Lale Aran

When I was a freshman at the university a class mate asked me if I would accompany her to exams of the "Guiding School". She told me that her father would not let her go alone in case she was admitted as these classes were scheduled after 6:00pm and...

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Istanbul Off The Tourist Track, Side Trip to Asia

There are many benefits of staying in a city more than couple of days. It enables you to go behind the tourist scene to discover the living city, see the inhabitants in their daily routine, and be a temporary local. With a population over 5 million people, Asian part of the city hardly is “off the beaten path”, but definitely “off the tourist track”.  As a traveler with a never ending curiousity, in my travels, I have always wanted to see to where people live, what they eat, learn how they socialize, what meeting in a café means for them, music they listen, food they eat... It a philosophy we professionally embrace as well, we don’t miss a chance to provide it to our travelers.

Arriving in Asia by ferry. The most pleasant intercontinental trip!

The Rick Steves Istanbul tour spends a whole week in Istanbul and participants enjoy a side trip to Asian side of the city. Like an Istanbulite, the Rick Steves Istanbul tour members mix the crowd in the produce market, taste goodies, sip coffee, window shop, chat with vendors, and eat in the modest restaurant of an award winning chef well know for serving a great variety of Asia Minor dishes, those including food from south east Turkey which is upper Mesopotamia.

 Rick Steves Istanbul group members at the heart of the produce market.

After a delicious family style lunch with the Chef. Hand gesture of putting all your fingers together and shaking your hand back and forth means delicious. I think same gesture has a different meaning in Italy. It is so much fun about learning different cultures and experiencing them right on the spot.

At the end of the day, tour members take public transportation back to their hotel, which is a commuter ferry crossing the Bosphorus strait. As the sun sets behind the famous historic skyline of Istanbul ferry docks in the Old Town. Lale Surmen Aran PS: Scroll down for more photos and explanations. If you are patient till the end, you can watch Rick Steves Istanbul tour participants in action, shopping in the produce market.

A statue of Ataturk welcome you in Kadıköy in Asia. Especially female guides in our team like to do a group photo by this statue, because if it was not for him and his reforms beyond the age he lived in, women of Turkey could be wearing burkas. One smart man once told, Turkish nation you owe Atatürk to Allah, and owe everything else to Ataturk.

Take a look at a newspaper stand to see how different the lay out of our papers and the colored photos.

In major ferry docks and public transportation hubs it is common to see flower stands. Most street flowerists in Istanbul are Roma, they are Turkish citizens.

Locals in their daily lifes.

There is always a great variety in Istanbul produce markets, fruits, vegetables, sea food, pre owned books, olive and cheese shops, gourmet deli’s, …

Two most popular street food. Turkish bagel called simit and the grilled chestnuts.

Join the Rick Steves Istanbul group as they shop in the produce market.

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National Sovereignty and Children's Day

95 years ago, on April 23, 1920 first Turkish Grand National Assembly opened in Ankara.

This was a big deal for a people who had been subjects to the Ottoman Dynasty for 600 years and who walked out of the WWI as the defeated sick man of Europe.

Bright days were ahead. After a 3 year War of Independence, peace treaties were signed and Turkish Republic was established in October 29, 1923.

Ataturk, founder of our nation, entrusted the future of the new republic to children. Upon his proposal, the Turkish Grand National Assembly decreed April 23 as a national holiday dedicated to children. Turkey became the first country in the world that celebrates an official Children’s Day.

On April 23 of 2015, parents of all children at my son’s school gathered to celebrate this event. We crowded the seats of the theatre as our children took stage, sang songs, and performed dance theatres.

Our American friends, travelers of Rick Steves’ Turkey and Istanbul groups joined the nation in this special day.

Rick Steves Istanbul group with guide Mine Karahan Taner is in front of the Ataturk statue on Asian side of Bosphorus. This statue depicts Ataturk as a teacher, it honors him as the first teacher. At the early years of the republic, Ataturk and the Grand National Assembly made several reforms, a major one was the adoption of the Latin alphabet.

Following is a short and very very amateur video of recordings I took with my smart phone. I hope you can forgive the clumsiness of the production and be able to enjoy the spirit.

Lale Surmen Aran

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Bosphorus Cruise

A visit in Istanbul is not complete without a cruise on the Bosphorus!

Asia and Europe connected with the Bosphorus bridge.

This is a top level experience and it is the best way to appreciate the massive size and scale of 15-million- strong Istanbul, and a convenient way to see many of its outlying landmarks.

In the week long Rick Steves Istanbul tour, we charter a private vessel to enjoy both banks of the Bosphorus in a pleasant pace. The vessel has ample space to spread out, between two decks, an in doors deck completely windowed an all sides and an out doors deck which is excellent to enjoy the breeze of the Bosphorus and taking wonderful photos.

Our boat

The lower deck of the huge vessel

This cruise gives everyone a chance to sit, relax and watch a great city while listening to the narration of the guide. Sort of like a slow paced double-decker hop on hop off bus experience, without hopping off!

