Two to Travel

While This Blog is on Hiatus …

2012-01-29T14:46:00.001-05:00

Sunday, 29 January

Mui has finished editing the video footage of our July 2011 voyage to the Arctic. So, if you’re in the mood for a virtual trip at your own pace, you can take one by viewing the short clips he uploaded to Vimeo.

We’ve organized the clips into a 2-page video album to make it easier to find them all in one place. Click here to go to the Arctic 2011 album. Once you get there, you can click on any thumbnail to view the video. And when you’re finished with a clip, you can select another one by scrolling through the sidebar on the right side of the screen.

(If you’re interested in reading about our adventure, the ‘words’ are in the July 2011 archive of this blog; start with this post.)

Bon Voyage!

This Blog is Going on Hiatus

2011-12-31T08:14:00.000-05:00

Saturday, 31 December

We have no major travel plans in the works for the next several months, so this blog will be going on hiatus until July 2012.

That doesn’t mean that we won’t be traveling at all. There will more than likely be some day trips and weekend getaways, but we’ve decided to blog about those trips in our Phaeton Journeys blog. Jump on over there and follow along.

Or, if you just want a picture or two every once in a while, check out our Viewfinder blog. It’s short on words, but will give you a glimpse of some of the things that were caught by the click of a shutter button.

So, until later …

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T04:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday, 25 December

Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy 2012 to all

Mui’s Italy

2011-11-07T11:28:00.000-05:00

October 24 – November 1

While I was gallivanting around İzmir and Ankara with my family, Mui took his mom to Italy for a “trip down memory lane” — they lived in Rome for three years when he was but a child.

Not only did they find their way back to the apartment building in which they lived …

… they knocked on a former neighbor’s door and found him still living there!
(Mui’s mom with Ettore)

We’re not “tour group travel” people — the pace doesn’t work with our interest in photography and videography. But, for this trip, Mui booked with Riviera Tours, making the arrangements from the US. He was very pleased with how it all worked out. It certainly kept things simple, which is what he was interested in for this trip with his mother.

The itinerary took them to Rome, including the Vatican; Venice; and Florence, including Pisa.

Mui and his mom at the Vatican.

(The embedded video is a compilation of still shots Mui took with his new P&S camera — the Canon S95. In line with the “KISS” aspect of this trip, he did not take his video equipment.)

Enjoy!

For those who would like to see more, here’s a link to the online gallery.

Another Trip Comes to an End

2011-11-06T18:20:00.000-05:00

Sunday, 6 November

… Somewhere Over the Atlantic — 11:08a (DC Time)

We’re more than half way into the 11-hour flight from İstanbul to DC. Yup; you read that right — ELEVEN hours straight through. What with headwinds and such, westbound flights are usually longer by a couple of unwelcome hours. But there’s good news — we got to spread out again for the duration of the flight.

The Airbus A330-300 that we’re on is at capacity with just a few empty seats here and there; but we lucked out. When Mui found out in Ankara that our pre-selected seats had been given away and we were seated separately on this long haul, he asked that we be assigned new seats together. Turkish Airlines (THY) accommodated him, giving us 39A/B — clear at the very back of the rear economy cabin. That worked in our favor. Just before the cabin crew called for the doors to be armed and cross-checked, he jumped into the only 3-seat row in the middle that was still sans-passengers. Not as much room as we had with four seats each on the way over to Turkey, but hey; we’re not complaining. With the cramped legroom between rows, having any kind of room to spread out is a blessing.

on the concourse at İstanbul Atatürk International Airport.
these stars, apparently sprinkled all around the city, are a UNICEF fundraiser;
you can text “star” and the number of the star (this one is 0005) to donate 10TL (~ $6).

Except for the time it took him to eat lunch, Mui’s been stretched out a few rows behind me; snoozing away. I attempted to nap a bit after lunch, but couldn’t get my eyes to stay closed even though I’ve been up since 6:00p DC time yesterday (1:00a in İzmir today). I thought I’d easily sleep away part of the long flight. After all, I catnapped for only 3 hours before I got up to get ready for my 4:20a flight from İzmir to İstanbul. Perhaps it’s for the best. My body is now on US time and will adjust to the seven-hour time change (in our favor) without any jetlag.

Scene from İstanbul Atatürk International Airport.

So, yes — 4:20a really is an indecent hour for a flight. I bid my mother farewell at 2:30a, and Aylin and Murat drove me to the airport, an easy 20-minute drive with no traffic en route. Mui had a more respectable 6:15a flight out of Ankara, so he didn’t have to leave for the airport until I was already winging my way to İstanbul. Good thing he gave himself extra time to get to the airport, however; the car that was taking him there broke down before he got out of the city. Luckily, he was able to get a cab the rest of the way.

Today is the first day of Kurban Bayramı (Eid el-Adha, or more commonly, the Feast of Sacrifice). The four-day bayram is probably the most important religious holiday in Turkey. It celebrates Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son (Ishmael) to prove his complete obedience to God. As the story is told in both the Bible and the Kuran, at the last moment God stays Abraham’s hand, providing a sacrificial ram instead.

It has become a tradition in the Muslim world for heads of households to sacrifice a sheep (usually; can be cattle, as well) on the morning of the first day of the holiday. One of the key tenets is that the sacrifice not be a financial burden to the household (unfortunately not all adhere to that thought). The family keeps a portion of the meat from the sacrifice, but donates the majority to the needy as a form of charity. (For more info, click here.) Personally, I’d rather see the equal value of the price of a sacrificial animal donated to charity, but that’s just me.

I digressed with the above paragraphs, but for a reason. We usually do long-haul flights back to the US on a Saturday to give ourselves a day of rest before jumping in with both feet at work on Monday. This time, hoping that those traveling for bayram would do so on Saturday, we delayed our flight to Sunday. Maybe the strategy worked; maybe it didn’t. We both had full flights to İstanbul, and while all three airports were busy, none was a zoo. We checked in for our respective domestic flights with ease, and went through passport control in İstanbul with little delay in quick moving, short queues. No fuss; no muss — the way airport experiences should always be. Yeah, right!

Mui and I hooked up in İstanbul around 7:30a. We stretched our legs with a walk down the main concourse, snacking on simit (see photo to the right) and cheese on-the-go. Later, we found a couple of comfy seats in an empty corner of the lower concourse leading to the gates and Mui entertained me with a quickie slideshow of the photos he took in Italy (slideshow forthcoming).

When the gate for our 10:50a THY flight to the US was finally posted at 9:00a, we headed in that direction. Some of the gates in the international terminal have a second layer of security. Since we were there early, there was no line whatsoever and we went through another passport verification and security checkpoint in record time. (Word to the wise; once you’re thru this security checkpoint, there are no restrooms. You are allowed to go back out should you need to use the facilities, but you’ll have to go through the checkpoint again to re-enter the waiting area.)

The A330-300 is being readied to embark passengers to the US.

Boarding for TK0007 was supposed to start at 9:50a, but was delayed about 40 minutes due to late arriving aircraft. I have to say, THY (in fact, this goes for many European carriers) needs to get the boarding process under control. Boarding by rows would be so much easier than the mass exodus from the waiting area at the gate. Knowing what to expect, we were positioned near the door and followed the priority boarding group down the jetway to settle into our last-row-in-economy seats without getting caught in the morass that followed us aboard. Even with the hub-bub, boarding was completed in a record 25 minutes (we’re talking over 275 passengers) and the aircraft pushed back at 11:05a, just 15 minutes later than scheduled.

Güle güle (goodbye) İstanbul!

Lunch was served about 90 minutes into the flight. It was (again) much better than the usual fare one gets on an airplane. This time on the menu: smoked salmon; kuru cacık (thick yogurt with small chunks of cucumbers, garnished with crushed mint); karnıyarık (literal translation, split tummy; small eggplant split open and stuffed with minced meat); and vanilla pannacotta. (The other main course option was chicken brochette, which I overheard some passengers describing as being quite good as well.) A second full meal will be served before we land, so perhaps we’ll skip dinner and go grocery shopping instead when we get home. After all, we do have an empty larder that needs attention if we want to have breakfast tomorrow.

The first of two meals on TK0007.

After I gave up on napping, I browsed the entertainment system. From the on-demand movies, I settled on Mr. Popper’s Penguins to while away some time. Loudy, Lovey, Bitey, Nimrod, Captain, and Stinky turned out to be good flight companions, offering hilarious and light-hearted moments of fun. (I was happy to read in an article that while some scenes were filmed with real Gentoo penguins, many that required “unnatural” penguin behavior were done with CGI penguins.)

Reading and writing this portion of the blog took care of several more hours. In fact, we’re down to less than 3½ hours of flying time now. I think I’ll browse the rest of the movies and see if I can find something to kill a few of those hours. More later …

At home — 6:00p (DC Time)

I’m really way too tired to unpack or do any of the usual post-trip chores. We almost made it out the door to do some grocery shopping, but Mui decided he needed to get a haircut. OK; I’ll just stay home and finish up this post — don’t need to twist my arm!

So, back to the flight …

The on-demand entertainment system yielded Water for Elephants, a romantic drama based on Sara Gruen’s novel by the same name. I had read that while no harm was done to the animals during the filming of the movie, there was some controversy about the way they were treated before the film was made. I hope there’s no truth to that claim; as I also certainly hope that the bottles of whisky being poured into Rosie’s (the elephant) water bucket did not contain real liquor. Both would be major no-no’s in my book!

The second meal service started part-way through the movie. This time we were served: shrimp salad; penne pasta and eggplant in a creamy tomato sauce; and fırın sütlaç (baked rice pudding). The food was good, but the penne was a bit too salty for my palate.

Meal #2 aboard TK0007.

The hour following the meal service went by quickly. Before we knew it, the bed of clouds had parted to reveal the US coastline — I think I recognized the Chincoteague/Assateague area. Another half hour and we were on descent into Dulles International for an on-time landing at 3:25p.

Looks like there’s still quite a bit of fall foliage left in Virginia.

That would be our aircraft coming in for a landing at ...

… Dulles International; Welcome back to the US!

The aircraft taxied to the far, far corner of the airport and parked on the tarmac. No jetways anywhere near us could only mean one thing — that we’d be transported to customs in the main terminal via mobile lounges. Sure enough, two of them soon approached, one docking with the front door, and another docking with the rear door. Worked nicely for those of us in the last row!

Arriving during the mid-day rush hour of incoming flights from Europe always means long lines at immigration. It was especially bad for the non-US passport holders today; the line they had to get into was really loooooong. For once, that wasn’t the case for us; one of the shortest lines in our travel experience. Even still, it was an hour before we found ourselves in the taxi line with our luggage in tow.

Our arrival good-luck continued with a traffic-free ride home. Couldn’t have asked for better. Well, we could have; but we’ve learned to count our blessings when it comes to relatively hassle-free air travel experiences.

We have no international — or domestic, for that matter — travel plans in the works for the rest of the year, or into 2012. I’m sure we’ll go somewhere, but the destination is yet to be determined. Until then … it’s getting on towards 10:00p and I’m off to bed to get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow’s a work day :-(

One Last Outing: Çeşme

2011-11-04T18:45:00.001-04:00

Friday, November 4

Another beautiful-weather morning found us on our way to Çeşme, a coastal town about 50 miles (80 km) west of İzmir. Çeşme literally translates as “faucet or fountain.” I hear there are numerous fountains sprinkled around town. Perhaps on a different occasion I'll go hunting for them, but that wasn't on the agenda today.

I spent many a summer in one of the nearby towns with my family, and remember frequent forays into the town-proper for a meal, shopping, or just for a stroll. In some ways, today’s Çeşme is quite different from the one I remember; in others, it’s the same. I enjoyed a bit of both today.

there’s a highway connecting İzmir to Çeşme now; it makes for a faster, easier drive.

We started our day with breakfast at Murat’s mother’s beach house. Normally they’d be back in the city by now, but they’re renovating their apartment in İzmir, so they’ll be staying in Çeşme until that work is completed. Their house is up a steep hill, next door to the fortress, and has a view of the recently constructed marina.

Nice view, don’t you agree?

I thought I had taken a photo of the breakfast feast, but I can’t find it. You’ll just have to take my word that it was worthy of royalty.

After breakfast, Aylin and Murat took me to the marina for a stroll. It was quiet, and most of the eateries and shops were closed, but I imagine that on the weekends the place is hopping. Having opened to service in 2010, the marina is a new addition to the town; and one they hope will bring in lots of revenue from boat owners. It sure didn’t look like it was lacking for small-boat clientele.

Narrow, flagstone-paved streets are lined with eateries and shops.

Sunny, but chilly … not that we were put off from sightseeing.

Everywhere you look there are bushes of Bougainvillea blooming.

who says there aren’t unicorns?

Looking towards town from the far side of the marina; hidden behind all those
masts is the fortress that we’ll be visiting next.

One of Çeşme’s landmarks is the kale (fortress) by the same name. Though proof is hard to come by, it’s believed that the fortress was built by the Genoese in the 14th Century. Restored in the 16th Century during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezit II, it played an important role in the Naval Battle of Çeşme (1770). The Russian fleet was victorious, but not before losing their flagship to the Ottoman fleet.

Sultan Bayezİt II restored the fortress in 1508.

In 1965, the fortress was converted to a museum. (Admission fee 3TL [approx. $1.75]; free with Müzekart). Visitors are allowed to wander around at will and check out the exhibits housed in several of the towers. Theoretically, one can walk the narrow, stone walkway that rims the ramparts all the way around. There was renovation work being done along one side, however, so I was unable to make the full circuit. Steep, perhaps, but worth it for the views.

The picture on the left is exactly what you think it is — an alaturka (Turkish style) toilet.
It was located at the head of the walkway (right) leading to the interior courtyard.
Note the rifle/arrow slit in the wall — I guess the guard was expected to be alert
and ready to defend the fortress at all times :-)

Over 700 Ottoman period headstones that have been collected from around the
area are lined up against the walls of the fortress.

the inner courtyard — or at least a part of it.
I sure could have used a super wide angle lens here.

Archaeological finds displayed in the corner tower seen in the previous image.

Heading up along the side wall yields views of the marina.

Glimpse of the moat surrounding the fortress.

Where there's now a marina ...

... once there was just a body of water.
[historic photo from a billboard]

Glimpse of the town from high atop the ramparts.

A little weathered, but ready to defend the fortress.

From the exhibit in the Çeşme Ottoman-Russian Naval Battle Hall.
Top Left: 1791 English cartoon satirizing Catherine the great’s imperial ambitions and
sexual appetite as she steps over the heads of European monarchs.
Center: it was during the reign of Sultan Mustafa III that the naval battle was fought.
top right: Portrait of Catherine the great.
bottom left & right: Paintings depicting the naval battle.

Exhibit of amphorae dating from the 1st Century BC to the 18th Century AD.

And on that note, we called our sightseeing quits. After collecting mom from where we’d left her to visit with Murat’s mom and sister, we made a quick stop to pick up some cheese from Murat’s favorite dairy and headed back home.

Tomorrow is packing day … so, no post.

Another Family Visit and a “Remembrance House”

2011-11-03T19:50:00.001-04:00

Thursday, 3 November

A beautiful fall day found mom and me on one of the new municipal busses that zip around the city. Except that we didn’t just zip a short distance; we rode the bus all the way around the bay from Alsancak to Bostanlı, one of the municipalities of Karşıyaka (which literally translates as the opposite collar, or the opposite shore). The ride took about 45 minutes, and was an easy means of getting us to my uncle’s house. In fact, the bus dropped us off just steps from the street on which they live, so we couldn’t have asked for better. And you can’t beat the price — 1.75TL (approx. $1). Now, had the traffic been bad, I might have felt differently about taking the bus, but our mid-morning trip meant little traffic to hinder us along the way.

The map above is actually one that shows the ferry landings (existing and projected). since we took the ferry back from KarşIyaka to alsancak via pasaport (see the area circled), I thought it would do nicely to show where bostanli is in relation to where we are in alsancak.

Adnan Amca (uncle) is my father’s younger brother. He and Suna Yenge (aunt by marriage) have lived in Bostanlı for as long as I remember. Except that what I remember is a two-story house in a garden; and a snake we found in the front yard one day when I was on a sleep-over visit! But that’s a story for another time. In any event, that house is no more. Several years ago, the house was razed and in its place was built a multi-story apartment building; they live on the second floor.

My uncle has not been in the greatest of health in recent years, so I was glad to have a chance to visit, and was delighted when he actually chatted with me. (Last time I saw him, he was rather quiet and not talking much with anyone.) That he was happy to see me was apparent from the twinkle in his eye; that made my day.

The photo above was taken at my cousin Hülya’s engagement party in December 1974. I’ll start with the back row (R to L): Suna Yenge, yaman (my cousin), KamİL (Hülya’s fiancé), Hülya (may she rest in peace; we lost her at a very young age), adnan amca, my father, mom, “Moi of the big hair”, Ruhan (my cousin), Cİcİ (or serpİl), Hala (my aunt), and Denİz (my brother). The gentleman sitting down is my paternal grandfather; the ladies are relatives on yenge’s side of the family. The little girl closest to my grandfather is Aylİn.

After our short visit, mom and I hopped a bus to downtown Karşıyaka. We’d planned to have lunch and then go to a “remembrance house.” Since we were stuffed from the ıspanaklı börek (pastry filled with spinach) my aunt had served with tea, we decided to skip lunch and go straight to the next part of our plans.

The Latife Hanım Köşkü Anı Evi (Latife Hanım’s Villa Remembrance House), a house that dates back to the 1860s, was renovated and opened to the public in 2008 (no admission). It is built in the Late Ottoman architectural style. I had no idea this house existed until mom suggested that we visit it.

Collage of photos showing the villa pre- and post-restoration.
[top right and two bottom photos scanned from the brochure]

Latife Hanım was Atatürk’s wife. The house belonged to her family and was used as a summer residence. It is significant in Turkish history as the place where Atatürk’s mother, Zübeyde Hanım, died in 1923.

(P.S. Hanım is an honorific used in referring to women; it can be translated as Mrs or Ms.)

embroidered frame displaying a photograph of Latİfe HanIm and Atatürk.

At the entrance, we were asked to put disposable plastic booties over our shoes and were then left to wander around at will. The brochure and the signage around the house focuses on events that took place in the house, such as Zübeyde Hanım’s first dinner here, and Atatürk’s words at his mother’s grave. While they made interesting reading, there was little information about the period furnishings used to decorate the interior of the house.

rooms on the First Floor

Detail from the rooms.
The flag in the top right is one that atatürk walked under when he arrived in İzmİr on
10 September 1922, following the liberation of the city from the occupying greek forces.

