summercomfort (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summercomfort) wrote2011-07-08 10:58 pm
summercomfort) wrote2011-07-08 10:58 pm
(no subject)
Istanbul was quite amazing. The Turks do sinfully delicious things to eggplant and lamb. The Topkapi palace is eerily similar to the Forbidden City... built at around the same time, with many courtyards ranging from thr public administrative courts to the private harem residence with the queen mother. Isnik tiles adorn the walls and there is calligraphy in every room. There were stelae memorializing battle victories and random sultan exploits. There were also throngs of people because the Topkapi has such religous ttreasures as Muhammed's footprint and the rain gutter of the Kaaba.
At night the call to prayer form the mosques compete with turkish pop fromvarious night clubs and cafes. There are so may cafes here for you to sit, grab some chay or ayran, and play backgammon.
There are a lot of scarf and carpet salesmen everywhere, paying us all the compliments in the world, "For such a pretty lady I have a special offer"... but equally gracious when we refuse.
We have made our way to canakkale and today we are on a tour of Troy and Gallipoli. The tour guide speaks inAustralian English because the majority of the foreign tourists are Aussies here to celebrate Anzac Day. Gallipoli is a source of Turkish nationalism becuase this is the one point where they were able to hold off the Allies during WWI, lead by Ataturk himself. It is also a source of Aussie nationalism because so many of them died in what seemed like a pointless war for their mother country.
At night the call to prayer form the mosques compete with turkish pop fromvarious night clubs and cafes. There are so may cafes here for you to sit, grab some chay or ayran, and play backgammon.
There are a lot of scarf and carpet salesmen everywhere, paying us all the compliments in the world, "For such a pretty lady I have a special offer"... but equally gracious when we refuse.
We have made our way to canakkale and today we are on a tour of Troy and Gallipoli. The tour guide speaks inAustralian English because the majority of the foreign tourists are Aussies here to celebrate Anzac Day. Gallipoli is a source of Turkish nationalism becuase this is the one point where they were able to hold off the Allies during WWI, lead by Ataturk himself. It is also a source of Aussie nationalism because so many of them died in what seemed like a pointless war for their mother country.