Haystacks & Hydrangeas à la Assassin's Creed

True to Ezio's previous adventures, there are plenty of haystacks to hide in throughout Assassin's Creed - Revelations. True to Istanbul, there are also plenty of hydrangeas, or what the locals call hortensia (hydrangea macrophylla). Although I wouldn't want to be jumping into them like Ezio does, hortensia bushes in all shades of blue and lilac are found in parks and palaces across the city - in real life and in AC-R. Little details like this are the reason I enjoyed exploring the game.  
Here's my take on AC-R:

Topkapi Palace is detailed fairly well, as is the Grand Bazaar, and other landmarks like Hagia Sofia, the Galata Tower, and the Maiden's Tower. The rest of the city feels like any other AC game, except for the minarets. Tile roofs and towers, courtyards and caverns. The programmers threw in some carpets for effect, but it feels like Ezio could be anywhere, especially since the Bosphorus looks like a small river or maybe a Venetian waterway. (The Bosphorus is much wider in real life and you wouldn't want to swim across, my dear Ezio.)

But if you like Ezio's previous worlds, then the familiarity is a plus. (Even I can't really complain.) I was disappointed with the way programmers handled the Yerebatan Sarnici. They must have had plenty of leftover code and thought they could get away with chopping it up into sections. I can almost forgive them. There are plenty of cisterns under the city which might fit into their labyrinthine plan, and some of them must connect to Yerebatan Sarnici. What I don't accept is the way programmers handled the caves of Cappadocia.

Problem #1: There are no navigable rivers in Cappadocia, yet Ezio hops on a ship in Istanbul and lands right at the hidden entrance to a rock city.

Problem #2: The city is inside a huge cave. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the cities of Cappadocia are carved into cliff faces, or dug seven stories down like ground squirrel warrens. Supersized, giant caves? Felt like a device the programmers used so they could suspend a challenge from the ceiling. *ahem*

So besides hydrangeas and aptly placed white tulips, what did I love about AC-R?

wikia.com

Turkish is interlaced in conversation. Push someone as you run past and you might get a dose of interesting insults. Some of the women standing around have stories to tell about their lives too, if you listen. I think they used some native speakers because the accent was pretty pure.

Otherwise, the city folk are pretty standard. Instead of Venetian courtesans, we swap out a few dresses et voilà: Romani gypsies. Veiled women and turbaned men roam the streets in between groups of Ottoman Janissaries, who look pretty darned awesome in their detailed uniforms. I've got a thing for Janissaries though, so maybe it's just me. Uniforms aside, there isn't much difference between them and the Byzantines supporting theTemplars of the AC-R conflict. All guards act the same as any soldiers in previous AC games.

Bottom line: don't expect anything outrageously different from AC-R. Expect to spend some more time with Ezio Auditore da Firenze, relive a few scenes with Altaïr, and help Desmond out with the Animus.

You know what to you need to do. 

Psst...Go play the game! Desmond is up next. ;)

Is Bigger Fantabulous.... or Folly?

Image via WikipediaOn Friday I posted about CittaSlow. Today we have the opposite. A city rushing ahead to meet the future. I say wait...

I'm probably not the only person who looks at Dubai's grandiose plans - a mini-world of man-made islands, or the famed Burj Khalifa looking out across the flat desert - and thinks "Why?" Apparently, Istanbul seems to be a little jealous though.

Don't get me wrong. I love Istanbul from the bottom of my heart. New. Old. It's all good. When the city makes the news, the real estate broker in me needs to share things like:

This Bloomberg article from 2/3/2011:
Istanbul Favorite European City for Property, PwC Survey Says

"Istanbul is the best place in Europe to buy or develop property as Turkey’s economic growth contrasts with declines across much of the region, a survey of 600 real estate professionals by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP showed."

Europe’s next world cities: Istanbul and Moscow? – Greg Clark, Senior Fellow, ULI Europe

"The lessons from the global indexes are clear. Istanbul and Moscow are importantly located cities, ideally situated to host global firms and attract large scale investment to match their political and cultural significance. Europe may need them to succeed if the continent is to be competitive in the longer term. However, both powerhouses have struggled to improve their social and physical infrastructure and openness sufficiently to develop their knowledge and business credentials, which is holding them back from taking their recent progress to the next level."

BUT....

