubrovnek), Long day but great scenery and understanding of place/geography in history and the shaping of nations.
Tomorrow to Albania - a country only recently opened to Americans.
The border crossing into Montenegro was almost an hour. It was hot and fairly unpleasant, but teachers are flexible people and we kept pretty good attitudes. Once in Montenegro, we followed the coast for a while longer and then turned inland - and climbed over the mountains - amazing views of both the sea and inland. The road was very curvy and had even steeper grades than yesterday! The stone guard rails did not inspire great confidence, but the views were spectacular. I can see how this country managed to keep out invaders until WWI when politicians made changes on paper...... We finally made it to our hotel at 9 PM - 10 hours on the bus! (OK there were 2 restroom/food stops plus the 2 hours at lunch/Dubrovnek), Long day but great scenery and understanding of place/geography in history and the shaping of nations.
Tomorrow to Albania - a country only recently opened to Americans.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Tunnels, Mountains, and Bridges
We left the amazing city of Sarajevo today, but not before an impressive visit to the Tunnel Museum, the site of the Bosnian army's tunnel under the airport runways allowing them to get supplies into Sarajevo during the nearly siege. It operated successfully for nearly 3 years. It is about 4 feet wide, 6 feet tall, and ran for about 3/4 of a mile. It also supplied water and gas as well as having tracks to make it easier to put supplies into carts rather than have to be hand carried. It was operated out of a private home and the same family now operates the museum. Our guide was 10 at the time of the siege and it is his parent's home. He used the tunnel to go to school when the shelling wasn't too bad. It is hard to believe that there was a NATO presence there and yet the siege lasted so long and cost so many civilian lives! Civil War really is hell!
We then made our way through the rugged mountains into Herzogovenia and the city of Mostar. We had a late lunch in Blagaj, a nearby town where a Sufi Monastery was built by the Ottomans and where the river comes out under the mountain caves. It was an amazing place.
We were about 3 hours late for our appointment with the tour guide, who incidentally is also Rick Steeves guide when he is in Mostar and will be in an upcoming presentation of his on Mostar. She was very gracious and walked us through old town Mostar - an area completely devastated during the Croat attacks on the Bosnians. The Croats targeted the most "sacred" symbol - and namesake - of the town, an Ottoman Bridge built by an apprentice of Sinan, the architect responsible for the greatest Ottoman Mosques. The destruction of the bridge effectively cut the town in two and made commerce and community nearly impossible. In 1997, the townspeople decided to have the bridge rebuilt using the old Ottoman records in Istanbul and restoring as many as the fallen stones as possible. It was reopened and now stands as a testament to the town's determination and pride. My perception of Bosnia as a proud and resiliant people has been continually reinforced on this trip - and they are a genuine and happy people as well. Tomorrow, we leave Bosnia, spend a few hours in Croatia and then on to Montenegro - which I understand may make the mountainous regions of Serbia and Bosnia seem flat and the roads of those same places like super-highways. Looks like I should have brought more ginger!
We then made our way through the rugged mountains into Herzogovenia and the city of Mostar. We had a late lunch in Blagaj, a nearby town where a Sufi Monastery was built by the Ottomans and where the river comes out under the mountain caves. It was an amazing place.
We were about 3 hours late for our appointment with the tour guide, who incidentally is also Rick Steeves guide when he is in Mostar and will be in an upcoming presentation of his on Mostar. She was very gracious and walked us through old town Mostar - an area completely devastated during the Croat attacks on the Bosnians. The Croats targeted the most "sacred" symbol - and namesake - of the town, an Ottoman Bridge built by an apprentice of Sinan, the architect responsible for the greatest Ottoman Mosques. The destruction of the bridge effectively cut the town in two and made commerce and community nearly impossible. In 1997, the townspeople decided to have the bridge rebuilt using the old Ottoman records in Istanbul and restoring as many as the fallen stones as possible. It was reopened and now stands as a testament to the town's determination and pride. My perception of Bosnia as a proud and resiliant people has been continually reinforced on this trip - and they are a genuine and happy people as well. Tomorrow, we leave Bosnia, spend a few hours in Croatia and then on to Montenegro - which I understand may make the mountainous regions of Serbia and Bosnia seem flat and the roads of those same places like super-highways. Looks like I should have brought more ginger!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Sarajevo
My first memories of Sarajevo are of the 1984 Winter Olympics. What a beautiful town it was then and actually, still is! We started our day at the old Byzantine overlook fortification, which provides a panoramic view of both the city and the mountain/river pass leading into the city. We drove to "Goat Bridge", supposedly built when Sarajevo was created as an Ottoman town. We then went to the place where World War I was essentially stated when Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were shot in 1914. Unfortunately for Sarajevo, it has had a key role in several conflicts, the most recent being the Bosnian-Serb War in 1992-1996, where Serbia lay seige to the city for nearly 3 1/2 years trying to gain Bosnia and Herzogovenia lands for Serbia. 11,000+ people lost their lives. Sniper fire and shelling were daily occurances. Black humor arises in times of such stress - like "the difference between Serbian Roulette and Russian Roulette is that in Russian you take out 5 bullets and leave one. In Serbian, you take out 1 and leave 5."
The most emotional part of the day was the photo exhibit on Bosnian and Herzogovenian mass graves (read "mass executions and genocide). I couldn't stop weeping yet couldn't stop looking at the pictures, feeling my tears as a small offering for the horrors of the attrocities of man's inhumanity to man. It did leave me drained and the rest of the day has been a bit tough.
Our last appointment was with a Bosnian Ottoman scholar who gave a great 45 minute lecture on Ottoman history in Bosnia and the ramifications of that legacy. I was glad to get back to the hotel and take a good long bath (jaccuzi tub!) and let the stress of the day, esp. the emotion, be released. Now we head to Mostar after a stop at the Tunnel Museum of Sarajevo in the morning.
Belgrade to Bosnia - former Yugoslavia
As we headed to Bosnia, we also left the river lowlands and entered a mountainous region of the Balkans that was an amazing geologic experience. The layers of rock, the uplifting of mountains, the rolling fields, the steep mountains, little hamlets tucked into the hillsides created a cacophony of visual images that my camera cannot come close to capturing. Among the most interesting were the fields with tractors cutting, raking, and baling hay next to farmers cutting, raking, and stacking hay by hand with long wooden rakes and pitchforks. This appears to be a mainly subsistence farming region, as one would expect. At times it looked much like New England.
We had a pleasant lunch on a mountain summit hotel that could have been in the pine forests of Oregon. It was relaxing and good food. Abbey and I went for a little walk along a path in the woods, which was so good for my soul!
Entering Bosnia was uneventful. Somehow I expected the border between Serbia and Bosnia to be a huge military presence. The bus driver had collected our passports, we stayed on the bus, Serbian officials stamped us OUT of the country, handed the passports back to the driver and a kilometer later the procedure was repeated with Bosnian officials stamping us INTO the country (the stamp is so light we are all a bit disappointed! Must have been running out of ink…maybe it’s a statement…..)?
More amazing sights of tiny farms and hamlets nestled in the hillsides and then we came to the Drina River and the town of Visegrad, most famous with tourists for the old Ottoman bridge that crosses the river, similar to the famous bridge that used to be in Mostar but which was blown up by NATO forces in the mid 90’s. After a photo-op stop we then headed along more windy mountainous roads for 3 hours, arriving in Sarajevo at 7 PM. The evidence of the siege of Sarajevo is everywhere. Rebuilding is indeed going on and there is a good spirit but it is almost shocking and definitely sad to see all the bombed out buildings, bullet ridden walls, and mortar hole remains. I am sure we will see much more tomorrow!
