Istanbul's Olympic Bid

The International Olympic Committee is in the Turkish news right now:

Istanbul; 27 March 2013: The IOC Evaluation Commission concluded its inspection of Istanbul today with a final press conference to over 200 international and Turkish media and declared that they had an "excellent impression" of the Istanbul 2020 bid.

In a press conference at the Four Seasons Bosphorus Hotel, Chairman of the IOC Evaluation Commission, Sir Craig Reedie, said:

"The IOC 2020 Evaluation Commission has been very pleased to spend time here in the extraordinary city of Istanbul. We have an excellent impression of the Bid Committee, and we have witnessed the strong support that the bid enjoys from the government, which was highlighted by the presence of President Gül this week. It has been a great pleasure to meet with so many Olympians, Paralympians, athletes and the Bid Committee - we have seen the enthusiasm for the Olympic Games that exists here in Istanbul."

source: Istanbul 2020 press release

I may be biased, but just clicking around the Istanbul2020 website, I can tell you there's an amazing construction plan for top notch venues and services. All that plus amazing historic sites?
You might want to book your plane tickets now.

Here's the promotional video for Istanbul.

I'm still here...

Şirince, Turkey

 ...telling the tale of two villages and the apocalypse that never happened.

In Bugarach, France, Dec 21, 2012 hit hard. The mayor begged doomsday UFO seekers to leave his village in peace. Police then barricaded the roads, and camera crews were the only unusual sight at the top of that particular peak of the Pyrenees.

Further east, the Mayan calender was a publicity bust for the Ottoman village of Şirince, Turkey. Inns of the area booked to capacity, wait-listed people even. The 600 residents prepped all sorts of goodies, to no avail. Everyone banked on the new age claim that a sort of positive energy exists in the rocks there, creating a haven from the apocalpyse. (A ley line, perhaps?) Surely, if Noah escaped the flood, somebody can escape the (insert whatever you thought was coming)!

Not buying it?

There is one other possible reason to book a room in Şirince. Nearby, the house of the Virgin Mary might be the most direct route to heaven.

The Vatican doesn't confirm or deny that the Assumption happened there, but since Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich had a vision about it, pilgrims have sought out the small shrine. Many leave a written prayer on the wall outside.

I wonder what Mary would think about all this Mayan business?




Wishing Wall

The bad news: Village winemakers will have to drink their "Wine of the Apocalypse" another day.
The good news: Santa still knows where to find me. (You know he's from Turkey too, right?)

Happy Holidays!


Şirince village readies for ‘Doomsday’ events
Şirince misses crowds on Dec 21 ‘doomsday’

The Sultanahmet Jail Hotel

The Ottoman calligraphy across the lintel reads:
"Capital City Murder Jail",
but I'd pay 370 Euros to stay for a night,
if I had any spare Euros to spend, that is...

A lot of other people think it's worth the money too, because this is not only the old Sultanahmet Jail, it is now a 65 room, five star hotel: the Four Seasons- Istanbul at Sultanahmet.

The elegant neoclassical style of the building belies the original purpose- on purpose. Perhaps the proximity to nearby Ottoman palaces and public buildings, and the caliber of the actual prisoners (writers and educated political dissidents) warranted a more gentle architecture.

While all that was fine in 1918-19 when the jail was built, by 1968 the prison was shuttered. It's historic, old city location was of no consequence to the growing needs of the new Istanbul. The jail was put to use for a brief stint during a coup d'etat in the 80s, but quickly abandoned again for more than a decade.

Then in 1996, the prison's wide windows and high-arched hallways welcomed a transformation. The building was repurposed, clad in marble and mosaics, and the courtyard was outfitted with a garden, terrace and gourmet restaurant. In 2012, the resulting boutique style hotel was rated #1 on the Top Small City Hotels list by Travel + Leisure. 

But take a closer look. A sort of gothic gloom lingers, intentionally, as a reminder of the building's history. Brass rings keep their firm hold on some of the old cell walls. An inmate's inscription still marks up a marble pillar - and wish I knew what it says! Somebody please take a picture and send it to me. Some of the inmates were poets, so maybe the wording is poignant.

Alas, no images of the inscription exist, at least not anywhere I've searched.
Instead, here's a poem by the Sultanahmet Jail's famous inmate and International Peace Prize winner, Nâzım Hikmet.
(Remember my post about Hiroshima Girl?)