Walking up the stairs to the second floor, I was taken aback by the reflection in the mirror of an elderly woman sitting in a chair. The woman looked so much like the pictures I’d seen of Zübeyde Hanım that it could have been her twin. I had to chuckle when, moments later, it dawned on me that the figure was made of wax! It turns out that the three main rooms upstairs each had a wax figure to greet visitors. I later read that it took 2.5 months to make each one.

Latİfe HanIm
[note the inset picture that was the inspiration for this figure,]

atatürk

Zübeyde Hanim

Collage of B&W images from the billboards in the front yard of the villa.

Instead of taking the bus back for the return trip to Alsancak, we took one of the ferries that scurry back and forth across the bay. Operating on a regular schedule, the ferry system is another inexpensive means of public transport (1.75TL [approx. $1]). Our timing was perfect and we had a very short wait at the Karşıyaka ferry terminal before we boarded the boat that took us to Alsancak via Pasaport.

From Karşiyaka ...
The monument in the lower left honors “atatürk, his mother, and women’s rights.”

... to Pasaport ...
The pasaport ferry terminal dates back to 1884.

… to Alsancak.
Top Left: the former NATO Headquarters building.
Left Center: MSC Magica in port for a day-visit.
bottom Left: Note how the MSC Magica looks like it’s one of the kordon apartment buildings.
Top right: The building with the flag is the house where atatürk lived when he came to İzmİr.

We wrapped up the day by joining Aylin and her friend for afternoon tea; thanks for the çay and tasty treats, Aylin.

Tomorrow we’re heading to a resort town where I spent many a childhood summer. Since I’m leaving Sunday to return to the US, it will probably be my last real outing of this trip. I intend to make the most of it!

“Cici” Visit

2011-11-02T16:00:00.007-04:00

Wednesday, 2 November

Today, Mom, Aylin, and I went shopping, had lunch downtown, and then visited family. The topic won’t be of interest to followers of the blog, but since it is part of my trip, I’m going to include a post anyway :-)

The shopping was for a few things I’d promised a friend in the US; that part of our day was quickly and successfully concluded. (I hope my friend agrees when I send a goodie box to her.)

Lunch was at Can, a longtime favorite eatery in Konak that specializes in döner (what’s called gyro in the US). The single portion of İskender, served over chunks of pide (pita bread), garnished with tomato sauce and yogurt, and drizzled with red pepper melted in butter was as tasty as always.

(Photo on the right is from when I ate at can in 2010.)

My father was the middle child of three — two boys and a girl; he passed away in 1995. Muzaffer, his sister — hala (aunt) to us kids — was the oldest; we lost her several years ago as well. Adnan — amca (uncle) to us kids — lives across the bay; we’ll be visiting him tomorrow.

It was my aunt’s son, Ruhan, and his wife, Cici, that we went to visit today. Actually, her name is Serpil, but when Aylin was just a toddler she used to call her by the nickname that sort of stuck (it means “nice or pretty”). I’d been told that my cousin was rather ill, so I was especially glad to see him doing much better and well on the road to recovery.

We had a nice afternoon, chatting around the kitchen table and enjoying tasty treats with the traditional cup — or two, or three — of çay (tea). I missed seeing their daughters — Aslı and Duygu — on this occasion; perhaps next time I’m in Turkey.

(Photo above was taken at mom’s apartment on Christmas Eve 1984; it’s one of the few “blast from the past” photos I have of my aunt and her family that I’ve scanned and have easily accessible.)

İzmir Tarih ve Sanat Müzesi

2011-11-01T16:10:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, November 1

Didn’t really do much of anything today. I think all those sightseeing-filled days in Ankara have finally caught up to me. But this first day of November was much too nice to stay home all day. So, while mom and Aylin took care of some of their routine chores, I headed out to the İzmir Tarih ve Sanat Müzesi (Museum of History and Art), which is located in Kültür Park, the oasis of green space in the middle of the city’s concrete jungle and the site of the annual international fair. (For more scenes from the park, click here for my blog post from 2010.)

The museum, which consists of three buildings, opened to the public in 2004. On exhibit are stone sculptures, busts, sarcophagi, and architectural elements from the Archaic to the Roman Period (700 BC to 395 AD); ceramic works dating all the way back to the Prehistoric Period; and jewelry, ancient coins, and the like from 6th Century BC to the Ottoman Period. (Admittance 3TL [approx. $1.75]; free with Müzekart.)

The walls of one of the exhibit halls is decorated with scenes from the ancient Olympiad;
first held in 776 BC to honor Zeus. they were held in olympia, hence the name, Olympics.
Left: scene from the mural depicting a Medal Ceremony.
Right: Funerary stele for Eudokimos (Roman Period).

I was hoping that there would be new exhibits to see since my last visit in 2008, but the guard said nothing had changed since 2004. True in a way, but I noticed that photography is no longer allowed in the precious works building; and also, many of the jewelry items have been removed to the Museum of Archaeology for display. Oh well! At least my timing was good as the cruise ship tour group was leaving when I entered the first building. I pretty much had the entire museum to myself after that. Not that I’m complaining, but it’s really a shame that visitation is not higher … there are so many archaeological treasures to be found here.

Let’s start with a few of my all-time favorites … (So as not to duplicate my existing stock of photographs too much, I stayed away from the sarcophagi and stele finds; if you’d like to see some of those images, click here for my online gallery from 2008.)

Kaistros, the River God – Roman Period/2nd Century AD (Ephesus [Efes])
[above and below]

Poseidon & Demeter – Antonine Period (Agora of Smyrna [İzmİr])
[above and below]

Here are a few finds in the stone works department that caught my eye this time …

Left: Ianos – Roman Period (Agora of Smyrna [İzmİr])
right: Hermes – Roman Period/30 BC-395 AD (Pergamum [Bergama])

Cybele, the Phrygian form of mother earth, was adopted by the romans around 218-201 BC.
Amongst other things, She is considered the goddess of wildlife, especially lions and bees.

Here are just a couple of the finds exhibited in the ceramics/pottery works building…

Pinax type plate (painted votive object deposited in a sanctuary or as a memorial affixed
within a burial chamber) – 6th Century BC (Bayrakli, Smyrna [İzmİr])

Mussel-shaped perfume bottle – 6th Century BC (Old Smyrna [Eskİ İzmİr]

Left: 6th Century BC pottery works.
Right: Alabastron – early 6th century bc (Bayrakli, Smyrna [İzmİr])
an alabastron is a type of pottery used to hold oil, especially perfume or massage oils.
Originated in egypt in the 11th century bc, they were carved from alabaster; hence the name.

Aphrodite figurines – Roman Period.

pottery chards from the Archaic Period (Phokia [Foça])

We’ll be going shopping tomorrow and then visiting my cousin; I may or may not be back with a post about my day.

To İzmir via “Kuladokya”

2011-10-31T13:10:00.006-04:00

Monday, 31 October

An overcast, cold morning with the temperature at 36F (2C) found us saying our goodbyes to Hakan and getting on the road back to İzmir.

Once out of the city traffic, we made good time, arriving in Afyon for our mid-day meal right about noon. This time, the restaurant at the popular rest facilities was open and we had a home-style meal that we topped off with ekmek kadayıf, a type of bread pudding served with a thick hunk of kaymak (clotted cream) almost as big as the slice of dessert itself. Actually, you need a lot of clotted cream as it helps to cut down the sweetness of this dessert, which is drenched in heavy syrup. Very good, but one portion was plenty to split amongst the four of us.

The drive back to İzmir was just as boring and uneventful as the one we made to Ankara just a week ago — with one exception. This time, we made a detour to see the Kula Peri Bacaları (Kula Fairy Chimneys).

Fairy Chimneys, sometimes referred to as hoodoos, are the result of erosion where soil conditions are just right. They are formed in areas where soft rock is topped by harder, less easily eroded rock. As the softer portions erode, the column that starts to form is partially protected from the elements by the harder cap rock, thus resulting in some interesting shapes.

A glimpse into the formation of fairy chimneys.

The best known fairy chimneys in Turkey — perhaps in the world — are found in Kapadokya (Cappadocia), in the central region of the country. In ancient times, people lived and worshipped in dwellings they dug inside these natural towers. I visited that part of the country in 2007 with Mom and Aylin, and even went ballooning over the fantastic landscape — WOW is about all I can say. (Online galleries from that trip are here.)

PaşabağI — Kapadokya; one of the most scenic valleys in the region. (2007)

To get back to the fairy chimneys of Kula …

Nicknamed Kuladokya, for its similarity to the fairy chimneys of Kapadokya, the formations here are on a smaller scale and give a sense of what their more famous cousins may have looked like thousands of years ago. They are not far from the town of Kula in the Manisa Province; at about mile marker 97 (156 km) of the İzmir-Ankara Highway. In fact, they are visible from the road, but to get the best views, it’s better to drive at least a short distance up the unpaved road to the base of the formations. It would have been nice to go for a hike, but after a long day on the road, we were all anxious to get home. So, we made do with a short walk to stretch our legs this time.

Aylin provides perspective for the size of the fairy chimneys.

This is a perfect place to let your imagination run riot.

We all agreed that the formations on the opposite side of the road were more impressive. Alas, backlit as they were, most of the scenery was hidden in deep shadows. Nonetheless, I found one area that allowed me to shoot a couple of reasonable photographs.

This side would be best photographed in the early morning hours.

After this nice break, we continued on with our drive, arriving home as dusk fell. I’m very pleased with all that we managed to do in Ankara, and thank Murat, Aylin, and Mom for suggesting we go there for this year’s side-trip to my visit to Turkey.

Now, let’s see what kind of trouble I can get in for the remainder of my trip :-)))

We Have Gold and Silver

2011-10-30T14:15:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 30 October

As the sun rose in the wee hours of the morning, this is what the scene outside my bedroom was like. There are a lot of trees and neighborhood parks in this subdivision. In the dim light of dawn, the buildings looked like they were peeking through a jungle canopy. Sort of reminiscent of the pyramid we climbed in Coba (Mexico), but that scene was more interesting.

Everyone else was still snoozing when I woke up, so I read for a while until the rest of the household started the stir. Hakan had suggested last night that we have breakfast at one of his favorite haunts today, but the temperature was much too cold to sit outside and he didn’t think the ambiance inside the eatery would suit us. Instead, he corralled mom into showing him how to make pancakes — the crepe-like ones that we all prefer — and cooked up a big batch of dollar-size goodies for breakfast at home. I can tell you that not a crumb was left.

The Aytaylan and Erkun men are all handy in the kitchen. Aren't we the lucky ones!

We spent a quiet morning at home before we headed to the grocery store at the strip mall to pick up snacks for tomorrow’s drive back to İzmir. From there, Hakan drove us to one of the many mega malls in the area. In past years, I’ve replenished my wardrobe with stylish clothes that I’ve purchased in Turkey. Won’t be doing that this trip. Prices are now much higher and I can actually get better buys in the US.

After strolling around the mall for a while, I treated everyone to lunch at a franchise eatery called Kayseri Mutfağı (Kayseri Kitchen). I have to admit that I had an ulterior motive. I love mantı — Turkish dumplings filled with minced meat, boiled, strained, topped with yogurt, garnished with red pepper melted in butter, and sprinkled with dried mint and sumac. Yummmm! The city of Kayseri is said to have 40 different recipes for this dish that dates back to the Ottoman Period; miniature dumplings (not that these dumplings are big to begin with) being one of the most popular. You see where I’m going with this, don’t you.

(Picture above is of Mui rolling out the dough to make mantI at our apartment in Tacoma, Washington; 1982.)

I ordered what I came for and was very pleased with it. Aylin had the yaprak sarma (stuffed grape leaves), Hakan ordered the eggplant stew with a side of rice, mom ordered another specialty of the city: yağ mantısı, a deep-fried version of the traditional dumplings. I think we all agreed that a little less of the fried dough and a little more of the filling would have made for a better dish.

Kayserİ MutfağI serves tasty home-style cooking.

Our afternoon was quiet and not that much different from yesterday, with the exception that those of us leaving Ankara tomorrow spent time packing our bags. Oh, and Murat came home with his loot — five … count ‘em, five … medals of the gold and silver variety for personal races and certificates for the relay races he swam. (He didn’t wait for the medal ceremony for the fifth one, so there’s only four medals pictured in the photo below.)

Congratulations, Murat!

See you all in İzmir.

Today is Cumhuriyet Bayramı

2011-10-29T09:07:00.000-04:00

Saturday, 29 October

We’re taking a break from sightseeing today. You see, 29 October is one of Turkey’s major national holidays. It’s the day on which 88 years ago a young republic was born following the demise of a 624-year-old empire.

Benim nâçiz vücudum birgün elbet toprak olacaktır.
Fakat Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ilelebet payidar kalacaktır.

MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK

Said on the occasion of a visit to Balikesİr on 19 August 1926, the words translate as:
my humble body will someday become dust. But the Turkish Republic will endure forever.

Growing up in Turkey, Cumhuriyet Bayramı was commemorated with skits, parades, and gala balls. I remember throwing off the uniform I wore daily to grade school, donning my finery — often sewn especially for the occasion — and participating in skits recreating the events leading to this auspicious date or singing marches written to celebrate the republic. When I got older, I participated in the parades that marched the length of the waterfront promenade. Didn’t much care for those as the weather didn’t always cooperate with outdoor activities.

I remember my dress was yellow with brown trim and ribbon; I remember we sang
the Onuncu Yil Marşi to close out the celebratory skit. But I don’t remember
what grade I was in and there’s nothing written on the back of this “blast from
the distant past” photo — I’m guessing second grade. Looking on proudly
from the sidelines is Rabİa Hanim, the teacher who taught me for five years .

Why, if it’s a national holiday, did we not go into the city to join in the celebratory excitement. Even though most of the parades and parties have been cancelled because the country is mourning the loss of life, injuries, and damages resulting from the Van Earthquake, the city is bound to be a zoo. You know me and crowds — I stay away from them when I can! Besides, after being on the go almost from the moment I stepped off the airplane on 21 October, a day of rest is well earned I say. (P.S. As of today, the death toll from the earthquake is at 582 with 4,152 injured. There have been 1,301 aftershocks since the first temblor hit on 23 October; my post is here.)

So, what did we do today? Not much really. One of the reasons we came to Ankara is because Murat is competing in a national swim meet. He’s off at the meets, staying with his teammates at a hotel near the university swimming pool.

(Left: Scene from my bedroom window at the apartment; almost every building in the city is decorated with one or more Turkish flags. Below: educational Insert from today’s newspaper provides highlights of the difficult road to freedom.)

Earlier, Hakan drove us to the supermarket at the mega strip mall nearby. We’ve been eating him out of his stores, so it was time to replenish the larder. I took some photos to show you the impressive array of foodstuff on the shelves and in the glass display cases, but security asked me to delete them. Apparently they were concerned about the competition getting ahold of pricing information and display “secrets.” Like there aren’t secret shoppers doing that all the time. Oh well, no skin off my nose; they’re the ones that lost out on some free publicity.

A light lunch; a bit of laundry and ironing; afternoon tea; a bit of blogging and puzzle solving; a tasty dinner; a couple of shows on TV to wrap up the evening. That was pretty much the rest of our day.

Not sure what we’ll be doing tomorrow. For the first time since my arrival in Turkey, we have rain in the forecast, which makes going out a bit less attractive. I guess we’ll wait to make plans tomorrow morning.

Ankara Devlet Resim ve Heykel Müzesi

2011-10-29T00:14:00.001-04:00

Friday, 28 October (Part III)

After our visit to the Museum of Ethnography (post here), and our stroll and lunch at Hamamönü (post here), we returned to where we started our day of sightseeing to visit one more museum — the Ankara Devlet Resim ve Heykel Müzesi (State Art and Sculpture Museum). Admittance 3TL [approx. $1.75]; Müzekart accepted, but even without it a bargain to be sure. (As it was impossible for me to find a good place from which to photograph the building, I scanned the image to the right from the museum’s brochure.)

The museum is housed in the building that was constructed as the Türkocağı (a Nationalist organization) Headquarters in 1927-1930 on the orders of Atatürk. Located next door to the Ethnography Museum, “edifice” is probably the most apt word to describe the building where a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, prints, and other forms of art from Turkey’s pre-Republic period to present day is exhibited.

The building served as the Ankara Community Center until it was restored and opened
as a museum in 1980.

At Atatürk’s behest, the building was constructed by Turkish workers
and Turkish decorative elements were used.

The main entrance opens up to an impressive marble lobby flanked by red-carpeted
stairs that lead to salons filled with all sorts of art.

Glimpse of Ankara from the museum.

I don’t claim to be an art connoisseur; far from it. I couldn’t tell you the difference between the various art movements, though I could probably say what is abstract and what is not. I have to admit that some of the things that I see exhibited as art make me shake my head and wonder … like the sculpture of a giant typewriter eraser in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in DC. What makes that art? I have no idea, but since I chuckle each time I see it and remember the days when I used one, perhaps that’s enough.

“Composition” by Serap Demİrağ (1951 – …)
This one falls into the “I don’t get it” category; looks like a bunch of apples floating in
space along with some asteroids and space debris.

How did I choose the art I photographed over the ones I didn’t? There’s no rhyme or reason … some were of places that I’ve visited myself; others were of historic significance; still others were quirky or somehow charmed me.

LEft: Karagümrüklü Hüseyİn (… – 1913) — Karİye Camİİ (Karİye mosque)
right: Karİye/chora …church-turned-mosque-turned-museum (İstanbul 2010 trip)
this one falls into the “I’ve been there” category. My blog post is here.

Left: Nurİ Abaç (1926 – 2008) — Kervansaray II (Caravanserai II)
right: Nevzat Akoral (1926 – …) — SIğIrtmaç (Drover)
I had to smile at the quirky painting of tourists visiting a caravanserai; and I was charmed by the smile on the drover’s face and the modern footwear on his feet.

Left: Mustafa Esat Düzgünman (1920 – 1990) — Ebru
right: the ebru I created in beypazari a few days ago; post here.
this one falls into the “see what you can create if you know what you’re doing” category.

