Monday, April 10, 2023

Davemo Posts, Turkey, March 2022 to February 2023

The Way is perfect like vast space

where nothing is lacking and nothing in excess.

Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject

that we do not see the true nature of things.

~ The Third Patriarch of Zen
~ Verses on the Faith Mind

Greetings, friends. I can't account for myself, as usual, but periodically I post too-many photos, and that probably raises more questions than answers. Anyway, I'm surprised I haven't created a blog post in year, and I'm happy that it wasn't a five year break like I took after my brother died.

If you've been on the Davemo Posts Whatsapp group, you will have seen these. To the rest of you, welcome.

Look for more of these WhatsApp catch-up posts. They are lined up and aiming at YOU!

Love,

Dave

March 4, 2022

My one week trip to Istanbul turned into 3 and 1/2 weeks, but I finally escaped a few days ago, and now I'm back in Antalya, on the Aegean coast. That white snow in the mountains is fresh, from yesterday's rainfall here. This natural harbor has been used at least since Greek times, and was visited by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 130 AD.

March 6, 2022

I went to see Hadrian's Gate tonight for the first time, a 10 minute walk from my hotel. It's not clear to me whether it was built before Hadrian visited in 130 AD. Another famous visitor to the gate: the Queen of Sheba, on her way to visit Solomon! Wow, that happens to be total BS because that was about 1,000 years before the gate was built. But still: good story, and I will not let the facts deter me.

March 8, 2022

I just posted a newsletter about the trip to Istanbul, if you're interested. http://www.blog.daveadair.com/2022/03/istanbul.html

November 22, 2022

Greetings, friends. Welcome back to occasional updates on Davemo Posts. The unusual lifestyle continues, and this photo is the latest evidence. I'm parked here right now, wild camping in a small forest, 20 minutes away from the Zagreb airport in Croatia. I'm leaving my van in a parking lot and flying to Istanbul for a month, not so much for tourism but to visit my eye doctor. Stories to follow. Many things have happened, some of them good! Love to all of you...

November 29, 2022

One of the famous cats of Istanbul was held spellbound by my storytelling prowess, plus the hope that I might share my Doritos. (She didn't like them, actually.) I might become one of the cat ladies, carrying my own supply of cat food and spreading it out on street corners.

December 3, 2022

More pics of my Istanbul wanderings: It's not only the cats that are famous and loved here. The "street dogs," if you can call them that, are everywhere, mostly overfed, and have the run of the place. I've seen them asleep in front a grocery store entrance and people just step over them. Many of them are giant by street dog standards!

December 3, 2022

Beautiful Galata Tower, built in 1348, is an iconic symbol of the city. Plus, take that, Wright brothers: "It was from its roof that, in 1638, Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi supposedly strapped on wings and made the first intercontinental flight, landing in Üsküdar on the Asian side of the city, a story of doubtful authenticity recounted by the Ottoman travel writer, Evliya Çelebi." For sure that's not true, but I like the story. Do your own research, people! Then believe whatever pleases you, cuz them's the new rules.

December 3, 2022

Super groovy and super crowded İstiklal Avenue, where the recent bomb was detonated on November 13 of this year, killing six and wounding 81. The site of the actual bombing has been cleaned up and people were sitting outside at a cafe right next to it. The only giveaway was the huge number of police in the area.

December 3, 2022

Oh, help! I could live on sweets like this, and they are damn near irresistible to me. The food displays, especially of sweets, are laid out like art museums.

December 3, 2022

Pray for me.

December 8, 2022

This small ferry building at Moda Pier was renovated and reopened in August. The stone pier is thought to be one of the oldest piers in Istanbul. Upstairs is a library anyone can use and downstairs is a coffee shop. Great hangout spot.

December 8, 2022

Colorful fruit and vegetables at an outdoor market.

December 8, 2022

My favorite way to get around - this particular ferry runs between Europe and Asia. It takes 20 minutes and costs 50 cents. The 6-hour all day Bosphorus cruise costs $4. I'll take the ferry for any reason or no reason, because I love it. This man has a bag full of bread and was feeding the seagulls.