Lion in an Iron Cage

Look at the lion in the iron cage,
look deep into his eyes:
like two naked steel daggers
they sparkle with anger.
But he never loses his dignity
although his anger
comes and goes
goes and comes.

You couldn't find a place for a collar
round his thick, furry mane.
Although the scars of a whip
still burn on his yellow back
his long legs
stretch and end
in the shape of two copper claws.
The hairs on his mane rise one by one
around his proud head.
His hatred
comes and goes
goes and comes ...

The shadow of my brother on the wall of the dungeon
moves
up and down
up and down.  

Source: poemhunter.com

Turkish Publishing Industry

Frankfurt Book Fair, 2008

What to blog? It's Friday afternoon (as I'm writing this) and I have NO IDEA!

Duh! Read the news.
Syria. Syria. Syria.
Pfft.
Not getting into that quagmire.

Oh, look! A pretty picture of BOOKS.

Ah! An article about the Frankfurt Book Fair, specifically, an article about the Turkish companies attending:

A total of 21 Turkish publishing houses will attend the book fair, including eight publishing houses geared toward children’s and youth literature. Seven copyright agencies from Turkey will also be present at the fair. Source:Hurriyet Daily News

Wow. 21 publishing houses. Maybe I should see what this is about. Curious minds want to know!

Clickity, click.

Fifty eight companies representing Turkey? 58. Huh!
Click.

Click. Click.
Hmm. This stupid site won't give me more than a list of names.
Open new tab.
Google. typey, typey.
Whirr. Click.

Akcali Copyright

Page opens up to a George RR Martin cover. OK. This house must represent front list translations.

Scroll. Click.

YA & Children's page:
Suzanne Collins, Rick Riordan, Christopher Paolini and Roald Dahl.

Does this mean they like fantasy/sci-fi, or is that what's on the front list right now? Hmm.

Click back to the Frankfurt Book Fair page. Skip down the list.

Can you see me doing this? Or maybe I've spent too much time with picture book authors lately? Shall I put in an art note here? ;) 

Next company:

AnatoliaLit. Agency representing Turkish authors internationally, also offering translation services for people looking to get into the Turkish market. American agent's name on the list, Bryn Mawr grad.

Eyebrows go up. Literary agent in Istanbul. That's a job to strive for in my next life.

Next company:

APRIL Best sellers of a different sort : Jodi Picoult, Mary Higgins Clark, Dr. Phil. I think they're interested in how I feel about things. ;)

Ayrinti Serious, serious stuff here. Analytical, Historical, Theological. No kids stuff=Not for me.

Publishers, printers, literary agencies...These are just the As. There's a whole list (with lots of countries) on the Frankfurt Book Fair site, if you're interested. And I'm sure any agent dealing with foreign rights already knows all of this. I just thought you might like my picture-bookish Friday adventure in making this blog relevant to my writerly world, with a Turkish angle, of course.

PS. In 2008, Turkey was the focus of interest at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and the photo above was part of the pavilion designed for the event. The theme was Faszinierend farbig (Fascinatingly colourful).

Istanbul in the Movies: This Fall

Istanbul

I love when Istanbul gets spotlighted in a film, and this fall, the city is the star in several movies. The streets have been busy, bustling with film crews and top actors. There are some specific locations that film directors seem to love - like the rooftops of the Grand Bazaar.

(That scene is getting old for me. Remember when Clive Owen did it in The International? )

I digress. Here are the trailers:

Taken 2, with Liam Neeson.

In the movie, his daughter runs across the rooftops of the grand bazaar. (Does she always have to be barely dressed?) Of course, I would have preferred if there were some good guys from the city too, but this film seems to get off the roofs and into the streets of today's Istanbul. I give lots of points for that.




Then there's the latest James Bond, Skyfall, where Daniel Craig falls off a bridge in Adana, and yet somehow ends up riding a motorbike on top of the grand bazaar. (Well, I love the bridge scene anyway.)




And lastly, Argo with Ben Affleck, which has scenes set in Iran that were actually filmed in Turkey. I'll actually have to watch this one to see if I recognize anything but the mosque in the trailer.

Here's hoping there are no scenes on the Grand Bazaar rooftops.

