Those of you who have been avidly reading my posts about my Turkish adventures should remember the post when I was in Kars about the Turkish man I met. A few weeks had passed and it was time for me to go to his home to interview him for our Turkish politics project. I can honestly say the story I am about to relate to you is probably one of the best and post powerful experiences I had while I was in Turkey.
Eda, one of my group members, her friend Ozge, and I drove from Istanbul to a small town outside of the city center known as Gebze. It was considered the next province over, but still metro Istanbul. The traffic in the evening was so so and I think the drive ended up taking about an hour and fifteen minutes. Once we got to Gebze, I handed the phone to Eda so that Cemil could explain to her exactly how to reach his home. Cemil was the Alevi worker I met in Kars who had promised to let me interview him about his experiences for our paper.
We went inside and I was greeted warmly. Cemil invited us into the living room so I could explain exactly what the protocol was for the interview. I also had the pleasure of meeting his wife and his infant son. They were a lovely family. Cemil constantly told me that he didn't think his English was sufficient for the interview, but in reality it most definitely was. He spoke English better than a lot of the Turkish people I had met, so I didn't understand why he was so shy about it.
His wife and his child went into the other room, along with Eda, so that we could complete the interview. I set up the tape recorder and began. Through the interview, I learned so many interesting things about both Cemil and the status of Alevis (admittedly a people I had never even heard of until we got this project for my Turkish Politics class). For example, when his family moved from the village to Istanbul in the late 1960's, some of his relatives moved to Switzerland, France, and Germany for political reasons. As a child, he had to hide his identity, even pretending to be Sunni by going to the normal mosque. He even told me that when his friend found out in high school that he was an Alevi that he was shocked because Cemil was "too good of a guy" to be an Alevi. It is amazing what sort of prejudices Cemil had to deal with in his own community. He also talked about his feelings during the Sivas Masssacre of Alevis in 1993 and how he has tried to become more observant of Aleviism but not so religious. In general, I think he had come to terms with his identity and he is very proud of it which I really respected and admired about him.
An interesting point about Cemil is that his family is a member of the Dede sect of Alevis. Most Alevis are actually of a different title (which I cannot remember). Basically, these are the commoners. The Dedes on the other hand are people who are charged with leading the Alevi community and it is passed down from generation to generation. So his father is actually the current Dede of their community in Gebze. Cemil and his brother will both have the ability to be a Dede (and Cemil's brother had already taken over that role to an extent).
After the interview, we had dinner. Cemil's wife also knew English but she was pretty quiet because she wasn't sure if her English was good enough. It was, but she was still embarrassed. The dinner was very delicious (I wish I could recall exactly what we had, but it was very good). So because we were so interested in Alevi traditions, we came on a Thursday night, the night that they have their religious services. Cemil invited me and Eda and her friend to come watch the service.
I rode with Cemil over to the cem evi. We had a really interesting talk on the way over. He asked me about my religion and stuff (which was only fair because I had been asking him questions all night). I told him that I was Jewish and then I told him about some of the hardships I experienced during my time in South Georgia (granted these hardships were nothing compared to what Cemil had to go through...and I told him that). Nevertheless, we bonded over our surprise and disappointment over how close-minded people can be sometimes in our respective communities. It seemed that even though he was Alevi (which was a type of Muslim) and I was Jewish, we had a lot in common with respect to our pasts. It was really neat to share that with him.
We finally arrived at the cem evi and I was introduced to Cemil's father. Eda had almost finished her interview and I went inside the actually sanctuary to see the cem evi and get ready for the service. Cemil introduced me to a younger boy close to my age. Unfortunately for me, he did not know very much English. Cemil told me to stay there while he prayed in a different place. I later found out that the reason Cemil left me was because he was afraid that I would ask him questions the entire time and interrupt the service. He was probably right...
I made some interesting observations about the room and about the environment. My first observation was that at the front of the room. Behind where the Dede sat was a picture of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. In Islam, normally, it is not permitted to have images of any person inside the mosque. I guess the idea is that one would focus too much on the picture of that person and it would distract one from praying to God. This is why you find that mosques generally have mosaics. It is a form of art that does not need the image of a person (or other distracting images) for its admiration. The second surprising thing was that the picture was of Ataturk. The Alevi religion is obviously much older than the early 1900s. Why is it that a picture of the founder of modern Turkey is on the wall? What was there before Ataturk? Also, Ataturk was definitely not an Alevi. The reason that his picture was there, and why Alevis loved Ataturk so much, was because of his commitment to secularism. Secularism was the only way in which Alevis would even have the possibility to practice their religion and they are huge believers of it. In fact, they vote for the Republican People's Party (the founding party of Turkey) religiously (yes, pun intended). Still, despite their reasons for loving Ataturk, it was so interesting for me to see a picture of him in such prominence in a religious building. There was a picture of someone else in the cem evi, but I didn't know who it was.