December 8, 2022

Such a food obsession! Me, I mean. Turkey in general and Istanbul in particular, also. These giant columns of meat (chicken on the left, beef on the right) are rotated in front of a broiler, cooking from the outside in. They shave the cooked parts of the roll for a sandwich, or a flatbread wrap, or other dishes.

December 11, 2022

What is that goopy mess in the water? Zoom in - maybe millions of jellyfish. The wind pushes them all up against the shore.

December 11, 2022

Mama cat could kick these almost-adult children out, couldn't she? Go find your own cat lady, you lazy bastards. Or is it just that I'm not a cat, or a mother?

December 11, 2022

A peaceful ferry, the smallest one I've been on.

December 26, 2022

Greetings friends, and Merry Christmas-ish from Turkey, where Christians make up a scant 0.2% of the population. At last I'm enjoying the life of an oppressed minority, without the irritation of actually being oppressed, which I see as a win-win.

December 26, 2022

Enjoy your holidays, lovely people, and appreciate your many gifts. You have much to be grateful for!

February 10, 2023

Let's get this posting party started again, shall we? I'm no longer in Istanbul, I'm now in the southwest of Turkey in the village of Kas. Beautiful place, recently a lot of sunshine and little rain. It's a 12 hour drive to the tragic earthquake area, and no physical effects here. More photos to come - do I dare promise? Ciao!

February 11, 2023

This is in the quaint lanes of Kas, Turkey during summer. Lots of pedestrian zones, many shops and restaurants, cafes... and Russians!

February 13, 2023

Oh my gosh. I just saw this photo of a man near the earthquake epicenter, holding the hand of his 15 year-old daughter who died and was pinned in the rubble. I find it so touching and tragic. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/13/middleeast/turkey-quake-man-daughter-hand-photo-intl/index.html

February 16, 2023

A wander near the town square, and this small mosque, recently renovated. There's only a single trail into the hills in the distance. I'll show you pics of that area next post.

February 16, 2023

This looks like sort of a country saloon to me. It's right on the sea, with a big view out the windows on the left.

February 16, 2023

Aha! Just outside it's shaping up to be a good sunset. Those are just the kind of clouds you want to see.

February 16, 2023

One of my new hangouts. Why isn't it filled with people before I get here? It's an amazing setting.

February 16, 2023

Ok! I approve. Tomorrow I'm hiking 15 km, 9 mi, up and around the big mountains behind the town. Photos to come!

February 18, 2023

It feels summer-ish today, sipping a cafe latte at this popular cafe on the main square of Kas. It's 17° c, 62° f, cool in the shade, a little hot in the sun. You may see some boats in the harbor, but you won't be able to tell where people are from - I can't tell from here. I'm guessing 2/3

(The End)

Monday, March 07, 2022

Istanbul, February 2022

Posted by Dave Adair on March 7th, 2022

"It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

"More can't be the point."
~ Sam Harris

Greetings, friends - current, future, and former! Last I wrote, Julieta had just left me in Antalya, in the south of Turkey on the Aegean coast. Five days after she left, her 14 year-old daughter was coming home from boarding school for 10 days. She said to her mom, "Are we flying to Turkey?" Julieta burst into action, and 24 hours later had flights for them to Istanbul - leaving two days later, only eight days since she'd left Turkey. Bang! Zoom!! Like a Batman comic, the Argentinian Hurricane is coming back to Turkey, and bringing her lovely daughter Eli, whom I have yet to meet. We stayed in the ancient center of Istanbul and practiced our tourist-jitsu: constantly saying no to charming hawkers trying to shmooze us into their shops or restaurants. I used to be pathetic at saying no, but India has taught me well.

On our first full day we were laughing about how last-minute the trip was, and Eli's suggestion that we come, when Eli said, "Actually, I was kidding." Julieta's eyes got big and her face dropped! She said, you didn't want to come?!? Eli said, no, I wanted to come - but I was joking and didn't think we would. Oh, well that's ok, then.