Luxist: Istanbul Sapphire Is Europe's Tallest Tower

"Need more proof that Istanbul is becoming one of the most cosopolitan cities in Europe? Check out the Istanbul Sapphire, the 261-meter skyscraper that will be the tallest residential building in Europe once it is completed in late 2009. The skyscraper has been under construction for three years and recently reached full height. It will have 64 floors and offer 174 private residences. The total cost of the project is currently $200 million and around 40 percent of the whole project has been sold. The tower is also home to a shopping center, fitness center and spa, restaurants and includes vertical gardens and a viewing terrace." (Turkish Daily News)


Do we really need the tallest residential building in Europe to make our point? With golf at 160 meters above the ground? OK...maybe the shopping mall is an awesome idea....and I DO love the name Sapphire... Again though, I say wait a minute. Why do we need this obscenely tall building on the Istanbul skyline? It dwarfs everything around it....though it must have an awesome view over the city's seven hills and beyond.

As you can see, I'm torn. Go forward? Hold back? Well, what did I expect from a city known for it's dichotomies? Maybe Istanbul Sapphire fits right in.... Next thing you know, Trump will be building down the street. Oh, wait...what's this? Trump Towers Istanbul?  blah-de-blah  "first to bear the Trump name in Europe."

What was that other guy saying about infrastructure? ;)

Here's the developer's clip for Sapphire, in English:



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Spiderman to Climb Europe’s tallest building in Istanbul

Vapur

Image via WikipediaThe Bosphorus strait divides Istanbul into two parts, so as you can imagine, the Vapur ferry boat (and eventually bridges) played a huge role in the development of the city.

Generally, tourists stick to the older, eastern side of the city, since most historic sites are there. Many do opt for a ferry ride up the strait though, and they aren't disappointed.

The panoramic views are amazing...I still get the chills thinking of the first time I saw it.  Minarets and skyscrapers, lovely Yali mansions and palace gates... all of them change moods with the angle of the sun...see what I mean:


via wikipedia

Don't miss the ferry trip!

Related articles

• Take a Cruise Along the Bosphorus (mydestinationinfo.com)
• A cruise up the Bosphorus, Istanbul Bienale - Istanbul, Turkey (travelpod.com)

PS!!!! Just want to say THANK YOU to all of my followers! Serendipity hit 100 on Tuesday and Friday will be the 100th post. So as a special treat that day, I have author/freelance editor Tracy Marchini coming by for a Q&A on Writing. Amazing stuff on her resume: Curtis Brown and Taconic Press...and the "Wonderbar" Nathan Bransford has her on his Book Blogs sidebar. She's currently represented by Caren Johnson Estensen.  Worth checking out, I promise!

Now back to our show: If you have the time (about 10 minutes) this guy has a pretty HiDef video of his tour up the European side and a little of the Asian side down to Beylerberi Palace.

An Ottoman Fortress

Image via Wikipedia

Rumeli Hisari on the European shore of Istanbul was built by the Ottomans in preparation for the siege of Constantinople. Amazingly, it only took 4 months and 16 days to build because the Pashas (generals) competed to finish sections. Then in 1453, together with the Anadolu Hisari on the other side of the Bosphorus straight, the Ottomans succeded in cutting off the city and Constantinople became Istanbul.

After that, it was used as a customs checkpoint and later for housing prisoners of war. But after an earthquake, fire damage, and years of disrepair, it was abandoned in the 19th century and an entire neighborhood sprang up inside the walls. In the 1950s, the neighborhood was relocated and Rumeli Hisari was restored to its current use as a museum and sometime theater/concert venue. They just had a play about our friend Prometheus.

Per wikipedia: The fortress, designed by architect Müslihiddin, was initially called "Boğazkesen", literally meaning "The Strait Cutter", referring to the Bosporus Strait. The name carries a secondary and more macabre meaning; as boğaz not only means strait but also "throat" in Turkish. It was later renamed as Rumelihisarı, which means "Fortress on the Land of the Romans"

Love the double meaning of the original name...but then I use double meaning a lot in my writing so maybe it's just me.

Anyway, the gates of Sybil's school, Boğaziçi University, lie right near the fortress, so I would be remiss if I didn't mention it in Burnt Amber. In fact, the university buildings are made from the same dark limestone as the impressive towers. That one small corner of the city represents so much change, with the suspension bridge, ancient fortress and Ivy League-style university in such close proximity to each other (there's so much more, but those are the big sites). You can get them all in the same snapshot...see the one in the top corner of the sidebar?

I include Fortress Around Your Heart (Sting is my favorite) on my writing playlist. The lyrics really connect to the story and the setting. Sorry the video is so bad, can't believe we used to think it was cool??



NB. This related article has another favorite from poet Percy Byshe Shelley : Ozymandias. Shelley shows up in BA too and I even almost used Ozymandias. So Poetry and Historic Sites in one post - huzzah!

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• Paul Wagler: Ancient Empires and Conquerors: Reflections on my recent trip to Turkey, Greece and Italy (huffingtonpost.com)