We had a pleasant lunch on a mountain summit hotel that could have been in the pine forests of Oregon. It was relaxing and good food. Abbey and I went for a little walk along a path in the woods, which was so good for my soul!
Entering Bosnia was uneventful. Somehow I expected the border between Serbia and Bosnia to be a huge military presence. The bus driver had collected our passports, we stayed on the bus, Serbian officials stamped us OUT of the country, handed the passports back to the driver and a kilometer later the procedure was repeated with Bosnian officials stamping us INTO the country (the stamp is so light we are all a bit disappointed! Must have been running out of ink…maybe it’s a statement…..)?
More amazing sights of tiny farms and hamlets nestled in the hillsides and then we came to the Drina River and the town of Visegrad, most famous with tourists for the old Ottoman bridge that crosses the river, similar to the famous bridge that used to be in Mostar but which was blown up by NATO forces in the mid 90’s. After a photo-op stop we then headed along more windy mountainous roads for 3 hours, arriving in Sarajevo at 7 PM. The evidence of the siege of Sarajevo is everywhere. Rebuilding is indeed going on and there is a good spirit but it is almost shocking and definitely sad to see all the bombed out buildings, bullet ridden walls, and mortar hole remains. I am sure we will see much more tomorrow!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Teachers in Belgrade
What a lovely city! We began our day riding the public bus to downtown Belgrade. As with any city bus at rush hour it was packed! Air conditioned buses don't exist here, but in the mornings, everyone smells pretty good....later that will change. We are in Serbia during a heat wave adding to our adventure. We walked down their central avenue - now a pedestrian walkway - and came to Kalemegdam Park and the Fortress of Belgrade, which stands at the confluence of the Sova and Danube Rivers, once the borders between the Ottoman and Austria-Hungary empires.
To give us our best view of the city of Belgrade, we rode one of the double decker tour buses - complete with headphones and information in English. We had an excellent tour of the city, including a number of bombed out buildings remaining from the NATO bombings in the 90's. I don't know if they have not been torn down and rebuilt in order to remain as a "monument" to the fighting or if it is economic (my guess). Tito is still highly regarded and the military stadium near his palace is now a national sports stadium. The most ironic thing was that the old communist government building in New Belgrade is now a huge shopping mall (communism to capitalism!) A sad note is that there is also a former Nazi concentration camp in New Belgrade (once a rural area “across the river”) – 94% of the Jewish population of Serbia was killed. After lunch we spent a few minutes at the Ethnographic Museum before heading back across the Sova.
Our afternoon appointment with a couple of teachers from a public school in “New” Belgrade proved to be a huge lesson in hospitality and collegiality. We were met by the head teacher and several other teachers, taken to the faculty lounge and served juice, water, and coffee while being given the history of the school and of its high rank in the Serbian education system. It is a 1-8 school with 52 teachers and 10+ support staff. The Head Teacher (Principal) spoke the least amount of English. A 6th grade teacher was the main translator. The other staff to meet with us were the media specialist, school psychologist, registrar, Serbian teacher (language arts), geography teacher, and English teacher. Like the teachers in Turkey, they ask that we teach the geographic location and cultural relevance of Serbia and its people. After a discussion of education practices in Serbia and the US, we toured the school (classrooms mostly in disarray due to summer cleaning and painting – looked like home!). The most interesting thing was the Dentist’s office. The school has a full time dentist on staff! Thinking our visit was winding down, we were preparing to gather our things and they said “no, no, one more thing!” and led us downstairs to a small “theater” room complete with a bar, disco balls, video players, and sound system where the Head Teacher served drinks and the group had snacks and music and some folk dancing…it was an amazing time of camaraderie and fun. We were also each given a mug with the school logo on it. They had prepared supper for us but we already had reservations in the “Bohemian” section of town, so they then tried to get us to come for breakfast. I can only hope that if our school has the opportunity to host a group of teachers from another locale that we could be so gracious and warm.
Overall my impression of Belgrade is that while it is the capital of Serbia, it is a lot like Portland – a young and vibrant city determined to be a center of learning and life in Serbia.
To give us our best view of the city of Belgrade, we rode one of the double decker tour buses - complete with headphones and information in English. We had an excellent tour of the city, including a number of bombed out buildings remaining from the NATO bombings in the 90's. I don't know if they have not been torn down and rebuilt in order to remain as a "monument" to the fighting or if it is economic (my guess). Tito is still highly regarded and the military stadium near his palace is now a national sports stadium. The most ironic thing was that the old communist government building in New Belgrade is now a huge shopping mall (communism to capitalism!) A sad note is that there is also a former Nazi concentration camp in New Belgrade (once a rural area “across the river”) – 94% of the Jewish population of Serbia was killed. After lunch we spent a few minutes at the Ethnographic Museum before heading back across the Sova.
Our afternoon appointment with a couple of teachers from a public school in “New” Belgrade proved to be a huge lesson in hospitality and collegiality. We were met by the head teacher and several other teachers, taken to the faculty lounge and served juice, water, and coffee while being given the history of the school and of its high rank in the Serbian education system. It is a 1-8 school with 52 teachers and 10+ support staff. The Head Teacher (Principal) spoke the least amount of English. A 6th grade teacher was the main translator. The other staff to meet with us were the media specialist, school psychologist, registrar, Serbian teacher (language arts), geography teacher, and English teacher. Like the teachers in Turkey, they ask that we teach the geographic location and cultural relevance of Serbia and its people. After a discussion of education practices in Serbia and the US, we toured the school (classrooms mostly in disarray due to summer cleaning and painting – looked like home!). The most interesting thing was the Dentist’s office. The school has a full time dentist on staff! Thinking our visit was winding down, we were preparing to gather our things and they said “no, no, one more thing!” and led us downstairs to a small “theater” room complete with a bar, disco balls, video players, and sound system where the Head Teacher served drinks and the group had snacks and music and some folk dancing…it was an amazing time of camaraderie and fun. We were also each given a mug with the school logo on it. They had prepared supper for us but we already had reservations in the “Bohemian” section of town, so they then tried to get us to come for breakfast. I can only hope that if our school has the opportunity to host a group of teachers from another locale that we could be so gracious and warm.
Overall my impression of Belgrade is that while it is the capital of Serbia, it is a lot like Portland – a young and vibrant city determined to be a center of learning and life in Serbia.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Belgrade pt.1
Made it to Belgrade - what a lovely city! So modern and clean - none of the congestion and noise of Istanbul. Great hotel...looking forward to hitting the streets tomorrow! Bought supper and paid 1120 dinar...about 17 US dollars. Huge inflation here! Should be fun trying to figure values.....
Istanbul to Belgrade
Tuesday, July 14 Happy Bastille Day!
We had no morning appointments today, but my body clock let me know when 5:30 AM came around. We got up at 6:30 and went to breakfast at 7 then Jess went to Starbucks to use their wireless since her computer doesn’t like the hotel’s wireless (I’ve had almost no trouble!). I walked along Istiklal Street from its beginning at the Tram station to the other end at Taksim Square – about 2 KM. It is interesting seeing what on the weekends is a street filled with throngs of tourists as an early morning street of locals getting to work or preparing their businesses for the day’s opening. Pastry and coffee shops were open but the rest of the shops open at 9. There was a queue already at the Russian Consulate – I guess Russian visas are expensive and hard to get. Istiklal on the weekends and during the day/evening is closed to traffic, but before shops open there is all kinds of traffic – delivery trucks, garbage trucks, equipment trucks unloading building materials, and private cars. It was an interesting view of the area we are staying near and spend most of our evenings in.
