Your Coup Cannot Destroy My Turkey

While I have not experienced a lot of conflict in my life/travels nor am I stranger to it. I was evacuated from Belgrade in February 2008 when, as a result of the US's recognition of Kosovo's independence a group of people tried to burn down the US embassy. I was in Kabul in December 2011 for the Ashura suicide bombing. I have been in Istanbul for more than three years now and lived through Gezi and the summer of tear gas, both Sultanahmet suicide bombings, the suicide bombing on Istiklal-a seven minute walk from my apartment-the attack on the Ataturk International Airport, and a variety of protests. However the July 15 coup attempt was my first coup.

After Friday night, which was the most terrifying experience of my life-surpassing even that time I thought I was going to die on the Great Wall of China-I don't know why people would choose to go to an air show. Well, really even before Friday I couldn't understand that, but hearing the screams of the F16 and the resultant sonic booms many of thought were bombs I don't know why someone would willing want to listen to that. The next morning many discussions on Facebook groups and from my friends were about leaving Turkey. This coup, be it a real attempt or Erdogan theater (which I think more likely), this was the straw that broke the camel's back for many people. However when people ask me if I plan to leave I just look at them quizzically and say "No. Why would I do that?"

To be fair to the discussion, I am planning to leave Turkey. I decided this last fall when I realized that I want to be a sommelier and do my training in Italy; but this failed coup attempt will neither push me out faster nor will it change the fact that I'll probably be back. Why not? Because this, this country of coups, failing democracy, violence, and a willful retreat into the dark ages is not my Turkey.

The Bosphorus and the Seraglio Point from Galatasaray

Kiz Kulesi/Maiden's Tower

My Turkey is beautiful. It's where I can be awed time and again by the magic of the Bosphorus and the iconic images of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. It's where you can cruise the Bosphorus to watch for dolphins and appreciate the beautiful, elaborate palaces and architecture along this ancient waterway.

Mount Nemrut

Celsus Library at Ephesus

It is timeless and melds cultures from across history. The Ottoman Empire, which ended not even 100 years ago (in 1922 to be exact) encompassed a vast array of peoples and cultures which is part of what made the modern Turkish nation so great-whether or not anyone wants to remember that. Turkey is home to some of the world's most amazing Greco/Roman ruins including Ephesus, the best preserved Greco-Roman ruins in the Aegean as well as empires like the Selcuks who fell to the Romans even before Ephesus was standing.

Hagia Sophia

Chora Church

My Turkey was the cradle of Christianity. There are over 100 churches in Istanbul alone. Granted many have been converted to mosques and/or museums but they're still standing; including the Hagia Sophia-one of the oldest churches in the world. Across the Marmara Sea is the city of Iznik, famous not just for its beautiful blue and white tiles but for once being Nicea where the fathers of the Eastern and Western Christian churches met and formalized the faith. If you fly into Izmir to visit Ephesus you're actually flying into the ancient Biblical city of Smyrna and while you're in Ephesus you can visit nearby Meryamana-the house where the Mother of God lived with Saint John before her assumption. You can visit cave churches of early Christians around the country, most famously in Cappadocia or, if you really like to walk, follow the path of Saint Paul across the country.

It is the home to some of of the most beautiful and mysterious natural land formations like the limestone travertines of Pamukkale which gleam like snow under the sun and the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. Turkey is where tulips were first mass grown and in fact introduced the flower to the Dutch. While the Dutch now surpass them in tulip production, Turkey is still one of the world's top tulip growers, holds a tulip festival every year that blankets the city in color, and incorporates the flower in many of its most traditional motifs.

My Turkey is friendly and hospitable. It's where within five minutes of arriving at your family-run cave hotel in Cappadocia you're holding the baby and are part of the family. It's where that family goes out of its way to make sure you get a booking for the hot air balloons despite the atrocious weather because its your little brother's first trip abroad and he has to have this experience; and where airport ticket agents try hard to get you an exit row seat because that same "little" brother is 6'7". It's where the guys at your favorite bufe go the extra mile and make your orange juice fancy because its your birthday and where shops and cafes you regularly frequent go out of their way to remember your order or provide extra special service.