Guide, Yaren Turkoglu in action, explaining about the Bosphorus at the officer’s deck!

Enjoying the upper open deck on our private vessel. Domes and minarets of the historic Istanbul are at the back drop.

Bosphorus is a strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. It is 19 miles long and curves like a snake as it connects the Black Sea in the north with the Sea of Marmara and eventually the Mediterannean in further south.

Bosphorus is not a river, it is salty sea water.

Rick Steves Istanbul tour members enjoying the cruise.

During a cruise on this strait, on the European shores you can see Ottoman imperial palaces, and water front mansions of the royal family members. On the Asian shores, you can see the mansions that were built by wealthy traders and high ranked officers of the government and the army. 

To generalize, we can say European shore was royal, and Asian shore was aristocratic.

Two wonders on the European coastline, the suspension bridge from 1970’s and an eclectic style Ottoman mosque from 1853.

Historic mansions on the water. These valuable homes have a special name, they are called “yalı” (pronounced as yuh-luh)

Istanbul’s various districts line up along the bays, and the coastline is peppered with cute neighborhoods. Many of these areas, once separate communities, have been incorporated into Istanbul as the town has sprawled every direction over the past several decades. Today Istanbul extends pretty much all the way upto the Black Sea. But a few neighborhoods in the north retain a village like quality, where men still fish for a living.

High life on the Bosphorus!

A mosque on the water. Mosques don’t have to have a set plan and look, this one is a small single floor structure with a single minaret.

Bosphorus is not only a nice body of water for Istanbulites, it is a major highway for both public and international transportation. This was a factor why Constantine chose it as the new capital of the Roman Empire. On ferries buzzing between coasts of the Bosphorus over two million people commute each day.

Navigation through the strait can be extremely difficult due to it’s narrow width (just over half a mile at the narrowest point), sharp turns, tricky currents, huge tankers and cruise ships that ply it’s waters. Powerful currents are mainly due to different salination levels of the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara and Black Sea emptying into the Mediterranean. Clever ancient mariners figure this out; they lowered weighted baskets on lines down to the water to catch the lower current in order to pull their boats northward.

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Avisit abroad ends with a real Turkey at home

Dear Travelers,Article below was published in Miami Herald. Author participated to one of our tours in March 2015. It is about Turkey and travel to Turkey.Happy Travels!

Ibrahim, a 10-year-old Syrian boy and war refugee, shows off his prized bicycle to American tourists visiting Konya, Turkey. FABIOLA SANTIAGO THE MIAMI HERALD

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article17042189.html#storylink=cpy

Oh, to come home to the small minds running the international-arrivals show.

For a moment after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer shouted at me — “Turkey! What the hell were you doing in Turkey?” — I thought I was hallucinating.

I had just spent 14 hours in tightly packed airplanes with no sleep, had navigated two airports in languages I don’t speak, traveled through several time zones, and dealt with a confusing springtime change while making an Istanbul-Frankfurt connection at dawn.

I had been through more metal detectors than I can count in one hand, cursing my penchant for overpacking and adding to the clutter on the road with fanatical book and memento shopping. I was nursing a nasty cold — and then, there had been my seatmate, an 8-year-old German boy on holiday. Before landing at Miami International Airport in the cramped economy-class cabin of the mother of all planes, the Airbus 380, I had endured 10 hours next to this adorable creature, who kicked or elbowed me awake every time I fell asleep.

The dazed look on my face should have inspired mercy. But my lack of reaction to the officer’s agitation at one word in my declarations form — Turkey! — only encouraged this dedicated employee of the federal government to barrel through my rights as an American citizen to travel where I choose.

He had no interest in my jasmine tea, my Ottoman-style vase, or how many liras I spent. The safety and lawfulness of the contents of my bags — his real job at the last check point — weren’t on his mind. He cared not that I had already passed through passport control and had answered similar but polite inquiries about why I had visited Turkey.

His only concern was berating me for my choice of travel destination.

“Tell me, what were you thinking going to Turkey? It’s full of ISIS, ISIS! They’re everywhere, everywhere! ISIS!”

I was fully awake now.

“I didn’t see any,” I managed to say, as emotionless as I could and all too conscious of the “EXIT” sign — my reward for good behavior — hovering in the short distance above his head.

It didn’t matter; this guy wanted some action.

“Well, they’re there. What were you doing there?”

“Vacation.”

“Who goes to Turkey on vacation?”

The word “ignoramous” came to mind. The U.S. Constitution came to mind. The psychiatry of growing up with the constant presence of the boogie man across the Florida Straits who refuses to die came to mind.

Why wouldn’t I want to go to one of the world’s most fascinating countries — a transitional place for East and West, home to some of the most splendidly preserved relics of ancient civilizations, a beautiful place of other-worldly landscapes surrounded by stunning seas?