After checking out of the hotel, we headed by taxi (an experience of its own!) to Bosphorous University. We met with a second year teacher in a private high school and a professor in the School of Education. We had a fabulous lunch at the Faculty House and a great discussion about education and curriculum in both the US and Turkey. In both, teaching is one of the lowest paying professions. Students in Turkey are required to attend through 8th grade (but they don’t start school until they are 7) and then must pass tests to get into high school and college. Most kids’ career paths are set by the time they finish 8th grade. They are also expected to finish all advanced education by the time they are 35….there are no “second career” opportunities in Turkey. People are expected to work 20 years then retire with their pensions, though most need a second job and then will work after “retiring” to get by. The private school tuition for 1 year is 30,000 Turkish Lira; a teacher makes about 24,000 TL…..public education is free all through way through high school, and if accepted to University, one pays only a small stipend each semester (about $100). A very interesting discussion also ensued about what the Turkish teachers would hope we American teachers would teach our students about Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. The main items were to concentrate on the people, culture, Ottoman organization and administration, and the modernity of Turkey, not the wars. I think that would be applicable to any culture/civilization and was a good reminder of why I teach and what I want my students to know.
We are now on our way to Serbia! Belgrade to be exact. We pass one time zone, so I will be one our closer to home! But 13 days……not that I’m counting….OK I miss home, but there is the second half of this adventure first!
We had no morning appointments today, but my body clock let me know when 5:30 AM came around. We got up at 6:30 and went to breakfast at 7 then Jess went to Starbucks to use their wireless since her computer doesn’t like the hotel’s wireless (I’ve had almost no trouble!). I walked along Istiklal Street from its beginning at the Tram station to the other end at Taksim Square – about 2 KM. It is interesting seeing what on the weekends is a street filled with throngs of tourists as an early morning street of locals getting to work or preparing their businesses for the day’s opening. Pastry and coffee shops were open but the rest of the shops open at 9. There was a queue already at the Russian Consulate – I guess Russian visas are expensive and hard to get. Istiklal on the weekends and during the day/evening is closed to traffic, but before shops open there is all kinds of traffic – delivery trucks, garbage trucks, equipment trucks unloading building materials, and private cars. It was an interesting view of the area we are staying near and spend most of our evenings in.
After checking out of the hotel, we headed by taxi (an experience of its own!) to Bosphorous University. We met with a second year teacher in a private high school and a professor in the School of Education. We had a fabulous lunch at the Faculty House and a great discussion about education and curriculum in both the US and Turkey. In both, teaching is one of the lowest paying professions. Students in Turkey are required to attend through 8th grade (but they don’t start school until they are 7) and then must pass tests to get into high school and college. Most kids’ career paths are set by the time they finish 8th grade. They are also expected to finish all advanced education by the time they are 35….there are no “second career” opportunities in Turkey. People are expected to work 20 years then retire with their pensions, though most need a second job and then will work after “retiring” to get by. The private school tuition for 1 year is 30,000 Turkish Lira; a teacher makes about 24,000 TL…..public education is free all through way through high school, and if accepted to University, one pays only a small stipend each semester (about $100). A very interesting discussion also ensued about what the Turkish teachers would hope we American teachers would teach our students about Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. The main items were to concentrate on the people, culture, Ottoman organization and administration, and the modernity of Turkey, not the wars. I think that would be applicable to any culture/civilization and was a good reminder of why I teach and what I want my students to know.
We are now on our way to Serbia! Belgrade to be exact. We pass one time zone, so I will be one our closer to home! But 13 days……not that I’m counting….OK I miss home, but there is the second half of this adventure first!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Beyoglu
Today we spent walking around the area where our hotel is - the center of Istanbul (old Istanbul anyway!) Our hotel is 1/2 block from the US Embassy building (vacant now that they have moved personnel to Ankara). We saw many foreign consulates, the hotels built for travelers on the Orient Express (ran from London to Istanbul), walked through marvelous little shopping areas and sidewalk cafes, went into a Armenian Orthodox church, a Greek orthodox church (got finger-snapped out when our five minute visit time was over and a few of us were lagging) and a Roman Catholic church, and rode the old tram from one end of Istiklal Street to the other - ending at Taksim Square. More wandering brought us to the Galata Tower built in the 8oo's (I think) by Justinian as a lookout and fire tower.
We had an appointment to visit the largest synagogue in Istanbul.....the security was UNBELIEVABLE! We had to send in our personal information ahead of time, present our passports for them to hold during our visit, go through the most intense security screening I've gone through, and after 3 thick steel doors, opened and closed remotely, we were into the synagogue and made our way upstairs to the actual place of worship. It is a lovely structure, capable of holding 600 people. It is used regularly but low attendance at Shabat services. It was also the scene of two deadly bombings, one by Hamas in 1986 and the other by Al-Qaida in 2003 (hence the extreme security). One of our group commented that with it being this difficult to go to church, she just wouldn't go.....apparently how many feel since the rabbis said the Jewish population is about 35,000 in the city with 10 synagogues. The rabbis were very gracious and the Jewish members of our group very happy to have visited. I too was very glad to have had the opportunity to be there and hopefully show support.
6 of us then went to the top of the Galata tower for panoramic views of the city. It was a wonderful clear day, so it was easy to see everything. I almost wish we had gone up earlier in our visit to have been able to orient ourselves better, but now I have a pretty good sense of where things are in relation to each other.
Not sure what's happening for dinner....really, I think I prefer to just hang out by myself...some are going to a fish restaurant, but the smell is just not on my "pleasant things" list, and since the other half of the group (including my roommate) appear to already have gone off to their plans, it really is going to be OK to just be by myself.
Tomorrow we meet a group of teachers and in the evening head off for Belgrade. I know we have some internet at the hotel in Belgrade - some of the others on our 10 day Balkan portion of the trip may not. We will be 2 nights in Belgrade, 2 in Sarajevo, 1 in Mostar, 1 in Montenegro, 2 in Albania, and 1 in Greece before returning to Turkey to wrap up our studies and curriculum research. It is going to be interesting! And a new experience for everyone in the group. Ciao!
We had an appointment to visit the largest synagogue in Istanbul.....the security was UNBELIEVABLE! We had to send in our personal information ahead of time, present our passports for them to hold during our visit, go through the most intense security screening I've gone through, and after 3 thick steel doors, opened and closed remotely, we were into the synagogue and made our way upstairs to the actual place of worship. It is a lovely structure, capable of holding 600 people. It is used regularly but low attendance at Shabat services. It was also the scene of two deadly bombings, one by Hamas in 1986 and the other by Al-Qaida in 2003 (hence the extreme security). One of our group commented that with it being this difficult to go to church, she just wouldn't go.....apparently how many feel since the rabbis said the Jewish population is about 35,000 in the city with 10 synagogues. The rabbis were very gracious and the Jewish members of our group very happy to have visited. I too was very glad to have had the opportunity to be there and hopefully show support.
6 of us then went to the top of the Galata tower for panoramic views of the city. It was a wonderful clear day, so it was easy to see everything. I almost wish we had gone up earlier in our visit to have been able to orient ourselves better, but now I have a pretty good sense of where things are in relation to each other.
Not sure what's happening for dinner....really, I think I prefer to just hang out by myself...some are going to a fish restaurant, but the smell is just not on my "pleasant things" list, and since the other half of the group (including my roommate) appear to already have gone off to their plans, it really is going to be OK to just be by myself.