My second observation was that, as people filed in, we were in the same room as the women. The women could see us and make eye-contact with us. I thought this was very strange considering how in a normal mosque, there is strict separation between men and women during prayer because the opposite sex may cause you to think impure thoughts or be generally distracting while you are praying to God.
My third observation was also related to the women (perhaps this is precisely why the women should be separated from the men during prayer). The women were wearing head coverings. However, the head coverings were not completely covering their hair. For each of the women their hair (as much as 2 or 3 inches) was actually showing in the front of their headcoverings. Not only were they not covered but in a place of worship! It was very surprising.
So after I had studied the room for a bit, the Dede came in and it was time to start. Unfortunately for me, the entire service was conducted in Turkish, limiting my ability to truly understand what was going on (not that I expected it to be in English anyway...). However, some of the observed rituals were just as interesting to me. There were no chairs or anything like that...only a carpet. The custom was the same as at a normal mosque where you had to remove your shoes to enter. At the start of the service I sat on my knees with the bottom half of my legs under me just like you see on TV when Muslims are praying and bowing in the mosque. I don't understand how they do it because after a few minutes my legs started hurting a lot. Maybe it takes years of practice to build up the endurance to sit on your legs like that...or maybe I wasn't doing it right. Who knows?
I made several observations that I wrote in an email to Cemil asking what they meant but never got a chance to find out (still they are interesting and I want to share them with you all). Towards the beginning of the service, a semi-circle was formed and different people would stand up and go to the front. There seemed to be some sort of circular dance going on (but I didn't know the symbolism or what it meant). The circle got bigger until there were enough people. When the people stood up randomly to join the circle, they did it in a certain way, standing up on the side of their feet with each foot tilted slightly inward. When people stood up, it seemed to be at random and I have no idea if they were selected beforehand or if there was some rhyme or reason to it. Luckily, not everyone stood up to join the circle and so I did not feel pressure or fear of embarrassment at not knowing what to do.
Also in the main part of the ceremonies, there was a lamb rug, water, candles (symbolizing Allah, Muhammad, and Ali), and the bottom of a broom. I could tell that they symbolized this trinity because when each pair (it was a boy and a girl) went up to the Dede, they would say while walking in rhythm, "Ya Allah, ya Muhammad, ya Ali." The random objects were very interesting. Also interesting about this was that the men and the women stood right beside one another. So there was close contact between men and women throughout the service. After they said some stuff, they went through the same motions that brought them there backwards (walking backwards but saying the same things...it was very interesting).
Later in the service, a few people formed a circle and danced. There seemed to be more girls than boys. I think there were other interesting/peculiar things but I don't remember them as this happened about a year ago now. I spoke to Ozge and Eda and they both said it was interesting for them. They said that at one point when the guitar was being played (over the call to prayer which is actually considered to be extremely disrespectful in Muslim culture), they said in Turkish that they were doing it to symbolize their ability to worship in their own way or something like that.
The service ended up lasting about 2 hours. Afterwards, when I left the cem evi, swarms of people came up to me. Cemil found me again and translated for me. They were very curious to know how I liked the service and what I thought. I wasn't quite sure what to say because I was still taking it all in. I told them that it was very interesting and I learned a lot. The answer seemed to satisfy them. I asked Cemil why they were so interested in what I thought (and interested in me in general). He told me that I was the first non-Alevi ever to attend the cem evi before and so people were very curious. I was surprised and honored. No one had ever attended and Cemil asked me to come. It was certainly an evening that I will never forget.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Belgrade Forest
In keeping with my desire to make the most of my study abroad experience, I had decided that I was not going to let classes get in the way of enjoying Istanbul. Now that the weather had warmed up and the rain had stopped, it was much easier and more fun to go exploring and discovering. One place I was particularly interested in was the Belgrade Forest. The Belgrade Forest is the point of origin for all of the water in the famous Basilica Cistern. The Ottomans actually dug a canal from the forest all the way to the Cistern in Sultanahmet.
The forest is one of the only places around Istanbul where the ancient landscape is still preserved. According to the websites I read, the forest consists mostly of oak and birch trees. The reason I really wanted to visit was because my guidebook had a picture of an ancient "bent" (dam) built by the Ottomans that I wanted to see for myself. Actually, the reason I previously wanted to visit Eastern Turkey was because of the pictures I saw in the guidebook. I guess many adventures in Turkey were sparked by pretty pictures. Well, whatever the reason was, I decided to check it out.
I took the bus to Sariyer and then changed buses to go to a smaller town that is right outside the forest. After about 45 minutes on the bus, I arrived at the town and some locals pointed the way for me to enter the forest. The path in was a paved road with trees on the overhang. I started walking wondering how long it would take for me to get to the main part. The walk took at least 45 minutes, but the scenery was really nice. Once inside, I had the opportunity to buy overpriced potato chips and drinks...and opportunity that I would not take advantage of until later after I had become desperately hungry from not eating lunch. I think 5TL for a bag of chips is just absurd!