No, I didn’t run into ISIS. But I did meet Ibrahim, a 10-year-old Syrian boy who rode up to our tour group on his old bike as we strolled the lively storefronts of Konya one morning. In this conservative town, the 13thcentury home of the philosopher Mevlana Rumi, he and his parents have found refuge from the war. He took us to the fish market, where the men who run it keep an eye on him while his parents work.

No, I didn’t run into ISIS, but I did learn that Turkey is more like the United States than the Customs officer imagines it to be because, as our guide put it, “Turkey is where everyone flees to,” and it is far more prosperous than I ever knew. I saw lots of public works and investments in infrastructure, from new tramways to a hospital that offers free state-sponsored healthcare — not in a seedy, throwaway part of town but on a clifftop with the best views in the port city of Kuşadasi.

No, I didn’t run into ISIS, but I did commune with the ghosts of the Romans and Greeks at the ancient grounds of Aphrodisias, an extraordinary live archaeological site still being explored and excavated by experts from New York University, and at the ruins of Hierapolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site at Pamukkale. And I broke bread with generous ordinary people, like the small-town imam who answered our questions about Islam, and the widow who opened her home to us, cooked a typical Anatolian meal, and told us her life story, no holds barred.

And should I also mention that the food was splendid, flavorful — and fresh? In Turkey, there’s no trendy and overpriced farm-to-table movement. Shopping at a farmer’s market for every meal is a way of life.

“Who the hell goes to Turkey on vacation?”

“Me,” I finally answered the brute, coughing as heartily as my body desired.

I figured a mandatory test for Ebola would come next.

But this fine specimen of a guardian of our borders finally filed away my form and waved me out.

“Welcome home, Fabiola,” I mumbled as I finally made it into the light of the Magic City, feeling a little less free.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article17042189.html#storylink=cpy

[lalearan-blog]

Happy Easter & Meeting the Patriarch

Happy Easter & Meeting the Patriarch

Diverse week long Rick Steves’ Istanbul tour aims to unfold the history of 3,000 years and the vibrant contemporary life of the city.

Istanbul was Constantinople. It was first the capital of Roman Empire under the name Nea Roma, than the capital of Byzantines as Constantinople and finally the capital of the Ottoman Empire as Istanbul. There is no other city on earth that enjoyed being the capital of three great empires.

The Rick Steves Istanbul tour includes the classic sites of Istanbul, such as the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Bosphorus Cruise, Oriental Bazaars –the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market-, and more; but for me one of the most outstanding features of the tour is one particular city walk, The City Walls and Neighborhoods Walk. This walk is conducted on the 3rd day of the tour and titled as the Byzantine Constantinople in the tour itinerary.

Rick Steves Istanbul group by the 5th century city walls of Constantinople with their guide Yaren.

The core of the Old Town is home to the major historic monuments from Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Everything you can seen today in this area are “huge”, “empiral” and “palatial”, reflecting the glory and wealth of the history.

But, life was not always about empires, monarchs and tricks to hold the power. To be able to unveil the life common folk had and to hold light to the amazingly rich diversity –both historical and contemporary- of Istanbul, we included the city walls walk in the tour.

This colorful walk takes us to the fringes of the historic city, to the City Walls of Constantinople which rank among the most impressive city walls in the world. Built in the 5th century, the 13 mile long wall was an impenetrable fortification for more than 1,000 years.

Than, we visit a tiny, but beautiful church called the Chora Church. This little gem houses the best of the Byzantine mosaics. Every inch in the walls and ceiling of the church has decorations consisting of tiny pieces. Gold depicts the sky, hence dominating all the other colors and the church.

If Hagia Sophia is Notre Dame Church in Paris, Chora Church is St. Chapelle. Less known, but not less valuable.

Interior of the tiny Chora Church and marvelous mosaics. If If Hagia Sophia is Notre Dame Church in Paris, Chora Church is St. Chapelle.

We continue on with the walk, meandering the Turkish, Roma, Jewish, Armenian and Greek neighborhoods. There are still many places of worship serving these communities, we see some during our walk. Colorful farmers’ market of the neighborhood is on of the local experiences we don’t miss.

After walking thru market, we end our walk in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the counterpart of Vatican in Rome.  The Patriarch is the spiritual leader of approximately 300 million Greek Orthodox spread in the world.

St. Gregory’s Church is the Patriarchal Church, it houses many important relics. For the Greek Orthodox, it is a privilege to visit this church, and join a mass, Holy Communion lead by the Patriarch himself.

Rick Steves Istanbul group of March 2015 enjoyed the privilege of meeting with the His Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew while they visited the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

As for those of you reading this and will be in Istanbul during the next two weeks, you can join the Holy Week events hold in various churches at different days.

Different Christian denominations in Istanbul celebrate the Easter and hold a Ressurection service in different days.

The Union Church of Istanbul (a.k.a. the Dutch Chapel) is an interdenominational church and has a diverse congregation, reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of the city. This is also the place for the English speaking visitors, expats and Turkish speaking Protestants and Lutherians.