Tomorrow we meet a group of teachers and in the evening head off for Belgrade. I know we have some internet at the hotel in Belgrade - some of the others on our 10 day Balkan portion of the trip may not. We will be 2 nights in Belgrade, 2 in Sarajevo, 1 in Mostar, 1 in Montenegro, 2 in Albania, and 1 in Greece before returning to Turkey to wrap up our studies and curriculum research. It is going to be interesting! And a new experience for everyone in the group. Ciao!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Palace and a band
Having completed our study/tour of early Ottoman sites, today we toured the Dolmabache Palace complex, built in the mid-1800's and home to the last 6 Caliphs (sultans) and 1st president of Turkey. It is an imense structure, rivaling any central European Palace in decoration and splendor yet obvious ly very liveable. It is about 50,000 sq feet and has 285 rooms, including 44 reception halls. The collections of artwork from around the world is exquisite. I loved the old paintings - not enough time to really even enjoy them all! Many of the floors were amazingly complex parquetry designs. Plus all the floors were covered with rugs - mostly Turkish but some Persian. The Hereke rug in the Royal Women's Hall is over 300 ft sq! All the very large rugs were from Hereke - I guess they were commissioned to do the huge weavings - I can't imagine how large the looms were or how long it too to weave such rugs!
After spending nearly 3 hours there, we headed back to the Taksim area for lunch and then walked to the Military Museum, arriving just in time for the Janissary Band performance. It was very inspiring! The deal of the day were their CD's - for $1.25 Turkish Lira - less than $1 US. We toured the museum - too big to even begin to do justice to in the 1 hour before closing time, but did see the chain that used to be across the Bosphorous, placed by the Byzantines to keep big ships (and possible invaders) out of the Golden Horn and Istanbul. The didn't count on Mehmed's ingenuity and determination when he dragged his ships up and over land to get around the chain and thus attack Constnatinople and lay seige allowing for the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
For my horse interest, there was a good amount of information and collections from the mounted horsemen days - really the major strength of the Ottomans until the technologies of the early 20th century rendered horses virtually useless.
Walked back to the hotel after a stop for coffee and light shopping (not buying). Tomorrow we enter a highly secured area - we will visit a synagogue where there were attacks twice last year after incidents in Gaza. We have had to be cleared by their security and must have our passports with us. My Jewish friend likens it to having to show our passports to go to church...sad, huh?
until later.....
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Back to Istanbul
Spent a restless night and got up at 5:15 to sit on the beach at Assos and watch the sun come up. I thought about swimming, but the water was rougher than last night - 4 of us - Louise, Jennifer, Abbey, and I - went swimming about 9:00 - the water was so still and even though it was nearly dark, we could see how clear the water was.
It was a nice sunrise - most of last night's storm clouds were gone. Like at home, clouds in the mountains, but no rain along the lowlands.
Headed to the ancient city of Troy - with 9 different levels of city structures dating back to about 3000 BC. It was interesting that as with Ephesus, the river beds have been drained to make more farmland and now neither "city" is remotely close to being a port city, though you can see where the ports used to be. The German excavators of Troy have done a great job of identifying the various layers of the city, even though at times they seem to almost "weave" through the town in random patterns! Troy was a city/town of about 20,000 at it's height, so it's layout and scale are much smaller than Ephesus, Sardis, or Pergamom, though it was a very wealthy city.
We then drove to Gallipoli, where we took a ferry across the Dardenelle Straits and saw some of the battle sites and cemetaries from the failed Anzac (British forces consisting of Brits, Irish, Indian, Australian, and New Zealand troops) attempts to invade Turkey and be able to move supplies up into southern Russia during the early years of WW I. It is a very mountainous and trecherous area - with all the advantage of position going to the Ottomans, who proved victorious after 6 months of fighting and a total loss of 70,000 lives. I was impressed that the graves of the Anzac fallen are well cared for and memorialized. After the war and after Turkey became independent, their attitude was that all the fallen are now brothers and should be treated with respect. I don't know that we would be so kind and gracious in America.....
The drive from Gallipoli to Istanbul took nearly 6 hours....tough riding for so long, and on a bus, only 1 stretch break...The scenery was lovely. Much of the ride was along the Marmara Sea coast which is not as mountainous as the Aegean coast. The blend of modern and old is still so evident. Watching grain being harvested by a combine and a few kilometers later, seeing bundles of thatched grain waiting to be picked up. Modern cattle feed lots and also a shepherd walking his sheep along a coastal side road. In one city area, our bus pulled up alongside a horse pulled cart waiting , like us, at a stop light.
We ate at a Circassian (Black Sea region) restaurant - different fare from the tradional Turkish, but quite nice. We ordered several different dishes and shared. Then back to the hotel for some (like me!) and sleep while others went out for some night life. We are about split on that fact. Not being a drinking person, I do better coming back and trying to get organized for the next day or so....plus trying to get some sleep! So, until tomorrow!
It was a nice sunrise - most of last night's storm clouds were gone. Like at home, clouds in the mountains, but no rain along the lowlands.
Headed to the ancient city of Troy - with 9 different levels of city structures dating back to about 3000 BC. It was interesting that as with Ephesus, the river beds have been drained to make more farmland and now neither "city" is remotely close to being a port city, though you can see where the ports used to be. The German excavators of Troy have done a great job of identifying the various layers of the city, even though at times they seem to almost "weave" through the town in random patterns! Troy was a city/town of about 20,000 at it's height, so it's layout and scale are much smaller than Ephesus, Sardis, or Pergamom, though it was a very wealthy city.
We then drove to Gallipoli, where we took a ferry across the Dardenelle Straits and saw some of the battle sites and cemetaries from the failed Anzac (British forces consisting of Brits, Irish, Indian, Australian, and New Zealand troops) attempts to invade Turkey and be able to move supplies up into southern Russia during the early years of WW I. It is a very mountainous and trecherous area - with all the advantage of position going to the Ottomans, who proved victorious after 6 months of fighting and a total loss of 70,000 lives. I was impressed that the graves of the Anzac fallen are well cared for and memorialized. After the war and after Turkey became independent, their attitude was that all the fallen are now brothers and should be treated with respect. I don't know that we would be so kind and gracious in America.....
The drive from Gallipoli to Istanbul took nearly 6 hours....tough riding for so long, and on a bus, only 1 stretch break...The scenery was lovely. Much of the ride was along the Marmara Sea coast which is not as mountainous as the Aegean coast. The blend of modern and old is still so evident. Watching grain being harvested by a combine and a few kilometers later, seeing bundles of thatched grain waiting to be picked up. Modern cattle feed lots and also a shepherd walking his sheep along a coastal side road. In one city area, our bus pulled up alongside a horse pulled cart waiting , like us, at a stop light.
We ate at a Circassian (Black Sea region) restaurant - different fare from the tradional Turkish, but quite nice. We ordered several different dishes and shared. Then back to the hotel for some (like me!) and sleep while others went out for some night life. We are about split on that fact. Not being a drinking person, I do better coming back and trying to get organized for the next day or so....plus trying to get some sleep! So, until tomorrow!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Rest and back on the road
Our rest day was so awesome! I went riding - just me and the guide. Rode up in the mountains for about 3 hours and then 30 minutes along the beach and in the Aegean - the horses were small and FAT - too many horses in this country are SOOO skinny. I rode Asia, a bay mare with a blaze and "araby" ears. The other mare - "Ice Baby" (pronounciation, not Turkish spelling) was a better racking horse and was the one I rode in the Aegean. Both mares are gaited and smooth. It was fun being just me and the guide, as I rode ahead much of the time. I liked Asia because she would shy at things occasionally and was not a dead-beat horse. It was just so therapeutic for me to spend 4 hours on the back of a horse!
Back at the hotel went swimming at the beach across from the hotel with Abbey, Stacy, and Jeff, then shopping with Abbey and at 7:30 dinner with the group. Had to pack and get ready for an early departure - finally I slept well!
