A Preview of "23 Nisan"

Monday — April 19

Today was a day to take care of errands and just wander around Alsancak, where I spent my childhood and teenage years. First, a bit of nostalgia.

We moved into a duplex apartment in this building (top two floors, right side)
just before the ’72 Munich Olympics. The apartment has since been converted
into separate flats for mom and A&M.

Street scene from the terrace of mom’s penthouse apartment.

Gazi İlk Okulu, where I went to grades 1-5, has not changed much over the years,
although that bust of Atatürk is new.

Errands taken care of, I followed the sound of a marching band to Kordon, the waterfront promenade, to find costumed children from local schools participating in festivities for the upcoming “23 Nisan” (23 April) celebrations.

23 Nisan 1920 — this is the date on which the first meeting of the Turkish Grand General Assembly took place in Ankara. In 1929, when Atatürk dedicated the day to children, the date became known as not just “National Sovereignty Day,” but “Children’s Day” as well. Thus began the tradition of parades, galas, tea parties, and folklore performances, all focused on not just the children of Turkey, but the children of the world.

Here are some photographs and a short clip from today’s festivities.

As a grade-schooler, I participated in many-a “23 Nisan” festivities. Here’s a photograph from one such event when the children of İzmir hosted their counterparts from around the world — I can still vividly recall my red and black satin Chinese outfit, sewn especially for the costume parade.

Blast from the Past — Grade School Memories

There’s no shortage of dining establishments in Alsancak — from restaurants specializing in seafood or meat dishes, to those serving “ev yemekleri” (home-style cooking); from fancy restaurants, to pubs and cafés, to patisseries, to street vendors. In recent years, boutique eateries tucked into the ground floor spaces of apartment buildings have become especially popular. Today, I joined mom and Aylin at one such place for lunch. Have to say that I found the “ev yemekleri” served at Amore Café particularly tasty.

I order the “Patatesli Köfte” with a side of “Cacık” and mom shares a couple of her “Yaprak Sarma” with me.

(Patatesli Köfte = Turkish meatballs with potatoes; Cacık = cold yogurt soup with chopped cucumbers, topped with mint and a drizzle of olive oil; Yaprak Sarma = stuffed grape leaves — in this case, stuffed with minced meat and served hot).

The rest of the day was a quiet one, allowing us to rest up after our trip from the US and our busy weekend. With the summer-like temperatures being kept at bay by a light breeze, we made the most of mom’s terrace to enjoy afternoon tea and dinner.

A scene reminiscent of the many al fresco meals we enjoyed as a family when I was growing up.

Next Up: From Alsancak to Konak