In addition to paintings and sculptures, there’s a permanent exhibit called Şark Odası/Türk Salonu (Oriental Room/Turkish Hall) where Turkish furnishings and art collected by Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu (architect of the building) and his friends is on exhibit. The furniture, which was used by Atatürk, was brought here at his behest from Dolmabahçe Palace in İstanbul.

A glimpse into the Turkish Hall.

If you’d like to see more from the museum, you can take a look at the slideshow that follows, or visit my online gallery, where you’ll find captions that go with the art. I opted to present the paintings without the distraction of frames, except in one instance where I thought the antique framing itself was impressive.

Enjoy … we'll be taking a break from sightseeing tomorrow, but perhaps I’ll find something to blog about anyway.

Hamamönü

2011-10-28T16:03:00.003-04:00

Friday, 28 October (Part II)

When the Ethnography Museum closed for lunch, we took a break too. Jumping into a taxi, we headed to Hamamönü, a neighborhood in the Altındağ Municipality of Ankara. The cabbie was none too pleased with us since the ride was really short, but boosting the 3.5TL fare to 5TL (about $3 vs $2) partially satisfied him. Had we known how to get where we wanted to go, we would have walked — and did so when we headed back to the museum after lunch.

Hamamönü is just about a 10 minute walk from the Ankara Ethnography Museum.
(Note the location of the university where I studied in the lower left corner; so close
to the museums we visited today, yet I dared not go into that neighborhood in the late 1970s.)

The literal translation for Hamamönü is “in front of the hamam (Turkish bath). The more accurate translation would be “around the hamam” as it refers to the neighborhood in the vicinity of the historic Karacabey Hamamı.

The efforts that have brought new life here are part of the municipality’s plans to once again make this area the city’s “cultural arts center.” As a result, 300 historic buildings that had fallen into ruin have been renovated, and 22 of them have been allocated to artisans involved in different fields of art. There’s more work to be done, but these initial efforts have proven successful in drawing both locals and tourists alike to the restaurants, cafés, and shops that line the narrow streets of the neighborhood.

Scenes — old and new — from Hamamönü.
top left and right photos are the before and after of Hamamönü Street;
middle and bottom left photos are the before and after of Mehmet Akİf Ersoy Street;
bottom right is the clock tower in Hamamönü Square.
[collage from images on the billboard describing the municipality's plans.]

As it was just past the noon hour, we decided to look for a place to eat before meandering around the streets. Many of the eateries had sidewalk seating, which would have been great if the temperature had been warmer. As it was only around 50F (10C), we opted for seating indoors at Gamze Ev Yemekleri (Gamze Home-Style Meals). Our timing was perfect. There were plenty of tables available when we walked in, but by the time we were served, there wasn’t an empty seat to be had. The chicken and vermicelli soup was tasty, as was the eggplant stew with potatoes — and it had plenty of yummy juices to sop up with the fresh, farm-style bread.

I always enjoy the home-style meals some of the Turkish restaurants serve.

After lunch, with no specific destination in mind, we wandered around for a while. As this neighborhood borders the Hacettepe University dormitories, there was no lack of youthful enthusiasm in the streets. When the call to the noon prayer issued from the loudspeakers of the minarets, the streets filled with believers hurrying to the mosques. I thought it was especially interesting see the university students pouring out of their dormitories and classes to participate in the five-times-daily ritual.

The Çelebİ Mehmet Camİİ was one of the few mosques that wasn’t open for the
noon prayer; I believe it is still under restoration.

Mehmet Akİf Ersoy is the poet who wrote the Turkish national anthem. These restored
buildings house the Literature Museum named in his honor; unfortunately it is closed today.

While the houses on this street have yet to be renovated …

… the ones on this street sparkle bright with a coat of whitewash and gleaming wood trim.

This Ottoman period cemetery is located on the grounds of Sarikadi Camİİ.

Erguvan Konaği (Judas Tree Mansion)
some mansions have hand painted signs displaying their name.

BeynamLIzade Konaği was the home of one of the representatives elected to the last
Ottoman National Assembly, which was dissolved in August 1920, shortly before
the turkish republic was formed.

Time to leave Hamamönü to continue with our sightseeing.

… and on that note, I’ll bring this post to a close.

Etnoğrafya Müzesi

2011-10-28T15:59:00.001-04:00

Friday, 28 October

Merriam Webster defines Etnoğrafya, or ethnography in English, as “the study and systematic recording of human cultures; also: a descriptive work produced from such research.” I knew there were museums in Turkey that used the word in their name, but until I visited the İzmir Ethnography Museum last year (post here), I had no idea what the word meant. I enjoyed that museum visit; but the rundown conditions, with thick dust covering the exhibits, had me anticipating today’s visit to the Ankara Etnoğrafya Müzesi with a bit of trepidation. My worries were for naught. Perhaps because the building in which the museum is housed was once a temporary mausoleum for Atatürk, conditions here were pristine. (Admittance Fee: 15TL [approx. $9]; free with the Müzekart.)

Today’s sightseeing took us to the area circled with the dotted red line.

The museum sits high on a hill in the Namazgah district of the city. Once the site of a Muslim cemetery, the land was turned over to the Ministry of Education for the purpose of establishing a museum. Construction of the sandstone-plated building with carved, marble pediments took place between 1925-27. During that time, a committee worked on building a collection for display. When it opened to the public in 1930, 1,250 artifacts were in the museum’s curatorship.

Twenty-eight marble steps lead up to the tripartite entrance with four columns.

Following his death in İstanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace on 10 November 1938, Atatürk’s body was brought to Ankara, where it was temporarily laid to rest at the museum until Anıtkabir was built and he was reinterred there 15 years later. Today, the inner courtyard where the marble sarcophagus that contained the lead casket was displayed is maintained as a symbolic mausoleum in his memory. On the walls of the courtyard are historic images that show the public outpouring and how people filled the streets, climbing minarets and other high places to catch a glimpse of the catafalque as it ceremoniously made its way from one city to the other.

For 15 years presidents, ambassadors, foreign delegations, and the Turkish public
came here to pay their respects to Atatürk.

Collage of historic images taken during the transfer of Atatürk’s body from
İstanbul to Ankara (19-21 November 1938). The picture in the lower left corner
is the official notice of death published by the government on 10 november 1938.

After Atatürk was reinterred at the monumental mausoleum built for him, the museum went through a period of restoration, re-opening to the public in 1956. Exhibited here are examples of Turkish art dating from the Seljuk Period (1077-1307) to modern day Turkey. On display are a selection of folk attire, clogs, shoes, and ornaments; embroidered handkerchiefs, towels, and waist bands; kilims and rugs from some of the well-known carpet centers around Turkey; examples of ironmongery and Ottoman Period armament; delicate porcelains, ceramics, and glassworks; calligraphy books of ages past; and some carved wood pieces such as a hundreds of years old throne, sarcophagus, and pulpit.

In addition to individual items, scenes from cultural traditions — kına gecesi (henna night – think bachelorette party); sünnet (circumcision — passage of rite for Turkish boys); carpet weaving; coffee culture; hattatlık (calligraphy) — are displayed behind glassed-in rooms featuring life-size mannequins.

I’d refer you to a website for more information, but I can’t — there isn’t one … very odd in this internet age. Anyway, here’s a selection of photographs from amongst the hundreds I took of things that caught my eye as I wandered around the museum. Sorry about the reflections and glare; unavoidable I'm afraid.

Embroidering a towel, perhaps for a bride's çeyİz (trousseau).

Embroidered towels (left) and waist bands (right).

Left: The art of weaving knotted carpets entered Anatolia in the 11th century with the Seljuks.
right: The art of metalworking is one of the oldest in Turkish culture.

Left: Decorative oil lamp casing; Seljuk Period.
right: censer made from tombac (brass alloy with high copper/zinc content); Ottoman period.

Examples of metal working. The pot in the top left corner dates back to the Mameluks of
the 15th century; the image in the lower right corner is a sefertasI (portable lunchbox).

Coffee originated in Africa, where Abyssinian monks noticed that goats became livelier
when they ate the seeds of what turned out to be coffee plants. Coffee was first
introduced to the Turks after Egypt was conquered by Sultan Selİm I in the early 1500s.

Decorative coffee pots.

İznİk and Kütahya are well established centers for ceramics.

While the ateliers in İznİk produced high quality ceramics for use in palaces,
Kütahya produced ceramics for use by the general public.

Glass has been part of daily life for over 5,000 years; not always in such delicate form.
[above and below]

Collection donated by Besİm Atalay, seven-term member of the Turkish Grand national Assembly.

Left: Catalog of types of calligraphy dating back to 1845.
right: muslim calendar

Manuscript of a 16th century Kuran (Koran),
left in trust by Rüstem Paşa, the grand vizier of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent.

Prayer book printed in 1878, during the reign of Sultan Murat V.

Sarcophagus from the Ahİ şerafettin Tomb (15th century).

Left: 13th century throne of the Seljuk Sultan GIyaseddİn Keyhüsrev III.
right: 12th century altar from the tashur Paşa camİİ in ürgüp, Nevşehİr.

Sünnet (circumcision) is a rite of passage for Turkish boys.

By the time we were done wandering around, it was just past noon and time for the museum to close for the lunch hour. Postponing our visit to the art museum next door until later in the afternoon, we decided to check out a recently renovated neighborhood and get a bite to eat. But that’s for the next blog post.

Beypazarı

2011-10-27T20:09:00.008-04:00

Thursday, 27 October

Today, we took a break from museums (sort of) and headed to Beypazarı, which translates as Bey’s Market (bey, in the old sense, meaning chieftain or lord; and in modern Turkish, meaning mister or gentleman). Located about 62 miles (100 km) west of Ankara, the town was once a stop on the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between Baghdad and İstanbul. It boasts 3500 years of history, hosting a variety of cultures ranging from the Hittites, to the Romans and Byzantines, to the Seljuks and Ottomans.

The green line show the route to BeypazarI.

Getting out of Ankara was downright painful — so was getting back in, but that was mostly our own fault due to a wrong turn somewhere along the way. The morning traffic was horrible, in part because of a nasty accident, and moved at a snail’s pace. Once we were on the highway, though, we made good time. Not the most exciting drive to be sure, but it got us to this interesting town.

Evliya Çelebi, the 17th century Ottoman traveler, described the town as consisting of “3,011 two-story houses with timber trimmed adobe walls.” Unfortunately thousands of those houses were destroyed in a fire in 1884. Local craftsmen rebuilt many of them in the late 19th century. Today, the old quarter of the modern town is under conservation, with over 500 of these houses already restored.

Left: BeypazarI is responsible for 60% of Turkey’s carrot production.
Right: tarİhİ TaŞ Mektep (historic stone school), a 19th century ottoman building, is
now a restaurant operated by the municipality. The mosque behind is KurŞunlu camİİ.

There are a lot of interesting and historic places to visit in and around Beypazarı. But with our limited time, we opted for a walk through the restored section of town. That meant running the gauntlet of shop owners on the narrow street leading further into town. On either side were shops displaying telkari (silverwork); local handicrafts, such as wood-block printing; traditional foodstuff, including 80-layer baklava, stuffed grape leaves, buttery hardtack, fresh-baked buns, and the ubiquitous fresh-pressed carrot juice; homemade herbal soaps; and all kinds of gee-gaws designed to attract tourists, both domestic and international. Luckily we arrived on the heels of a tour group, so they bore the brunt of the calls from vendors to taste, buy, look … and what have you. Not that we left without adding to the coffers of the vendors — a kilo of a mix of tel şehriye (vermicelli) and bulgur, a couple of bags of buttery hardtack, and a couple of tablecloths somehow found their way into our shopping bag.

The shops offer a wide variety of items.

Just a small selection of the foodstuff sold in the shops.

Mom taking her pick of wood-block print tablecloths.

Past the shops, we decided it was time for lunch. Wanting to steer clear of the restaurants that cater to tourists, we asked one of the locals where she likes to have lunch. From the couple of places she mentioned, we settled on Paşa Konağı (General’s Mansion), a family-operated, five-bedroom boardinghouse with a restaurant downstairs that serves traditional home-cooked meals.

The boardinghouse / restaurant is located in a 161 year old mansion.

Although the sun was shining bright, at 50F (10C) it really was too cold to eat under the awning outside. No problem; the dining room was cozy and we had it to ourselves. There was no menu to speak of. The waiter (the son) told us what the cook (the father) had made and we told him what we wanted. It was a good home-cooked meal and we all enjoyed our selections, especially the melt-in-your mouth, pencil-thin yaprak sarma (grape leaves wrapped around a mixture of hamburger and rice) served with homemade yogurt, and the erişte (homemade noodles) redolent with the aroma of melted butter. And the tarhana çorbası (soup made from a fermented and dehydrated mix of flour, yogurt, onions, tomatoes, and peppers) hit the spot just right on this cool fall day.

Clockwise from top right: yaprak sarma, tarhana çorbasI, and the chef’s specialty,
pickled peppers and green beans.

After lunch, our meandering walk back towards the town center led us to Yaşayan Müze (Living Museum), which describes itself as Turkey’s first and only hands-on culture museum. Housed in a typical Ottoman mansion built during the 19th century, the museum’s mission is to keep traditional art forms and cultural beliefs alive using the philosophy of: I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, I learn.

Located on a very narrow street, there is no easy way to photograph the
Abbaszade KonağI, which has been home to the museum since 2007.

The stairs lead to a courtyard where, after our visit, I had a glass of şerbet,
in this case made from the juices of various red berries.

As the tourist season is drawing to a close, we had the museum to ourselves; something I never complain about. Furnished with period pieces, the various rooms are used to demonstrate traditional arts, such as ebru (paper marbling = a method of aqueous surface design that produces patterns similar to marble or stone); felt making; wood blocking; Karagöz & Hacivat (shadow play), and story telling … to name a few. The docent on duty offered us a chance to participate in any or all of the activities; we took him up on some. (Additional fee for some of the activities; goes towards maintaining the museum.)

The gift shop, located in the lobby of the mansion, has traditional toys that
any kid of any age would treasure.

Karagöz & Hacİvat — the puppets and a typical stage where the play is performed.
According to one legend, the first performance took place in the 1500s when a
commoner went to see the sultan to lodge a complaint. Instead of just speaking his
piece, he put on a puppet show to tell the story of the corruption amongst the
sultan’s officials. According to the myth, the sultan was so delighted with the
performance that not only did he punish the corrupt officials, he appointed the
puppeteer as his grand vizier.

leaning on a cane (a traditional prop of the story teller), The docent who guided us
around the museum regaled us with the story of the rich old man and his
three sons. Afterwards, he asked us a riddle, which none of us could answer.

Bridal room with en suite bathing chamber hidden in a closet.
on special occasions, kina gecesİ (henna night; similar to a bachelorette party)
celebrations are demonstrated here; but not today.

Detail from the bridal chamber.
And yes, it would not be uncommon for the bride to be pinned with gold coins,
all gifts from relatives and friends.
The image in the center displays a sample of the bride’s trousseau.

I’m not very artistic, but I did try my hand at Ebru, the art of paper marbling.
Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Before we left, we — or rather, Murat — participated in another activity. As in every culture, superstition plays a role in the Turkish culture. Almost everyone knows about the evil eye and the “nazarlık,” the eye-shaped charm that is said to ward off evil spirits. Another means for protecting one’s self from evil is kurşun dökmek (lead pouring). I have to do more research on the nuances of this old tradition. In the meantime, here’s a clip of what I witnessed.

Our timing turned out to be perfect. When we exited the museum, a group of school kids were learning to play a traditional game in the garden. Two minutes later, they were heading inside to watch a Karagöz & Hacivat performance. It was tempting to go back inside to join them, but only for a minute. Instead, we wandered back down the street lined with shops, once more running the gauntlet of shop owners, and began the boring drive back to Ankara.

An enthusiastic group of kids learn a traditional game.

A really great day ended on an even greater note. Tonight we dined out — not a traditional Turkish meal as one might expect, but the best Chinese meal I’ve ever had. From the Wall of China — a three-tiered tray filled with tasty dim sum, to the chicken and sweet corn soup, to the chicken satay (yes, I know; that’s not Chinese) … every dish that Quick China’s attentive waiters served us was delicious. And the ambiance — well, that was priceless.

A most excellent Chinese feast in Turkey.
[collage of images from the Quick China website]

Tomorrow we’ll make another run back into the heart of Ankara … maybe visit a couple more museums.

Çengelhan Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi

2011-10-26T23:41:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, 26 October (Part III)

The Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi (Museum of Anatolian Civilizations), which we visited before lunch, took us thousands of years back into history. The museum we visited in the afternoon — the Çengelhan Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi — didn’t take us back in time nearly as far, but the eclectic collection of items on display were just as interesting and thought provoking in their own way. (Entrance Fee: 6TL [approx. $3.50]; private museum, so the basic Müzekart didn’t gain us admittance.)

The museum was founded by Rahmi Koç, the only son of Vehbi Koç, founder of one of the top Turkish conglomerates. Rahmi Bey was inspired to create a museum dedicated to the history of transport, industry, and communication after visiting the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, Michigan. The first museum was opened to the public in İstanbul in 1994. In 2005, the branch we visited in Ankara today was opened in the historic Çengelhan, a caravanserai constructed in 1522 during the reign of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (Suleiman the Magnificent).

The shop used by Vehbİ Koç when he entered commerce in the 1920s is displayed in the courtyard.

The three levels of the caravanserai are filled chock-a-block with items from Rahmi Bey’s private collection as well as donations made by others. The museum may have started out with a focus on transportation and industry, but it has grown to include things of interest from daily life — such as the first black and white television, the first typewriter, and the first washing machine. In glass cases, model trains, toys, cameras, radios, and porcelain figurines vie for the visitors’ attention. In addition to miniatures, there are full-size tractors, cars, boats, and airplanes, as well as a pharmacy of yesteryear and medical equipment that would have us running screaming were we to be faced with them today. Very eclectic, very interesting, and worth more than the hour we dedicated to visiting the museum.

Here’s a selection of photographs for a virtual tour of the museum (captioned where I remembered to pay attention to the information provided). You’ll see I’m not kidding when I describe the collection as eclectic! Apologies in advance for any glare from the glass cases; unavoidable I’m afraid.

3½-inch gauge model of North Virginia State Railroad
4-4-0 locomotive and tender No. 2946 “Virginia.”

Model trains carved from ivory.
[above and below]

Exhibit on cotton weaving.

Thornton Pickard Camera; manufactured in England in the early 20th century.

