Where am I right now

[BobL]

The last of my pre-retirement "day job" related duties I said I would attend to after I retired is attend a chemistry conference in Istanbul.

So here is where I am right now
https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Harbiye+Military+Museum&hl=en&ll=41.04781,28.988074&spn=0.003706,0.006952&sll=41.048816,28.98817&sspn=0.003706,0.006952&t=f&dirflg=w&hq=Harbiye+Military+Museum&z=18&ecpose=41.04582525,28.98824154,460.99,-3.641,31.125,0

The conference is taking place in a military museum in Istanbul. The museum section of the building is closed for the next 5 days for holidays but I hope to visit after that. The conference building we're in is the old Turkish military academy build in the 1850'swhich is an impressive building even if it look like cross between old Soviet and Victorian English architecture. There are portraits of Attaturk and the landings at Gallipoli etc handing in the walls. The lunches are being served in the big courtyard in the middle of the building.

Guess what stupid here forgot TO bring along - my bloody camera! ..........

Oh well maybe this time I will see the sights other than through the lens.

[Sir Stinkalot]

Your a lucky man Bob ...... if you have time be sure to check out the Blue Mosque (Boukoleon Palace) and the Basilica Cistern - plenty of other wonderful sites within easy walking distance of these two.

[Cliff Rogers]

No photos, it didn't happen. :D

[swk]

Yes, what Sir Stinkalot said, and the Hagia Sophia (https://picasaweb.google.com/swkswk62/Best600Europe2012#5761649825622871426)* (worlds largest free standing dome for 1000 years) there as well. Have a walk around inside the Hagia and have a look at how the floor and walls have buckled under the weight of the dome. It really is an interesting structure. The Basilica cistern (https://picasaweb.google.com/swkswk62/Best600Europe2012#5761650134418591442) re-used a whole lot of older columns and such. I recommend a quick visit there too. All those places are across the water to the south of you. Also if you get to the grand bazaar, the tool arcade (which isn't anything special) is outside the main bazaar but in the outer wall (https://picasaweb.google.com/swkswk62/Best600Europe2012#5761636424697583314)of the bazaar itself on the western side (from memory, don't blame me if you get lost or I was! :B ).

*True story...
Hagia Sophia is famous for it's mosaics, some of which are more than 1000 years old, which were sometimes covered over while it was a mosque, but never actually destroyed.
I personally overheard a lady of a certain nationality (feel free to guess) utter the following words at the top of her voice in apparent surprise and without any hint of irony:
"These mosaics, they're made of lots of little tiles!" :oo:

Regards
SWK

[BobL]

No photos, it didn't happen. :D

I will clean the finger marks off the mobile's lens cover and see what I can do,

The next 4 days are holidays and demonstrations are planned - The hotel I'm staying is part of a set of city blocks of stores and hotels with guard houses at the entrances to the internal streets and private security guards with obvious guns on all the cross streets.

Could be a bit entertaining.

[swk]

The guns bit sounds "interesting". I expect the seminar people would have some preorganised tours available for the participants?
I found Istanbul to be a fabulous place (May last year) and four days could be easily consumed, pity about the unrest at the moment.

Regards
SWK

[BobL]

The guns bit sounds "interesting". I expect the seminar people would have some preorganised tours available for the participants?
I found Istanbul to be a fabulous place (May last year) and four days could be easily consumed, pity about the unrest at the moment.
Regards
SWK

Just walked the main night time drag/mall (Istikla Csl) starting at Taksim Square and had dinner in a small restaurant on a rooftop terrace 7 stories above ground level while watching the sunset over the roof tops
In Taksim square about 250 police with automatic weapons were moving in while we walked past. On the way back we noticed a couple of coffee carts were doing a roaring trade with the cops.
Not a sign of trouble anywhere.

[Timless Timber]

Soooo - you did read these links before going - right?

Turkey | Travel advice | Smartraveller: The Australian Government's travel advisory and consular assistance service (http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Turkey)

NZ government travel advisory - Turkey (http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destinations/turkey.shtml)

UK CENSORED: Nuclear Genie Is Already Out of the Bottle | Ed Ward, MD's Blog: US Tyranny & Treason (http://edwardmd.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/uk-censored-nuclear-genie-is-already-out-of-the-bottle/)

Not a real safe place to be for Westerners at the moment Bob.

Egypt's a mess...as is Syria...

Did you at least pay up your life insurance before you went? :?

Duck and weave - roll, duck and weave - when you hear the bullets whizzing past OK?. :wink:

Your a braver man than I Gungadin.:D

[swk]

I always found smart traveller to be over hyped. Just had a quick look at it now and it shows similar danger levels to Turkey in India (really, all of it?), Indonesia (no going to Bali then), the UAE (no transitting from Australia to Europe by that advice) and Thailand, to name a few.