So I took my water and I began to walk a ways. I found a nice shaded stump on a path in the forest and decided I would stop there first. I had brought my readings from my Political Economy class (the one with over 1200 pages of reading and ridiculous reading quizzes) to get some work done. I sat and read for an hour or so before getting tired of reading and decided to explore some more. I got up and walked a ways towards a clearing. I was looking for a lake. I met these two Turkish guys and spoke to them for a few minutes and they took my email address. They seemed nice. I also stopped at the little restaurant and had something to eat because I was famished. The food was good...your traditional Turkish kebab with rice and cooked tomato. They told me what direction to go to find the lake and I backtracked and walked around it.
After a bit more walking, I finally got to the bent (the same one as all the pictures in the book). The dam created a really pretty lake with the forest surrounding it. I walked around about halfway to a bench on the lake and stayed there and read for a couple more hours. I ended up speaking to another Turkish couple who were celebrating their anniversary and I took pictures of them. They were really nice and the guy spoke English. The place I picked was really relaxing. The trees around it created a nice shade (and nice landscape too). Looking over the lake was beautiful, as it was surrounded by forest. It was a very calm and relaxing place.
As the sun began to set, I decided I needed to start walking back before it got too dark for me to find my way back and before the buses stopped running. I got up from my spot and walked around the lake back to the main area where cars parked. Then, I started to walk back down the entrance path to the bus stop outside the forest. On the way down the path, I saw the Turkish couple I had spoken to earlier. They were having a barbecue in a clearing in the forest. They had all sorts of fresh lamb and fresh chicken and were using a grill to make dinner. They invited me to join them.
Talking to this couple was really interesting. I learned that while the man was Turkish, the woman was not. She was actually Russian. They had met on the internet and fallen in love. She moved to Turkey to marry him. The most interesting part was that she had never spoken a word of Turkish before she met her future husband. In fact, when they communicated online, they both spoke English because they both knew it a little bit and that's how they got to know each other. Since they have been together, she started learning Turkish, and he started learning Russian. At this point of my time in Turkey, I had thought a lot about what it means to speak a language and to learn a new language and to communicate in a language that is not your first language. The most interesting part about this couple is that in learning each other's languages, they had developed a language of their own. They understood each other, but no one else could understand them. They spoke in a mix of English, Russian, and Turkish to suit their needs. The hodgepodge made sense to them but no one else. It was really quite fascinating.
We talked about other stuff but I don't remember what. It was so amazing that these people invited me to join their barbecue (the food was delicious and I was hungry). After the sun set, I helped them clean up and take things to their car. They offered me a ride and drove me back to my apartment in Hisarustu.
The forest is one of the only places around Istanbul where the ancient landscape is still preserved. According to the websites I read, the forest consists mostly of oak and birch trees. The reason I really wanted to visit was because my guidebook had a picture of an ancient "bent" (dam) built by the Ottomans that I wanted to see for myself. Actually, the reason I previously wanted to visit Eastern Turkey was because of the pictures I saw in the guidebook. I guess many adventures in Turkey were sparked by pretty pictures. Well, whatever the reason was, I decided to check it out.
I took the bus to Sariyer and then changed buses to go to a smaller town that is right outside the forest. After about 45 minutes on the bus, I arrived at the town and some locals pointed the way for me to enter the forest. The path in was a paved road with trees on the overhang. I started walking wondering how long it would take for me to get to the main part. The walk took at least 45 minutes, but the scenery was really nice. Once inside, I had the opportunity to buy overpriced potato chips and drinks...and opportunity that I would not take advantage of until later after I had become desperately hungry from not eating lunch. I think 5TL for a bag of chips is just absurd!
So I took my water and I began to walk a ways. I found a nice shaded stump on a path in the forest and decided I would stop there first. I had brought my readings from my Political Economy class (the one with over 1200 pages of reading and ridiculous reading quizzes) to get some work done. I sat and read for an hour or so before getting tired of reading and decided to explore some more. I got up and walked a ways towards a clearing. I was looking for a lake. I met these two Turkish guys and spoke to them for a few minutes and they took my email address. They seemed nice. I also stopped at the little restaurant and had something to eat because I was famished. The food was good...your traditional Turkish kebab with rice and cooked tomato. They told me what direction to go to find the lake and I backtracked and walked around it.
After a bit more walking, I finally got to the bent (the same one as all the pictures in the book). The dam created a really pretty lake with the forest surrounding it. I walked around about halfway to a bench on the lake and stayed there and read for a couple more hours. I ended up speaking to another Turkish couple who were celebrating their anniversary and I took pictures of them. They were really nice and the guy spoke English. The place I picked was really relaxing. The trees around it created a nice shade (and nice landscape too). Looking over the lake was beautiful, as it was surrounded by forest. It was a very calm and relaxing place.