Left: I prefer my digital Canon to this 1966 FT QL 24x36 mm model.
Right: Kodak Brownie produced in England in 1946.

Collection of Figurines; the one in the lower left was made in 1936 for the Koç Family.

Miniature figureheads (replicas) from the HM Yacht “Elfin” (left) and HMS Tribune (right).

19th Century steel and brass model inspired by Captain Nemo's "Nautilus"
in Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Atatürk Memorabilia
Left (top to bottom): Medal of independence; bronze replica of his id; coffee cups used by Atatürk. Center: plaque displaying the cover of the 24 march 1923 issue of time magazine, presented to rahmİ Bey as a gift. right (top to bottom): Field glasses similar to the ones used by Atatürk at kocatepe; the “six arrows” emblem depicting the six basic tenets of the republic – Republicanism, populism, secularism, revolutionism, nationalism, and statism.

Historic Photos from Constantinople (İstanbul) and Smyrne (İzmİr).

Hearing aids

The Alİ Riza Pharmacy was founded in Sİvas in 1906 and it remained in service for
three generations, closing its doors in 2006.

How would you like to visit a doctor’s office equipped like this?
That X-ray machine (left), manufactured in the US in the 1950s, isn’t all that different
from the one my father had in his radiology practice.

Click here for some of the other items on exhibit at the museum.

Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi

2011-10-26T19:46:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 26 October (Part II)

In a previous post, I mentioned that Anadolu (Anatolia in English) has been the cradle of civilizations through the millennia, starting way back in the Bronze Age and continuing to today. Artifacts from these cultures have produced an abundance of archaeological riches throughout the land — treasures that we enjoy in situ or in museums to which they have been removed for protection. (Click here for more information about the Anatolian Civilizations.)

An impressive list of cultures by any yardstick.
[from the wikipedia article linked above]

One such museum is the Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi (Museum of Anatolian Civilizations). Chosen as the European Museum of the Year in 1997, it first opened in 1921. Even though the honor is a bit outdated, it doesn’t change the fact that this museum falls into the “real gem” category when it comes to not-to-be-missed places to be visited in Ankara.

The restored 15th century bedesten (covered bazaar) houses some of the exhibits.

Arriving mid-morning, we were faced with a dilemma — only a small portion of the museum was open to visitation. The entrance fee remained the same, however — 15TL (approx. $9). After a brief discussion, we decided to go in anyway. Instead of paying just the admittance for this museum, however, we took advantage of what I think is a great offer for Turkish citizens — for 20TL (approx. $11), we each bought a Müzekart (Museum Card), an annual pass good at over 300 museums and archaeological sites across Turkey. Is that a bargain or what! The card will pay for itself before we even leave Ankara, and if I return to Turkey before the end of October 2012, I’ll still be able to use it :-)

Headstones from the classical antiquities period.

Items on display at the museum date as far back as the Paleolithic Age (pre-8000 BC), and include treasures from the later Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Early Bronze, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Neo-Hittite, Urartian, and Lydian periods, as well as some from the classical antiquities thrown in for good measure. Since a good portion of the museum was closed, most of what I saw fell into the Neo-Hittite period. (The official museum website is in Turkish only, so here’s a Wikipedia article for those who would like more information.)

Roman Period (1st-2nd Century AD) statues of an orator (left) and a woman (right).

With all but the wall reliefs behind glass, the museum is not very photographer-friendly; did the best I could. Here’s a small selection of images (captioned where information was provided).

Statue of the hittite King Muwatalli.

NEO-Hittite Limestone orthostat (architectural element) from Aslantepe, Malatya.
Left to Right: god arriving in his cart; god being greeted by a king who is presenting him with libations; servant holding a sacrificial bull.

NEO-Hittite basalt orthostat from KarkamiȘ, Gazİantep.
three women, believed to be priestesses of the goddess kubaba, dressed in ceremonial
garb, including “Polos” (tall headdresses). Each figure is carrying a staff-like object
in her left hand; two are carrying ears of corn in their right hands.

Left: Early Hittite Period (1600-1500 BC) bull shaped pottery from Boğazköy.
zoomorphic vessels of clay were produced for use in religious ceremonies.
they were considered the sacred animals of the storm god and were named
hurrİ (representing day) and Șerrİ (representing night).

Right: This tablet represents friendly correspondence from the Egyptian Queen
Naptera (wife of Ramses II) to the Hittite Queen Puduhepa (wife of Hattushili III)
following the Treaty of Kadesh (1275-1220 BC).

This Hittite figure of bulls and a stag was once the city emblem of Ankara.

Bronze Age gold and iron dagger from Alacahöyük, one of the most important
Neolithic and Hittite sites in Anatolia.

Left: Early Bronze Age figurine of a breast-feeding woman from Horoztepe.
Such figurines were made to represent the Mother Goddess. This one is cast in bronze, but gold and silver, as well as terracotta figures were also made.

right: terracotta cups made in the female form (representing the mother goddess)
were widespread amongst western anatolian potters.

wild animals were a common theme in çatalhöyük (Neolithic and Chalcolithic Period)
wall paintings, some of which date back to between 7500 and 5700 BC.

The Great Mother of çatalhöyük is said to prove that this was a matriarchal society.
With her large breasts and wide hips, this figurine has been linked to both agriculture
and fertility. Her seated position between two lions (leopards) suggests that she is a
person of power. The round shape resting between her legs is said by some to be the
head of a child being born. Others believe the shape to be the skull of a revered ancestor.

Early Bronze Age (3000-1950 BC) Hittite Sun Disk.
found near Alacahöyük, disks like this were thought to be attached to wooden poles
and used by Hittite priests to symbolize the universe.

And on that note, we left the exhibit hall, walked through the museum gift shop (unavoidable), turned right outside the door, and took the stairs to the gate at the rear of the museum grounds — destination: the Fortress of Ankara, which I covered in this post.

What might have been stored in these giant terracotta jars? Wine, Water, oil?
Whatever it was, the jars have survived millennia and that alone makes them special.

Museums, and a Fortress, and Good Food

2011-10-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 26 October

We’re two-for-two — another beautiful fall day; another great day of sightseeing in Ankara that took me to new places. After breakfast, we headed back into the heart of the city. This time, mom and Hakan joined us. The more the merrier as we visited sites in the Altındağ (Gold Mountain) neighborhood.

The sites we visited today are all within the red circle; the rest of the camera
icons designate the places we toured yesterday.

We visited two museums, wandered through a small portion of the citadel that overlooks old town Ankara, had a delicious lunch, stopped for afternoon tea, and wrapped up with a home cooked meal at the apartment. Now, Hakan is in his room, studying for a test; mom is watching a quiz show on TV; I’m keeping her company and writing this post; and Aylin and Murat are watching a TV show on their laptop.

Shared life; Shared earbuds!

I’ll leave the museum visits to separate posts, and cover the rest of the day’s activities in this one, starting with the brief stroll inside the walls of Ankara Kalesi (Fortress of Ankara). Though archaeological evidence is difficult to come by, it’s strongly believed that the fortress was originally built by the Hittites (1680-1220 BC). Through the millennia, it has been restored and used by the other civilizations that came through these lands — the Romans, Byzantines, and Seljuks amongst them.

Distant glimpse of the fortress from a spot we visited in Ulus yesterday.

I do have to say that this part of our day was a bit disappointing. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the rundown conditions inside the walls were certainly not it. Maybe we just happened to be in the wrong part of the citadel. The ongoing construction that had the streets dug up didn’t help matters, of course. Just the same, here are some photos to show you what we saw.

Looking back from whence (seems to fit, don’t you think) we entered the fortress.

Left: The entire length of this street is dug up.
Right: Look who’s keeping an eye on the goings on in the street.

From the outside … to the inside … on the far side of our stroll.
(the green bags are filled with coal; the elderly couple sitting on the bags is waiting for
the handcart to be brought back so that another load can be delivered to their house.)

this house has the iconic image of Atatürk at Kocatepe decorating the wall.

street art I found displayed on a side street adds color to the rundown neighborhood.

The clock tower (1884) — then and now.
(I saw the historic photo at the Rahmİ koÇ museum outside the fortress and thought it
would be fun to try and replicate it as closely as I could.)

While the fortress was a bit disappointing, the delicious lunch we enjoyed at Kirit Café just down the street wasn’t. This delightful eatery, with its colorful and eclectic furnishings, offered “a warm invitation to history, art, and taste” — it didn’t disappoint. Though the day was filled with sunshine and the temp was a reasonable 61F (16C), it was a bit too cool to eat on the balcony that was shaded by latticework and vines. A shame; but hey, can’t have al fresco all the time you know!

We're headed to the last building on the left.

In pure Turkish, kİrİt means key. The current day Turkish word for key is kİlİt;
easy to make the connection between the two words.

From the powdered zahter (a kind of thyme) and olive oil with fresh bread for dipping; to the tarhana çorbası (a soup made from a fermented and dehydrated mix of flour, yogurt, onions, tomatoes, and peppers; recipes vary); to the Kirit makarnası (spaghetti with sundried tomatoes and a light cream sauce); to the Kirit köftesi (minced meat patties wrapped in a Turkish tortilla) … all was yummy.

A most excellent lunch.

After lunch, we wandered up the street a few steps to explore our second museum of the day. Very different from the one we visited in the morning, it was just as enjoyable and interesting. And very surprising in some ways.

Later, driving the back streets, we managed to find our way to Arjantin Caddesi (Argentine Street), one of the most popular streets in Ankara — likened to New York City’s SoHo by some. Lined with cafés and restaurants, people flock to this neighborhood for good eats. The plan was to enjoy afternoon tea at Cafémiz, a quaint eatery housed in a building that dates back to 1956. Aylin and Murat had been here before, but I think they were disappointed in the ambiance today. The waiter could certainly have used a refresher on good serving etiquette, but the tea was freshly brewed and the pastries were tasty. So, we got at least part of what we were looking for.

That wraps up the overview post for today. And now … time to hit the sack.

Ulus: From the 3rd to the 15th Century

2011-10-25T21:36:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, 25 October (Part III)

Anadolu — or Anatolia, as it is known in English — has been the cradle to civilizations dating all the way from the Bronze Age Hattians of 2500 BC, to the Romans of Antiquity (27 BC to 330 AD), to the Byzantines of the Middle Ages (330-1453), to the rise and fall of the Ottomans (1299-1922), to finally the modern day Turks.

Architectural elements of these civilizations dot every corner of the country. Some are in ruins; others still stand proud. Some have been excavated and taken to other countries; others are displayed in situ where they were built. Still others remain hidden deep underground, waiting to be brought to light — and they will … someday.

Located in the heart of Anadolu, Ankara — or Ancyra, as it was once known — has its share of such treasures. We visited — or in some cases, glimpsed — a few of them. I’ll present them in reverse order … think of it as traveling back in time.

First, the glimpses …

Ankara Palas, the city’s oldest hotel, was constructed in 1924-1927 as a residence for
the members of the grand national assembly of the newly founded Turkish Republic.

Haci Bayram mosque and tomb was built in 1427-1428 upon the death of the Sufi poet
and composer of the same name, and founder of the Bayram-I sect.

(Note the gray wall in the lower right picture in the collage; it is what remains of the Temple of Augustus and Rome. It was built between 25-20 BC after the conquest of central Anatolia by the Roman Empire and the formation of the Galatia province.)

If you look closely past the white buildings and up to the top of the cliff, you’ll catch a
glimpse of the Fortress of Ankara. Though not dated positively, it is believed that the
fortress was constructed by the Hittites who settled in Anatolia between 1680-1220 BC.
(Renovated and used by the various civilizations that followed.)

So yes, I went quite a bit back into history with the fortress, but now I am going to return to the Roman Period — specifically to the 3rd Century (212-217 AD) when the Roman Baths were built by Emperor Caracalla to honor Asclepios, the God of Medicine. We were about to return home when a partially hidden road sign sent us in search of the site; also an active archaeological dig. (Entrance Fee: 3 TL = approx. $1.70 at today’s exchange rate.)

Rendering of the baths during the heyday of the roman period.
the hot and cold pools lay beyond a colonnade that opened to the Palaestra,
a place for physical education and wrestling.

The remains of the columned portico around the Palaestra stand in stark contrast
to the buildings of the modern city.

The baths, which remained in use until the 8th century, were excavated between 1937-1944. They consist of three main sections: the caldarium (hot bath), the tepidarium (warm bath) and the frigidarium (cold bath). It is believed that the caldarium and tepidarium were larger because of their popularity during the cold winters of Ankara. A subterranean heating system consisting of brick columns around which hot air from ovens was circulated kept the rooms cozy.

Piscina (Pool)

the Tepidarium (foreground) with the apodeiterium (dressing room) beyond.

Here are a few more images, which I neglected to identify … mea culpa.

Also on the grounds of this open air museum are headstones from graves dating back to the Roman Period. Unearthed at various dig sites, they are on display at the Roman baths.

We had a great day for sightseeing — blue skies, sunshine, and 64F (18C) temps. We were rewarded with some interesting sites that survived the passage of centuries. Here’s to visiting more places that pique our curiosity in the coming days.

Ulus: TBMM I and TBMM II

2011-10-25T15:42:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, 25 October (Part II)

Considered to be the heart of Ankara, Ulus means “nation” in Turkish. Even though I lived in Ankara for five years, I never visited this part of the city. In fact, all I knew of Ulus was the Zafer Anıtı (Victory Monument), featuring Atatürk sitting atop his horse, Sakarya. Installed in 1927, the monument honors the people's struggle in the War of Independence.

Let me explain why I didn’t venture into this part of the city back then. I studied at the University of Ankara between 1975-1980. Politically, this was a very unstable time in Turkey. It was a period of unprecedented violence, with left- and right-wing political organizations engaged in bitter in-fighting. Ulus was the self-proclaimed encampment of the left-wing faction. You simply didn’t venture into the area unless you shared their beliefs. I didn’t. Nor did I believe in the ideology of the right-wing faction. I just wanted to get my degree and get out safe and sound.

I can’t tell you how many times I found myself dropping to the ground to escape bullets whizzing by as opposing factions took aim at each other. I still remember the day a left-wing group broke into the classroom and forced us — at gunpoint — to participate in a funeral march for one of their compatriots. It was a freezing, cold winter day. The streets had a sheen of slippery ice that made walking a near-impossible task. When a slightly disabled classmate sat down on the sidewalk, crying because she could no longer feel her toes, one of those left-wing monsters put his gun to her head and said “only your dead body will leave this march.” Needless to say, she got up and walked. I still shudder when these memories pop into my head. (More info about that period in Turkish history is here.)

But all that’s well in the past. The only scary part of our venture in to Ulus today was the horrendous traffic. Murat’s aggressive/defensive driving skills earned him a gold star from us today.

As a country, Turkey is still in its infancy. The lands that we know as Turkey today were once part of the Ottoman Empire. After the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Allies in World War I, the Turkish nationalists waged a War of Independence (1919-1923) that resulted in today’s Republic of Turkey.

As the site of the first Turkish Grand National Assembly meeting, Ulus has an important place in the 88-year-old country’s history. In fact, not only is TBMM I — Birinci Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi (First Turkish Grand National Assembly) in this neighborhood, so is TBMM II. We visited them in reverse order, but I’ll present them in the right order here.

When the Turkish Grand National Assembly needed a place for its first meeting on 23 April 1920, a partially constructed building was drafted into service. The Turkish people jumped into help complete the construction. Roof tiles were appropriated from nearby homes; gas lamps to light the rooms were offered up by coffee houses; and desks for the assembly members were provided by schools. Thus the TBMM I Building was born. (Entrance Fee 1 TL = approx. 55 cents at the current exchange rate; no photography allowed inside.)

the Turkish Grand national assembly met in the TBMM I building between 1920-1924.
(I just had to sneak a photo of the general assembly room; no flash used.)

TBMM II is just down the street from the first building. Constructed in 1923 as the headquarters of the Republican People’s Party, it was converted to serve as the Turkish Grand National Assembly Building. Compared to TBMM I, the interior décor of this building is more elaborate, featuring Seljuk and Ottoman style ornamentation. I have to admit that I found the feminine-pink paint on the walls of the main assembly hall an odd choice for such an obviously masculine room … but what do I know of such things. (Entrance Fee: 3TL = approx. $1.70 at the current exchange rate.)

Drafted into service when the TBMM I building proved to be inadequate for the needs of
the Grand National Assembly, this building served as TBMM II between 1924-1960.

Main Assembly Hall

Photographs of Atatürk and a few pieces from his wardrobe are on
display at the museum that is now housed in the TBMM II Building.

The current TBMM Building is in the newer Çankaya neighborhood. We didn’t drive there today. Even if we had, I wouldn’t be able to show it to you as the taking of pictures (even the exterior) is prohibited. For comparison, here is a collage of images gathered from the Internet.

TBMM III

We checked out a few other places in Ulus later in the afternoon; I’ll leave those for the next post.

Anıtkabir: Atatürk’s Resting Place

2011-10-25T03:57:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 25 October

Every country has a historic figure — a hero, if you will — who stands head and shoulders above all others; someone instrumental in changing the future of that country. For Turkey, that person is Gazi Mustafa Kemal Paşa — better known by the last name he was given in 1934 by the Turkish National Assembly: Atatürk (Father of the Turks). As the leader of the War of Independence, and the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, he has a special place in the hearts of the people of the country.

This morning, after breakfast at home, we headed out to do some sightseeing. First on the list: a visit to Atatürk’s mausoleum — Anıtkabir, which translates as “Memorial Tomb.”

Forty-two steps lead up to the Mausoleum, the centerpiece of the memorial complex.

I was last at Anıtkabir in 1986 when I came to visit Mui, who was on a 15-month, unaccompanied assignment at the US Embassy in Ankara (he was serving in the US Air Force at the time). I’d also visited the memorial complex numerous times as a university student. Each occasion was a memorable experience. Today was no different. I have to admit that the beautiful fall weather added greatly to our visit. As did the fewer than expected number of visitors, most of whom stayed just long enough to pay their respects before moving on to other sites around Ankara.

The white marble platform, used for ceremonial speeches, is inscribed with Atatürk’s words, now considered the motto of the turkish republic:
Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation.

Atatürk died at İstanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace in 1938. His body was brought to and temporarily interred at the Ethnography Museum in Ankara until the construction of a memorial tomb could be completed. He was reinterred at Anıtkabir on 10 November 1953, the 15th anniversary of his death.