The Houses of Harran

Harran

Last year, I picked up a paperback of DUNE for my son. It was on the 9th grade reading list, see. Plus I remembered something about giant sandworms, which I thought he might like. Yeah.
Last week, I finally dusted off my dear son's paperback shelf, and I read the book myself.

(For the record, sandworms are really cool. Movie bonus: Sting! (aka: that singer I'm obsesssed with) I added the extended edition to my Netflix queue, and it can't get here fast enough.)

The surprise of DUNE, for me, was the middle eastern inspired desert culture of the Fremen, and the mysticism throughout. The expansive ecology and elaborate system of water capture of the planet Arrakis made me sit up and pay attention. Yep. DUNE is epic. But you knew that.

I'm not trying to be epic, but I do want to incorporate realistic culture/ecology into my own work, so this thread goes back to my musings on Hattusa. And Harran.

Harran is not very close to Hattusa, but the lack of trees is bringing the two locations together in my head. My story is set in a semi-arid wilderness. Resources are precious.

Like my previous post on cow pies, I'm following the scarcity of wood, and the houses of Harran inspire for that reason alone. Their bricks are made with mud and hay. Not a single stick is used in the structure.The distinctive beehive rooftop design dates back something like 3000 years. 3000 years! The shape helps heat rise and keeps the people cool in the long, hot summer.

The houses are no longer in use -tourists excepted.

The people moved out to a more modern, flat-roofed village nearby, but they still maintain the same reverent use of resources. They twist hay into ropes and use it to make bales. Then they pile the bales in a (beehive-like) pyramid on top of each house, providing insulation and convenient fodder storage for the winter.

I'm just not sure how they tie everything down so the wolf doesn't blow it away.

Cow Pies

Cow pie castle walls

Research for my Hattusa book is going interesting places. Like cow pie castles.

"Bleh!" You say.

In the winter, when trees are few and far between, cow pies do the trick. They're a good fuel source for heating or for a cooking fire.

July is the time when Anatolian peasants are out molding the dung into squares, and creating the cow pie reserves that will get them through the winter. They stack them in seemingly decorative patterns, but the reason for the design is simple: cow pies need to dry. Different villages have different ways of stacking. Some make round towers, others create walls.

Just another neat detail I hope to incorporate in my book, when I get around to writing it.

In the meantime, I'm off to revise the Nemrut sci-fi some more.

Chelonia Mydas: Mersin's Green Sea Turtle

Chelonia Mydas via EVS Mersin

It's sea turtle nesting season!

My sister-in-law was enjoying the beach near  Mersin last week and she uploaded some nice photos (below). She even posted a link to the Mersin sea turtle protection organization, EVS Mersin, a volunteer-run part of the youth Third Eye Association of the Mediterranean (TEAM). (Thanks, Pascale!)

Kids come from all over Europe to help. Maybe another good excuse to send my boys over there AND get something for the ole college application? (Double Bonus!) Maybe next summer.

Meanwhile, I've posted about the Caretta Caretta of Dalyan, so it would be logical to think those are the ones I wrote into the BURNT AMBER scene at Kizkalesi.

Ha! They were, but the EVS Mersin site drew my attention to another species that makes it's home in the eastern Mediterranean - Chelonia Mydas, the green sea turtle. And now I'm not sure which kind I saw when I was there. Next time I'll have to stop a turtle and ask. (Or find an EVS Mersin volunteer!)

Sea Turtle Nest - Please, Let's Protect Them

Flipper tracks...

leading back to the sea. :)

Lodos & Poyraz

via hurriyetdailynews.com

Last week's Hurriyet Daily News headlines read:Storms Paralyze Life Across Turkey. Even CNN picked up the story with a video feed (below) highlighting the destruction.

So I was reminded of this post, which I wrote last June: Which Way The Wind Blows

I've heard of the Sirocco and even used the Mistral in one of my chapters. It got me to thinking about the winds of Istanbul. There are two major ones. Lodos (Notus) comes up from the south. In the winter, it cancels the ferry schedule it's so rough. Poyraz (Boreas) comes down from the northeast. Both are named after Greek wind gods.

Care for another one of my adventure stories?

This time, I'm a naive young woman on Büyükada. DH and I borrow a Zodiac (inflatable boat w/ an outboard motor) from a family friend and take it out fishing one day.

