Turkey + Bulgaria

Greetings from Transylvania!

That's right, I made it to Romania. Or if you really want to look hip and in the know, you might want to refer to it as "Ro-land". But I'm not gonna touch "Ro-land" right now - I'd like to tell you about Turkey and Bulgaria. Since the last post, I visited Istanbul, Cappadocia, Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria), and in Romania - Bucharest, Sinaia, and now Brasov. I was in Istanbul for approximately 2 weeks, Cappadocia for 5 days, and Veliko Tornovo for about 3. Here are some pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8870546@N03/sets/

So Istanbul. It took a little while but I finally settled on a "word" for Istanbul. But before I delve into all the ways that Istanbul is this "word", should I not give you a little bit of a lead-up story? Can I relay to you something that happened to me about 15 years ago (yes dude, I'm old!)? Okay, so I was on my way up to New York City (from Chapel Hill, NC) for New Year's with my buddies Dan Parham and Chris Palmatier. We decided to break up the trip and stay with Dan's friend, Witt, in Baltimore. Witt's parents were originally from South Carolina and spoke in one of those rare aristocratic southern accents that people don't use too much these days - everyone knows that southerners, more than anybody else in the United States, are the true keepers of the Queen's English, right? You might think I'm referring to QE II but I am in fact referring to *QE I* - anyone who doesn't believe me should go do some research on Harker's Island, NC. Okay, so now I'd like you to put on your best, aristocratic South Carolina accent and say the following:

"When in Istanbul, one must stay in a place with a view of the Bosphorus."

This (or something very similar to this) was uttered by Witt's father over breakfast. Were more true words ever spoken? This is perhaps the best travel advice one can receive - at least I can think of none better. Yes, the going line about Istanbul (and Turkey for that matter) is the unique to-ing and fro-ing of east and west that happens there. Yes, there's the Aya Sofya with its Christian and Muslim elements + the contrast between Topkapi Palace with its Islamic art and Dolmabahce Palace with its rococo and baroque elements + the city's mosques with the squat Aya Sofya-inspired (Christian) domes and the slender minarets (the mosques look like spiders to me) but before all of this, there was the Bosphorus, right? And doesn't the Bosphorus, more than any other single feature, define Istanbul? On one side you have Europe and the other Asia and on both sides you have one of the most fascinating cities in the world. And the Bosphorus is itself fascinating and beautiful. So what's my word for Turkey then? Well, given the duality of existence in Turkey, I decided to come up with two. For Istanbul, I settled on "exquisite" and for Cappadocia, you'll have to read on. Is there any other place that more exquisitely and elegantly combines the features of the Muslim world and the Christian world than Istanbul?

While in Istanbul, I visited several mosques (including the Blue Mosque), the Topkapi Palace (15th through 19th century home of the sultans), the Aya Sofya (yes, awesome), the Dolmabahce Palace (19th through 20th century home of the sultans + Ataturk), the Kariye Museum (cool Byzantine church with nice mosaics), the Princes' Islands (Buyukada is amazing), the Black Sea, the Grand Bazaar, Istiklal, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum (nice if a bit overwhelming and cluttered), the Basilica Cistern (cool columns and Medusa heads), the Islamic and Turkish Art Museum (very nice with a beautiful collection of carpets), and the Galata Tower (provides some nice city views). And don't forget the cobblestone streets, the carpet shops, and all those great cafes, bars, and restaurants.

I really enjoyed Istanbul despite the fact that my camera was stolen there - yes, this was the second! By the way, I'd definitely recommend World Nomads for travel insurance. I lost my photos of the Aya Sofya. But I wasn't about to leave Istanbul without Aya Sofya pics, so I bought a new camera and went there for a second time - there are definitely worse things that could happen to you than having to go to the Aya Sofya twice - in a word, yes, exquisite.

I also really enjoyed the call to prayer in Istanbul. Istanbul must be to muezzin what Broadway and Hollywood are to actors of stage and screen, respectively. I'd definitely recommend going to the Blue Mosque during the call.......meandering, serpentine melodies that seem to reverberate throughout the entire neighborhood with an expertly controlled vibrato. I was like "Man, I wanna pray!" Sometimes there's even a call and response between muezzin. And my favorite mosques are in Istanbul - is this because they so elegantly combine elements of Europe and Asia?

Also, don't skip the Bosphorus boat tours. I did two - one to near the Black Sea and the other to the Princes' Islands. It is possible that the boat trip to Princes' Island (Buyukada specifically) was the single best day of my entire trip - really. Is there anything that beats a boat trip, especially on the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara on a sunny, warm day? Check it out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BCy%C3%BCkada

The Princes' Islands are closed to non-municipal vehicles - a big + if you are on a bicycle (which I was). The island is beautiful.....first place I've been to that reminded me a lot of the Bay Area - Mediterranean climate and vegetation, the sun shimmering off the water, a nice combo of urban and natural landscape, hills tumbling into the sea, etc. + the sunset on the boat was top-notch. And while on the island, I saw a herd of big white horses in the forest - it was probably the most "fantasy"-type moment of my entire trip. I was like "Is Gandalf gonna hop out from behind that rock......and mount his winged steed - the mighty Shadowfax?!"