Anıtkabir’s design was chosen following an international competition launched in 1941. After considering various recommendations, the National Assembly settled on Rasattepe (Observation Hill), later re-named Anıttepe (Monument Hill) as the location of the complex. Construction began in 1944 and was completed in four stages nine years later. The material used in the construction was brought from various locations around Turkey to represent the people’s love and devotion to the founder of modern Turkey.

Consisting of four primary areas — Alley of the Lions, Ceremonial Plaza, Hall of Honor (location of Atatürk's tomb) and Peace Park — the memorial complex covers an area over 8 million square feet (750,000 square meters).

Scanned From the brochure: (2) Alley of the Lions; (3) Tower of Liberty and the “Men’s Group” Statues; (4) Tower of Independence and the “Women’s Group” Statues; (5) Ceremonial Plaza; (6) Tower of Mehmetçİk; (7) Tower of Victory; (8) Tomb of İsmet İnönü; (9) Tower of Peace; (10) Tower of April 23 (National Sovereignty); (11) Flag Pole; (12) Tower of National Pact; (13) Tower of Revolution; (14) Tower of Republic; (15) Tower of Defense of Rights; (16) Mausoleum.
[for more information, click here]

Left: View of the Mausoleum of the First President of the Turkish Republic from
the tomb of the Second President of the country.
Right: the Changing of the Guard at the Mausoleum always attracts a crowd.

The ceiling of the marble Hall of Honor is decorated with golden gilt mosaics.
The symbolic sarcophagus stands at the far end of the grand hall.
[a 24-hour video feed allows a glimpse into the tomb room, which is otherwise closed to visitation.]

A visit to AnItkabİr is a school outing looked forward to by all kids.

Left: Representatives from all branches of the Armed Forces stand guard at the mausoleum.
Right: Aylin & Murat at AnItkabİr.

Glimpse of the Ceremonial Plaza from the Mausoleum.

Reliefs representing two of the great battles of the War of Independence decorate
the wall on either side of the stairs leading up to the Mausoleum.

A closer looks at the reliefs representing the Battle of Sakarya
and the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief.

The eight towers of the ceremonial plaza are connected with colonnades.

The gun carriage that carried Atatürk’s body to AnItkabİr (historic photo below)
is on display in the Tower of Victory.

The 24 lion sculptures that line either side of the 860-foot (262 m) long Alley of the
Lions are representative not only of peace and power, but also of the 24 Turkic
tribes of Central Asia. The 2-inch (5 cm) gap between the pavers makes for a difficult
walk up the path. That design was intended to ensure that visitors approach the
mausoleum with their heads bent, seemingly in respect and contemplation.

Two groups of statues greet visitors that approach AnItkabİr via the Alley of the Lions.
In the “Women’s Group,” two of the women are holding a sheaf of grain that represents the
fertile lands of Anatolia. The woman holding the cup is praying for Allah’s blessing on Atatürk.
The woman in the center is crying at the loss of Atatürk. The “Men’s Group” consists of a helmeted
soldier representing “Mehmetçİk,” the turkish soldier. The man with the book represents
the Turkish intellectual and youth, and the man in the rear represents the Turkish peasant.

A recent addition to Anıtkabir is the Atatürk and War of Independence Museum. Entered through the Tower of National Pact, the museum consists of four sections. In the first, Atatürk’s personal belongings are exhibited. In the second, scenes from the Battle of Gallipoli and the War of Independence are depicted in dioramas. The third area is dedicated to the national struggle to become a Republic and the subsequent reforms. The final section exhibits books from Atatürk’s extensive private library.

Unfortunately, photography is prohibited in this most excellent museum, so I can only provide a link to the virtual tour.

The shape of Turkey is represented by the Turkish flag, made with red and white gravel;
purple pansies represent the Black, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean seas;
and grass represents Turkey’s land borders to the east and southeast.

We spent three hours wandering around the memorial complex and the museum. One could easily spend an entire day here and still not do justice to all there is to see and experience. But with so many other sites to see, we moved on after a quick snack at the onsite café.

The rest of the day’s activities … in the next post.

İzmir to Ankara

2011-10-24T16:40:00.000-04:00

Monday, 24 October

I mentioned in an earlier post that Mui and I went our separate ways upon reaching İstanbul — he continued on to Ankara; I continued on to İzmir. This morning, Mui and his mom flew to Rome for a trip down memory lane. I, on the other hand, am now in Ankara with my family.

Between the years 1975-1980, I studied American Literature at the University of Ankara, so you might say that this is a trip down memory lane for me. At the moment, we’re about 12 miles (20 km) outside of the busy city center where I spent my university years. Back then, there was nothing — and I mean nothing — around here. In the interim since I graduated, the city sprawl has reached this area. Everywhere you look there are high rise apartment and office buildings, shopping centers, university campuses, and traffic galore. My nephew, Hakan, is studying at Hacettepe. We’re staying with him at the spacious, three-bedroom apartment he once shared with his cousins, but which he occupies solo now. (We’re in the top floor apartment to the right of the center column.)

Our day started with breakfast at Leoné a quaint pastry/breakfast shop in Alsancak — yes, you can say that eating is important to us :-) … and yes, there are a lot of these tiny, boutique eateries in İzmir to check out!

Each table is named after a city in France.

Except for croissants, the day’s fresh pastries have not been delivered yet.

Afİyet olsun (Bon Appetit)!

Now doesn’t that look good; trust me on the buttery goodness of those croissants.

By 10:00a we were on the road to Turkey’s capital. The 360-mile (579 km) drive between the two cities is not the most interesting in the world. The good news … what used to be an 8-hour trip on narrow, one lane roads is now a 6.5-hour trip on a two-lane freeway. And that’s with a 30-minute break for lunch in Afyonkarahisar, at about the mid point of the drive.

Once a slow and boring drive; now a faster, but still boring drive.

Not every day can be about exploring new and interesting places. We were more than happy when Hakan’s apartment building loomed on the horizon.

(By the way, for those who are interested … the per gallon price of gas here is about $9.83 for 95 octane. [That’s with a currency conversion of approx. 1.75 TL = $1 USD.])

Birgi: the Mansion

2011-10-23T22:35:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 23 October (Part II)

Once the museum complex re-opened at 1:00p, we paid the entrance fee to visit Çakırağa Konağı (Çakırağa Mansion), which is representative of Ottoman Period architecture.

Built in the style of the old Aegean mansions, construction began in 1761 and was completed in 1837 by one of the wealthy local merchants of the time. It was used as a residence until 1950, at which time it was transferred to the Ministry of Culture. With the inclusion of nearby residences, the current museum complex was born.

Built on a stone foundation, the u-shaped, timber-frame house is made of adobe bricks. The rear exterior is painted to look like stone blocks, some of which are decorated with miniature scenes. The walls of the wraparound porches overlooking the central courtyard are decorated with elaborate murals.

After undergoing restoration, the mansion was opened as a museum in 1995. The servants’ and utility rooms overlooking the courtyard, as well as some of the rooms on the second floor can be visited. On this day, however, the second floor was off-limits. From what I could see from afar, the lovely, detailed murals would have provided plenty of opportunities to exercise my shutter finger. As it is, I had to be satisfied with what was open to us.

Stable (left) and servants’ room (right).

straw Storage Room

doorman’s Room

glimpse of the second Floor Ceiling Detail.

Collage of photos from the family quarters on the second floor;
click the photograph to view these images from the source website.

One of the other buildings in the museum complex has been refurbished with period furnishings to give visitors a glimpse into the days of yore (Ottoman Period). Although the doors were locked, the wrought iron gate allowed for good photo ops.

Also on the grounds is a residence referred to as the Oriental House; no information about it unfortunately. It too was locked up, but here are few photos to give you an idea of what we were able to see.

We were lucky to have Çakırağa Konağı to ourselves for leisurely exploration. Good timing; the courtyard filled up with a school group arriving just as we were leaving.

Birgi: A UNESCO World Heritage Site

2011-10-23T15:52:00.003-04:00

Sunday, 23 October

After another good night’s rest and breakfast at Aylin’s, we headed out on a daytrip to Birgi, a small town near Ödemiş, a district of İzmir. A comfortable two-hour drive took us to the inland-town that was once connected to the sea by the Little Meander River Canal.

Bİrgİ’s name is a distortion of its ancient Greek name: Pyrgion, meaning waterfront road.

Birgi rose to prominence when it became the capital of the Aydınoğulları Principality (1308 until its incorporation into the Ottoman Empire in 1390). The town, known for its classic Selçuk and Ottoman architecture, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.

Our purpose for visiting the town was to check out a mansion that dates back to the early 19th century. Finding the museum complex closed for the lunch hour, we walked over to Konak (Mansion), an establishment that bills itself as a “café and keepsake house.” This quaint place offered plenty of opportunities to photograph antiques as we enjoyed some refreshments while waiting for the museum to re-open.

The café is in the white building with the brown trim;
the mansion we’re here to visit is on the right side of the narrow cobblestone street.

Tea is always a popular beverage, but Murat …

…opts for a cup of Turkish coffee instead.

The owner’s collection of antiques is displayed for patrons to enjoy.

I have quite a few photos of the mansion to share, so I’ll leave that for another post and cover the rest of our day in this one.

Lunch was next on our agenda. The 72F (22C) temp with sunshine and blue skies was perfect for an al fresco meal in the garden of Birgi Restaurant, member of the “Slow Food” organization. It also boasts a 98% “green” rating (they lost 2% because they serve Coke products at the behest of their patrons).

Join us for lunch!

The restaurant offers a limited menu of six specialty dishes, including ekmek dolması (made by removing the inside of a crusty, round bread; stuffing it with a mixture of beef and bread; and steam-cooking it while dousing it with liquid until it is done). We concluded our meal with a complimentary round of demirhindi şerbeti, a sweet drink made from tamarind. The owner has adapted the original Ottoman recipe by adding 40 different spices of herbs. Very tasty, we all agreed.

Bİrgİ Kebabi (top left) is made with a flat hamburger patty served on a bed of razor-thin
potatoes and thick yogurt; Ekmek Dolmasi (bottom left and right); KaşIk SalatasI (spoon salad;
bottom center) finely chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and onions, dressed with
lemon juice and olive oil, and intended to be eaten with a spoon; Demİrhİndİ şerbetİ (top right).

The restaurant has its own olive oil plant, which uses natural processes aided by modern equipment. The owner gave us a quick tour, apologizing that since it was off-season he could only describe the process and couldn’t demonstrate it.

After lunch, we drove back to Birgi’s main square for a quick look-see at the town’s other landmarks, including a tomb and a mosque.

The statue of Poslu Mestan Efe (1892-1920), a local martyr of the Turkish War of Independence,
stands proud at the entrance to Bİrgİ.

The AydInoğlu Mehmet Bey Mosque is named after the founder of the frontier principality.

The mosque was commissioned in 1313 by the founder of the principality.

The minaret has a beautiful design made from blue and red bricks.

The tomb of Sultan Şah, sister of the founder of the AydInoğullarI;
its six-sided polygonal shape is unique amongst other tombs of the principality.

Gazi Umur Bey was the third ruler of the AydInoğullarI. He spent only 3 days in bİrgİ;
he was at war during the rest of his 16-year reign.

The only “bust” of the day was our attempt to check out Yılanlı Kale (Fortress with Snakes). Driving a long, winding road with hairpin curves, we climbed up to 3,900 feet (1,200 m). Alas, when we finally found the turnoff for the fortress, we were told that we’d have to hike up to it. Considering the late hour, we tucked tail and drove back into town, taking another tortuous mountain route back to the freeway. Though our sightseeing ended on a low note, the pros of the day far outweighed the cons. Great first day of sightseeing for this year’s trip to Turkey.

Earthquake: We’re OK

2011-10-23T01:00:00.000-04:00

Sunday, 23 October

First off, many thanks to those who have inquired after our welfare upon hearing about the devastating earthquake that hit eastern Turkey today. We’re safe and not impacted by the tragedy except for the sorrow that accompanies such sudden and senseless destruction.

As you can see from the map below, we’re nowhere near the earthquake zone. İzmir is over 1,065 miles (1,762 km) from the epicenter near Van; Ankara is about 765 miles (1,232 km). The 7.2 magnitude tremblor hit at 10:41a. At the time, we were driving to a small town about two hours from İzmir and didn’t hear the news until Mui called me around noon. To say that we were shocked would be an understatement.

The blue and yellow markers show the location of İzmİr and Ankara in relation
to the location of today’s devastating earthquake.

TRT, the Turkish Radio and Television Station, is reporting that Ercis, which sits on the fault line by the same name, was hardest hit. The combined death toll for the area stands at 74, with 150 injured. With countless buildings collapsed, the death toll is expected to rise to 1,000; if not higher. Hopefully that won’t be the case; but …

Turkey is criss-crossed with fault lines and earthquakes are a fairly common occurrence; most are minor and barely noticed, though there have been a couple of whammies in the past. No matter how many of mother nature’s shake-rattle-and-rolls we’ve been through, a quake never fails to unnerve us. We are grateful that neither my family nor I have been in one of the magnitude that rocked eastern Turkey today.

We are keeping those impacted by the earthquake in our thoughts.

I Ate Saturday Away

2011-10-22T15:29:00.000-04:00

Saturday, October 22

Saturday was set aside to recover from the travel day that started in the US Thursday night and ended in Turkey Friday evening. After a good night’s rest, mom and I joined Aylin and Murat for breakfast in their apartment. (They live in the apartment below mom’s.)

The table is set; now all we need is for my hardboiled egg to be done (left) so that
we can sit down to enjoy our morning meal.

After a most enjoyable breakfast that included dollar pancakes (mom’s contribution to the meal), I unpacked my suitcase, putting away the things I plan to leave behind when we depart on our week-long getaway trip on Monday. By the time I put everything I’m taking with me in a smaller bag, it was well past noon. Mom and I ate leftovers from last night and dawdled the afternoon away with a few chores around the apartment.

At 3:00p, Aylin joined us and we went to a quaint little tea shop around the corner from the apartment building. Tea & Pot — what a neat little place! Their extensive tea menu offers a wonderful selection, including some very interesting herbal ones; all served in individual pots with brewing instructions based on the patron’s choice. As for the pastries — just one word …. yummmm! Yeah, I know; not really a word, but you get the idea.

Very special teas .. a warm, nostalgic ambiance .. tasty sweets ..
We’re waiting for you at Tea & Pot, our boutique café

Aylin ordered a tea flavored with vanilla and a carrot cake; mom tried the jungle flowers,
a black tea flavored with flowers, and some salty cookies; I opted for the Thai chai,
a black tea flavored with cinnamon, ginger, lemon zest, and coconut, and a most
delicious cheesecake topped with black cherries.

Even the bill is presented in a teapot!

After tea time, we took care of some errands, I picked up a few things from a favorite costume jewelry shop that will be going out of business soon, and then we returned home to dawdle until dinner time.

Murat had made reservations at one of my favorite restaurants. It is located at the Konak Pier. Originally built as a warehouse together with the French customs house on the nearby Pasaport Quay, it is said that the building was designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1890. The complex was completely restored in 2003 and opened as an upmarket shopping mall in 2004. In addition to movie theaters, and shops galore, the Konak Pier is home to a variety of eateries.

[collage of photos from the website of the Konak Pier]

Mezzaluna offers an expansive menu of Italian dishes — each tasty. Trust me when I say that making a choice is difficult! We ordered a selection of items from the antipasti list, saving room for an excellent fruit salad and a really excellent bigné (puff pastry filled with crème fraiche and doused with a thick, chocolate sauce). An excellent meal!

[collage of photos from the website of Mezzaluna]

I told you I ate the day away … now do you believe me?

Turkey: Travel Day

2011-10-21T16:11:00.003-04:00

Friday, October 21

The trip from the US to Turkey started last night at 10:50p — 5:50a today in Turkey. Confusing, yes? A seven hour time difference — Turkey is ahead of the US — will do that. At least we’re not crossing the international dateline so we don’t have to deal with that complication!

This 9 hour and 11 minute long Türk Hava Yolları (Turkish Airlines; THY for short) flight to İstanbul is the first leg of a trip that will end in İzmir (for me) and Ankara (for Mui) sometime around 7:00p local time. Keep in mind that we’ve been up since 5:00a yesterday. That makes for a very, very long travel day.

But there’s good news! When full, the Airbus A330-300 that we’re on carries 250 passengers. Tonight there are only 120 passengers aboard. When the gate agent at Dulles shared this tidbit with us and offered to assign us to a group of four seats in the rear coach cabin, leaving the middle two seats empty, we jumped on it. At least we’d be able to take turns lying down for a snooze. But wait; it gets even better — once aboard the aircraft, Mui found four empty seats for himself. Lucky? You bet … and we’ll be taking advantage of this bit of economy class luxury as soon as the dinner service is over.

I’ve set up my sleeping area (left); just look at the miserable legroom between rows (right).

Speaking of dinner — I need to dig into the pan-grilled salmon and see if it’s any good. There’s a steward prancing around in a floppy chef’s hat, so I have high hopes. Later …

… Later — somewhere over the Atlantic

The meal service is concluded and I am happy to report that the food was better than what is usually served in economy. I didn’t do it justice, though. We weren’t expecting dinner on this red eye flight, so we grabbed a bite at the airport. We should have saved our money as this meal was definitely better.

On the menu: Şakşuka (chunks of fried eggplant in a tomato sauce) and Beyaz Peynİr
(feta cheese); salad; grilled fillet of salmon with sautéed spinach, and potato and
celeriac purée; and raspberry cheesecake.

A quick summary of how we got here and then I’m going to take a page out of Mui’s book and assume a horizontal position with the lights out.

We both put in a full day at work, although mine was easier since I worked from home. I even managed to get a couple of loads of laundry done before Mui came home around 4:00p. By 6:30p we were on our way to Dulles International. Since the ride to the airport is about 30 minutes, that meant we’d have a long time to kill at Dulles, but DC is notorious for its rush hour traffic issues so we weren’t about to chance a later departure from home.

The ride to the airport was uneventful, with surprisingly little traffic. We were at the THY check-in counter shortly after 7:00p. Fifteen minutes later, not only did we have our boarding passes in hand, but we were through security and on the train to Terminal B. A record I must say.