On April 05, the sunrise service in this church will be at 07:30, there will be two Easter services at 09:30 and 11:00 am. The All Nations Choir will perform during the Easter services. For address and more information about this church and services, visit their web site at: www.ucistanbul.org.

The Ressurection service in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate will be on April 12. You can visit following web page for events and services calendar for the Holy Week: https://www.patriarchate.org/services.

You may also enjoy reading my entry about Christmas in Istanbul, dated February 21 or visit my blog at www.lalearan.com

Happy Easter!

[lalearan-blog]

Cooking Class

Learning about eating habits, traditions and cuisine of a culture is an important element of travel.

For this reason, we modified a city walk of the Rick Steves Istanbul tour and incorporated a culinary experience within. The city tour is conducted with food tasting now. So, our travelers joining this tour are getting a great exposure to different kinds of local food they would not have tasted on own in a restaurant. 

Participants of the Rick Steves Best of Turkey Tour have been expressing interest for a cooking class and learning more about the food. There are several cooking classes in Istanbul, in a wide variety. However, time needed to attend to such a class in Istanbul, combined with travel time in a very crowded city easily takes more than half a day, too much time anyone can dedicate during the tour. 

The Rick Steves Best of Turkey tours stay for 3 nights in a historical village in Cappadocia (Mustafapaşa) during the tour. Quite unusual for a village to have a collage, there is a Vocational Collage housed in the historical madrasah. It has number of departments, and one is the department of Culinary Arts. The head of the department is an award winning idealist chef who dedicated himself in training young people.

Menu of our cooking class

I have been trying to convince him for putting together a cooking class for our tour members. Chef Remzi finally agreed, on the condition that I was his translator for the first of these classes, for the trial session.

So, I flew down from Istanbul to Cappadocia past Friday to assist the cooking class.

Walking up the steps of the Haralambos Soultanides Mansion.

The class was held at the kitchen of the Culinary Arts Depatment, in the historic Haralambos Soultanides mansion from 1892.

This was going to be the first time for the Chef Remzi to teach non-students, and it was going to be my first time translating food and cooking.

Meeting with our chef, Remzi Güçlü

Five tour members understanding that they would be the “ginea pig” bravely sacrificed themselves for a greater good and future travelers.

Putting on our gear!

When we entered the kitchen, the professionalism of the chef and his experience in what he was doing spoke for itself.

There were five stations, one for each participant. They were lined around the endustrial stoves we would be using.

All the ingredients that were to be used were laid on the stations.

Menu and the recipes were neatly printed and waiting for us. Our chef had two of his student assist us.

All working stations were around the stoves

The class started with the Chef Remzi giving a short introductory lecture about the Turkish cuisine. He moved into explaining the materials / food on the stations and what we would cook for the day.

The Chef Remzi demonstrated how to, so we prepared food both by watching and listening to him.

Enjoying a tea break and admiring awards of Chef Remzi.

Plucking the root of the pepper

During the few hours we spent, we prepared and cooked 3 different mezes (appetizers), a soup, main course and delicious desserts. The experience ended with dining under the arches of the school refectory.

Cooking on own

Flambouyant tender lamb!

Mmmm!

Dining in the school refectory

At the end, collectively all of us decided that it was a great experience. And, we hoped the collage board would grant permission for more classes in the future.

Group photo at the lobby of the Haralambos Soultanides Mansion

[lalearan-blog]

Where is the 12th man?

I visit Seattle frequently and I am very aware how much Seattleites love and support their team. As the 12th man, they have a rightful recognition nation wide in USA.

Past January, as Sea Hawks had a big game, as always fans were very excited. At Rick Steves headquarters in Edmonds, WA, we saw some 12th man fans.

Our resident colleagues told us that they were given some by the team so that we can take the 12th man beyond the borders and to interesting parts of the world.

We, Rick Steves Turkey guides, brought one flag to Turkey and took photos in Istanbul and Ephesus. I am not sure if these photos that were shared in social media attracted attention in USA, but I can easily tell the flag attracted much attention in Turkey as we took the photos. People wanted to know what we were doing. It was much fun to talk about the American football, Sea Haws and the 12th man with curious Istanbulites.

However, part of Turkey I truly wanted to photograph the 12th man was Cappadocia. I could only fly down to Cappadocia within the past few days. Following slide show is a short trip of the 12th man thru wonders of this highly interesting region.

12th man might have been to many places around the world so far, but I am pretty sure their flag has never visited Cappadocia before!

Lale Aran

12th man in Cappadocia

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Istanbul, March 2015 - Rick Steves Best of Turkey Tour

Istanbul, March 2015 - Rick Steves Best of Turkey Tour

Join Rick Steves group as they discover Istanbul. All visuals are from mid March in 2015, 

"fresh from the oven"!

[lalearan-blog]

Tour Season Started!

