The Gülhane B-Roll and a New Hamam Experience

My previous post about the Lale Festival pretty much covered everything I know or frankly care about tulips. But I have more pictures to share! So here's a completely unrelated hamam story.

As mentioned previously, there is no gas in my building this week. As part of the building renovation all the pipes are being replaced. Which really makes me wonder why someone went to all the trouble of repainting the stairwell walls already because now said walls and fresh paint are covered in scorch marks and drill holes. It wasn't that good of a paint job to begin with but now...

Anyway, no gas means no hot water which means no showering. I could handle it if the water came out tepid but it's fracking ice cold. And to illustrate the vagaries of an Istanbul spring...it hailed today. A couple times. So I'm not ready for ice cold showers. This is a perfect excuse to go to a hamam. Normally I go to Çemberlitaş Hamamı but last night I went with E to a place both closer to home and cheaper. It wasn't horrible but I'll stick with Çemberlitaş Hamamı.

Ağa Hamamı is a mixed hamam so the relaxing and hot stone areas are common space. Bathing suits are recommended but I believe the hamam keeps spare bikinis on hand if you don't have one. Men (wrapped in a towel) are bathed in the common area but there is a small (space for only two) side room where women are bathed in "private". Although leaving the door open is rather counterproductive. I wore my one-piece suit which was fine in the common room but the woman who bathed me stripped it off completely. And since my marble slab was the one in front of the door I really rather did want the door closed. However while it wasn't exactly as private as advertised it was a pretty good scrub.

Next, wrapped in about 3 different towels (one of which the bath attendant tied around my head making me look somewhat Bedouin) we were "invited" to relax with some apple tea in the common area/entry way. It's a lovely entry way but it is still an entryway and towels do not clothes make. I would rather have gone straight into the massage but they seemed pretty insistent that we relax first.

When we finally got to the massage...I wouldn't have minded skipping it actually. My what was supposed to be 30 minute massage felt like it was over almost as soon as it started. Which, considering it consisted largely of just having oil rubbed on me versus and actual massage and that it was on the most uncomfortable table. Which was not only uncomfortable but about four inches too short. And once again privacy did not seem to be a big priority. I had to ask that sh close the door fully because, for a hamam that really seems to like to cover you with as many towels as possible (I left the massage with three new ones) she didn't cover me with anything while I was actually on the table. And the oil they use...I'm sure it was supposed to smell floral but I was picking up essence of Hubba Bubba.

This hamam does not have a shower for post oil massage cleaning. They do allow you back in the hamam/hot stone area unlike some other hamams but it is somewhat difficult to bathe if you have to put a swim suit back on. Ağa Hamamı does not provide soap or anything either which is the one thing both E and I neglected to bring. She forgot hers and I just didn't think to bring any since my regular hamam provides things like that.

We got more towels again after our ineffectual bath.

I'm not saying Ağa Hamamı is bad. It's a pretty decent deal at 90TL (50TL sans massage) an it's great if you want to experience a hamam as a couple or family. But I'm pretty sure that I will continue to trek the 40 minute walk to Çemberlitaş Hamamı where, for 60TL extra, I get (I think) much nicer service. Plus the ladies there mostly remember me and I get to jump queues if it's busy! And I don't leave smelling like Bazooka Joe.

PS-the hyacinth at the park smelled glorious. Far far better than did the massage oil.

Lale Festivalı Gülhane Parkı

Spring is here! Sort of anyway. We have had some truly gorgeous days in the last week. Of course this week the temperature dropped 5C, it's overcast, and rainy...but Spring is undeniably here. While the weather might be a bit crap this week, everywhere you look in Istanbul you can see the proof of Spring...tulips.

The tulip is the flower in Turkey. It graces carpets, fabrics, ceramics, jewelry, building facades, fences, and of course gardens, boulevards, highways, parks, and every limited green space this city has during the months of April and May when the official Tulip Festival is on. Turkey is very proud if the tulip and while the Netherlands may lead the world in production (and possibly Kenya in the number two spot) Turkey is responsible for introducing the tulip to Europe.

In the 1500's after the tulip came to Turkey via Central Asia, Sultan Suleyman gifted the King of Holland with some tulip bulbs. After that the tulip trade exploded and bulbs could be worth more than houses. Men spent their life savings to buy just one bulb.

Luckily the price has dropped over the years. However if you don't have a green thumb and have no wish for a tulip of your very own, in Istanbul there are many places to enjoy them. One of the most accessible places is Gülhane Parkı which has its very own tram stop near touristy Sultanahmet. Tulips of nearly every shade and type are planted here in anticipation of the annual festival every April. Gülhane Parkı is also home to a lovely tea garden where you can refresh yourself while enjoying a view of the Bosphorus.

 

I cannot wait for Spring to decide that it's going to be here and stay here. I want to use my terrace again! Last Saturday was gorgeous here and I laid in the hammock with Sherlock and read for a few hours. Of course by the time the weather is warm enough to spend time on the roof the renovation team, which has been working since the Autumn, will probably finally get around to working on my terrace rendering it unusable for, I'm guessing, two weeks. They're replacing the building's gas pipes this week which means no hot water and no cooking. Luckily I live in a land of delivery and hamams.