Friday morning we went to Pergamom and explored the acropolis area. Louise talked me into climbing down to the bottom of the theatre -wow! The climb back up was the hard part but the view was so worth it. The are not many reconstructions, but part of the library (dedicated to Cleopatra by Marc Anthony and once the largest in Asia - 200,000 manuscripts in the second century BC) Pergamom is also where parchment was developed and one of the 7 churches of Revelation. After Pergamom and lunch we drove to an island where Greeks and Turks were "swapped" in a population exchange mandated after Turkey became a Republic. Its a rather interesting solution to ethnic tensions - repeated in Kosovo, Macedonia, Armenia, and other places, but so unfortunate. Christians in Turkey were ordered to move to Crete/Greece and Muslems in Greece to move to Turkey. Needless to say the million plus involved did not fare well either in their reception or their economic well-being. We met a 91 year old man who was about 6 when his family had to leave Crete and move to Turkey. He told us about it and about the hardships it presented to his family.
We finally reached our hotel in the quiet resort town of Assos at 8PM - kind of bummed to be in so late as the water here is so clear and calm. Didn't get to swim until nearly dark. Did watch the moon rise though. It is an east facing beach, so I think I will rise early and try for some sunrise pictures.
Tomorrow we will visit the site of ancient Troy, take a ferry through the Dardenelles and into the Marmara Sea and then back to Istanbul. I am going to miss being in the country. I have loved my tour through Western Anatolia!
Saw the cutest little old man and his donkey today while we were at the resettlement site (can't remember the island's or town's name) They were sharing apricots and pretzels. Made me smile.
Back at the hotel went swimming at the beach across from the hotel with Abbey, Stacy, and Jeff, then shopping with Abbey and at 7:30 dinner with the group. Had to pack and get ready for an early departure - finally I slept well!
Friday morning we went to Pergamom and explored the acropolis area. Louise talked me into climbing down to the bottom of the theatre -wow! The climb back up was the hard part but the view was so worth it. The are not many reconstructions, but part of the library (dedicated to Cleopatra by Marc Anthony and once the largest in Asia - 200,000 manuscripts in the second century BC) Pergamom is also where parchment was developed and one of the 7 churches of Revelation. After Pergamom and lunch we drove to an island where Greeks and Turks were "swapped" in a population exchange mandated after Turkey became a Republic. Its a rather interesting solution to ethnic tensions - repeated in Kosovo, Macedonia, Armenia, and other places, but so unfortunate. Christians in Turkey were ordered to move to Crete/Greece and Muslems in Greece to move to Turkey. Needless to say the million plus involved did not fare well either in their reception or their economic well-being. We met a 91 year old man who was about 6 when his family had to leave Crete and move to Turkey. He told us about it and about the hardships it presented to his family.
We finally reached our hotel in the quiet resort town of Assos at 8PM - kind of bummed to be in so late as the water here is so clear and calm. Didn't get to swim until nearly dark. Did watch the moon rise though. It is an east facing beach, so I think I will rise early and try for some sunrise pictures.
Tomorrow we will visit the site of ancient Troy, take a ferry through the Dardenelles and into the Marmara Sea and then back to Istanbul. I am going to miss being in the country. I have loved my tour through Western Anatolia!
Saw the cutest little old man and his donkey today while we were at the resettlement site (can't remember the island's or town's name) They were sharing apricots and pretzels. Made me smile.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Ephesus
Wow! does not begin to give a sense to the wonder and magnificence of the ancient ruins of Ephesus. The site has been being excavated for over 100 years and there are hundreds of years worth of excavating and reconstruction still to be done. In its "heyday", Ephesus was a city of 250,000 - one of the largest in the world and had a harbor (the river has since been drained to make a better irrigation system for the surrounding plains). The theater in Ephesus seated 24,000 and could be flooded for mock "sea battles". The city also had numerous market places, public baths, temples, a library with 13,000 manuscripts, and terrace houses for the wealthy. Some of the newest excavations and restorations have involved the terrace houses, esp their mosaic floors. frescoed walls, and marble tiles - both flor and wall. The better preserved statuary and friezes are in a museum near old town Ephesus. They too are quite amazing. We spent 3 hours touring the site and only quit because of the blazing sun and to get to lunch. It is a site that could easily take 2 full days to really explore. After lunch we toured the Selchuk Museum, the supposed house where Jesus' mother, Mary, lived out her days, and the Bascillica of St. John, who also reportedly lived in Ephesus. The sun really took a toll on the group's energy level - most of us took a nap when we got back to the hotel. Tomorrow is a free day - some are going to Izmir (old Smyrna), some to the Greek Island of Smaos, and I'm going horseback riding in the Aegean countryside and Sea. By the way - there are no tides in the Mediterranean, Aegean, Adriatic, and Black Seas - which I found very surprising!
I will skip blogging tomorrow unless something amazing happens.....Friday it's off to Pergammom and a meeting with some teachers.
I will skip blogging tomorrow unless something amazing happens.....Friday it's off to Pergammom and a meeting with some teachers.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Ruined Romans
Today began with a phenomenal breakfast spread at the Hotel Lydia, followed by a well-interpreted tour of the Roman gymnasium complex in Sardis. Documentation allows a lot of information to be known about the area, including the names of some of the shopkeepers along the avenues as well as what type of business was in each shop. Unlike the Temple of Artemis in Sardis, these ruins have been reconstructed as much as possible without damaging or affecting the parts found intact. The synagogue has amazing mosaics on the marble walls as well as on the floors. After a couple of hours there, we headed towards Birgi, via a mountainous track that brought back memories of Bolivia and the road to Coripata, but then I realized there was a lane and a half on this road and occasionally guard rails, plus it was not raining, so I could relax. Birgi has some fancy 18th century mansions and one that has been preserved as a museum.There is definate French/Italian influence in both the archetecture and the decoration. The town is undergoing a huge restoration project and the local Imam gave us a great a tour of Birgi's Grand Mosque, built in the 1300s. This one had a small dome over the main worship platform and then a wooden pitch roof for the rest of the building, allowing for easy expansion. We then traveled to a Selchuk (pre-Ottoman) town , Tire, where we saw selchuk mosques and the local farmers market. I had what may have been the best peach of my life there! I also saw a riding horse - tacked and grazing by the road. A terribly skinny bay stallion. I felt so bad for the poor thing!
We got to the Aegean coast about 5pm - our hotel is just across the street from the harbor of Kusadaci. 7 of us went immediately for a swim in the Aegean....I've waited my whole life for this!
After a light supper, 5 of us walked along the boardwalk (OK - cement walk} to the old Selchuk castle on Bird Island in the harbor. Now I am ready for bed - Ephesus tomorrow!
We got to the Aegean coast about 5pm - our hotel is just across the street from the harbor of Kusadaci. 7 of us went immediately for a swim in the Aegean....I've waited my whole life for this!
After a light supper, 5 of us walked along the boardwalk (OK - cement walk} to the old Selchuk castle on Bird Island in the harbor. Now I am ready for bed - Ephesus tomorrow!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Hmmmm! Thermal springs and spa treatments
OK, before I get to the best part, I'll go through the day. We left Kutahya and had quite an adventure trying to get to the Roman ruins overlooking the town. It seems none of the locals know how to get there! After numerous winding narrow streets and lots of non-directions, we finally found it. And wow! it was worth the search. besides being amazing technology, the view of the Anatolian plain and Kutahya were marvelous. Being able to "run around" the ruins helped us prepare for the long bus ride to Sardis. We did stop in the early afternoon at a small town that has later Ottoman style buildings. The bus blew an air conditioner fan , so tomorrow may be a challenge now that we are back to the plains and heat. The village was great and I think we created quite a stir among the people. It was market day and we were'nt shopping, but there were lots of people everywhere! The kids and old men seem especially intrigued by this group of foreigners.