Cat at Ephesus

Language school cat, Aslan

My Sherlock

My Turkey is also where that hospitality extends to animals and where people care for stray animals, especially cats, in a way I have never seen anywhere else. It's where tram drivers stop packed trains so cats can cross the tracks, where many of the local governments provide funding so street cats can receive free care, where people build shelters and leave out water and food for the cats. It's where cats are welcome in (and often cared for exclusively by) shops, cafes, museums, and historical sites. Turkey is also where I met my Sherlock who is naughty and spoiled but seeks shelter near me when the world is falling down around us and is possibly the love of my life.

 

This is where I have met amazing people, both Turkish and other foreigners. They have helped me apartment hunt, translated/interpreted for me before I learned the language, opened their homes to me, encouraged my studies in wine, and readily welcomed me into their groups in a way I never experienced in the US. I have met people here who not only embrace me as a friend but look after me like I'm family.

My Turkey is where I have had experiences I couldn't have anywhere else. When His Holiness Pope Francis came to Istanbul in 2014 I not only got a ticket to the Mass, thanks to my parish priest I also served at the Papal Mass. In 2016 I got to see the same humble, caring parish priest be ordained as Bishop of Istanbul, putting him in charge of one of the oldest Christian parishes in the world. Here I learned Turkish, or you know, learned it well enough to manage my daily life and read book 1 of Harry Potter. I have formally studied eight languages and Turkish is one of the most complicated and difficult ones; the only one in fact that gets more and not less difficult the more you learn. I probably sound like a five-year old when I talk but people are always not only willing to listen to me struggle through sentences but are happy that I'm trying.

This is my Turkey. My Turkey is ancient, beautiful, spiritual, colorful, brave, hospitable, cultured, exciting, and magical. Yes there is a terrible and dark core eating away it and it may be systematically destroyed by its own government and people but the vision and memories I have of this magnificent country cannot be destroyed no matter how many (fake) coups happen or what terror the government rains down on its own citizens. This is my Turkey, and this is how I will remember it always.

Photowalk: Edirnekapi to Ayvansaray

Outside of providing a distraction from work, Facebook really is sometimes quite useful. There's a group here in Istanbul run by a local guy who takes people on photo walks every other Sunday. Usually I don't like to do anything on Sunday-it's reserved for post church laziness-but I joined the most recent and am so glad I did.

Yas does these walks for people like me-foreigners who aren't tourists but who want to explore parts of the city that are less frequented. This walk I joined started in Edirnekapi and made a meandering path to Ayvansaray-near Balat. Along the way we stopped at several points of interest with Yas providing interesting details, history, and background.

Mihrimah Sultan Camii

We walked for a while along the old city wall. You can tell that it's been patched up in some places. In fact it's pretty obvious; so much so that UNESCO told Turkey to knock it off or lose the wall's protected status. Some parts are not repaired though and when we got to the Mihrimah Sultan mosque I gave up the chance for the view into the mosque complex and over several of Istanbul's hills because I was not doing those "stairs". Uh huh.

Terrifying stairs aside, the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque was my favorite stop. It is an imperial mosque (i.e. commissioned by a sultan) and sits on the sixth of Istanbul's seven hills. The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque is a feat of mathematics and engineering. The arches that support the large center dome shouldn't be able to do so, and yet they do. The vast number of windows cut into each arch weaken the structure but despite this the mosque has been standing since the 1560s.

The windows are not just windows either. The majority are filled with beautiful stained glass that let in both light and color. It's breathtaking.

Edirne Gate

After leaving the mosque we headed back to the wall nearby and passed through the Edirnekapi (Edirne Gate). So-called because if you walk a straight line from the gate, not that that's possible anymore, you will reach the Turkish city of Edirne which was once upon a time the second capitol of the Ottoman Empire.