As the sun began to set, I decided I needed to start walking back before it got too dark for me to find my way back and before the buses stopped running. I got up from my spot and walked around the lake back to the main area where cars parked. Then, I started to walk back down the entrance path to the bus stop outside the forest. On the way down the path, I saw the Turkish couple I had spoken to earlier. They were having a barbecue in a clearing in the forest. They had all sorts of fresh lamb and fresh chicken and were using a grill to make dinner. They invited me to join them.
Talking to this couple was really interesting. I learned that while the man was Turkish, the woman was not. She was actually Russian. They had met on the internet and fallen in love. She moved to Turkey to marry him. The most interesting part was that she had never spoken a word of Turkish before she met her future husband. In fact, when they communicated online, they both spoke English because they both knew it a little bit and that's how they got to know each other. Since they have been together, she started learning Turkish, and he started learning Russian. At this point of my time in Turkey, I had thought a lot about what it means to speak a language and to learn a new language and to communicate in a language that is not your first language. The most interesting part about this couple is that in learning each other's languages, they had developed a language of their own. They understood each other, but no one else could understand them. They spoke in a mix of English, Russian, and Turkish to suit their needs. The hodgepodge made sense to them but no one else. It was really quite fascinating.
We talked about other stuff but I don't remember what. It was so amazing that these people invited me to join their barbecue (the food was delicious and I was hungry). After the sun set, I helped them clean up and take things to their car. They offered me a ride and drove me back to my apartment in Hisarustu.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Exploring Bebek with Burcin
After the excitement of my Spring Break adventures, I had to somehow return to the routine of Boğaziçi. As I had settled in and grown accustomed to my classes, I had started making new friends, both Turkish and American, and building relationships with them. One such friend was Burcin, a fellow student in my POLS 440 class. Burcin, like me, was kind of an outsider at Boğaziçi because she was actually a student from another university in Istanbul. Her university, instead of teaching all of their classes in English, teach all of their classes in French. She was interested in the class we were taking (EU Relations with Russia and CIS Countries) and received permission from her university to take the course at Boğaziçi. We started talking originally one day in class when she ended up sitting next to me and asking me for some notes but it was only occasional.
One day after class we started walking together. I was walking back to my apartment and she was walking towards the bus stop (they are in the same direction) to go back to her home in Levent. She asked me what I was up to for the rest of the day and I said I didn't really know and then asked me if I wanted to walk with her to Bebek. Bebek is a section of Istanbul that is right on the Bosphorus. Basically, when you looked down towards the Bosphorus from Boğaziçi's campus, you could see a harbor and that was Bebek. I had heard some exchange students talking about it before, but had not ventured down there myself. I hadn't gone down there for two reasons. First, up until a couple of weeks before spring break, it had rained virtually every single day. Second, the hill from Rumeli Hisarüstü was incredibly steep and I was lazy.
It was time to brave the hill and see this place myself. The weather was nice for a walk outside, so that made it easier. We meandered our way down the hill until we got to the main street that runs along the Bosphorus and we took a left to walk along the shorline. Bebek, along with Etiler (located at the top of the hill next to my neighborhood) is one of the wealthiest places in Istanbul. As I walked along the coast, I could easily see this. There were nice restaurants all over the place (including a Starbucks and McDonalds even!). There was also a waffle stand that was infamous for selling the perfect Turkish waffle. We walked north, passing the great Fortress of Europe, until we found the place Burcin wanted to take me. It was a slightly pricy place, like the others in this area, because it was right on the Bosphorus. We decided to sit outside, right on the water and requested a tavla board. The place we were sitting was actually a wooden outcropping from the land, allowing us to feel as if we were on top of the Bosphorus. Looking over the rail, we could enjoy the crystal clear blue water, the light breeze, and the surrounding hills dotting the landscape. It was absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately, because the place was so beautiful, there was a premium to enjoying the scenery. Each glass of chai cost 5TL. I know that doesn't seem like a ton of money (considering it's only about $3), but these tea classes were the standard small Turkish glasses. Many other places only charge 0.50 or maybe 1TL for the same tea. It was still nice to get one glass and enjoy the scenery.
I told Burcin that I was pretty good in backgammon (after losing to Umut a lot you do end up learning a few things) and she decided she wanted to give it a crack. She couldn't believe it when I beat her. I don't really remember what we talked about (probably a lot of things) but we had a really nice time sitting out in the sun and hanging out.
After tea, we continued walking towards Bebek once again and decided to find a place to eat. We settled on this nice looking restaurant across from the Starbucks (in the center of Bebek). I was really excited about the place because it was my first real encounter with Turkish fine dining. Did I also mention that the waiter spoke English AND the menu was in English? Çok güzel! Truthfully, the food was probably not authentic Turkish but more of a fusion of a lot of different things. It was still good to have a nice meal and I ended up having a steak. It was really delicious (I do wish I could remember what I had with it. I just remember the meal being good). Burcin and I talked a while (by the end of dinner it was probably 10pm). Afterwards, we took a taxi back to the top of the hill and we parted ways. It was a really nice way to get to know a new friend and a great way to explore a new part of Istanbul!