The landscape changed throughout the day from mountains to broad plains, rich, dark farmland, to red clay, to sandy colored ashy soil and back to a rich dark soil. We saw more agriculture and more cattle. As we neared Sardis the crops went from the grains of the high plains to grapes and olives.
Once in Sardis we went to the archeaological site for the Roman ruins, specifically their temple of Artemis. There are only two columns standing. The project has only uncovered what is there, not reconstructed. Tomorrow we will see more of the Roman remains of the town. We could see some from the road and they looked so interesting.
Then we lnded at our hotel - set on a hill, the Lydia Thermal Hotel. They have mineral thermal baths and a wide array of very inexpensive spa treatments. The Turkish bath - a wash down, scrub, and light massage was free and massages about $20 US. I got my first ever full body "stress relief" massage. Hmmmm. I think almost everyone in the group got some treatment. And the supper spread was absolutely amazing. In fact the food this whole trip has been amazing!
Tomorrow the Sardis ruins and then on to Tyre, Bilgi, and a few other Greek/Roman/Ottoman sites before our four days on the Aegean. (Ephesus on Wednesday!)
Bedtime is calling. We have to have our luggage outside our door by 8:30 for the bellmen to take downstairs to be loaded. It's the way it's done here I guess!
Pictures in a day or two....
The landscape changed throughout the day from mountains to broad plains, rich, dark farmland, to red clay, to sandy colored ashy soil and back to a rich dark soil. We saw more agriculture and more cattle. As we neared Sardis the crops went from the grains of the high plains to grapes and olives.
Once in Sardis we went to the archeaological site for the Roman ruins, specifically their temple of Artemis. There are only two columns standing. The project has only uncovered what is there, not reconstructed. Tomorrow we will see more of the Roman remains of the town. We could see some from the road and they looked so interesting.
Then we lnded at our hotel - set on a hill, the Lydia Thermal Hotel. They have mineral thermal baths and a wide array of very inexpensive spa treatments. The Turkish bath - a wash down, scrub, and light massage was free and massages about $20 US. I got my first ever full body "stress relief" massage. Hmmmm. I think almost everyone in the group got some treatment. And the supper spread was absolutely amazing. In fact the food this whole trip has been amazing!
Tomorrow the Sardis ruins and then on to Tyre, Bilgi, and a few other Greek/Roman/Ottoman sites before our four days on the Aegean. (Ephesus on Wednesday!)
Bedtime is calling. We have to have our luggage outside our door by 8:30 for the bellmen to take downstairs to be loaded. It's the way it's done here I guess!
Pictures in a day or two....
Sunday, July 5, 2009
July 5
We got to get up late today - 7:30 instead of 6:15....our first stop was the mosque complex next to the Silk Bazaar - the Grand Mosque - a fantastic older mosque (1388) with amazing calligraphy - I can now recognize the symbols for "Allah". After another mosque we spent a fabulous hour in an old Ottoman town that is still being lived in and looks as it probably did hundreds of years ago. The region is comparable to the Pacific Northwest - cherries, apricots, peaches, and berries are all ripe and available at tons of roadside stands....so nice to have fresh fruit! Esp. since I am missing our fruit at home!
We then drove through the countryside of Western Anatolia - fantastic, yet not unlike places I have seen in Oregon! Mountains, lakes, broad plains and yet unlike with marble quarries, and olive groves plus people working in the fields with hand tools. We drove through a small town and saw a Janissary (military) band performing for a wedding (we saw a total of 6 weddings - well parts of them - today!). We also saw a goatherder and his herd of long-haired goats as they crossed the road. I have only seen four horses - all pulling little farm carts.
We stopped at a few more mosques and tombs....I'm about mosqued out.....but at the last mosque (with an accompanying park) we saw a wedding party and got invited to join (deadlines and schedules prevented - but we had a great few minutes of conversing and picture taking from both sides!
We are now in an Ottoman provincial capital, Kutahya, famous for its porcelain and an old Roman castle. Some of us are walking up to the castle early in the morning. We then hit some more old Ottoman and Selchuk towns and head to Lydia/Sardis. Maybe a soak in hot springs tomorrow!
We then drove through the countryside of Western Anatolia - fantastic, yet not unlike places I have seen in Oregon! Mountains, lakes, broad plains and yet unlike with marble quarries, and olive groves plus people working in the fields with hand tools. We drove through a small town and saw a Janissary (military) band performing for a wedding (we saw a total of 6 weddings - well parts of them - today!). We also saw a goatherder and his herd of long-haired goats as they crossed the road. I have only seen four horses - all pulling little farm carts.
We stopped at a few more mosques and tombs....I'm about mosqued out.....but at the last mosque (with an accompanying park) we saw a wedding party and got invited to join (deadlines and schedules prevented - but we had a great few minutes of conversing and picture taking from both sides!
We are now in an Ottoman provincial capital, Kutahya, famous for its porcelain and an old Roman castle. Some of us are walking up to the castle early in the morning. We then hit some more old Ottoman and Selchuk towns and head to Lydia/Sardis. Maybe a soak in hot springs tomorrow!
July 4
Can't sleep again and my roommate's stuff is charged (her adapter isn't working, so we share) and now I can plug my computer in.
We are staying in a fabulous hotel on a hill overlooking the city of Bursa, a city of about 1.5 million. Wish we were here more than one night....
We had a long day, with an early departure (7:30 am). Saturday traffic was nice compared to what we had been experiencing all week. We crossed into Asia (there is even a "Welcome to Asia" sign!) and then drove an hour more to a ferry to cross the sea to make a shortcut. It was about a 30 minute ride on a ferry like up in the Puget Sound/San Juan Islands. We then drove another hour and a half through hilly farmlands (tons of olive groves with second-level crops growing under them - squash, melon, beans) and some towns. Our first stop was in Iznik (Nicea or Nysoss in Bible times) which is famous for its tiles - somewhat reminiscent of Dutch Delft or Ming Blue Willow only with larger patterns. These are the tiles that decorate many of the mosques we have seen. The kilns are gone now I guess but the patterns are still copied. (I bought a couple - we'll see if I can get them home in one piece).
There are little tea shops everywhere in this country and it is very common to see men in pairs or groups sitting out in front of a shop or in the park drinking tea and talking or playing backgammon - apparently a national game! While strolling around after lunch, Stacey, Abby and I were invited to tea in front of a hardware store because we were Americans and the owner/shopkeeper has an uncle in Houston! He spoke pretty good English and how could we say no! (Stacy and Abby are both very blonde, which makes them obviously not locals and I have a bad habit of making eye-contact and saying "merhabah" (hello) while we explore. But it was a fun diversion. So far the Turks are amazingly warm and friendly and it seems genuine. After touring a museum and a mosque, we headed back to the bus, but due to a communication malfunction, only half of the group made it. It took another 45 minutes for our tour guide to find the missing members, during which time our bus driver handed out fresh peaches and plums.....as good as anything we have at home. We finally made it to Bursa, our day's final destination, about 2 hours later than out professor guide has planned and still managed to see the sites we had planned on - a mosque and burial sites of some sultans (one of whom was Alaadin!), an Ottoman costume and craft museum (amazing collection), and have half an hour at the famous Bursa Silk Bazaar. Bursa is famous for its silk and because of its location on the old "Silk Road", was the capital of the Ottoman empire for a while.