Mid March is a busy time for us in Istanbul. Rick Steves’ tours in Turkey start usually around this time of the year. First of the 2015 Best of Turkey tours started last week and the first Istanbul tour started yesterday.

Both tours have two common components which stand out, that is the location of hotels, they are right at the very heart of the Old Town and a very short walk to major highlights of the city; and the headsets.

One of our hotels for Istanbul, small, traditional and well located.

Cobbled stone street our hotel is located. Small houses all side by side, just it was about a century ago!

We pick small family run hotels, and we make sure they offer the comfort our travelers are looking for. In case of the hotels we use in Istanbul, I especially like

the accommodating staff who knows expectations of our travelers, this make life more pleasant for all of us. I must also mention the view they offer from the breakfast room at their terrace; Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, Islands in the Sea of Marmara and Asia! Yes, that is right, there is the view of another continent from the terrace!  The view is like a wide panorama photo you can look at for a long time.

The view of Bosphorus and Asian continent from our hotel.

When the group assembles for the first time as tour starts, we congregate in this room. This is when participants warm up to one another and their guide. All of our tours start with a brief welcome meeting, both the guide and the participants introduce themselves. Then, the guide lays out basics of the tour and “our style” of touring which is significantly different than the main market tours.  Compared to main market, our tours are like “un-tours”!

Our guide, Yaren, and tour members at the welcome meeting.

Trying the headsets.

Using headset

Headsets are very valuable to have in crowded museums and city squares, however we use them beyond the museums, but for all of the activities, not just in one museum or another, but even when we are enjoying city walks in Istanbul. This enables guide to carry on providing information while walking without stopping for each single item. These small gadgets simply become one of our limbs.

Before we head out for the first activity of the tour, we learn how to use our headsets and try them. Then, we take off to discover Istanbul…

Happy Travels!

During a city walk

[lalearan-blog]

Weekend in Turkey

Travelers ask me about when the weekend in Turkey is. As greater majority of population in Turkey are Muslims, they fairly assume that weekend is Friday, which can be considered Sabbath for Muslims in a “conventional understanding”.

I said in a “conventional understanding”, as in the Holy Quran, source of Islam, Muslims are encouraged to congregate for the noon prayer of Friday, but then they are commanded to disperse right away after it ends to go back to work. This tells us that Friday is not a day off from work, but a day you congregate for a specific prayer.

As a matter of fact, Turkish word for Friday is “Cuma”, a word coming from Arabic (Jumu-ah) meaning gathering. So, it is the prayer that gives it’s name to the day, not visa versa.

In many countries where Islam is the main religion, it is common that Friday is a day off or a half-day off from work.

Not in Turkey, in Turkey Friday is a working day.  Working week in Turkey is from Monday thru Friday.  Weekend days are Saturday and Sunday, like Europe and USA.

The civil ceremony ending the school week on Friday, after the last class of the week. Students are singing the National Anthem.

School system in Turkey is similar to that of in USA. We have both public and private schools in all levels of schooling. There are good and bad ones among both.

At the moment, there is a 4+4+4 system in Turkey; 4 years of primary, 4 years of secondary and 4 years of high school. Compulsory education is 12 years for all citizens since in 2012.

This has been the case since 1926. Prior to this year, Turks under the Ottomans and during the first three years of the Turkish Republic used a Julian (lunar) calendar.

In early years of the Turkish Republic a series of reforms were adopted, they were aimed to make Turkey progress quicker. These are called Ataturk’s Reforms; they were in politics, civil, cultural, legal, social and economic policies that would aid in Turkey’s conversion to a secular and modern state.

Adoption of the Gregorian (solar) calendar; and Saturday and Sunday as the weekend were among these reforms.

All of these crossed my mind in lightning speed when I was walking next to a secondary school yesterday. The civil ceremony ending the school week was going on and I couldn’t help myself, I walked in to the garden of the school to participate, something I had done for 11 years before graduating the high school.

Every Friday, in every school in Turkey, after the last class of the week all students gather in the garden of their school, the headmaster makes a short speech about the week ending and what expects students in the upcoming week.

Than, all together we sing the National Anthem before going home to enjoy the weekend, Saturday and Sunday.

Happy Travels and a Good Weekend!

[lalearan-blog]

Spring is fast approaching and I am anxiously waiting for the tulips to bloom.For about two decades now, city municipality in Istanbul is dedicated to turn Istanbul into a large tulip garden. Starting in mid March till about end of June we see parade of different kinds of tulips, all shapes and colors cheerfully color the streets, parks, public areas.Visitors seeing these tulips immediately say, "tulips from Holland". That moment, my heart sinks and as a guide as start telling the story, after all it is my job. Origin of tulips and the Turks are the same, Central Asia. As Turks immigrated to Asia Minor from the 10th century on, they carried their beloved tulip bulbs with them, planting it in their new homeland. It was not only known as the Turkish flower, but also the holy flower due to it's name. The original name for tulip in Turkish, lale, comes from Persian (Turks went thru what was Persia on their way from Central Asia to Asia Minor), and it is called "laleh". In Arabic "laleh" and Allah are written with exactly same letters making the flower the holy one. This is why in traditional decoration of mosques, it has been the most popular figure.