One day after class we started walking together. I was walking back to my apartment and she was walking towards the bus stop (they are in the same direction) to go back to her home in Levent. She asked me what I was up to for the rest of the day and I said I didn't really know and then asked me if I wanted to walk with her to Bebek. Bebek is a section of Istanbul that is right on the Bosphorus. Basically, when you looked down towards the Bosphorus from Boğaziçi's campus, you could see a harbor and that was Bebek. I had heard some exchange students talking about it before, but had not ventured down there myself. I hadn't gone down there for two reasons. First, up until a couple of weeks before spring break, it had rained virtually every single day. Second, the hill from Rumeli Hisarüstü was incredibly steep and I was lazy.
It was time to brave the hill and see this place myself. The weather was nice for a walk outside, so that made it easier. We meandered our way down the hill until we got to the main street that runs along the Bosphorus and we took a left to walk along the shorline. Bebek, along with Etiler (located at the top of the hill next to my neighborhood) is one of the wealthiest places in Istanbul. As I walked along the coast, I could easily see this. There were nice restaurants all over the place (including a Starbucks and McDonalds even!). There was also a waffle stand that was infamous for selling the perfect Turkish waffle. We walked north, passing the great Fortress of Europe, until we found the place Burcin wanted to take me. It was a slightly pricy place, like the others in this area, because it was right on the Bosphorus. We decided to sit outside, right on the water and requested a tavla board. The place we were sitting was actually a wooden outcropping from the land, allowing us to feel as if we were on top of the Bosphorus. Looking over the rail, we could enjoy the crystal clear blue water, the light breeze, and the surrounding hills dotting the landscape. It was absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately, because the place was so beautiful, there was a premium to enjoying the scenery. Each glass of chai cost 5TL. I know that doesn't seem like a ton of money (considering it's only about $3), but these tea classes were the standard small Turkish glasses. Many other places only charge 0.50 or maybe 1TL for the same tea. It was still nice to get one glass and enjoy the scenery.
I told Burcin that I was pretty good in backgammon (after losing to Umut a lot you do end up learning a few things) and she decided she wanted to give it a crack. She couldn't believe it when I beat her. I don't really remember what we talked about (probably a lot of things) but we had a really nice time sitting out in the sun and hanging out.
After tea, we continued walking towards Bebek once again and decided to find a place to eat. We settled on this nice looking restaurant across from the Starbucks (in the center of Bebek). I was really excited about the place because it was my first real encounter with Turkish fine dining. Did I also mention that the waiter spoke English AND the menu was in English? Çok güzel! Truthfully, the food was probably not authentic Turkish but more of a fusion of a lot of different things. It was still good to have a nice meal and I ended up having a steak. It was really delicious (I do wish I could remember what I had with it. I just remember the meal being good). Burcin and I talked a while (by the end of dinner it was probably 10pm). Afterwards, we took a taxi back to the top of the hill and we parted ways. It was a really nice way to get to know a new friend and a great way to explore a new part of Istanbul!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 12 - Trabzon (May 4, 2009)
Although technically Spring Break was over and Em had returned to Istanbul, Sonya and I had decided at the beginning of our trip to leave an extra day for Trabzon at the end to explore more and enjoy our last bit of Spring Break. I think we also did not want to go back to school and enjoyed the thought of missing the first day back.
We weren't sure where to go or what to do with our last day but took some suggestions from Hüsniye. She suggested that we see Atatürk's House. We found the information on how to get there and took the bus up the hill to check it out. It was a very ornate, white, house with a beautiful garden. It reminded me a lot of touring a very small version of Mt. Vernon. The furniture was beautiful and we got a good sense of how royalty lived in the early 1900's in Turkey. Apparently, Atatürk had many houses around Turkey and these were a dime a dozen. It was still neat to see it and to walk around the gardens which had a lot of different flowers.
We took the bus back down to the seaside and decided to head into the Şişman Restaurant for lunch. We came into the restaurant at about 11:45am or so. Sonya, Em, and I had been DYING to eat here ever since we saw the name on the first day. The reason being is that on our trip, we sort of developed an inside joke between us. Whenever we ate a lot of food or something like that, we referred to each other as şişman. The word is Turkish for a fat person. So after an entire week of joking about this, on our last couple of days of the trip we actually see a place with that name! It was hysterical for all of us! So of course Sonya and I HAD to eat there!
Well we went inside only to find that it was not a regular restaurant but instead more like a pub. They did not really have lunch food and only had snack food. Despite this minor setback, we were determined to say we ate at the Şişman Restaurant! So what did we do, you ask? We did the only natural thing that could be done! We ordered a pitcher of beer! I think the Turkish people working there thought we were crazy for drinking a whole pitcher between the two of us before noon but we didn't care because we ate at the Şişman Restaurant!