Kariye City Park

After leaving the Edirnekapi we walked further along the wall until we came to the Kariye Muzesi, also known as the Chora Church, my favorite museum in Istanbul. We went first to a lovely park I had no idea was behind the church then circled back around the front. I don't think Yas intended to stop but quite a few in the group hadn't yet been to the museum so we stopped for them. While it used to be one of the cheaper museum tickets at 15TL, the Kariye entrance fee has recently doubled. Luckily if you're a citizen, resident, or student in Turkey you can get the magical Museum Card which, for 50TL a year, allows you unfettered access to all the museums and sites in Turkey controlled by the Ministry of Culture.

Palace Center

Our next stop was the ruins of what was one of the imperial palaces. There's barely anything left and what is there has been so remodeled as to barely be recognizable. In addition to the very modern windows that have been put in, there's also a French balcony that makes no sense architecturally nor historically, and a door that opens to no where. Apparently it's to be made into some sort of cultural center.

Door to nowhere

When we weren't stopping for mathematically-defying mosques or ancient ruins were wandering the streets in the neighborhoods between Edirnekapi and Ayvansaray. Living where I do it's easy to forget what "real" Istanbul looks like. The narrow streets were lined with all sorts of homes, some if great repair, some not so much; some concrete apartment blocks, some traditional gems made from wood.

This enclosed balcony is called a 'cumba'

We stopped for a rest and tea break at the Molla Aşkı Teras Cafe which not only has a special tea blend with something like 40 spices, but also has an amazing view. While I may never attempt to hike up to the cafe (we walked down), I think it would be worth it. Worth it for the view and a tea-the food looked questionable so eat elsewhere.

Cemetery at dervish house

Dervish House

Our last stop was a renovated dervish house that is now a mosque. It also had an incredible view over the city and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the calm mosque and small cemetery over the bustling city below.

In the end it was a lot of walking on a warm day and I was exhausted after. However Yas was a great guide, it was a fun group of people, and I got to see parts of the city that I've never visited. I will be signing up for Yas's next walk!

The Duomo of Florence

The best place to start a tour of Florence is the Duomo. For one thing, it sits pretty much in the center of things and so it makes a great point of reference. While I've never found the interior to be very impressive, the exterior is undeniably stunning.

'Duomo' is the Italian word for cathedral. The actual name of the Duomo is Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the flowers) and was built between 1294 and 1436. The exterior is paneled in green, pink, and white marble. It wasn't until 1887 that the facade we see, dedicated to the Mother of Christ, was done. I this the only other building I've photographed as much was St. Vitus in Prague. Some might say that the exterior of the Duomo is extravagant and over done but I have to go with 'spectacular'.

We were in Florence over a weekend which meant I needed to go to Mass. And if you have to go to Mass in Florence you might as well go to the Duomo! Especially when you're like me and think all Masses should still be in Latin and you know that the Duomo has a Latin Mass at 10:30 on Sundays. It was so nice to hear that again. I can count on one hand the number of things I miss about DC but Latin Mass at St. Matthew's is one of them. In Istanbul I semi confidently follow Mass in Italian and, weirdly, stumble through Mass when it's in English. I haven't regularly, or purposefully, attended English language Mass in 12 years. Also I take linguistic exception to some of the new translations.

 

As with St. Peter's you can buy a ticket to visit the dome, which L and I didn't do. Stairs. A shame as I'm sure the view of the city would be amazing. Frankly though every time we passed the Duomo I was stunned all over by the exterior and couldn't even contemplate the view.

I feel like even if I hadn't seen anything else while in Florence the time I got to spend admiring this amazing building would still have made it worth the trip. L said that it "kicks the ass of Milan's Duomo". I've never been to Milan so I'll have to take her word on that; but it really rather does kick the ass out of the majority of churches I've seen I rather suspect she's right.