Tulips in miniature painting and on tiles of the Rustem Paşa Mosque in Istanbul

The first tulipomania of the world was under the Ottomans in Istanbul in the 16th century, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Tulips became the symbol for power and wealth becoming a status symbol. The flower even gave it's name to the period considered to be the zenith of Ottoman wealth, the Tulip Era. The rare bulbs costed fortunes. The Ottomans had strict laws to regulate cultivation and trade of bulbs, they were not permitted to be taken our of the country.

Emirgan Park, north of the city center is the main destination during spring for tulips.

According to the commonly accepted story, a Flemish scientist growing plants for medicinal purposes got a hold of tulip bulbs thru a European ambassador in the Ottoman court and took it to Holland. The story continues saying that this scientist was so selfish that he did not want to share or sell his bulbs and eventually his garden was raided and flowers finally were freed and spread. Weather this was true or not remains unknown, but we know that tulip bulbs started appearing in Europe and giving way to a frenzy soon. Bulbs were so valuable that they were even used as an exchange medium in trade.

The Yellow Pavilion in Emirgan Park, one of the Ottoman mansions serving as a restaurant. Skyscrapers behind the park mark Istanbul's financial district.

After the decline of Ottomans started, growing tulips became last of their worries and this wonderful flower was forgotten in Turkey. Meanwhile, the Dutch were creating miracles in preserving and growing it and cleverly making a huge industry out of it!My interest in tulips is not because the season is approaching, but because it is also my name in Turkish, Lale. Tulips grow best in areas that are cold in the winter and higher elevation, such as their homeland, the Central Asia.

Emirgan Park is the place for newly engaged and wed as a photo op. This photo shows a newly engaged couple, she is wearing a typical dress popularly worn by more conservatives nowadays, hence her hair is covered.

It is delightful to enjoy tulips in Istanbul. Best tulip watching can be done in the historic Emirgan Park north of the city, along the Bosphorus. It is one of the largest public parks of the city with over 100 acres and there are jogging tracks, playgrounds and historical Ottoman mansions serving as cafes and restaurants. Emirgan park is a small scale arboretum, it has over 120 species.

[lalearan-blog]

Dear Reader,

Slower winter months give all of us, guides, a chance to focus on meetings, plans and professional training. Rick Steves annually holds a reunion for tour members, and workshops for guides in January.

Turklish guides in Seattle

During the past January, more than 120 of us from different countries in Europe gathered in Edmonds, WA to celebrate and evaluate the past season and be prepared for the upcoming one. For about two intense weeks we participated in meetings in which we handled different aspects of our work. We also got together with our tour members during reunion parties spread over to two days. Our hard work during the day was awarded at the evening, there were social events almost all nights including a big party at Rick’s house.

Training session

Lale (me) and Rick at radio interview

The big event for us was the cultural experience we were provided with. As we introduce our cultures to travelers as we work, Rick Steves staff decided to provide us with a similar experience. They embellished our visit with a cultural activity, a chance to observe the “tailgating”. On that particular day Seattle’s Sea Hawks had a game with Green Bay Packers. Early in the morning yellow school buses pulled in front of the hotel we stayed at to take us to Seattle.

During the drive, our volunteer guides -Rick Steves staff members- provided us with the cultural background and insight for the American football and tail gating. After a drive thru the city and a stop at the Space Needle, we got off the bus in the city center to walk to the stadium for the party and people watching. We were properly prepared with accessories given to us, blue and green bead necklaces!

Bus snack! Donut with Sea Hawks colors.

Our day proved to be a true NW experience as rain started to pour down. Most of us took shelter in coffee shops, crowded the window front seats to watch the Sea Hawks fans not minding the rain to support their team. 

Socializing with locals!

Honestly, the football game didn’t matter much to me, I am not a big soccer fan in Turkey either, but the chance of sharing that festive time with my colleagues and Seattleites was priceless. It was amazing how much the game helped us bond faster with the new guides and new friends we met in Seattle. I am so glad we got to do it. Eventually, I was happy Sea Hawks won, the glory of the day carried joy for the entire following week, during our meetings:) 

Rick Steves guides in Seattle

Inside our school bus.

Of course, thru all of this we learnt about the famous 12th man of Sea Hawks, the supporters. When Sea Hawks people learnt who we were and what we were doing in Edmonds, they gave some 12th man flags to be passed on to guides so we could take them beyond the borders and share photos! After we returned to Turkey, we posed with the flag in Cappadocia, on the Bosphorus and Ephesus. We still have the flag and we will keep taking the 12th man flag to tours with us. Enjoy the 12th man photos below, I exercise my guiding skills explaining the locations of photos1.

From now, knowing the value and meaning, I will be on the watch out for similar chances to share with American travelers in Turkey.