Following our little afternoon of fun, we walked around the Russian Bazaar and around other shops throughout Trabzon. After walking around for a while, Sonya and I had decided that we had become bored. I also think it was tough for Sonya because she had really started to miss Seçkin at that point. The weather also began to turn a bit rainy so we found ourselves a cafe with a backgammon board, bought some tea and relaxed for the duration of the afternoon. By about 6pm, we went to the hotel and packed our belongings and met Hüsniye for dinner at her favorite place, the Forum. The Forum was a shopping mall with a food court full of Turkish and American foods. I ended up eating Sbarro's because I had been missing American food like crazy! After a nice dinner with Hüsniye, she walked us to the dolmuş and helped us to the airport.
We said our goodbyes with her and then went through security to board the plane back to Istanbul. At around 10pm, we arrived back in Istanbul, took the metrobus back to Hisarüstü and said goodbye to the best Spring Break trip I have ever had.
After 12 days in Eastern Turkey, I felt I had learned so much about a side of this country that not many people get to see. Additionally, I was excited about the fact that we had taken some risks which turned into some really neat experiences (such as meeting the Kurdish people on day 3 or hanging out with the college students in Van). All in all, the people in Eastern Turkey showed us an incredible amount of warmth, friendship, and hospitality that I will not soon forget. The people in Istanbul who told me that Eastern Turkey was dangerous and that I should not go were probably right. However, in going, I ended up having one of the most incredible trips and experiences in my life. I can't really convey in this blog how truly awesome the trip was...I hope one day some of you can experience a trip like this one too.
We weren't sure where to go or what to do with our last day but took some suggestions from Hüsniye. She suggested that we see Atatürk's House. We found the information on how to get there and took the bus up the hill to check it out. It was a very ornate, white, house with a beautiful garden. It reminded me a lot of touring a very small version of Mt. Vernon. The furniture was beautiful and we got a good sense of how royalty lived in the early 1900's in Turkey. Apparently, Atatürk had many houses around Turkey and these were a dime a dozen. It was still neat to see it and to walk around the gardens which had a lot of different flowers.
We took the bus back down to the seaside and decided to head into the Şişman Restaurant for lunch. We came into the restaurant at about 11:45am or so. Sonya, Em, and I had been DYING to eat here ever since we saw the name on the first day. The reason being is that on our trip, we sort of developed an inside joke between us. Whenever we ate a lot of food or something like that, we referred to each other as şişman. The word is Turkish for a fat person. So after an entire week of joking about this, on our last couple of days of the trip we actually see a place with that name! It was hysterical for all of us! So of course Sonya and I HAD to eat there!
Well we went inside only to find that it was not a regular restaurant but instead more like a pub. They did not really have lunch food and only had snack food. Despite this minor setback, we were determined to say we ate at the Şişman Restaurant! So what did we do, you ask? We did the only natural thing that could be done! We ordered a pitcher of beer! I think the Turkish people working there thought we were crazy for drinking a whole pitcher between the two of us before noon but we didn't care because we ate at the Şişman Restaurant!
Following our little afternoon of fun, we walked around the Russian Bazaar and around other shops throughout Trabzon. After walking around for a while, Sonya and I had decided that we had become bored. I also think it was tough for Sonya because she had really started to miss Seçkin at that point. The weather also began to turn a bit rainy so we found ourselves a cafe with a backgammon board, bought some tea and relaxed for the duration of the afternoon. By about 6pm, we went to the hotel and packed our belongings and met Hüsniye for dinner at her favorite place, the Forum. The Forum was a shopping mall with a food court full of Turkish and American foods. I ended up eating Sbarro's because I had been missing American food like crazy! After a nice dinner with Hüsniye, she walked us to the dolmuş and helped us to the airport.
We said our goodbyes with her and then went through security to board the plane back to Istanbul. At around 10pm, we arrived back in Istanbul, took the metrobus back to Hisarüstü and said goodbye to the best Spring Break trip I have ever had.
After 12 days in Eastern Turkey, I felt I had learned so much about a side of this country that not many people get to see. Additionally, I was excited about the fact that we had taken some risks which turned into some really neat experiences (such as meeting the Kurdish people on day 3 or hanging out with the college students in Van). All in all, the people in Eastern Turkey showed us an incredible amount of warmth, friendship, and hospitality that I will not soon forget. The people in Istanbul who told me that Eastern Turkey was dangerous and that I should not go were probably right. However, in going, I ended up having one of the most incredible trips and experiences in my life. I can't really convey in this blog how truly awesome the trip was...I hope one day some of you can experience a trip like this one too.