By this time we were all pretty wiped out, so we got to the hotel and had dinner there. It was very good - I have to stop eating so well or my clothes won't fit! The dessert was an assortment of honeyed cakes and the guy next to me didn't want his, so the waiter brought him a lovely plate of fruit. Being my usual quiet self I joked "I didn't like my dessert that much either" - thought it was nearly all gone and actually delicious, though almost too sweet....I didn't realize the waiter spoke very good English and he laughed and pointed to my nearly finished plate. But about 5 minutes later he arrived with a plate of fruit for me! It was so funny! The tour guide and bus driver thought it hilarious. The fruit was awesome and I did share :-) By this time pretty much we all went to our rooms, checked e-mails and downloaded pictures, bathed and went to bed. There are a few who go out drinking every night, but it isn't the group I hang with, and besides, we're busy enough, I don't need to be out late.
The first call to prayer just started - must be close to 5.There are 5 calls to prayer a day and each is broadcast loudly from all the mosque minarets in the city or town...state run and mandated religion!
So that was my Independence Day!
Oh, and Mimi did very well at the Pinto show - she won 6 championships, 1 reserve and was 3rd under 1 judge. What a girl!
We are staying in a fabulous hotel on a hill overlooking the city of Bursa, a city of about 1.5 million. Wish we were here more than one night....
We had a long day, with an early departure (7:30 am). Saturday traffic was nice compared to what we had been experiencing all week. We crossed into Asia (there is even a "Welcome to Asia" sign!) and then drove an hour more to a ferry to cross the sea to make a shortcut. It was about a 30 minute ride on a ferry like up in the Puget Sound/San Juan Islands. We then drove another hour and a half through hilly farmlands (tons of olive groves with second-level crops growing under them - squash, melon, beans) and some towns. Our first stop was in Iznik (Nicea or Nysoss in Bible times) which is famous for its tiles - somewhat reminiscent of Dutch Delft or Ming Blue Willow only with larger patterns. These are the tiles that decorate many of the mosques we have seen. The kilns are gone now I guess but the patterns are still copied. (I bought a couple - we'll see if I can get them home in one piece).
There are little tea shops everywhere in this country and it is very common to see men in pairs or groups sitting out in front of a shop or in the park drinking tea and talking or playing backgammon - apparently a national game! While strolling around after lunch, Stacey, Abby and I were invited to tea in front of a hardware store because we were Americans and the owner/shopkeeper has an uncle in Houston! He spoke pretty good English and how could we say no! (Stacy and Abby are both very blonde, which makes them obviously not locals and I have a bad habit of making eye-contact and saying "merhabah" (hello) while we explore. But it was a fun diversion. So far the Turks are amazingly warm and friendly and it seems genuine. After touring a museum and a mosque, we headed back to the bus, but due to a communication malfunction, only half of the group made it. It took another 45 minutes for our tour guide to find the missing members, during which time our bus driver handed out fresh peaches and plums.....as good as anything we have at home. We finally made it to Bursa, our day's final destination, about 2 hours later than out professor guide has planned and still managed to see the sites we had planned on - a mosque and burial sites of some sultans (one of whom was Alaadin!), an Ottoman costume and craft museum (amazing collection), and have half an hour at the famous Bursa Silk Bazaar. Bursa is famous for its silk and because of its location on the old "Silk Road", was the capital of the Ottoman empire for a while.
By this time we were all pretty wiped out, so we got to the hotel and had dinner there. It was very good - I have to stop eating so well or my clothes won't fit! The dessert was an assortment of honeyed cakes and the guy next to me didn't want his, so the waiter brought him a lovely plate of fruit. Being my usual quiet self I joked "I didn't like my dessert that much either" - thought it was nearly all gone and actually delicious, though almost too sweet....I didn't realize the waiter spoke very good English and he laughed and pointed to my nearly finished plate. But about 5 minutes later he arrived with a plate of fruit for me! It was so funny! The tour guide and bus driver thought it hilarious. The fruit was awesome and I did share :-) By this time pretty much we all went to our rooms, checked e-mails and downloaded pictures, bathed and went to bed. There are a few who go out drinking every night, but it isn't the group I hang with, and besides, we're busy enough, I don't need to be out late.
The first call to prayer just started - must be close to 5.There are 5 calls to prayer a day and each is broadcast loudly from all the mosque minarets in the city or town...state run and mandated religion!
So that was my Independence Day!
Oh, and Mimi did very well at the Pinto show - she won 6 championships, 1 reserve and was 3rd under 1 judge. What a girl!
Friday, July 3, 2009
On the Bosphorus
What a lovely day for a boat ride up the Bosphorus "Strait" (I'm told it's not really a strait but not sure what it is...) which connects the Black Sea to the North with the Aegean Sea to the South. The Bosphorous divides the European side of Istanbul from the Asian side. While the Sultans lived primarily on the European side - all the huge mosques and palaces are on that side, the summer residences and "women's palaces" are on the Asian side.
The day actually began at the Queen Mother's Mosque built in the mid-1600's by the mother and vice regent of a Sultan who preferred hunting to governing and whose mother was a very take charge kind of lady. Next to the mosque she built a spice bazaar to help fune the running of her mosque and because it was near the waterfront. It is quite the sight....I need to research the uses for and differences in different saffrons....also, tried TRUE Turkish delight. Oh my my my....what wonderful melt in your mouth stuff! And the price reflects it!
The primary scholarly reason for our trip was to view the Rumeli Castle (Roman Castle) built by Mehmet the Conqueror for he, his soldiers and their supplies while he lay seige to Constantinople in 1453 . It is an amazing castle structure built from the banks of the Bosphorus and up a steep hill, and covering many acres of ground.
We got within sight of the entrance to the Black Sea - may have to take a bus trip up to the Black Sea on one of our days off.
We stopped for about an hour at an amazing private museum that is home to a large collection of ancient pottery as well as the famous Iznik tiles. There were pieces dating back to the ancient Sumerians. Additionally they had a wonderful collection of Ottoman textiles and clothing - extremely intricate and detailed in their designs - on wonderfully rich fabrics of velvet, silk, cotton, and linen.
We returned to our hotel and discovered that today is the beginning of a city jazz festival and that there would be a Jazz band marching up the main street a few blocks from our hotel. Of course we had to go see! From all appearances they were from New Orleans...yes folks, we are a global community.
By the way, next week the Global Conference on Global Warming will be in Istanbul...but I will not. I figure you may see a bit about it in the news.
The day actually began at the Queen Mother's Mosque built in the mid-1600's by the mother and vice regent of a Sultan who preferred hunting to governing and whose mother was a very take charge kind of lady. Next to the mosque she built a spice bazaar to help fune the running of her mosque and because it was near the waterfront. It is quite the sight....I need to research the uses for and differences in different saffrons....also, tried TRUE Turkish delight. Oh my my my....what wonderful melt in your mouth stuff! And the price reflects it!
The primary scholarly reason for our trip was to view the Rumeli Castle (Roman Castle) built by Mehmet the Conqueror for he, his soldiers and their supplies while he lay seige to Constantinople in 1453 . It is an amazing castle structure built from the banks of the Bosphorus and up a steep hill, and covering many acres of ground.
We got within sight of the entrance to the Black Sea - may have to take a bus trip up to the Black Sea on one of our days off.
We stopped for about an hour at an amazing private museum that is home to a large collection of ancient pottery as well as the famous Iznik tiles. There were pieces dating back to the ancient Sumerians. Additionally they had a wonderful collection of Ottoman textiles and clothing - extremely intricate and detailed in their designs - on wonderfully rich fabrics of velvet, silk, cotton, and linen.