Terminal B was just as deserted as the Main Terminal. After wandering up one side and then the other side, we settled on Harry’s Tap Room for dinner — a so-so crab cake sandwich, and a cobb salad that would have been better had the dressing not come on the side (not easy to toss in an already full bowl).

As it turns out, Harry’s was right across from our departure gate, so getting there was a matter of just a couple steps. Boarding commenced at 10:05p and was accomplished quickly. The aircraft pushed back ½-hour later. Another 15 minutes and we were wheels up. Thus we began the 5,232-mile (8,421 km) flight to İstanbul 5 minutes ahead of schedule. The captain is projecting an arrival time of 2:57p — that’s more than an hour before the official ETA. Of course we still have 6 hours and 43 minutes to go on this flight and anything can change.

The actual flight path will take us over England before dropping down to Istanbul
where Mui and I will go our separate ways for the next two weeks.

Time to take a nap. More later …

… Later — 10:00P (İzmİr, Turkey Time)

I’m in my cozy pj’s, curled up on the sofa at mom’s apartment in İzmir. Time enough for a quick wrap-up before I call it a night.

Though my four-seat bed was not the most comfortable, I’m not complaining. Once the kid that had been bawling off-and-on since take off from Dulles settled down, I got a good three hours of sleep. I woke up to the cabin lights coming on around 1:00p. Soon after, a hot breakfast was served. Can’t remember the last time when we were served anything more than a cold croissant for breakfast. Good job THY!

Mui joined me for a scrambled eggs breakfast.

After our morning repast, I moved to one of the window seats with my camera in hand to document our arrival in İstanbul. I was on the wrong side of the aircraft to get any skyline pictures, but with the sun shining bright on that side, I would not have been able to get any decent shots anyway.

Leaving Trakya (Thrace) behind, TK0008 flies over the Marmara Sea before …

... Landing at ...

... İstanbul's busy Atatürk Airport.

We landed at the very busy airport at 2:57p, just as the pilot had projected on departure from the US. The sun was shining and it was a comfortable 66F (19C) when we deplaned from the rear of the aircraft to board the shuttle bus to the terminal.

From the aircraft to the shuttle.

The queue at passport control for Turkish nationals was long, but not as long as the one for non-nationals. Since we had landed an hour earlier than our scheduled ETA, we had time to spare before our onward flights and took the slow-moving line in stride. At least there was no customs to deal with — yet! That, we were told, we’d be taking care of at our final destination.

Some of İstanbul’s landmarks decorate the lighted banner at Duty Free.
(L to R: Topkapi Palace, Bosphorus bridge, and fortress of Europe)

We put the extra layover time to good use by stopping at Turkcell to add pre-paid minutes to the cell phones we use when we are in Turkey. That done, we strolled across the lobby to the above-ground tunnel connecting the international terminal to the domestic terminal. Five minutes later, we were going through a security checkpoint where lines were non-existent. How’s that for good luck! Soon we were enjoying a snack at Kokpit Kafe … I’ll let you translate that one :-)

Welcome to Turkey … or, as we say in Turkish, TÜrkİye'ye HoŞ Geldİnİz!

A cup of hot tea with our light snack.

Before we knew it, boarding time for our respective flights was at hand. After seeing me to Gate 106 for my flight to İzmir, Mui headed to Gate 407 for his flight to Ankara. We’ll connect up in İstanbul in two weeks for the return flight to the US. With families in different cities, this is pretty typical of our trips to Turkey. This year, however, Mui’s time in Ankara will be limited as he’s taking his mom to Italy for what I call a “trip down memory lane.” You see, his family lived in Rome for a few years when he was in grade school. I’ll be doing some reminiscing of my own, but my trip down memory lane will keep me in Turkey. More about that later as the events unfold.

It won’t be long before my flight to İzmİr is called.

The 45-minute flight to İzmir was uneventful … with the kind of legroom that one usually has to pay for on most airlines. They even served a sandwich dinner that included a mixed salad and a strawberry mousse for dessert. The Boeing 737 landed at the Adnan Menderes Airport just before 7:00p, bringing the long travel day to a close — sort of.

Remember how we didn’t have to clear customs in İstanbul? Well, now it was time to pay the piper. After deplaning at the domestic terminal, those who were in transit from international flights were directed to a shuttle that took us to the international terminal to collect our bags. It was an unnecessary formality seeing as how there was no personnel on duty at customs. Oh well; it all worked efficiently and the bags were already on the carousel, so no big deal.

Mom, and my sister and brother-in-law (Aylin and Murat) were waiting for me just outside the customs exit. A happy reunion was followed by a ride into Alsancak, and a light dinner at mom’s apartment. I’m surprised that after 31 hours of being on the go with only 3 hours of sleep, I could make coherent conversation, but I managed somehow. And now, another 3 hours after dinner, the blog post is wrapped up and I’m ready to hit the sack.

Goodnight … or as we say in Turkish, iyi geceler!

Shaken, Not Stirred

2011-08-23T17:10:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, 23 August

At just before 2:00p today, the Washington DC area experienced something quite unusual. An EARTHQUAKE! Not just a little temblor, mind you; but a rather strong Magnitude 5.8 earthquake. I won’t use the word panic, but to say that fear ran rampant for a while would not be much of an exaggeration.

I was in a meeting at work when I sensed a slight movement. I didn’t give it much thought at first. Such movements are not unusual in our building, which seems to shudder a bit anytime a big rig goes by. In the next second, the movement seemed to gather a bit more momentum. Then, I heard it. The slow, deep rumbling that grows ever-louder as it travels from the underground in parallel with a quake. That’s when I knew for sure that we were in the midst of being shaken by an earthquake.

One of the worst aspects of being in an earthquake is the confusion. If you’ve not been in one before, you’re not sure what’s happening. It’s difficult to comprehend the movement and sound as being a force of nature. Having grown up in an earthquake-prone area, I had an advantage over others in the office. I knew what was happening. As the shaking grew steadier and stronger, I grabbed my co-worker and pulled her to stand under the door jamb with me. As others came out of neighboring offices — some more calmly than others — I told them to either stand under door jambs or crawl under desks.

[collage compiled from images from the USGS website]

I don’t know how long the quake lasted, but it seemed like an eternity. I’m not embarrassed to admit that by the time it was over, my hands and legs were shaking in a mini-quake of their own. Just because I’ve been in earthquakes before doesn’t mean that I’m used to them. Or that I wait them out calmly. Just ask my mother how I railed at Mother Nature, shouting “Enough already,” when a particularly strong quake we experienced when I was in high school was followed by what seemed like un-ending aftershocks.

Following today’s quake, we were evacuated briefly while the engineers checked to make sure the building was structurally sound. By 2:30p, the all clear was given. I returned to my 5th floor office to finish the last half-hour of my workday before heading home.

As I unlocked the door to the condo, I wasn’t sure what I would find. Would all the breakables be on the floor, shattered to bits? I had not used earthquake putty to secure them to the shelves on which they were displayed. Why would I? We weren’t living in an earthquake-prone area. A few minutes later, I had my answer. The damage was minimal. Yes there were items strewn about. Yes, some things had fallen off shelves and out of cabinets. But only one thing was broken — a pottery cookie jar that was a gift from my mother.

No; I'm not in the habit of leaving drawers and cabinets open!

Left: Good thing the soil was dry; easily cleaned up with the vacuum.
Right: Ouch! That knife could have done some damage.

the skewed and the fallen
one of the oddest sights to greet my eyes was the “evil eye” on the wall; somehow
it managed to flip itself over during the quake without falling to the floor.
(the inset shows the way the evil eye should have been hanging.)
and what about my Elephant candlestick leaning drunkenly on the mantel!

shattered to pieces, the cookie jar was with the other items on top of the cabinets,
some toppled over, while others remained upright.

In a not so pleasant coincidence, 26 years ago today, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit China, killing over 70 people, injuring 162, leaving 150,000 homeless, and destroying 85% of the buildings in the Wuqia-Shufu area.

Considering the destructive power of this force of nature, our earthquake experience today was just a little shake, rattle, and roll. Something for which to be grateful.

We’re Home

2011-07-16T10:28:00.007-04:00

Saturday, 16 July
Latitude at departure from Oslo: 60°19’42” N
Latitude at arrival in DC: 38°56’50” N

Hard to believe that our two-week trip to the Norwegian Arctic is over. Our days were filled with adventure, exploration, and fun. That’s probably why they whizzed by at the speed of light. I’m ready to re-pack the bags and go right back. Since that’s not possible, however, I’ll just wrap the trip up with one last post to bring us from Norway back to the US.

Up at 5:30a, we were ready to go down to breakfast an hour later. The post-cruise package I had booked at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia included breakfast. Not your ordinary buffet with a limited selection of offerings as we found out yesterday morning, but a really extensive one offering many different kinds of cereals, cheeses, meats, breads, pastries, fruits, juices, local specialties, and hot dishes. A real smorgasbord to start the day out right.

Our original plan had been to take the train to the airport, but as luck would have it, maintenance got in the way of that idea. No problem; we found out about it before we left the US and I booked an open reservation for a time of our choosing on the Flybussen instead. (Discounted from NOK140/person to NOK115 [$25 vs $20] when purchased online.) The best part — the shuttle bus left from our hotel! Can’t beat that for convenience.

We made ourselves comfortable on the 7:30a shuttle and were soon on our way to the airport. The bus made two stops en route to pick up passengers — one at the bus depot downtown; and another one at a parking lot somewhere on the freeway. Even with that, the ride to the airport was under an hour. Having little to no traffic early on a Saturday morning helped I am sure.

The airport was crowded, with a long queue for check-in. While Mui waited in line, I attempted to use one of the self-check kiosks, but I simply couldn’t get it to recognize any of the requested information as being valid. So, we had to do things the old-fashioned way by waiting our turn to talk to a desk agent. 30 minutes later we were checked-in and on our way to the security checkpoint. Though this line snaked around, it moved fast and we made it to Gate 53 without further ado.

The gate area was much too small for the number of passengers waiting to board the plane; there was quite a crush of people milling about. Boarding was quite messy since it wasn’t done by calling rows. In any event, we were in our seats by 10:45a. SK Flight 907 was wheels up at 11:20a, winging us back to the US. In our two-together seats, we enjoyed the amazing scenery of mountains, and glaciers, and fjords until the Airbus 330 climbed above the cloud deck, leaving us with just a view of a puffy white sea stretching out to the horizon.

Farvel Oslo!

Clouds and mountains from 36,000 feet (11,000 m) in the air.

(I decided to process the photos I took out of the porthole in B&W because the Plexiglas was scratched up and “foggy” :-( … oh well; I like them better this way anyway.)

Once we reached cruising altitude, lunch was served — a small salad of field greens; medallions of pork and potatoes in a creamy sauce; crème brûlée (more a vanilla pudding really). Quite reasonable for airline food.

Afterwards, Mui did what he usually does on a long-haul flight — surf the entertainment channels before settling in for a snooze. I did a bit of surfing of my own, but the audio was really bad, so I gave up on watching anything. Instead, I reviewed my Oslo photographs to weed out the really bad ones and took some notes for the blog.

With the laptop put away, I took out Cold Recall, the book I had purchased at the Fram Museum. I was soon lost in the words, imagining myself right there with Amundsen and his men as they made the trek to the South Pole. I have to say that the book is a good quick-read with images from the lantern slides Amundsen used during his lecture tour following the expedition. I’ve read other books on the subject, and sometimes they get a bit heavy, if you know what I mean. But because this book is based on the manuscript of the lecture, the words are simpler, more succinct, and easier to follow.

I had the in-seat screen set to the moving map. When that map showed that we were over Greenland, I turned to the porthole to see what I could see. Beautiful; we actually had breaks in the clouds and were able to catch glimpses of glaciers and icebergs peeking through. Now my interest in visiting this ice-blanketed land has really been whetted. But I have to find the right itinerary first!

Once past Greenland, the clouds moved back in below us, dashing any hopes of seeing bits and pieces of Newfoundland and Labrador. So I focused on finishing my book before it was time to land. We were wheels down at Newark International at 12:45p and through passport control 20 minutes later.

Luggage in tow, we went through customs, re-checked our bags, and continued on to the Continental counter to get boarding passes for the final hop home. Here we got caught in the Continental-United post-merger net while the agent tried to figure out which flight we were booked on. Luckily, our reservation was intact; the problem was determining what the new flight number was. After about 10 minutes, boarding passes for the flight operated by Colgan Air clutched in our hands, we were on our way to the last security checkpoint of our travel day.

Welcome to the US — Newark International.

Flight 3262 was delayed over an hour. But once we were finally airborne at 4:00p, the 40-minute hop aboard the Dash-8 Q-400 was uneventful and reasonably comfortable. Things went smoothly after we deplaned at Dulles. Our bags were on the carousel by the time we negotiated the maze through the airport, and getting a cab was easy as usual. Even the traffic cooperated. By 6:00p, faced with an empty larder at home, we were having dinner at Sweetwater Tavern, one of our favorite restaurants.

Wheels down at Dulles International.

When I post this blog entry, the adventure that took us from 38° North to 80° North and back will be officially over. No wonder I’m having a difficult time clicking the “Publish” button. I don’t want to let go. But like all good things, this one must come to an end. There will be other adventures. So for now … farewell, and as the Immigration officials say to returning US residents, Welcome Back Home!

Oslo: Norsk Folkemuseum and the Rest of the Story

2011-07-15T22:06:00.005-04:00

Friday, 15 July (Part IV)

After visiting two wonderful museums — the Frammuseet and the Vikingskiphuset — it was time to head back across the Oslo Harbor. The temperature was comfortable and the skies had cleared nicely (though it didn’t last long), so we decided to walk to the water taxi landing at nearby Dronningen.

We’d decided to skip the Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History) as the afternoon was growing late and we didn’t think we could do it justice. However, when we turned a corner and found ourselves face to face with the museum entrance, we decided to check it out anyway. The NOK100/person ($17) fee was a bit stiff for a quick look-see, but the empty courtyard gave every indication that we’d have the place to ourselves, so we paid up and went in.

Our decision turned out to be a mistake! Apparently many of the tour groups come in through a rear entrance. But that wasn’t the problem since the crowds were spread out pretty well, and they didn’t stay long. The problem was that there were too few docents in period costume providing interpretive information. No sooner would we enter one of the buildings that we’d be asked to leave because the docent had to lock up and go to another building where a tour group was awaiting attention. OK, the first time; OK the second time; but by the third time smoke was coming out of my ears.

So instead of touring the open air museum, which dates back to 1894 and which is home to over 150 buildings representative of the different regions of Norway, we left after a very short and disappointing experience.

This young woman was making some kind of flatbread; but it wasn’t free for the tasting.

The one silver lining of our visit to the museum: I got to see what I most wanted to see — the Gol Stave Church, which is the centerpiece of a group of buildings referred to as Oscar II’s Collection (became part of the museum in 1907). One of only 30 preserved churches of its kind in Norway, the Gol church was built in 1212. It remained in use until the 1870s when the congregation grew too big and a replacement church was built.

built in 1212, The Gol Stave Church was remodeled in 1664 and 1802.
[front view (left) and rear view (right)]

The church was purchased by the preservation society in 1881. Although King Oscar II offered to finance the relocation and rebuilding of the church, it was another three years before it could be disassembled, moved, and re-erected at his summer residence on Bygdøy.

Detail from the roofline of the church.

Detail from the interior of the church.

(More information about stave churches can be found here.)

After that detour, we continued our walk to the water taxi landing. Having just missed the taxi back to Rådhusbrygge, we had a bit of a wait, but the sun was out again so we didn’t mind it much. (Too bad the sun wasn’t out while we were photographing the stave church; blue skies would have added tremendously to the pictures we took.)

I’m not much into city streetscape photography, but as I wind up the story of our trip to Oslo, I’ll share a few from yesterday ...

The Slottet (Royal Palace) was built on the orders of King Karl Johan, but he died
before it was completed in 1848.

The fountain known as Christian IV’s Glove is located in Christiania Torv, the city’s
first market square. The glove points to where he wanted to rebuild the city after
the big fire in 1624.

… and a few more images from today.

The Nobel Peace Center is housed in Oslo’s old railway station.

Around the grounds of the Rådhuset (City Hall), which opened in 1950 to mark
the city’s 900th anniversary.

After returning from Bygdøy, we went to the hotel to drop off our camera bags. Since our time in Oslo was growing short, we didn't dally long, returning promptly to the waterfront to check out the outdoor eateries at Aker Brygge, the shipyard-turned-mall overlooking Oslo Harbor. Although it was drizzling off-and-on, and the early evening temps were more than chilly, we settled on a pizzeria named Olivia. The outdoor heaters had us quickly shedding our outer layers as we enjoyed dinner with people-watching for entertainment. We split an excellent seafood salad and a pizza topped with mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, and artichokes, and washed it all down with a couple of ice cold local brews. Dessert was ice cream from the Movenpick stand across the pedestrian road from the restaurant.

Collage compiled from pictures from Olivia’s website, with a photo of Aker Brygge that
I took thrown in for fun (lower left). I thought I’d process it all in B&W, except for the
pizza, which really was very good.

After wandering around the waterfront for a bit, we returned to the hotel to finish packing our bags, making sure weight was allocated properly in preparation for tomorrow’s flights back home.

Oslo has a lot to offer that we haven’t even touched upon. We’ll return someday to not only check them out, but to also tour the coastal towns and fjords that I’m told are natural wonders not-to-be-missed. And we’ll be sure to plan our trip outside the summer months during which 60% of visitors come to enjoy Norway.

Oslo: Vikingskiphuset … the Finds

2011-07-15T14:33:00.011-04:00

Friday, 15 July (Part III)

As noted in the background post, the Vikingskiphuset (Viking Ship House [or museum]) turned out to be a real gem. We’d added it to our list of must-sees with rather high expectations and it didn’t disappoint one bit. I’d gladly pay the price of admission again to spend more time exploring the chamber where the finds from the burial mounds are displayed. (Reminder about the museum link inserted above; remember to click the British flag for the translated version for each of the pages in the sidebar.)

Although Viking funeral rituals varied, the dead were often placed on a boat together with offerings, including slaves. The boat was then covered over with rocks and soil to create a tumulus. It was from such a mound that the centerpiece of the museum, the Oseberg Ship, was excavated in 1904.