Day 11 - Trabzon (May 3, 2009)
As promised by Halis, Zafer, and Hüsniye, we were on our way to visit the Sumela Monestary and Uzungöl. They told us to meet in the main square at 10am. We woke up, got dressed, and waited. Unfortunately, they did not arrive until 11am. We were told that the reason was because Hüsniye was late due to taking too long to get ready. I guess Turkish girls are no different from American ones! :)
We crammed into the car (with the same setup as the previous day) and began driving towards our first destination of Uzungöl. The trip was rather uncomfortable because there were four people crammed in the back seat (and as you all know I am way to big to be riding in one of the two middle seats in the back). The trip to the lake took about an hour as we wound up through the Kaçkar Mountains. The roads were also not the best once we went off from the main road.
We finally arrived in Uzungöl, which literally means "Long Lake" in Turkish. It was a picturesque lake in the mountains and is honestly one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. After parking the car, we began to take a walk around the lake,taking several pictures with the scenery of the lake with the mountains in the background. After walking around the circumference of the lake, we arrived at a bridge, which spanned the lake's feeder stream. The water originates from the snow melts at the top of the mountains, making it quite cold. I also happen to enjoy watching mountain streams.
After walking around the lake, we passed a bike stand and Zafer, Halis, myself, and Em rented bikes. We rode the bikes up and down the trail a bit to get exercise and for fun. It was the first time I had ridden a bike in at least 6 years. But as the saying goes...it was just like riding a bike and I quickly remembered how to do it.
We rode down to where the waterfall was and took a nice picture there and then turned around and began walking back towards the town. Upon returning to the main part of town around the lake, we stopped to have lunch at one of the local restaurants. At the restaurant, we ate fresh alabalik (trout) from the lake. The way it was prepared was quite unique. It was in a communal dish and had all sorts of seasonings on it. It melted in my mouth when I had eaten it. I still remember it as one of the better meals I ate during my time in Turkey.
After our meal we walked outside again and decided to head towards the car for our second stop. During our time in the restaurant, the clouds had rolled in. We were high enough in elevation so that the clouds were very low in the sky and covered about 2/3 of the way down the mountain. It had also gotten chilly. With the dense fog and chilly weather, it was pretty hard to believe I was in Turkey. In fact, the scenery (especially the scenery in and around Sumela) made me feel like I was in Northern California around the San Francisco area. In addition to jagged mountains, very tall green trees also dotted the landscape.
We drove down the mountains and then back up again in another location to head towards Sumela. The road was steeper towards Sumela and I felt that we went quite a bit higher in elevation. The ride was equally as uncomfortable as before. I remember when we got there I was so excited because the pain of having my legs twisted and unable to move for an hour was absolutely excruciating. The pain was worth it since there is no way we would ever have been able to see these sites without the help of Zafer, Halis, and Hüsniye.
By the time we had reached the top of the mountain where the monastery was located, the clouds had continued rolling in and the fog was incredibly dense. We could not drive all the way to the top and were forced to walk for the last 3 quarters of a mile or so. I actually did not mind this because the scenery was beautiful, even despite the fog.
The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Sumela also known as the Sumela Monastery was an amazing structure. It was built directly into the side of the mountain. Founded in Byzantine times, it was abandoned in 1923 after the new Turkish Republic was created. The frescoes range from the 9th Century to the 19th Century.
At the main entrance of the monastery, you could see the aqueduct where water was diverted for the people living there. To enter the main part of the structure, we had to climb a long flight of stairs. Upon entering the courtyard, there were several rooms we could examine. Most were empty with dirt on the bottom and had nice views of the surrounding mountains. The best room was the main chapel, which contained frescoes both on the inside and outside of the structure. The frescoes featured images from the Bible and were all in all quite beautiful despite the abuse some of them had taken. We walked through the rest of the monastery, admiring how the priests used to live in this place.
After exiting the structure, we walked back towards the car and took some pictures of the mountains and the fog. You can see how dense it was from the pictures I snapped. The whole area was beautifully shrouded in mist, giving it an almost mystical feeling.
On the way down the mountain, we stopped at a village for some food. I don't remember much about what we ate (one of the consequences of writing this post a year later) but I do remember enjoying the company of everyone I was with. Halis actually went inside a store and got everyone a present. He got me a traditional Trabzon hat. Although I will probably never wear it outside, it was still a nice gesture. I think the girl's presents were better...but that's to be expected since guys are so difficult to shop for. Oh well.
When we got back to Trabzon, we ended up driving to Böztepe, which is the name of the park at the top of the hill that overlooks the entire city of Trabzon. The place featured a nice tea restaurant and inside contained backgammon boards. I told Zafer via Hüsniye that I could play backgammon and he wanted to challenge me to a match. By this time I had gotten pretty good and accepted the challenge. I swept Zafer 5 games to 0 games. He couldn't believe it! Now every time he hears my name, he always say "tavla, tavla, tavla." I think he wants a rematch to gain his dignity back...
After we enjoyed sitting and chatting at the top of Böztepe, they took us back to the square and we retired to the hotel room for the evening. Em began packing as she had to take an early flight that morning. We were so lucky to see both Uzungöl AND Sumela. Other than the cramped car riding, it was a perfect day!