We had some seriously cold weather as well as some sunshine and beautiful views. Eli got a cold, and Julieta started to get a sore throat. They were both fully vaxxed, but when they got home Eli wanted to get tested for the sake of her schoolmates - and they ended up both being positive for Covid. I thought I must have it, but somehow I didn't have symptoms and tested negative. Eli had mild systems for two days, while Julieta was pretty sick (and testing positive) for 10 days. The mystery illness isn't over for the planet yet, but we're getting much closer.

I hope you like the photos and stories.

Love,

Dave

Enjoy the 43 photos below. That's too many, right? What to do. Captions below the pics...

My first night in Istanbul since I was here in 1992. This is Hagia Sophia, (pronounced "EYE-yah So-FEE-yah,") built in AD 537 during the reign of Justinian the Great, the frickin' Byzantine emperor. Minarets were added as it was converted to a mosque in the 15th-16th centuries after the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople in 1453. It was the world's largest cathedral for an astounding 1,000 years. OMG, this kills me!

The spectacular interior of Hagia Sophia. Stunning! It's incredible to me that this huge and beautiful structure, open and spacious, could have been built so long ago. And you don't build something this size and just hope it will stay up. Math. Lots and lots of math.

Built in 537 A.D. - that's not a typo. Serious question: what were other civilizations building/doing in 500 A.D.? Some say this is the most magnificent building ever built at any time, and it seems unimaginable to me to have built 1,500 years ago.

One of many chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Aha!! Look what I found: Europe in 555 A.D., right as Hagia Sophia was built. First, my summary: Men are Bastards - they were then, and they are now. Sorry. From the text on the image: The Western Roman Empire ended in 476, after losing most of its land to various Germanic tribes. The Franks settled in northern Gaul, the Visigoths in Hispania and the Vandals in Africa. Only the eastern half of the empire remained. When Justinian I became emperor, he was determined to reconquer the lands that had been lost to the Germans. First, he sent his general Belisarius to conquer the Vandal kingdom. After this, he was sent to reconquer Rome itself from the Ostrogoths. This war is known as the Gothic War. Justinian also fought many wars against the Sassanid Persian empire to the east, and reconquered southern Hispania from the Visigoths. He died in 565 after a nearly 40 year long reign.

Note: The Ghassanids and Lazica were vassals of the Eastern Roman Empire, but on this map they are shown as independent states.

1. Sussex, 2. Kent, 3. Essex, 4. East Anglia, 5. Lindsey, 6. Dyfed, 7. Glywysing, 8. Gwent, 9. Fortriu

Still on our first day, we walked to the Süleymaniye Mosque, built between 1551 and 1557. (They built the whole thing in six years?!) It's considered one of the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul.

My travels companions this week, Julieta and Eli. So far they're both still talking to me. But it's only the first day!

This little beauty started circling our table at a tea shop as Julieta practiced her Turkish on her.

The view inside the Süleymaniye Mosque. The mosques are incredibly, elaborately, detailed.

We're not in San Francisco, where they don't put severed heads in front of a restaurant unless you used the wrong pronoun.

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." Friedrich Nietzsche

In small neighborhoods these pickup trucks, loaded with vegetables, mostly, will call out and stop for people to come out and buy what they need. It looks like quite a social event, and the seller is part of the community, regardless of where he lives.

I love both the amazing structures like a giant mosque, and the dilapidated ones, like this beauty. It's the middling ones that pain me.

We walked on our first day for HOURS. A super day.

This is our neighborhood, and our hotel is just down the block. It's an ancient area, just near Hagia Sophia, but also too tourist-oriented. The hawkers try to arm-wrestle you into their restaurants, but they do give up after a few days.

A tea and coffee house. Turkey LOVES their tea, incredible how much people drink. They drink more than twice the amount of people in the UK (and 14 times what Americans drink, duh!)

I may do a whole post on food presentation here. I've never seen anything like it.

You have NEVER seen so many pampered, well fed, and healthy "wild" cats as you will in Turkey. And dogs, too, including huge dogs that normally would never be running free. People leave food and water for them everywhere - on sidewalks, at the coastline, in parks, and they have these little cat community houses. They cats are calm and affectionate, many of them. The NYT writes, "In Istanbul alone, a megacity of 15 million people, there are thought to be 130,000 dogs and 125,000 cats roaming free."