Historic photos of the excavation Site show how amazingly well-preserved this find was.
(above and below)

The sleek lines of the 72-foot (22 m) long ship, constructed of oak timbers, was truly a sight to behold. Considering it was built around 820 AD and was buried for nearly 1100 years, it seemed amazingly fantastic to me that it was in such great shape; just look at the pre-restoration historic photos above. In reality, it was the blue clay in which it was buried that did such a good job of preserving the ship for posterity to enjoy.

I was so enthralled by the delicate carvings on the hull and so deep in thought trying to figure out how I was going to photograph the length of the ship that I almost didn’t notice the narrow corner balconies designed for just that purpose. From those vantage points, and by waiting for the lull between the waves of crowds coming in and out of the museum, I managed to get some reasonably good shots after I was finished studying the detail from the floor-level.

The ship was manned by a crew of 32 men, including the helmsman and the lookout.

Left: the Initial view of the Oseberg Ship hints at the beautiful carvings on the hull.
Right: the serpent’s head at the tip of the stempost was designed to frighten away sea monsters.

Such delicate details hint that the ship might have been built as a pleasure vessel to
sail coastal waters, but it was seaworthy nonetheless.

Serpent motifs on the hull; the Vikings were a superstitious lot.
(above and below)

Next was the Gokstad Ship, which was found in 1880. The longest of the three ships in the museum, it was built around 890 AD. It is believed to have been used to bury a chieftain who died ten years later. Any weapons that would have been buried with a man of the deceased’s stature were lost to grave robbers long before the ship was excavated.

32 shields, alternately painted black and gold, once decorated the exterior of the Gokstad ship.
It is thought that they were displayed only during battle or when approaching land
as they would have otherwise prevented the oars from being used.

With higher sides, and lacking the decorative carvings of the Oseberg Ship, this one definitely felt and looked like a seaworthy, ocean-going warship; or perhaps a trading vessel.

Note the oar holes lining the hull. these holes could be sealed by covers that
rotated in place to keep water out. It’s thought that the oarsmen used their
sea chests as rowing benches.

In the chamber where the last of the three ships is displayed, we found artifacts from the Gokstad Ship — namely, the timber burial chamber and the tent verge boards topped with animal heads — and two small boats that were also uncovered from the burial mound.

The rough construction of the burial chamber is an indication that it was not part of the
ship’s finely crafted original structure. The verge boards on the wall were once painted
black and gold; the same color as the shields that decorated the ship’s exterior.

The last ship we saw was the Tune Ship, which was actually the first ship to be excavated (1867). Highly deteriorated, the ship that dates back to 900 AD is exhibited as it was found. As was the case with the Gokstad Ship, the burial chamber contained the remains of a male assumed to be a chieftain.

The Tune Ship with the artifacts from the Gokstad Ship displayed at the rear of the chamber.

According to archaeologists, the Tune Ship was built in the style of the Oseberg Ship.
Hard to see any resemblance, isn’t it?

The real surprise at the Viking Ship Museum was the chamber housing beautifully carved burial furnishings found in the Oseberg mound. As the human remains found in the ship are those of a female and her slave, these artifacts are referred to as the Queen’s burial furnishings. There was a separate room that contained textiles that had survived over 1000 years of burial. Didn’t get to see them, however, as each time I attempted to go near the displays, I was kept away by the crush of visitors already in the room.

Photographing these treasures was made difficult by the lighting, as well as the fingerprints and glare on the glass cases in which they are displayed, but here are a few that turned out reasonably well.

This carved beech ceremonial wagon is the only one of its kind in Norway that dates
back to the Viking Age. It is estimated to have been made around 800 AD, well before it
was placed in the grave.

Detail from the richly ornamented Oseberg wagon.

Left: one of three sled runners; each 6.5 feet (2 m) long and carved from one piece of wood.
right: One of several animal head posts found in the burial mound.

Some of these animal head posts had a rope running through their mouth when they were
found. Their use is not known, but they may have been carried in religious processions.

Found in fragments, the sledge was reconstructed before being put on display.

That we enjoyed our visit to this museum goes without saying. On a scale of 1-5, it definitely gets a 5-star rating from us. There’s a surprising amount of information on the web about these ships. If you’re interested, just search on the name of each find.

As for us, it was time to head back to the water taxi stand and return to Oslo. Too bad we didn’t stick to that plan …

Oslo: Vikingskiphuset … the Vikings

2011-07-15T09:22:00.000-04:00

Friday, 15 July (Part II)

Across the street from the Frammuseet is the Kon-Tiki Museum where Thor Heyerdahl’s balsa-wood raft of the same name and reed boat Ra II are displayed. Though the museum was not on our list, we figured it’s proximity made it worth a quick look-see. Didn't happen. Seeing the packed-like-sardines conditions inside, we made an about face seconds after walking through the door. So, we moved onto what was on our agenda instead.

Hopping on the #30 bus, we went to the Vikingskiphuset (Viking Ship House [or museum]). The ride was short — would have been even shorter had we not gotten on the bus going in the opposite direction! Oh well; we got a private tour of a small portion of Bygdøy before the bus dropped us off in front of the museum.

(A note about the website link inserted above: the list in the sidebar links to pages in Norwegian; click the British flag for the translated version.)

The parking lot was crammed with busses and cars, and it was quite crowded inside. Watching the action from the balcony of the entrance hall, it looked like visitors came in waves and there were moments when one could see the ships without a crush of people around them. So, we paid the NOK60 (~ $10/person) admission fee and waded in. We’re so glad we did; the price of admission was absolutely worth the treasures we found inside.

The museum is home to three Viking ships and the artifacts found in the burial mounds for the same. It wasn’t until the third ship — also the best-preserved — was excavated in 1904 that plans were made to build a special museum to display the finds. Construction began in 1926 and was completed in 1957 with the addition of the last wing, giving the museum its current cross shape. The Oseberg ship (photo to the right), which was the impetus for the museum, is prominently displayed in the center axis, giving visitors a first glimpse that can only be described as a jaw-dropper.

I’m going to break this post into two sections — this one to provide a little background on the Vikings; the next one to describe the museum visit itself.

The banners at the museum’s entrance provide brief information about the Viking Age, which lasted from 800 to 1050 AD, a period during which Norsemen were considered to be the lords of the seas. Much of the information that follows is from those banners.

From Scandinavia, the Vikings sailed west over the North Sea to the British Isles
and thence over the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland, and North America. Others sailed
south down the coast of Europe and entered the Mediterranean, and still others
sailed east down the great rivers of Russia to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
[photo from one of the banners]

The Vikings came from Scandinavia — from the countries that are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (below; center photo). These countries show great variation in their landscape, climate, and agricultural conditions. In good farming country, crops and animal husbandry were the main means of livelihood, while in other parts, people relied more on hunting and fishing, which were profitable activities. Considerable quantities of iron were also produced in the Norwegian mountain hamlets, and found a market both at home and abroad.

The Vikings were excellent shipwrights and sailors. Their ships were fast and well built, and suitable for long sea voyages. This enabled them to make long journeys over most of the northern hemisphere.

Though Norsemen sacked and looted churches and monasteries and whole towns, plunder and conquest were not the only reasons why the Vikings took to the seas. Many of them journeyed abroad in order to trade, and others to find a new country in which to settle. As merchants, they sold their goods in towns and marketplaces, and established trading colonies in Ireland and Russia. Many settled down as farmers in the lands they invaded. They settled in Iceland and Greenland and were the first Europeans to reach North America.

The museum’s three Viking ships — from Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune — were all found in burial mounds in the Oslo Fjord area (right; top photo). Excavated between 1867 and 1904, they were built during the 9th Century AD, and later used as burial ships for wealthy men and women. In the Oseberg ship lay a woman and her slave girl, who had been buried in about 850 AD. Each of the other two ships held a man; they were both buried in about 900 AD.

The dead were placed in a burial chamber which was erected in the stern of the ship (right; center photo). They were buried with a good supply of food and drink, horses and dogs, and both useful and decorative objects. When the three ships on display at the museum were excavated, the graves were found to have been robbed, and the jewelry, weapons, gold, and silver were gone. The objects made of wood and cloth were left behind. Because the ships had been buried in blue clay and covered with stones, clay, and turf, these items were well-preserved.

(Click either of the photo strips and select XL from the size options at the top to see the details. The images were photographed from the banners in the entrance hall.)

And so, armed with some background information, let’s visit the museum …

Oslo: Frammuseet

2011-07-15T08:34:00.004-04:00

Friday, 15 July

"Victory awaits him, who has everything in order – luck we call it. Defeat is definitely due for him, who has neglected to take the necessary precautions – bad luck we call it."

Roald Amundsen

It’s a good thing that our plans jiggled yesterday and we did outdoor activities then instead of leaving them for today. We woke up a 180° change in the weather. Gone were the blue skies, sunshine, and warm temperature. Instead, we had a day that was reminiscent of our days in the Arctic — overcast. It wasn’t as cold as the Arctic, but the 55F (13C) was decidedly cooler than yesterday’s temps. The good news is that we did get sunshine breaking through during the day, and the drizzle was an off and on thing and fell mostly while we were indoors.

The three places we visited today are all on Bygdøy.

We left the hotel at 8:00a and made our way to the Rådhusbrygge (City Hall Wharf) to catch the first water taxi (8:45a) to Bygdøy (meaning “inhabited island”), a peninsula on the west side of Oslo. Our destination was the Frammuseet (Fram Museum). We had a feeling it would be crowded, so we wanted to get there when the doors opened at 9:00a. It was a strategy that worked in our favor. We had the museum to ourselves for the first hour; by 10:00a it was quite congested with tour groups arriving in droves.

The water taxi is a convenient means of travel between downtown Oslo and Bygdøy.

On the near empty water taxi, even our backpacks have seats of their own.

With a Costa cruise ship in town, Oslo is going to be even more crowded today.

The ride across the bay was short. Even with the dull light, the scenery was beautiful; moody would be a better description perhaps. Before long, we were approaching the small pier at the museum, which is dedicated to telling the story of Norwegian polar exploration. Named for the Fram, the purpose-built polar exploration ship that is the centerpiece of the museum, it was inaugurated in 1936.

I’m told that the shape of the museum has its origins in Viking times when old ships were
buried in triangular mounds.

The first thing we saw when we arrived at the museum was the Gjøa, another polar ship of note. The sloop was built in Norway in 1872. Named for the owner’s wife, it served as a fishing vessel until Amundsen purchased it in 1900 and converted it to a ship suitable for polar exploration. Three years later, with a crew of six, Amundsen embarked on what turned out to be the first successful transit of the much sought-after Northwest Passage. It took the men three years to complete the historic journey aboard the Gjøa. Three years after that (1909), the ship was placed in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It remained there until 1972, at which time it was returned to Norway. (Plans are underway to build an extension to the Frammuseet to house the Gjøa.)

Gjøa — from fishing vessel to polar exploration ship.

Christened in 1892, the Fram (meaning “forward”) was the first polar research vessel to be built in Norway. It was constructed to the exacting specifications of Fridtjof Nansen, a favorite son of Norway who made polar exploration history before Amundsen. The 128-foot (39 m) long vessel is best known for three expeditions written in the annals of polar history: with Nansen on a drift over the Arctic Ocean (1893-1896); with Otto Sverdrup to the arctic archipelago west of Greenland (1898-1902); and with Roald Amundsen to Antarctica for his South Pole expedition (1910-1912).

Standing next to the hull of the Fram, Nansen welcomes visitors to the museum and his ship.

I have to admit to a tingle that ran up my spine when I entered the museum and first set my eyes on the vessel. I was about to actually set foot aboard the ship that I had read so much about. Admittedly, the restored ship didn’t look exactly like the original from the outside, but the interior was all original, and I felt like I was walking with ghosts as I freely wandered above- and below-decks. Later, when we discussed our visit, Mui said he had a similar reaction.

Left: The first Fram Expedition (Nansen); Right: the third Fram Expedition (Amundsen).

Models of the Fram as she was during the first (left) and the third (right) expeditions.

The Fram — as it is today.
the ship was specifically designed to withstand the pressure of pack ice.

There’s reams of information to share about this historic vessel. I’ve put some links throughout this post for those interested in more information. In the meantime, here’s a quick tour of the ship through our eyes. In the cramped quarters below-decks, we were especially glad to have the ship to ourselves. Later, after the museum became more crowded, a second run-through of the ship proved quite frustrating.

First, above-decks …

Then, below-decks …

The officers’ cabins are used to display artifacts from the polar expeditions.

The diesel engine was added to the Fram by Amundsen in 1910.

After touring the ship, we spent a couple of hours browsing the exhibits on the balconies lining the four sides of the multi-story building. Taking pictures of the artifacts behind glass was challenging, so I took a few and then put the camera away to enjoy the displays.

Artifacts on display included those from Fram and other expeditions by sea and by air.

One entire floor of the museum was dedicated to a special exhibit entitled Cold Recall – Reflections of a Polar Explorer. The displays consisted of images made from the lantern slides Amundsen used in public lectures following his achievement of the South Pole. The words accompanying the images were abridged versions of his manuscript for the lectures. I haven’t bought much on this trip, but I simply couldn’t leave the museum without a copy of the published version of Cold Recall; I’m looking forward to reading it on the flight back to the US tomorrow.

Top Left (Top): fram and Robert Scott’s Terra nova in the Bay of Whales.
top Left (bottom): emperor penguins on the barrier.
Top right: ready for the start of the polar journey on 20 October 2011.
Bottom Left: Amundsen, Hassel, Hanssen & Wisting at Polheim (Pole Home) at the South Pole.
(photo taken by Bjaaland, the other member of the pole party.)
bottom right (top): hoisting the flag at Ernest shackleton’s furthest south.
bottom right (Bottom): Depot at 80° south on 23 October 1911.

Note: Here’s how the Library of Congress describes lantern slides: “The introduction of lantern slides in 1849, ten years after the invention of photography, allowed photographs to be viewed in an entirely new format. As a transparent slide projected onto a surface, the photograph could be seen, not only by individuals and small groups, but also by a substantial audience. This new larger scale expanded the utility of photography, changing it from an intimate medium to one that was appropriate to entertainment and educational purposes.”

I have to say that this was one place from which we found it particularly difficult to pull ourselves away. It is a “must-do” for anyone who has an interest in polar exploration history. We could have easily spent the entire day there. Two things helped us to move on: the crowds that started showing up around 10:00a; and the next must-see destination that was on our list for the day. But that’s for the next post.

Shortly after noon, we left the Fram Museum, wandered over to the open space behind the building, and had a quick al fresco lunch with the PB&J sandwiches and grapes we’d brought with us. Oh, and a chocolate bar too! The weather was still so-so, but at least it wasn’t drizzling. And we had good company, even though we refused to share but a few crumbs of our meager lunch with them.

A quick break for lunch before we continue onto another museum.

The black-headed gulls were quiet, but the sparrows were quite vociferous about wanting to share our lunch; they had to make do with whatever crumbs fell to the ground.

Onto the next museum …

Oslo: Fjord Cruise Aboard Jomfruen

2011-07-14T14:57:00.001-04:00

Thursday, 14 July (Part II)

Following a circuitous route of our own creation, which gave us a peek into Oslo neighborhoods where the residents were going about business as usual, we walked from Vigelandsparken (post here) to Rådhusbrygge (City Hall Wharf). This is where our “jello-plans” jiggled again. Instead of touring the fortress overlooking Oslo Harbor as planned, we decided to take a sightseeing cruise in Oslofjorden (Oslo Fjord) to make the most of the beautiful summer afternoon.

Google Maps image with the inset showing Oslofjorden opening to the North Sea;
our cruise was pretty much in the area at the head of the fjord (circled in red).

There are a variety of companies offering sightseeing cruises in the fjord. Some include a meal; some don’t. Some are two hours in length; others are longer. Since our time was limited, we settled on a two-hour cruise with Båtservice. That they had a wallet-friendly 20% off offer on their 3:45p sailing was a factor in our decision. (Otherwise, NOK245 = $45/person + tax)

Our cruise was aboard the S/S Jomfruen (Virgin), a double-masted sailing vessel that was built in 1917. Originally a merchant vessel that traded along the Western Norwegian coastline, the Jomfruen went through a comprehensive reconstruction in 1984 that pretty much changed her original design.

Ready for an afternoon on the water.

The 63-passenger vessel sailed with maybe half that many people aboard. With most of the passengers opting to sit on the deck above the cabin, we only had a few people with whom to share the main deck. There was hardly any breeze and we were comfortable in shirt sleeves as the ship slowly moved away from the pier to make its way along the coastline, weaving through the maze of islands and inlets of the upper fjord.

We have a table to ourselves.

At the bow of the Jomfruen with Rådhuset (City Hall) behind me.

I’m just going to let some of the photographs I took take you along on the idyllic cruise that we enjoyed … with just an occasional explanatory caption.

Akerhus Slott (Castle) was built in 1299 on the orders of King Håkon V.
(above and below)

Toasting the Fram Museum; we hope to spend time there tomorrow.

Dyna Fyr (Lighthouse) was built in 1874.

Back in the day, these bath houses, located in secluded coves, stood empty during
the winter. They made ideal places for smugglers to stash the alcohol they brought
into the city during Norway’s prohibition years (1916-1927).

Fondly known by the locals as the Church Lighthouse, Heggholmen Fyr dates back to 1824.
It is the oldest lighthouse in Oslofjorden.

We had a terrific afternoon on the water and don’t regret for a minute the last minute change we made to our sightseeing plans. If we have time tomorrow, we’ll try to sneak in a stop at the castle. If not, there’s always next time.

After our fjord cruise, we wandered around the downtown area for a while. The people-watching opportunities were great. Once again, we couldn’t decide on where to have dinner. Several of the places that appealed to us had a waiting list already and we were too hungry to wait around for a table. So, we did what we saw many of the locals do — we stopped at one of the “grillpolse” (hot dog) stands that are available everywhere you look, picked up a couple to-go, and treated ourselves to another al fresco meal in the park. Dessert this time was a shared chocolate bar.

It was 7:30p when we returned to the hotel. Pleasantly drained; feet screaming for some relief from all the walking we did today. That’s OK; they will rest tonight and be ready to go again tomorrow :-)

Oslo: Vigelandsparken

2011-07-14T05:20:00.010-04:00

Thursday, 14 July

What a gorgeous day we had for wandering around Oslo and exploring it from land and from water. Just magnificent.

We woke up at 6:30a to sunshine — a great way to start the day after our mostly-overcast experience in the Arctic. It was a restful night. I think it even got dark overnight, but I couldn’t say for sure since I slept through it; I must have been really exhausted.