It will be worth being banned from the terrace for a week or two though when they're finished. The roof is being sealed which should stop the ceiling from leaking when it rains. Drains are being put in which means the paint in the ceiling of the bathroom should stop rotting and peeling off. AND they're apparently putting down tile on the terrace so I'll have real flooring up there instead of the rough, dirty, what ever the heck is up there now. Then all I have to do is get the apartment managers/owner to agree to replace the warped and falling apart furniture and I will have a palace with view. Until next year when I'll likely have to look for a new place because I won't be able to afford this one.

Gülhane Parkı has more than just tulips! We'll have a look at those when we do the B-Roll.

Fondant, Gum Paste, and SUGAR!

Today, I went to the 25th anniversary East Anglian Sugarcraft Exhibition, with some of my friends here in England. It was a bit on a whim, as we happened to catch a sign while driving last night, and decided that we would check it out today. What a great idea! 

The entry was a little expensive if you ask me, at five GBP, but in the end, the exhibition was quite surprising, and the craftsmanship was pretty incredible. Apparently, in the last 30 years, sugarcraft has become quite popular in England, and there are many people who take part in this art. As soon as we arrived surrounded by a sea of fondants, royal icing, and gum paste, and mostly just sugar. Andrea would have been in cake decorating heaven. 

One of the first things I saw was this painting on marzipan. I can not believe the level of detail here, and that this was painted with cocoa!

I was beginning to feel pretty hungry looking at these tea cakes. Can you believe that all of this is sugar?!

Each of the druplets on these blackberries are rolled and painted by hand! 

Yes, these carnations are completely made of sugar.

I loved how glassy these flowers looked. The woman at the club table told me they were made with some sort of sugar snowflake. 

I just loved the detail on this one. Beautiful!

This cat mask was really cute, and it looked so satiny!

This club entry was my hands-down favorite. It was called, "The Bearlyweds." There was so much to look at here, and each detail was so well done. I went back several times to keep looking. Check out the following photos of some of the details below:

Church Clock Tower:  Note the detail of the stones and bricks...

Oaxaca City

So I make this joke about having been to Mexico three times but never actually having been to Mexico. My three previous trips, while lovely and fun, were on (the same) resort outside Cancun. All I ever saw was the resort and the very long road between it and the airport. However thanks to my job I can no longer say that.

I just returned from a great trip to Oaxaca, which is so Mexican that the majority of people there speak Spanish as a second language and an indigenous language first. I loved it. I wasn't able to travel around the state but stayed in Oaxaca City.  Fascinatingly enough, the entire city is a World Heritage Site; and you can see why.

You can't help but be charmed by the city and all the color!

 Are balloons really that good a business? I used to see this in Serbia a lot too.

 This street is kept free of traffic for pedestrians. Mostly it's lined with shops and restaurants as you would expect on a pedestrian street.

 Color! DC may have some great architecture (even if copied from styles developed elsewhere) but it definitely lacks in color.

The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption

(and more balloons)

I don't know the name of this church but there was also a large church just to the left of the frame...my kingdom for a wide angle lens!

Also yes, those kids are walking on stilts.

I have no idea why.

Taxis are super cheap but it's quite a waling friendly city. I often took a cab to the office in the morning but usually walked back in the evening. The central city area is quite easy to get around in and you quickly are familiar with everything and find your way around.

Oaxaca by night is just as beautiful!

 

 

The city deserves the World Heritage title not just for how lovely it is, but also because it preserves a lot of its culture and, well, heritage.

 

 These are called alebrije, carved, brightly painted wooden figures. I was kind of tempted by the praying mantis and wanted it for my office.

I think the pictures below might be people in the traditional Zapotec costume (please someone let me know if I'm wrong). Zaptoecs, at 31% of the total indigenous population in Oaxaca are the largest of the indigenous peoples.

 

 

Unfortunately I arrived just at the beginning of the rainy season (which is why the sky in most of my pictures is kind of crap). The downside was that it would start raining in the early afternoon and often not stop; but the mornings were brightly sunny and the rain kept the temperature down.

The Zocalo, or main plaza, was a great place to pass time sitting in one of the many cafes, shopping from street vendors selling everything from clothes to hammocks, listening to the band that played occasionally in the gazebo, and have fun people watching!

Staying dry under umbrellas in a cafe around the Zocalo.

And not too fussed about the rain when there are Coronas (that cost about $1.10) and pina coladas!

And speaking of food, while I greatly enjoyed the moles and other real Mexican dishes, I was very excited to try the local specialty, chapurinas; or, in English, grasshoppers. Chapurinas come in all sizes and flavors although I was warned that the smaller ones are better. Not for any particular taste reason, because the taste depends entirely on how they're prepared, but because there's more a danger with the large ones of getting legs caught in your teeth!

I didn't eat the whole bag but I have to say that they weren't nearly as creepy to eat as I thought they might be. And they tasted pretty good. Spicy and kind of chewy/crunchy.

While in Oaxaca I stayed at a hotel in the city center call Las Golondrinas. Lovely hotel, comfortable enough rooms, great breakfast menu, really inexpensive ($50/night for a room with a double bed), and the most amazing garden! Every morning at breakfast, which is in the garden, I was surrounded by a veritable jungle of flowers.

If you stay at Las Golondrinas though beware...cash only. I didn't pay attention to that and was unprepared. I would definitely like to return to Oaxaca sometime for a holiday. Since I was working I was unable to go out of the city to the nearby pyramids, Monte Alban, or visit any of the beaches along the state's coast.