The owner says to us: Make sure you come back before the wind picks up in the afternoon.
DH: Absolutely!

So we head off on our merry way, enjoying our little outboard cruise around the island.

Me: checking out all the houses on the shore from a new perspective. Picnic lunch, etc. We anchor on the back side of the island in the forested park area. There's a pretty steep rock face on that side. (read: no safe place to hide) lalalalalala. No fish anywhere. It is the middle of the day. Well, we catch one rock fish. Ugly as sin.

Loose track of time and guess what....the wind changes. The sea just up and does the cha-cha underneath us, slapping me around in the boat like the fish I'm supposed to be catching.

Me: fear for my life. That rocky shore is getting awfully close. No houses in sight on this side of the island. It takes three times as long to get back. Almost run out of gas. Worst. Fishing. Trip. Ever.

That was not even Poyraz. Not even close.

Now in Mersin there are winds of a different sort. There you want the north/south dynamic. Winds from the south bring air through the house during the day. Winds from the mountains in the north bring cooler air down at night. If you're buying an apartment, direction is one of the the first things you check. If the house faces east/west? Too bad. How sad. Lowball offer.

On a hot summer evening, we joke about the heat: "Don't worry, in a little while the wind will come down from the mountains." We even have a special word for the sea when its waiting for a wind, reflecting the moon like a mirror - Yakamoz.

Which way does the wind blow for your hero?

Istanbul Winds Battle Over the City

The Wind Gods

Cercis Siliquastrum aka Erguvan, or in other words...Redbud Tree

Cercis Siliquastrum in Istanbul

Many blogger friends of mine are taking a break this month while friends go through the A-Z blog challenge, so I decided this month would be a good time to repost some April-inspired posts of my own. I may throw in some new ones though, to keep you on your toes. :)

The other day, Anonymous stopped by and left a comment on my post about Boğaziçi University. (For newcomers, BU is the setting for my novel.) Anonymous pined for the lovely campus of his/her alma mater and reminded me of how beautiful the erguvan trees are in the spring. Of course, I'm a sucker for flowering anything, and Istanbul in bloom is just breathtaking. How could I not mention it in my writing someplace? (It was in chapter two of  my original draft for Burnt Amber, btw.)

So what is an erguvan tree? Cercis siliquastrum, aka the redbud tree. The Bosphorus strait is dotted with redbuds for a few weeks in late April/early May. Some areas, Bebek included, have pockets of the trees like the one in the picture. It's no wonder that Roxelana's favorite color was erguvan mauve. There was nothing the Ottomans didn't have in that color.

Here in the Carolinas, we have its cousin, native cercis canadensis, blanketing our hillsides. Dainty blooms, ornamental seed pods and pretty heart shaped leaves make an attractive tree, so redbuds are popular in gardens of the southeast and all the way up into southern New England. When my grandmother passed away I planted a dwarf weeping variety called "Covey" at my old house in New Haven. I also have several of the burgundy leaved "Forest Pansy" variety in my new backyard. Currently, I'm coveting a new variety borne of "Forest Pansy" and "Covey", "Ruby Falls", which both weeps AND has beautiful burgundy foliage. I just need to find that sweet spot for it.

Fun note:

Green twigs have been used in southern Appalachia to season venison for years, so the tree is also known as spicewood up in the mountains. Native Americans ate the buds raw or boiled and roasted the seeds. I haven't tried any of these recipes, but some buds might look pretty on top of a salad...

What's In The Water

Turkish Cooking, Everyday

There's a loud well-drilling rig outside my window today, and I can't think. Grr.

Reminds me of my days at Denizhan 2 in Mersin. There was one of those annoying contraptions digging a well over there too. Made me want to send a nasty letter to the condo association:- Who decided to work on that project in the middle of the summer? When people were on vacation, in a vacation complex, and everyone had their windows open...

Enough of my griping.
(The headache brought it on, I swear.)

*smiles*

Thought I'd talk about water today.

We take it for granted here in the states - most places anyway. Up in Connecticut, I never worried because I had access to city water 24/7. Here in NC, city water or no, drought restrictions put me right in my place. Water is precious.