We returned to our hotel and discovered that today is the beginning of a city jazz festival and that there would be a Jazz band marching up the main street a few blocks from our hotel. Of course we had to go see! From all appearances they were from New Orleans...yes folks, we are a global community.
By the way, next week the Global Conference on Global Warming will be in Istanbul...but I will not. I figure you may see a bit about it in the news.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Amazing Mosques
Today we went to a number of newer mosques (1600-1700s), all of which were magnificent! The first was built for Suleyman's favorite (and legal) wife. It is a lovely building - one of architect Sinan's first. He designed mosques using Renaissance ideals of perfect circles and squares. We also got to watch a group of boys in their religious instruction. Kids are kids the world over! The second mosque was a large complex built as a memorial to Suleyman's firstborn who died of smallpox when he was very young. It had a superb courtyard area as well as amazing decor. The third was the mosque of Suleiman himself, unfortunately undergoing major renovation so we could only look at the outside. The mosque complex is about 2 city blocks square. The Sultan's mosque complex (and many others) included an elementary school, 4 levels of high school (each in their own building) a monastery/dormitory (sufi monks were called dirvishes), a hospital, a fountain for water for the community, and a soup kitchen for the poor of the community, plus the mosque itself for daily prayers and Friday worship. We walked through ancient neighborhoods to two smaller "Pasha" mosques - mosques of the government leaders. There are three types of mosques, determined by their primary function and location. Sultanate (head of Government's place of worship next to his residence), Social (for the use of the community, and Friday mosques for congregational worship.
The last mosque was Istanbul's most famous, the Blue Mosque, located opposite the Topkapi Palace. It is exquisitely decorated with painting, calligraphy and Iznik tiles as well as domes and balconies. We got there just after evening prayers so the place was very crowded. Because of that an atmosphere of reverence was pretty much non-existent. Even roaming guards couldn't keep people where they were supposed to be. I was bothered by the lack of respect and reverence - behavior I have never seen in any of our US cathedrals or "high churches".
Being pretty much mosqued out (though I do love the calls to prayer which are broadcast throughout the city 5 times a day - they are amazingly antiphonal and even melodic) we went to eat and then Jenn and I washed some clothes and tried to get all our electronics charged using our 1 outlet in the room!
Tomorrow the Spice Bazaar, a more modern mosque, a boat ride up the Bosphorous, an excursion into the Asian (continent not ethnicity) part of Istanbul.
The last mosque was Istanbul's most famous, the Blue Mosque, located opposite the Topkapi Palace. It is exquisitely decorated with painting, calligraphy and Iznik tiles as well as domes and balconies. We got there just after evening prayers so the place was very crowded. Because of that an atmosphere of reverence was pretty much non-existent. Even roaming guards couldn't keep people where they were supposed to be. I was bothered by the lack of respect and reverence - behavior I have never seen in any of our US cathedrals or "high churches".
Being pretty much mosqued out (though I do love the calls to prayer which are broadcast throughout the city 5 times a day - they are amazingly antiphonal and even melodic) we went to eat and then Jenn and I washed some clothes and tried to get all our electronics charged using our 1 outlet in the room!
Tomorrow the Spice Bazaar, a more modern mosque, a boat ride up the Bosphorous, an excursion into the Asian (continent not ethnicity) part of Istanbul.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Walking, walking, and more walking....
"There are seven hills of Istanbul, and I think we hit them all today" Brenda 2009 CMES member.
Today's topic was the architecture of the early Ottoman period in Istanbul (15 and 16th centuries). We had planned to take public transportation, but due to some snafu with the metro "card" system, we had to walk more than expected to catch the bus we needed to take us to the Fatih area of Istanbul and the mosque complex of Mehmet II (Mehmet the conqueror). The mosque is being re-done so we spent more time in the tomb building and outside, than inside. After one of our teachers had his shoes stolen from the mosque shoe rack while we were inside we went shoe shopping ( he just got some flip flops to get through the day). We then walked through a labrynth of streets to get to another mosque of the period but with different design. We got "shushed" by the imam (priest) for talking while others were praying. I had to admit that it felt intrusive to be there talking about the building while others were there to pray. Also - being covered head-to-toe is VERY hot - and not the attractive hot, either!
We then rode the light rail to the next mosque but stopped for lunch first. We are quite an invasive group when we appear at these little sidewalk cafes 14 strong! Perhaps not unlike Mehmet's invaders except we have cash. :-)
One note - every mosque complex has a resident cat population....thin but friendly.
After lunch we walked to two more mosques (we now each had a bag to carry our shoes in while we were in the mosque) , a rug shop, and then went to the Grand Bazaar - the first indoor shopping mall, 3000 little shops - built in the late 1400's. What a sensory overload! Everyone wants to show you something, sell you anything.....it was almost too much. I felt awful for having to be almost rude to keep people from harrangueing Jess and me. The only time I got mad was when a guy took hold of my arm to try to get me to come into his shop.
But the best thing of the day was the aforementioned rug shop. We were treated to teas and coffees and then a full explanation and demonstration of the different carpet(rug) weave patterns, materials, techniques, and results. The silk knotted carptes were so amazing! And so out of a teacher's salary - in fact more than most teacher's annual salary - $66,000 for one containing 1.5 knots per mm square. But oh, the softness and luxury! My roomate and I will be checking out another rug shop she was recommended to just before we come home - don't want to have to lug anything around Anatolia and the Balkans for the next 3 weeks!
Exhaustion is setting in (not sleeping well yet) so I'll close and download pictures later.
Today's topic was the architecture of the early Ottoman period in Istanbul (15 and 16th centuries). We had planned to take public transportation, but due to some snafu with the metro "card" system, we had to walk more than expected to catch the bus we needed to take us to the Fatih area of Istanbul and the mosque complex of Mehmet II (Mehmet the conqueror). The mosque is being re-done so we spent more time in the tomb building and outside, than inside. After one of our teachers had his shoes stolen from the mosque shoe rack while we were inside we went shoe shopping ( he just got some flip flops to get through the day). We then walked through a labrynth of streets to get to another mosque of the period but with different design. We got "shushed" by the imam (priest) for talking while others were praying. I had to admit that it felt intrusive to be there talking about the building while others were there to pray. Also - being covered head-to-toe is VERY hot - and not the attractive hot, either!
We then rode the light rail to the next mosque but stopped for lunch first. We are quite an invasive group when we appear at these little sidewalk cafes 14 strong! Perhaps not unlike Mehmet's invaders except we have cash. :-)
One note - every mosque complex has a resident cat population....thin but friendly.
After lunch we walked to two more mosques (we now each had a bag to carry our shoes in while we were in the mosque) , a rug shop, and then went to the Grand Bazaar - the first indoor shopping mall, 3000 little shops - built in the late 1400's. What a sensory overload! Everyone wants to show you something, sell you anything.....it was almost too much. I felt awful for having to be almost rude to keep people from harrangueing Jess and me. The only time I got mad was when a guy took hold of my arm to try to get me to come into his shop.
But the best thing of the day was the aforementioned rug shop. We were treated to teas and coffees and then a full explanation and demonstration of the different carpet(rug) weave patterns, materials, techniques, and results. The silk knotted carptes were so amazing! And so out of a teacher's salary - in fact more than most teacher's annual salary - $66,000 for one containing 1.5 knots per mm square. But oh, the softness and luxury! My roomate and I will be checking out another rug shop she was recommended to just before we come home - don't want to have to lug anything around Anatolia and the Balkans for the next 3 weeks!
Exhaustion is setting in (not sleeping well yet) so I'll close and download pictures later.
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