Our “jello-plans” for Oslo had their first jiggle this morning. With rain in the forecast for tomorrow, and not a drop of liquid sunshine mentioned for today, we decided to postpone our museum visits and do some of the outside activities that were on our sightseeing list.

This Google Maps image shows the places that are on our priority-sightseeing list.

Breakfast was a couple of PB&J sandwiches eaten in the room as we lazily prepared for the day ahead. After being on the go so since we left home on 30 June, we were having difficulty getting our butts in gear, but we finally made it out of the room around 9:00a. Good thing we had comfortable shoes to wear; our feet got quite a workout!

Our destination for the morning was Vigelandsparken (Vigeland Park) via the Slottet (Royal Palace). Have you ever heard of using palace grounds as a short cut to get from one place to another? Well, you can do just that in Oslo. Of course, we couldn’t just walk through without taking photographs. I’ll keep those images, as well as others from around the city, for a separate post and just go straight to Vigelandsparken — even though the neighborhood-route we walked to get there was rather circuitous.

The park’s claim of being “the world’s largest sculpture park featuring the works of a single artist” may well be true. Located within Frogner Park, a public green-space that dates back to the turn of the 20th century, Vigelandsparken was built between 1939-1949. It is home to 200+ sculptures modeled in clay by a favorite son of Norway, Gustav Vigeland, and carved/casted by professional craftsmen. The number of figures represented in the sculptures number over 600. (By the way, there’s no admittance charge for this amazing park.)

Glimpse of the bridge, fountain, and Monolith from the entrance to vigelandsparken.

Visitors enter the park through a very decorative and imposing wrought iron gate. A distant glimpse of the sculpture lined bridge, fountain, and monolith hints at what’s in store without revealing too much. The further one moves into the park, the more jaw-dropping the scene becomes.

It would have been even more inspiring had the crowds visiting the park not been so big. As one of Norway’s most popular tourist attractions, the number of visitors wasn’t a surprise, but I couldn’t help but be disappointed anyway. Yeah, I know — get over it Erin, right? There’s a reason why we’re usually out and about at the crack of dawn ;-)

Past the bridge is one of the focal points of the park — the fountain.

At first glance, some of the sculptures — the Monolith in particular — could easily be mistaken for erotica. But they aren’t. Vigeland’s naked forms are designed to depict humanity in all its forms — from birth to death. Why he chose to use nudes? Well, I’d have to do some research to find the answer to that question. But if I had to guess, the lack of clothing strips humanity down to the basics and makes all equal in life and in death.

The sculptures depict people of all ages. Some are single figures; others are groups of figures. All are designed to represent the relationship between man and woman; the relationship between adults and children. Interestingly, descriptions of the sculptures are very basic (as you’ll note on the park’s website). Old Man; Three Old Women; Man and Child — very basic indeed. It’s almost as though Vigeland wants us to interpret them ourselves based on our own life experiences.

Vigeland himself designed the 328-foot (100 m) long granite bridge that was constructed in 1914. It is the gateway to the rest of the park. At each end of the bridge are granite columns topped with sculptures that show a human locked in fight with a giant lizard; they represent mankind’s fight against evil. The parapets of the bridge are lined with 58 bronze people-sculptures.

Joy of Parenthood — that’s what comes to my mind.

Left: Sinnatagen (Angry Boy) is one of the most popular sculptures in the park;
note how his left hand has turned golden from visitors rubbing it for good luck.

Right: What looks like a man juggling babies is titled “Man chasing four geniuses.”

Next we stopped at one of the main features of Vigelandsparken — the most-fascinating Fontenen (Fountain). Vigeland first sketched the idea for the Fountain in 1906. During WWI, he expanded this sketch to include the granite sculptures and the Monolith that lie beyond. The Fountain, which was finally installed in 1947, is meant to depict life from cradle to grave — an eternal cycle that has neither a beginning nor an end. The theme continues in the bronze reliefs that decorate the outer edge of the Fountain. Only 60 of the 100+ reliefs that Vigeland designed were used. There was so much detail to see here, some hidden by the flowing water, that one could take months trying to digest it all.

The 20 tree groups were modeled between 1906-1914.

The six men holding up the vessel symbolize toiling with the burden of life as water, the source of life, cascades around them.

The tree groups represent Man’s relationship with nature.

A few of the reliefs that decorate the base of the Fountain.

Passing through decorative wrought iron gates that continued Vigeland’s theme for his sculptures, we entered the plaza where the granite sculptures and the Monolitten (Monolith) that Vigeland added to his Fountain design are installed.

Intricately detailed gates lead to the Monolith plaza.

WOW!!! That was my first, second, and third reaction upon seeing the Monolith up close. No wonder it took Vigeland 10 months in 1924-25 to create the clay model of the column. The single granite block from which it was appropriately carved — after all, monolith does mean one stone — was brought to the site in 1927. It took another two years before three stone carvers began the detailed work that took them 14 years to finish. Vigeland died shortly thereafter.

The 46-foot (14 m) tall Monolith consists of a base and a column of 121 intertwined figures, with those at the bottom seemingly more inert — perhaps from the weight of life? There are many interpretations of what the column represents — the resurrection of Man, the struggle for existence inherent in life, the longing for the spiritual and the divine … take your pick.

As the museum website puts it: “The people are drawn towards heaven, not only characterized by sadness and controlled despair, but also delight and hope, next to a feeling of togetherness, carefully holding one another tight in this strange sense of salvation.”

The statues and the people in these images provide perspective for the Monolith.

The 36 larger-than-life granite figures are installed in three concentric rings on the steps leading up to the Monolith. The stone medium gives a sense of strength, as does the chunky feel of the statues. These are not delicate, curvaceous figures; they are not idealized depictions of people. In many ways, we can identify with them because of their realistic nature. I mean, I can totally see myself in the old woman in the statue below — 30-40 years from now. How about you? Can you see yourself in any of the sculptures? The figures of children seem more playful — perhaps because they have not been weighed down by the realities of life yet. At least that’s my interpretation.

From bottom right to top left: Two Old Women; Old Woman Resting Against Old Man;
Two Old Men — are you sensing a theme here?

I would have sat down on the steps to contemplate life, or even to just enjoy the beautiful day. I resisted the temptation for fear of being run over by the crowds that came, one wave after another. Instead, I walked around, clicking the shutter whenever I found a statue that people weren’t crawling all over.

Three Old Women — hunched over by their life experiences perhaps.

Playing horsey with the kids — fun, fun, fun — that’s what it looks like to me.

Sharing wisdom garnered from life’s experiences.

A quiet moment of shared intimacy.

Passing through the gate on the far side of the plaza, we continued towards the final focal point of the park, stopping at the sundial en route. I would love to have photographed this piece with the Monolith in the background, but that would have had me shooting into the sun, so this less-interesting angle of view had to suffice. Another reason to be out and about early :-)

The wheel of life glimpsed through the sundial.

At the far end of the long axis of the park is the Livshjulet (Wheel of Life), which was modeled in 1933-34. The garland of women, children, and men clutching each other represents eternity. When this technically challenging piece was completed, Vigeland is quoted as having said: “I have never been as accomplished as I am now.”

I’ve seen this statue photographed with the rest of the park visible through the circle. Alas, I would have had to be 10-feet tall to get that perspective, so once again, a less-interesting angle had to suffice.

Man's journey from cradle to grave, through happiness and grief, through fantasy,
hope and wishes of eternity.

Around 1:00p, three hours after arriving at the park, we finally took a load off. The temperature had warmed up to 68F (20C). It felt downright hot to us, so we sought out a bench in the shade for an al fresco picnic overlooking the sights and sounds of the park.

Lunch with a view.

I loved our visit to Vigelandsparken — so much to explore and enjoy; so much to ponder. We never even got to the Vigeland Museum (admission charged), which is located on the grounds. One could definitely spend the entire day at the park and not be bored. My one regret is the crowds we found crawling all over the place. Since the park is open 24 hours, going there very early or very late in the day would be the thing to do should we find ourselves in Oslo again at some point in the future.

Next up — another jiggle in our Oslo sightseeing plans.

1,447 Nautical Miles Later

2011-07-13T22:44:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, 13 July

Before starting to write about our post-cruise stay in Oslo, I thought I’d summarize some thoughts about our Arctic expedition cruise aboard Silver Explorer.

1,447 nautical miles is equal to 1,665 miles — 2,680 km for those who are metric oriented. That’s the distance we covered from the time we left Tromsø on July 3 to when the ship docked in Longyearbyen today. I can see some of you wondering how I kept track of the distances covered during the voyage. I didn’t; the crew of Silver Explorer did the tracking for me and published the information in the last edition of the Silversea Chronicles, the daily information sheet delivered to the cabin each evening.

Summary of the point-to-point distances covered during the voyage.

So, what can I say about our adventure that I haven’t already said in the voluminous number of words and images that I have already shared. Not much, really. We had a terrific time and we enjoyed every minute of our voyage, as well as our pre-cruise days in Tromsø.

Although in some ways the Arctic — at least the portions that we visited — lacks the WOW factor of the Antarctic, we were not disappointed in the least. I attribute that partially to the fact that we traveled to the northern latitudes for the “complete” experience, and not just for the ice, the scenery, the birds, or the mega fauna. Each aspect of the Arctic — be it tiny … like the colorful flowers that survive in the face of the harsh climate; or immense … like the gigantic rivers of ice that form glaciers with deep-blue hearts — combined to give us an experience that exceeded our expectations.

That we enjoyed our expedition in the lap of luxury goes without saying. From the moment we set foot aboard Silver Explorer, the service was impeccable. I’m still not sure how the staff learned our names so fast, but by the second day even those with whom we had little interaction were greeting us by name. The little touches — like leaving an eyeglass cleaning cloth next to my reading glasses — made us feel pampered. The food was good, and beverages (alcoholic and non) flowed freely. The expedition team did a great job of sharing their love and knowledge of the Arctic with passengers. I’d definitely book another voyage aboard Silver Explorer — for the right itinerary.

Silver Explorer in Tromsø.

All that said, I would skip the luxury in a heartbeat to travel aboard a smaller vessel where we didn’t have to take turns rotating ashore to abide by landing/zodiac capacity restrictions. The expedition team did a good job of getting everyone ashore smoothly, but taking turns limited our time on landings considerably. It also perhaps limited the places we were able to visit around Svalbard because we spent twice as long at each site to ensure the four groups got equal time.

One thing I wish I could change about our trip — the time frame. Weather plays a prominent role in the northern latitudes. It impacts where one can go. It also impacts what wildlife one might see. We were very lucky, IMHO. Even though we had mostly overcast weather, there was no direct impact on any of our landings (that I know of). That said, were I to be lucky enough to return to the Arctic someday — maybe to Greenland or the Canadian Arctic this time — I’d go later in July; perhaps even in early August. This would increase our chances of being able to penetrate normally ice-bound areas — or would it? After all, weather is luck of the draw, isn’t it?

Final Itinerary of Voyage 7114 aboard Silver Explorer.

Now, onto Oslo …

The Voyage Ends; Not the Trip

2011-07-13T16:17:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 13 July
Latitude at Wake UP: 78°13’46” N
latitude at the end of the day: 60°19’42” N

Crossing from Alkhornet, our landing site on the opposite side of Isfjorden (post here), Silver Explorer spent the night anchored just off shore from Longyearbyen (Longyear City), the administrative center of Svalbard.

After a quiet night in the calm waters of the bay, we woke up to find the ship tied up to the pier on the outskirts of Longyearbyen. The overcast skies did little to brighten up the industrial feel of the town, which was named for John Munroe Longyear, one of two Americans who made a deal in 1905 with a Norwegian company that was looking for foreign buyers to develop and run the coal mining operations in the area.

Hoping for a chance to make a quick, exploratory trip into town, we prepared for the day ahead and went to The Restaurant for breakfast. Our plans were for naught, however. Since we were going to be chartered to Oslo as a group, passengers were not being allowed off the ship to go wandering at will. Understandable, I suppose; but disappointing nonetheless since it’s doubtful that we’ll ever find ourselves back in Longyearbyen (or Svalbard for that matter).

With a population just over 1,900, Longyearbyen is considered to be
the world’s most northerly town.

Disembarkation was scheduled for 9:45a, but with our outbound charter flight bringing the passengers for the next cruise, we were asked to vacate the suites by 8:30a to give the crew time to complete their cleaning chores. So, we collected our carry-on bags after breakfast and made ourselves comfortable in the Panorama Lounge. Our timing was excellent as it wasn’t long before the seating was at capacity.

Coal was transported from the mines to the shipping point via cable cars
called “kibb;” the towers supporting the cables were called “kibbstolper”
(kibb poles). This conveyance system is now defunct.

Mui sneaks off to put a few things in one of our bags so we don’t have
to carry them aboard the plane.

The airport transfer busses arrived around 9:30a and disembarkation began soon thereafter. Not sure why we had to go through the security gate, but we did, running our shipboard cards through the reader one last time to show that we had indeed disembarked the ship. (I wonder if anyone has ever tried to stow away at the end of the cruise? Maybe I should have tried).

Filing down the gangway, we found our bags amongst the luggage that was lined up on the pier, waiting to be identified. (Seeing some of the oversized bags the other passengers had brought, I sure felt better about our three pieces!) Making sure the bags were loaded in the baggage truck, we said our farewells to the expedition team that had taken such good care of us, and boarded what turned out to be the first bus to leave the pier.

The ride to the Longyearbyen airport was short. Being amongst the first to arrive worked in our favor. Sure, we still had to wait 30-minutes or so (seemed longer; and maybe it was) for the SAS check-in counters to open, but at least we were one of the first to get our seat assignments. Yay for exit row seats!!!

For those curious about such details, the checked bag allowance for the charter flight was 75 pounds (34 kg) per person. There was no mention of a per bag limit; the SAS agent did not blink an eye when we presented her with three pieces that weighed well below the combined limit for the two of us. Our carry-on bags (all camera equipment) were well over the 11-pound (5 kg) limit; we were relieved that they were not weighed!!!

The baggage carousel is under the protection of a polar bear.
(the bear was killed in 2009 after it attacked a couple of students near the airport,
fatally injuring one of them.)

Next, we had to wait for security to man the checkpoint. Passing that hurdle without mishap, we found ourselves in the deserted waiting lounge where we snagged a couple of lounge chairs with leg rests. Nice! Free internet access gave us all an opportunity to check on long-neglected email accounts; and I even managed to post a teaser to the blog before the boarding announcement was made at just before noon. Nice!

A comfy Boeing 737-800 is waiting for us to board for the flight to Oslo.

“Farvel” Longyearbyen; “Farvel” spitsbergen; “farvel” Svalbard!

right about now Silver Explorer is boarding the passengers for the next cruise!
[dead center in the picture]

last glimpse of the Norwegian Arctic before the plane climbs above the cloud deck.

The nearly 3-hour flight to Oslo was uneventful. We were served a full-lunch consisting of chicken cold-cuts on a bed of pasta, and panna cotta with raspberries for dessert. Quite reasonable for airline food. After lunch, I pulled out the Oslo information from my bag and put together “jello-plans” for our 2½-day post-cruise stay in Norway’s capital city. If those plans have to change due to circumstances beyond our control — weather being foremost — then so be it, but at least I have a priority-sightseeing list that will help us make the most of our limited time.

We arrive in Oslo to sunshine and blue skies.

We landed at the Oslo airport around 3:15p. It took us another 45 minutes to go through passport control (surprise!), collect our luggage, pass through customs, and supplement our stash of NOK (Norwegian Krone) at the currency exchange booth. All this and we were still on the first of several Silversea transfer busses from the airport to our hotel, the Radisson Blu Scandinavia. With traffic heavy, but flowing smoothly, the ride took about 40 minutes. Along the way, we enjoyed the lush green landscape we’d seen from the air. What a difference from the tundra environment.

"velkommen til” Oslo!
(Oslo Gardermoen airport from the transfer bus to the city)

Typical scenery en route to Oslo on the transfer bus.

When you arrive at a hotel as part of a transfer group, check in can be a time-consuming hassle. Even though we were sitting in the back of the bus, our divide-and-conquer plan worked well to reduce our check-in time at the Radisson Blu. While Mui waited for the luggage to be off-loaded, I went inside to check us in. Our names had been phoned in by the woman who had greeted us when we boarded the bus, so all room assignments had already been made. Five minutes after arrival, we were in Room 622. And the good news; we won’t have to switch rooms for the rest of our stay, which is on our own nickel (tonight’s stay is included in the Silversea transfer package from Longyearbyen.)

622 is a “cozy,” run-of-the-hotel room that overlooks a residential neighborhood;
well-insulated windows keep the traffic noise at bay.

We didn’t dawdle in the room. By 5:30p, we were at one of the local grocery stores, buying the fixings for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (for lunch), and fruits and snacks to munch on while we’re exploring the city. Dropping off our purchases in the room, we then went walk-about around downtown Oslo. Our outing confirmed that the hotel is indeed conveniently located within walking distance of downtown and will make a good base of operations for us. I have no idea what Silversea is paying for tonight’s stay, but at $281, the two-night advance purchase package (with breakfast) that I booked for the rest of our stay is a best-buy of this trip.

We didn’t have a specific destination in mind and just wanted to get our bearings, so we headed to the Slottet (Royal Palace), located at the top of Karl Johans Gate, Oslo’s main drag. [“Gate” means street in Norwegian.] Named after Karl Johan, King of Norway and Sweden (1818-1844), the street is lined with stately buildings — to include, the University and the National Theater — as well as department stores, boutiques, and eateries galore. A perfect place for people-watching. And we had plenty to watch as the sunshine-filled, blue-sky weather and 62F (17C) temperature had brought people out in droves. Add to them a bevy of motorcyclists strutting their stuff in black leather jackets and leggings — you bet we definitely had plenty to watch.

With no cameras to weigh us down, we walked most of the way down Karl Johans, detouring into side streets to find out where they led. We stopped to browse menus, trying to decide where to eat dinner. Unable to make up our minds, we did what a lot of others had done — we bought panini sandwiches to go, found a bench overlooking a fountain in the park next door to the National Theater, and sat down to enjoy an al fresco meal, followed by ice cream for dessert.

Good enough for the locals; Good enough for us.
[taken with Mui’s Blackberry]

We were back at the hotel by 8:00p and more than ready for an early night for a change. Tomorrow we start exploring Oslo in earnest.