Happy Travels to all,

Lale

You see two continents in this photo. Our guides are next to Bosphorus. On the background there is the Bosphorus Bridge and a late Ottoman period mosque. They are all in Europe. The land across the water is the Asian continent. 

12th man in front of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul. This structure is from the 6th century and was the ONLY grand cathedral for about 1000 years until the Reneissance in Europe. Today, it is one of the most popular sights in Istanbul and serves as a museum.

 12th man in Ephesus. At the back is the Roman theatre from 2nd century. It can seat about 25,000 people! St. Paul wanted to peach Christianity from this theatre, he couldn't and had to run away, thus he ended writing "Letters to Ephesians".

12th man hanging onto the basket of a hot air balloon in Cappadocia!

[lalearan-blog]

Dear Readers,

I recently returned from our annual trip to Edmonds, WA. 

The main purpose of this trip for us was to attend the annual Rick Steves guide workshops, Rick Steves Travel Reunion and do public presentations and slide shows. 

Following each public event there was a Q&A session when travelers could ask us specific questions. As public events are held in Edmonds, WA, most of the participants were also from NE Pacific. One of the common questions I was asked was the best way to fly from Seattle to Istanbul. 

“Best” is a relative term. Based on my personal experience flying in this destination for about 20 years, I grouped what I think in the chart below. 

All airlines providing the flight with 1 stop

Fastest

Cheapest

Most Comfortable

Best Food

United Airlines

Delta

Turkish Airlines

Air Canada

Lufthansa

KLM

Air France

British Airways

* United and Turkish Airlines also have direct flights from some US cities to Istanbul.

Combination of Lufthansa+Turkish Airlines via Frankfurt

British Airways via London

AirCanada via Toronto

Combination of Delta+KLM via Amsterdam

Lufthansa via Frankfurt

Air France via Paris

KLM via Amsterdam

Air France via Paris

British Airways via London

Combination of Delta+KLM via Amsterdam

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Air France

Travelers with miles on United and Air Canada can use them on Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa as all are members of Star Alliance network. 

You can get cheaper tickets thru some online booking agents, such as www.farebuzz.com. But, if it is too good to be true, it usually is. Most of online platforms don’t provide flexibility and only sell non refundable tickets. They don't allow any changes, even if you are willing to pay the penalty. Read fine print very carefully before you conclude a purchase. Otherwise, your cheap ticket can turn out to be the most expensive if you need to cancel and / or change. 

If you are 100% sure your flight itinerary will remain the same, than Farebuzz or similar platforms are good, especially for business class as you may find deals as cheap as 40%. 

A seasoned travel agent can work with you to find the best combination of airlines. They will match your criteria and they usually work for you in case you need to change or cancel. 

Turkish Airlines and United Airlines conveniently have direct flights to Istanbul from JFK in New York. Turkish Airlines offer more options with direct flights from LA, Chicago, Huston, Boston and Washington DC. You can easily transfer onto a Turkish Airlines flight from one of these airports. 

In the past decade, Turkish Airlines have upgraded dramatically and it is being chosen as one of the top 10 airlines of the world consistently for the past 5 years (World Airline Awards), and food served on both the economy and business cabins are considered to be among the best. 

Photos taken during my return flight from NYC to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines

standard amenities on economy cabin

menü and the service area 

Happy Travels!

Lale (Surmen) Aran

[lalearan-blog]

The Epiphany in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Blessing of the Waters

Dear Readers,Istanbul is a very colorful mosaic, while majority of the population define themselves as Muslims, there are also followers of many different denominations of Christianity.Last group celebrating the Christmas are the Apostolic Armenians, A.K.A. Gregorian Armenians. They still celebrate the Christmas on January 6 as it was in the early years of Christianity, before the 3rd century.On the morning of January 06, my first destination was the Turkish Armenian Patriarchal Church in the Old Town. This church is also know as the Church of Mother of God Virgin Mary or Holy Mother of God, depending on who is translating. Armenians of Istanbul simply call it the Church of Mother Mary.

Armenian Patriarchate in Kumkapi

It is interesting to know that the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul was established in 1461 by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II. It is known that there had been a small Armenian population in Constantinople since the 5th century onwards. Though under the Byzantines, they were never allowed to have their own church, because both denominations considered the other heretical.

Plaque on the wall of the Patriarchate

According to a story, Hovakim I, the Armenian Metropolitan of city of Bursa, then the capital city of the Ottomans, prophesied that Mehmet II would conquer Constantinople. When Mehmet II really conquered the city, the Metropolitan was invited to live in Constantinople as the Patriarch of the Ottoman Armenians. From a political point, relocation of Armenians of Anatolia in the city was an act to balance the Greek Orthodox population.Hovakim I was recognized as the religious and secular leader of all the Armenians in the empire, and was titled as “milletbaşı” or ethnarch as well as a patriarch.When I got off the taxi on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, before walking to the church I made a brief stop to check the daily catch in the water front sea food market of Kumkapi. Although it was a cold morning with some snow, the market was busily getting ready for the day. I watched the fishermen proudly lay the “kalkan” on their counters. Kalkan or turbot in English is a delicacy loved by Istanbulites, it is most delicious in winter months.Than walking thru the Kumkapi district famous with it’s sea food restaurants and gypsy musicians, I reached the Church of Mother Mary.