Taking a ferry today across the Bosphorus, exploring a new neighborhood in Istanbul. Warm in the sun, biting cold in the wind. Beautiful in all weather. The Bosphorus, (or Bosporus,) also known as the Strait of Istanbul, connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and by way of the Mediterranean, the rest of the world.

We stumbled across this dramatic restaurant in the Grand Bazaar, a huge covered market built around 1480. Wut?! Amazing over-the-top place. It's called: Nusr-Et Steakhouse Sandal Bedesteni. It just rolls off the tongue, no? If you're looking to buy a steak that's covered in gold foil, this is not a joke, you can get that here. That's the equivalent of lighting your cigar with a burning $100 bill. Classy, people, really classy.

Starting a long-ish walk on the last day of our 3-person group tour of Istanbul. We've crossed this bridge across the Bosphorus in all kinds of weather, and there are always many fishermen here.

Proof! Fishermen day and night. I assumed they were catching some substantial fish, and thought the small fish on their lines were bait. Turns out, that's what they're after. They look like sardines.

İstanbul has an incredible number and variety of neighborhoods, and this city of 15 million people is buzzing. I've made a list of people who should come here for a visit: (1) Everyone. Yes, it's a short list, and you are on it.

Turkey is famous for its sweets - they really are incredible. And Istanbul is famous for the presentation of food. This tower of sweets is much taller than I am.

I don't know what this says, but I'm assuming they're telling real men to sit like real men, not little school girls. It probably says, "Your legs should be spread wide, like your opinions, which should be similarly irritating."

My new favorite dessert in the world, seriously: baklava with ice cream. I'd never seen it before and thought it was a terrible idea until I tried it. Now I think it's a terrible day if I don't have it.

One of a hundred neighborhoods I visited, and a fountain in front of one of a hundred giant mosques in the city. Not kidding.

As I'm walking down dark streets on the way back to my van, or in this case my hotel, in a city that I don't really know, it seems very funny. How do I know where I'm going? How do I know it's going to work out and I'll be ok? And the only answer is: you'll find out for yourself that it DOES work out. And these amazing experiences/adventures change you in ways you can't anticipate, virtually always for the better. As I've said before, no one NEEDS to travel. But if you're tempted and afraid, that's perfect! Just go, and you'll know.

I like this street scene.

The famous Spice Bazaar, built in 1664.

I had just lifted my phone up to take a pic when the first firework went off. Nice timing. Apparently I have fireworks ESP. Send cash and I'll tell you your fortune. Hint: it involves you coming to Istanbul!

I'm walking across the bridge that carries cars, pedestrians, trams/street cars, and restaurants, with the Süleymaniye Mosque up on the hill.

I didn't think much about this tower, but looked it up after I took the pic. It's a Roman monument, so old it's original date is lost to history. But it was repaired 1,000 years ago. What will be here in 1,000 years from now, I wonder?

The famous Blue Mosque looks more blue in this photo than it did to my eyes. I didn't adjust anything. It's a 7 minute walk from my hotel, but I never managed to go. Weird.

One of my many ferry trips, waiting to take off.

Walking along the Bosphorus I came across this very comfortable coffee shop right on the water.

Hey, a mosque!

I went to a restaurant that had no menu, they only served the typical Turkish breakfast all day until it closed at 5 pm. I ate almost every bit of this. Moo.

Kitty condos with a view.

This very Turkish method of preparing and serving hot meats for sandwiches was invented about 100 years ago, and is seen all over the country.

When I couldn't get my hands on baklava and ice cream I would have these sweet fried dumpling things. Yum.

When we first arrived we took a private Bosphorus boat tour, about two hours, and it cost 50 euros each. That's a little expensive, but I thought it would be worth it. Then I found out that the public boat tour is just as comfortable, goes farther, stops along the way, and costs 2 euros each! I ended up taking that one twice. Near the Black Sea is this old fort used to control passage and collect taxes from passing ships. There was a 1 kilometer long chain (.6 miles) that they raised to stop boats from crossing.

A coffee shop with hanging book lamps. Congratulations for getting this far!

(The End)