In Turkey, I spent a couple (stinky) weeks on Buyukada waiting for a water barge so I could take a real shower. Then I spent a couple days in Kadikoy waiting for someone to find the part for a pump. (Don't go on vacation with me. I seem to be cursed. Also, don't ask about the time I bought some bottled water with stuff floating in it.) That was all Istanbul, though.

Back to the well drilling rig at Denizhan - (There's a story there, I promise!) - Water pressure was much better after the well started up. It was, however, still VERY salty.

So.

My mother-in-law recruited my husband as a driver for the day. Supposedly, the errands were close, and they would be right back, and I wouldn't want to wait in the car, etc. So I stayed in the apartment watchingTurkish TV which I barely understood.

Ding dong. Or rather - cheep, cheeeeeep, cheep. - since the doorbell sounded like a birdie fainting.

The neighbor across the way decided she wanted to pay us a visit. "Us" being me, because no one else was around. All her kids were out for the day and she was more than willing to keep me company. (Turkish people love to socialize.)

As an American bride, I wasn't much accustomed to drinking hot tea on a scorching August day, but I did know how to boil water. I riffled through the tea tins, measured out the loose tea, and showed my expertise with the nifty double stacked kettle.

Biscuits? Check. Cubed sugar? Check. Special guest tea glass? Check. Pretty tray? Check.

We sit down to not talk, because I only know a handful of words. She takes a sip and smiles. I take a sip and gag.

SALTY WATER!

The moral of my story? I'm thankful what comes out of the tap here is worth drinking, no matter how much it costs.

Made in Turkey

dick's sporting goods

As a mother of two boys, I've been lucky to escape the fashion must-haves some other women go through with their daughters. My boys just throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and off they go. This means I can usually browse the clearance racks and they are none the wiser. When they hit middle school, they opened their eyes to brands, and now I have to stray a little farther to buy what they want. Still, no big deal. I usually get stuff on sale. They get their swoosh, or three stripes.

And then one of the boys started basketball.

Three words: Nike Elite socks.

Cut to the scene -

I'm looking at track pants for my dear husband when my son tugs on my sleeve. He's telling me how the Nike basketball socks he's holding are extra squishy, and super nice, and really cool. And his friends have a pair in every color. Sometimes they even wear two pairs together. Then he pulls the trigger.

"They're made in Turkey, Mom."

As in, not made in China, or Bangladesh, or Indonesia, or some other esia. He knows I would gladly pay more as long as the label says: Made in USA, or Made in Turkey. And therefore we should pay $14. (Seems he's been paying attention to my purchasing trends.)

I remember wanting stuff as a kid, so I can't blame the boy for wanting these socks. They are really cushy. They do look kind of cool. He's only requesting an orange pair to go with his uniform. (Seems even he knows you can get six pairs of regular ones for $14.)

Alas, the boy is holding a blue pair. Off we go to find the sales clerk. Surely, there are more orange socks in the back.

Sigh. Some of you might remember my facebook post plea for help about the elusive orange Nike Elite socks? They've gone extinct, that's what! I challenge you to find a pair for your kid.

We settle on the blue pair. It matches his uniform well enough.

On the way out the door, my sons says, "Maybe we can find some online? My birthday is coming up." Wink, wink.

I guess. They are made in Turkey.

PS: He can still use a black pair. ;)

Bearded Reedling

hurriyetdailynews.com

Sometimes the usual is unsual.

Take the little guy on the right here, from Lake Mogan in Ankara. All over Europe, folks take him for granted. I, on the other hand, haven't seen one before.

He's a bearded reedling (panurus biarmicus), and part of the reason I've never seen one is his habitat of choice. I spent a lot of time on the Mediterranean coast. This songbird lives in lakeside wetlands, and it's not related to any other species.

I love his markings. Bearded? I don't think. Maybe moustached, or masked, but whatever you call it, it's striking.

Here he is having lunch:

 

Here's how to make a nest for the bearded reedling. I think this clip is really interesting. If I were a little bird, I would appreciate a cozy home like this one. Best of all, the gentleman tells us all the best things about the nest, including what might scare a little bird off. Great information if you're writing about these birds, say in a children's book, or an authentic bit in a longer story.

Yenikapı 12

hurriyetdailynews.com

As a writer, it's good practice to experience the things I write about, whenever possible. Research only takes a mind so far.