We crammed into the car (with the same setup as the previous day) and began driving towards our first destination of Uzungöl. The trip was rather uncomfortable because there were four people crammed in the back seat (and as you all know I am way to big to be riding in one of the two middle seats in the back). The trip to the lake took about an hour as we wound up through the Kaçkar Mountains. The roads were also not the best once we went off from the main road.
We finally arrived in Uzungöl, which literally means "Long Lake" in Turkish. It was a picturesque lake in the mountains and is honestly one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. After parking the car, we began to take a walk around the lake,taking several pictures with the scenery of the lake with the mountains in the background. After walking around the circumference of the lake, we arrived at a bridge, which spanned the lake's feeder stream. The water originates from the snow melts at the top of the mountains, making it quite cold. I also happen to enjoy watching mountain streams.
After walking around the lake, we passed a bike stand and Zafer, Halis, myself, and Em rented bikes. We rode the bikes up and down the trail a bit to get exercise and for fun. It was the first time I had ridden a bike in at least 6 years. But as the saying goes...it was just like riding a bike and I quickly remembered how to do it.
We rode down to where the waterfall was and took a nice picture there and then turned around and began walking back towards the town. Upon returning to the main part of town around the lake, we stopped to have lunch at one of the local restaurants. At the restaurant, we ate fresh alabalik (trout) from the lake. The way it was prepared was quite unique. It was in a communal dish and had all sorts of seasonings on it. It melted in my mouth when I had eaten it. I still remember it as one of the better meals I ate during my time in Turkey.
After our meal we walked outside again and decided to head towards the car for our second stop. During our time in the restaurant, the clouds had rolled in. We were high enough in elevation so that the clouds were very low in the sky and covered about 2/3 of the way down the mountain. It had also gotten chilly. With the dense fog and chilly weather, it was pretty hard to believe I was in Turkey. In fact, the scenery (especially the scenery in and around Sumela) made me feel like I was in Northern California around the San Francisco area. In addition to jagged mountains, very tall green trees also dotted the landscape.
We drove down the mountains and then back up again in another location to head towards Sumela. The road was steeper towards Sumela and I felt that we went quite a bit higher in elevation. The ride was equally as uncomfortable as before. I remember when we got there I was so excited because the pain of having my legs twisted and unable to move for an hour was absolutely excruciating. The pain was worth it since there is no way we would ever have been able to see these sites without the help of Zafer, Halis, and Hüsniye.
By the time we had reached the top of the mountain where the monastery was located, the clouds had continued rolling in and the fog was incredibly dense. We could not drive all the way to the top and were forced to walk for the last 3 quarters of a mile or so. I actually did not mind this because the scenery was beautiful, even despite the fog.
The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Sumela also known as the Sumela Monastery was an amazing structure. It was built directly into the side of the mountain. Founded in Byzantine times, it was abandoned in 1923 after the new Turkish Republic was created. The frescoes range from the 9th Century to the 19th Century.
At the main entrance of the monastery, you could see the aqueduct where water was diverted for the people living there. To enter the main part of the structure, we had to climb a long flight of stairs. Upon entering the courtyard, there were several rooms we could examine. Most were empty with dirt on the bottom and had nice views of the surrounding mountains. The best room was the main chapel, which contained frescoes both on the inside and outside of the structure. The frescoes featured images from the Bible and were all in all quite beautiful despite the abuse some of them had taken. We walked through the rest of the monastery, admiring how the priests used to live in this place.
After exiting the structure, we walked back towards the car and took some pictures of the mountains and the fog. You can see how dense it was from the pictures I snapped. The whole area was beautifully shrouded in mist, giving it an almost mystical feeling.
On the way down the mountain, we stopped at a village for some food. I don't remember much about what we ate (one of the consequences of writing this post a year later) but I do remember enjoying the company of everyone I was with. Halis actually went inside a store and got everyone a present. He got me a traditional Trabzon hat. Although I will probably never wear it outside, it was still a nice gesture. I think the girl's presents were better...but that's to be expected since guys are so difficult to shop for. Oh well.
When we got back to Trabzon, we ended up driving to Böztepe, which is the name of the park at the top of the hill that overlooks the entire city of Trabzon. The place featured a nice tea restaurant and inside contained backgammon boards. I told Zafer via Hüsniye that I could play backgammon and he wanted to challenge me to a match. By this time I had gotten pretty good and accepted the challenge. I swept Zafer 5 games to 0 games. He couldn't believe it! Now every time he hears my name, he always say "tavla, tavla, tavla." I think he wants a rematch to gain his dignity back...
After we enjoyed sitting and chatting at the top of Böztepe, they took us back to the square and we retired to the hotel room for the evening. Em began packing as she had to take an early flight that morning. We were so lucky to see both Uzungöl AND Sumela. Other than the cramped car riding, it was a perfect day!
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