                                      Interior of the church and mass in Armenian

Street the Patriarchate located felt somewhat gloomy, melancholic. I couldn’t decide if it was the grey sky and sprinkling snow or the emptiness. I was expecting to see a rush of people, but it was just a handful of people. Then, I recalled what my Armenian friend had told me, he had told me that they would walk in the church, say a short personal prayer and then leave but not attend the whole mass. It was just as he said. Church was empty. Clergy carried on the mass in an almost empty building, I think all of them resided in the premises. They all had robes, signifying of their status and had slippers on their feet.I stayed about an hour. Before I left, I said a little prayer and lit a candle for my personal Armenian ancestors, for Turkey and for people who lost their lives in tragic events of 1915.

Interior of the church

Following destination was sure to be more festive. It was the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. The Greek Orthodox, such as the other Eastern Churches celebrate Epiphany on January 06 to commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.When I arrived at the historic district of Phanar on the Golden Horn, I had to meander thru the chauffeured black Mercedes Benz cars crowding the narrow street where Patriarchal Church of St. Gregory located. This was because there were many Metropolitans, officials and heads of state arrived at the church. It makes sense as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople / Istanbul is the center for the Greek Orthodox world and it is titled as “Ecumenical”, universal. It is the Greek Orthodox counterpart to Vatican.

Cars of dignitaries and blocks of marble paving stapled together as in ancient cities

When I walked into the courtyard, I first noticed how well people were dressed and the big Christmas tree which everyone was competing to get a photo with. Behind the tree there was a huge copper pot with taps on. This was for the holy water, visitors were given small plastic bottles to collect the water to take home. The pot was hosed to the source of water for a continuous flow. I filled two bottles for my Cypriot friends, how I would get the bottles to them, I would figure out later…

Church of St. Gergory

Christmas Tree

Holy water

The church was very crowded, I walked up the narrow staircase for the galleries. I finally found empty space in the second gallery and started observing the mass and the people. I spoke to some Greeks who told me they came from Greece for the event. When I wanted to look down to the nave, they moved a side and made way for me. In the nave, before the Iconastasis, with the clergy, there were dignitaries all dressed in formal suits.

                                       Courtyard before the church

                                        Mass in Greek and the Patriarch on his throne

Mass in the nave looked formal, but not as much in the gallery I was. Considering the length of the mass (few hours), one can understand why people feel like moving around, up and down the galleries. There was a constant motion and a silent humming, but no loud voice or other noise, everyone was respectful.

2nd gallery

Because I had started the day very early and felt rather cold in the Armenian Church, I took of my coat and laid it on the bench, sat on it and leaned back in the comfort of cozy warmth.  Lady next to me, laying her head on her companions shoulder looked at me, pointed my scarf and nodded she liked it. I nodded back and told her that I liked her sweater, we both smiled. She closed her eyes, so did I to listen the church and the mass.About an hour later, I slowly slipped out so I could find a good spot on the water front to watch the Patriarch Bless the Waters. I had realized I left too soon. So, I headed to the  very tiny informal restaurant in the corner to have some coffee and food. I had a fun chat with the owner of the restaurant. Clearly he did not had much formal education but he fluently raved his food and restaurant in Greek to the passing by visitors. Meanwhile, a younger man in a black suit entered and started bargaining for chicken sandwiches, thru the conversations I learnt he was in the group driving for the President of Togo and his entourage. After we exchanged few words I found out that he and people he knew regularly served officials from Togo and he mentioned how generous the President was and the huge tips he left. I had a bitter smile when I learnt of the tip drivers receive may equal to the monthly salary of a very high level official in Togo! Images of the newly built presidential palace in Ankara crossed my mind.

                                          Patriarch and procession or clergy walking to the wharf

I headed to the water front on the Golden Horn when it was time for the Patriarch, the Metropolitans and Bishops to start their procession. They arrived at the wharf saying prayers. Then the Patriarch Bartholomew threw a cross into the very cold water. Several men and one women waiting in the wooden dinghies dove in the water, with quick strokes they competed to catch the cross. One proud man got it, and held it high. Ashore, the Patriarch said a prayer for him and he was awarded.Everyone went their own way...Happy Travels!

[lalearan-blog]

Veteran Rick Steves guides are on tour themselves

[lalearan-blog]

a short recording of a Catholic mass in Armenian 

Read More:

http://www.lalearan.com/2014/12/christmas-in-istanbul.html

[lalearan-blog]

a short recording of how Istiklal Street sounds at night 

Read More:

http://www.lalearan.com/2014/12/christmas-in-istanbul.html