I never sailed in a wooden ship, but there is one scene in Burnt Amber where Sybil takes a very neo-byzantine ship up a river.

I did lots of research on the ship style, and left a lot up to the imagination of the reader. There weren't any Byzantine replicas at my disposal, but recently, I heard about Yenikapi 12.

A bit of history for you:

Istanbul is busting at the seams, population-wise. Ferries, buses, and trams crisscross the city to get pedestrians around, and two suspension bridges barely cope with the car traffic. The metro system needs an upgrade. New tunnels are being dug, left and right.

Tangent: If you travel by rail to Istanbul, you must get out, cross the strait by car or boat, and go to another train station on the other side. (Sirkeci, or HaydarPasa, depending on which way you're going.) The Marmaray tunnel project crosses underneath the Bosphoros Strait, connecting rail traffic from both sides of the city for the first time ever.

While workers were digging the metro station at Yenikapi, they ran into an unexpected archaeological boon: the world's largest shipwreck find.

Scholars are going to replicate one of the numerous wrecks found there, the Yenikapi 12. The plan is to learn about ship construction and materials of the Middle Ages. Hopefully, the ship will be seaworthy. Project leaders plan to test the Yenikapi 12 in the strait sometime in 2013, after which the ship will be put on display as a museum piece.

*Jumps up and down*
I want a ride! I want a ride!

Or at least I want to go see the ship, where ever it finds a home. I want to touch it, smell it, take it all in...get some new descriptors for my writing.

Who's coming with?


Replica of Byzantine ship to sail next year in Turkey

http://www.thepolisblog.org/2009/09/hyper-extensions-marmaray-project.html

Fountain of Inspiration

wikipedia

Throughout Turkey, there are beautiful Ottoman era fountains, called çeşme. Marble or mosaic tile fountains are named after prominent figures who funded the projects, because Sultan/Pasha such and such expected goodwill of the people in return. The bigger or fancier the fountain, the more prayers a benefactor received. In theory anyway.

For city dwellers, clean water was a blessing in itself in those times. Water came from underground spings or aqueducts that might have been miles and miles from the fountain.

With the advent of indoor plumbing, many fountains fell into disrepair. Some were demolished. You know how it goes. Discovering some of the small fountains tucked into older neighborhoods of Istanbul now might require a treasure map.

My favorite fountain is nothing like the grand one in the picture above, and it is no where near Istanbul. It's a little hole in the wall on a steep path, a straight pipe mortared into a crack in the mounain, no inscription or dedication. A little plaque above reminds: No washing up allowed!

The water is ice cold, even in summer. Travellers stop to drink or refill their bottles, if they're lucky enough to know it's there. I never went up there in the winter, but many years later, that little mountain spring was inspiration for the beginning of my new WIP, Mist of Kavala.

So my reminder for the new year to all my bloggy friends: Remember the small moments.

More reading:

The Ottoman fountains of Istanbul

Istanbul fountain restoration continues Hurriyet Daily News

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. ;)

Chocolate Covered Chestnuts

Lezzetin Izinde

Tis the season to roast some chestnuts on an open fire. Have you ever done it though? I had to go clear across the world to try some. It might have something to do with the fact that American chestnut trees were devastated by chestnut blight, or maybe chestnuts are just a European thing. The ones I usually find at the grocery store are from Italy.

Perhaps you've tried marron glacé? I adore them, whenever I can find some. It's probably a good thing they're hard to come by, though. The calorie count for chestnuts soaked in sugar syrup is insane. Some shops make them in Turkey, but as you can tell from the name, it's the French who really get credit for the idea - sorry Italy.

As far as Istanbul is concerned, there are other interesting ways to prepare a chestnut or kestane. Example: Chocolate coated chestnuts. From what I understand, the chestnuts are:

1) roasted to remove the shells
2) boiled in milk, vanilla and sugar
3) coated in (dark?) chocolate, and
4) dusted with pistachios

According to Hurriyet newspaper's 100 Tastes of Istanbul - Istanbul'un 100 Lezzeti, #49 is the chocolate covered chestnut from Bahar Pastanesi in Teşvikiye.

Best4 Pastry Shops in Istanbul
Bursa retaining sweet chestnut taste, tradition

Kelebek Vadisi - Butterfly Valley

wikipedia

I'm attempting to be a WriMo still, but I thought you could use an escape, even if I'm tied to a chair.