As for the Grand Bazaar and Istiklal, I'm afraid I'm just not that into shopping. After visiting these places, I tried to come up with an exact set of circumstances that would allow me to enjoy a shopping experience and I simply could not do it. Okay, okay, I might be into it if Gwyneth Paltrow was involved in some way. Dude, Chris Martin is such a wuss!

After Istanbul, I went to Cappadocia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappadocia

Yes, the Land of Beautiful Horses! I thought this place was fascinating and gorgeous. My word for Cappadocia is "ingenuity" and as usual, it has a variety of manifestations. There's the ingenuity of God (atheists, bear with me here!) in creating the landscape. Fairy chimneys and similar rock formations are found throughout Cappadocia. These were formed when harder (often volcanic) rock was distributed on top of softer materials (volcanic ash, soil, rocks, etc. that have been compacted together over time):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_chimney

Some look like mushrooms, others like little huts, and others like, well.......you know, those "things"! Take a look at the pics - I mean could some of these formations look any more like those "things"? Is this like God's dirty little joke on humanity? Did you know that the Turks named one of these valleys - where there is a particularly large number of these "things" - Love Valley? And no, I'm not making this up!

Cappadocia has a fascinating recent history as well. And a lot of the people that lived in Cappadocia were also ingenious. Since there were few trees, people often carved houses out of the fairy chimneys. And when marauders (yes, probably masked!) starting raiding the Silk Road caravans that moved through the area, the locals retreated underground.....building entire cities that went 7 levels (55 meters) down. Between the 4th Century and the 12th, many folks cooked (the tufa interior absorbed the smoke so the smoke couldn't be seen from outside), made wine, went to church, and even raised livestock underground. It wasn't until the arrival of the Seljuk Turks (who made the area relatively safe) that these folks moved above ground. And isn't it ingenious that they carved pigeon houses out of the rock? So they could collect bird droppings for fertilizer?

There are a lot of cool hikes (the Red Valley and the Rose Valley are great) around Goreme (where I stayed) and you can even take a hot air balloon ride - I didn't do this because it was about $200-$300. Seeing the balloons from the hill above Goreme at sunrise is way cool + it's free. I can also recommend the "green tour" (goes to an underground city, a monastery, the Ilhara Valley, and more) and the Goreme Open Air Museum (lots of cool churches - with excellent frescoes - carved out of rock - the Dark Church is the best and is worth the extra 8 lira).

So what else can I say about Turkey? Well, people seem to be really patriotic there. You see Turkish flags and pictures of Ataturk everywhere:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataturk

Oddly enough, Turkey's history reminds me a lot of Thailand's history. You may recall that Thailand was shepherded through a rough time of dealing with the Europeans by the Kings of Thailand (the Thais now revere the King and the Turks, Ataturk). Did something similar happen in Turkey? Ataturk pulling the Turks out of the humiliation of World War I? How did Turkey avoid fascism? Was Turkey not as bad off as Germany was after World War I? Was it due solely to the firm and guiding hand of Ataturk? Or the fact that Turkey was Muslim and not Christian? Or because Turkey was caught between East and West and was less prime for more malignant forces to take root? Or all/none of the above? Is this a paradox - that Turkey is at a crossroads and became xenophobic?

Turkey did not become a fascist dictatorship but the embrace of "Turkishness" caused misery for others, right? Namely the Armenians and the Kurds? Did this not-quite-fascist embrace of "Turkishness" allow xenophobia and prejudice to persist in Turkey to this day? Turkey was never soundly defeated like Germany or Italy. Is this the dark side of thinking that you are an "ingenious" or "exquisite" people? Did Turks adopt this idea of "Turkishness" out of necessity? Or is it perhaps, that they felt both Europe and Asia pulling them, and that they wanted to create something uniquely their own? Has "Turkishness" outlived its usefulness in a country that is trying to join the E.U. and become more open to the world at large?

All this said, I largely enjoyed the company of the Turkish people. I feel like I got to see the things I wanted to in Turkey but the intrigue of the people is what would pull me back. I feel that two and half weeks is not nearly enough to understand them.

So onward to Bulgaria! For Bulgaria, I have no "word" - this is partially practical (I was only there for 3 days - not enough time for a word!) but also I just kind of like to change things up every now and again. First one "word" for all the other countries, then two "words" for Turkey, and now no "words". Not sure if I'll come up with "words" again - we'll just see what happens!

What I can say about Bulgaria is that it was very obvious once I crossed the border that I was in Europe and no longer in Asia.....colder/wetter weather, continental moist climate (with deciduous trees) instead of a desert/Mediterranean climate, brusque instead of welcoming people, churches instead of mosques, and dude, heavy metal instead of dumbeks and muezzin.

I have to say that I'm quite happy on this last point. I heard Whitesnake, Deep Purple, AC/DC, and Slayer wafting out of more than one establishment in Veliko Tarnovo. Also, no more falafel! I think the Middle East was my least favorite place as far as the culinary arts were concerned. In Veliko Tarnovo, my first meal (a hot pot with tomato, potato, egg, 3 kinds of cheese, and mushroom) coincided with a block of about 10 Bon Scott-era AC/DC songs. Bliss? Yes!