A friend of mine was blogging about her trip to Butterfly Valley recently, and I was inspired to use in in my WIP as a setting for some challenging climbs and general boyish, adrenaline fueled adventures. (I'm writing an MG boy book.)

Daytrippers arrive by boat from Fethiye to trek the narrow valley, visit the waterfalls, and hopefully see some Euplagia quadripunctaria - leopard butterflies. Many types of butterflies flock there to enjoy the abundance of wildflowers, and naturalists stalk the winged creatures at all hours.

Fethiyedays.com

Brave paragliders inspired by all those wings float down to the beach pretty regularly. You can hop off the top of these cliffs too, for a reasonable fee, and with a qualified guide. You won't catch me doing it, I'm afraid. The only flying I do is in an airplane.

I do take inspiration from the waterfalls and the trails, though. There's no escape from the valley (insert sinister laugh) except up a verrrry steep path to a small village. Funny how I can take such a beautiful place and twist it around to suit my needs.

image via colnect.com

Turkey issued a postage stamp for it's favorite flying friend. It's a collectible now, if you have one.



Here's a decent video clip for you:

Turkey - The Bird

image via wikipedia

You may be wondering why I posted a peacock photo.

Either:

A) Someone spiked my Thanksgiving punch with Wild Turkey bourbon. I live in the south now, you know.

or

B) There's a moral to this story.

(You know it's B, or maybe it's C - all of the above.) *ahem*

In Turkey (the country), turkey (the bird) is called"hindi" and I always wondered why. Hindi refers to India, meaning the Turks believe the turkey is from India. The turkey is a native north American bird.

Long story short, since I'm doing NaNoWriMo:

Europeans trading in India picked up the Tamil word "thukki" for the peacock. (I wonder where the name peacock comes from...but this is the short story.)

Then, Christopher Columbus thought he found the route to the East Indies when he landed here. Some believe he found birds which he thought were a type of thukki. (A fact he he may have used to confirm his landing in India.)

When the turkey finally came to Turkey, Turks recognized it/mistook it for a cousin of the guinea fowl and peacock, which they already called hindi.

....and Europeans were just generally confused some more by Turks selling guinea fowl.

Turkey... thukki... What's the difference? 

Look fast:

If I was drinking Wild Turkey straight, I guess I might confuse the two....

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Related Links

How the Turkey Got Its Name What's in a Name - TURKEY

The Cilician Gates

image via wikipedia

I remember taking down pages and pages (and pages) of notes about Alexander The Great in Mrs. Wilcox's class. That must have been 9th grade, I think. Maybe we called it World History too. Anyhoo, I recall something about the strategic importance of the Cilician Gates from back then.

ATG, as Mrs. Wilcox preferred to call him, was in good company. Hittites, Crusaders, Saint Paul... they all travelled the steep, 68 mile gauntlet through forest and sometimes flood waters of the (now Gökoluk) river gorge. It took five days to cross from the Cilician plains to Cappadocia, if thieves didn't have their way with you first.

The pesky gates spoiled the plans of Pompey (also The Great), who wanted to ride back to Rome victorious on a contraption pulled by four elephants. The pass was too narrow and he was forced to use horses.

I say! Get off your high - elephant - you haughty Roman, you. And you kinighits - those are not horses. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you need to brush up on your Monty Python.)

Even now, the way is only wide enough for a slim highway to slither through, and that's after extensive blasting. The late Ottomans built some tunnels and viaducts for a narrow gauge train track that's just visible every now and then on the other side of the river.

One time we went up the old, still-twisted road instead. (I don't recommend it, unless you have nerves of steel.) The switchbacks were treacherous and someone had lost a load of cotton bales down a hillside.

It was very quiet in the car.

When we got through to the Anatolian plain, my father remarked that he had no idea Turkey had such mountains. I can only say whatever ideas I had, Turkey shattered them. I was always discovering something new. Or old. It was only new to me.

When I see this, I know home is on the other side, but I hold my breath until I get there. Behold the Taurus Mountains at the Cilician Gates:

http://www.abu.nb.ca/courses/NTIntro/images/CilicianGates.htm



And for the record: Mt. Ararat is the tallest mountain in Turkey at 16,854 ft. Yes, that Ararat. The one with the Ark.