Veliko Tarnovo is a cool medieval town and was the capital of the second Bulgarian Empire (from the 12th Century-14th Century - before the 12th were the Byzantines and after the 14th were the Turks):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veliko_Tarnovo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bulgaria

The Citadel is a really kushy place to visit - cool buildings, walls, churches, etc. + some really great views of the surrounding mountains. Well worth the trip.

Also, I should add that not all Bulgarians are brusque (Is this brusqueness a remnant of Communism? Where people could be thrown in jail if they appeared to be too happy?)......or at least that some of them can warm up from time to time. Particularly if you add Rakia to the mix.

I went to a local pub with an Australian guy and a French woman. At first, the owner seemed exasperated with us as we didn't speak Bulgarian. Soon enough though, he busted out some of his home-distilled Rakia - a potent Bulgarian liquor. Eventually, we were all up dancing. Unfortunately, this wave of exuberance didn't carry through to the next day - ouch! Rakia - packing a wallop since the Middle Ages!

Okay, so here are a few randoms for you:

1. Is this the best heavy metal lyric of all time (from Slayer's "Jesus Saves")? "Wanting to die is your reason to live!"
2. Did you know that in Bulgaria the term "Renaissance" refers to the liberation of the country from the Ottoman Turks?
3. Are the clothes of all mountain people colorfully embroidered? I've seen similar clothes in Ecuador, Vietnam, and Bulgaria.
4. Why don't people sack anything any more? How cool is this sentence?

"The Crusaders sacked Constantinople in 1204."

Aren't weapons of mass destruction for wimps like George Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? What's wrong with a good sacking? When if you really wanted something you'd have to put on some armor, grab a sword, and go fight for it? Please tell me if you want to sack Sunnyvale when I get back.
5. Turkey - what came first, the country or the bird? This is more complicated than it seems......it's almost philosophical - a bit like the chicken and the egg. Get all Bill Clinton with it ("That depends on what 'is' is.") and get back to me.
6. Are 21-year-olds fresh out of college uniquely qualified to run the world? Should we not put them in leadership positions right away? If you've been to one country in Eastern Europe, have you been to them all?
7. Best name for a tour group in Turkey - Christian Journeys
8. Does it not matter if things we build get torn down? Is what's important the light you spread while working on them? This inspiration is what is passed down through the generations, right?
9. I've seen a lot of rocks. If you want something to last should you not build it in stone?
10. Did you know that the term "fairy chimneys" came about because people saw light (torches lit by humans) emanating from the "chimneys" and thought that the light was created by fairies?
11. Thomas Friedman said in a New Yorker article that no one discovers anything any more. Is this true? Does travel not engender understanding in ourselves and others? And allow us to discover new ways to solve problems together? Isn't the world always changing? Are there not always new things to discover?
12. Did St. Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine and the one person who probably did more to spread Christianity than any other one person) choose Christianity over Judaism because it was easier to convert to Christianity?
13. Is what you discover just as good if not better than what you seek? Does tourism make people less interesting? Are people that make money from tourism still not people that have something to share? Does money corrupt the "natives"? Is it not important to be both critical and have an open mind? Are certain traditions like female circumcision not worth keeping? Have people become too accepting? Is there a way we can have progress and preservation of culture? Are tourists like traffic - all complaining about and simultaneously contributing to the "problem"? Are all people over 60 that stay in hostels crazy?
14. Are some people that travel long-term too bitter? Is it not important to change and evolve no matter what you do?
15. Are there not many things to appreciate about the United States - convenience, secularity, diversity, etc.?
16. Should religion be less dogmatic? Isn't spirituality important? Is atheism an overreaction? Do prophets maybe have a deeper understanding of things which is difficult to translate to others?
17. Does Europe have the focus and not the people? India the people and not the focus? China the focus and the people? The United States neither?
18. Bulgaria, Turkey, and Romania? The Lira, the Leva, and the Lei? Quick, match them up!
19. Is Ian Paice of Deep Purple the best drummer of all time?

Okay, enough shenanigans, from here in Brasov, I make my way to Sibiu, Sighisoara, Cluj Napoca (or just "Cluj" if again, you wanna be hip), Budapest (where I'm meeting my friend Claudine - yay!), Vienna (yes, I added this as I met a few people along the way that live there), and then down into Italy. I just booked my ticket from Rome to JFK. I leave Europe on December 14th and will be in New Jersey until shortly after the New Year (at which point I plan to return to SFO). New Year's in NYC anyone? Please get in touch if you wanna join me there or in Italy. C'mon dude, Italy!!! I-Ta-Liiiii!!!

I'm not sure if I'll get to do another blog entry before I return to the States but we'll see. Regardless, I plan to let you guys know what's up........eventually. Yes, you'll hear all about Vlad the Impaler, stray dogs in Bucharest, and kitschy signs in Brasov.

Until then, ciao bella!

b

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