The world is a place with unrest and indeed there are places I wouldn't go, but at the end of the day normal people have to live in those places too. (I know a lady from Bahgdad who says Adelaide is very nice because you don't hear any shooting). Without accepting the very slightly higher risk than our lucky country affords us we don't get to experience the very real and very worthwhile attractions of those other places.

I've been to Thailand during the red shirt/yellow shirt thing. Never saw any overt acts that made me feel unsafe, but there was a strong undercurrent of internal politics that I felt, but that wasn't directed at westerners, nor even locals who didn't care.
I've been to Iran. The people there are hugely friendly (http://toohardtodo.blogspot.com.au/2007/07/chakhak.html), at least those I met (the government of course, is nuts). The European family we stayed with eventually left a few months before they meant to due to the unrest in 2009. Having said that, leaving Tehran myself we had to go through the "normal" checks with armed security guys and I actually felt like they were more reasonable human beings than the numpty screeners we get in Australia and other western countries. (I assume because they were looking for _real_ terrorists and don't care to waste their time with nail clippers and the like).
Also missed a bomb scare in Koblenz (http://www.dw.de/homemade-bombs-found-on-german-railway/a-2116649) by about an hour (I got off the train and went to find a hotel, then went for a walk in the old town. I could hear a ruckus but thought it was a rock concert being set up. Didn't know what had happened till it was all over and I went back to the railway station late night cafe near midnight. I saw "Bomb gefunden" on the TV news showing outside shots of the very railway station I was in!). Next day (https://picasaweb.google.com/swkswk62/Best200Europe2006#5116710946172180466).

Things that cause trouble are generally limited in size and you have to have extreme bad luck to be involved in them and even worse luck if you can't get away from them. I don't think BobL is in any real danger but he now has the opportunity to see some things (good and not so good) not experienced in Australia.

In short, we could choose to forego some remarkable experiences because we prefer the safety of the familiar, but we still might get knocked over by a bus tomorrow.

Regards
SWK

[BobL]

I always found smart traveller to be over hyped. Just had a quick look at it now and it shows similar danger levels to Turkey in India (really, all of it?), Indonesia (no going to Bali then), the UAE (no transitting from Australia to Europe by that advice) and Thailand, to name a few.

I think you have summarized it pretty well. The Govt has to cover it's backside otherwise it might get taken to court so all their advice is very conservative.

[Fuzzie]

I was there in June just as the demonstrations were starting. We left for the airport from Taksim Square the second night that the water cannon were rolling through. :oo:

Can't say I felt threatened at any point. We were staying in an apartment just below the Galata tower and everybody was friendly and helpful. Lots of little workshops around in basements and at street level. This fellow mainly repaired old furniture and was happy to show me around although we were limited to 3 words of communication. (Hello, thankyou and goodbye)

Nice friendly people, great food and magnificent vistas. At least Ramadan has finished now although I'd be interested to know if as a tourist it was much noticeable in Istanbul.

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[BobL]

Nice friendly people, great food and magnificent vistas. At least Ramadan has finished now although I'd be interested to know if as a tourist it was much noticeable in Istanbul.

Yep very friendly people. Ramadan not noticeable at all in tourist haunts in the city centre but very evident in out of town places. Out of town or in outer suburb restaurants the evening meal at restaurants did not start until after sunset. And in some places until 15 minutes after sunset.

[swk]

Yep very friendly people. Ramadan not noticeable at all in tourist haunts in the city centre but very evident in out of town places. Out of town or in outer suburb restaurants the evening meal at restaurants did not start until after sunset. And in some places until 15 minutes after sunset.

When we were there last year we didn't really go to any eating places till about sunset, so basically not much difference by the sound of it. :)

When the partner and I were in Iran we went into the restaurant attached to the hotel we were staying in. As we had been out doing the sight seeing stuff we didn't sit down till nearly 9 in the empty restaurant. I was a bit worried we were going to get told to sling our hook for being so late, but put our order in anyway. They unlocked the fridge for our drinks, me thinking it had just been closed up and also thinking what patient staff at the place to forebear with us furriners. After our meals came out and we had started on them a couple more patrons turned up. Then a few more. Then a few more until the place was nearly full at 11. We weren't late, we were the early birds!
Turns out they have a siesta in the middle of the day where everyone has a snooze for a couple of hours, start the second half of their working day at about 5 and then they go out after that. Later we walked through the park along the river and there were families with young kids out having family picnics, playing games and such like _at midnight_ ! :o

Regards
SWK

[artme]

Make the most of it Bob. Iw ould go back to Istanbul, and turkey in general, at the drop of a hat.

Great people, fabulous food and wonderful sights. The Topakapi Palace (spelling) on the European side
is more than worth the visit.

I don't know about others but wherever we went and people found we were Australian then we were treated as brothers.
There was always a great interest in Australia from people we met.

[BobL]

Busy day at the conference yesterday. I chaired a meeting of about 20 people the whole day so I was pretty shagged out at the end.
AFterwards about 3/4 of the people from the meeting decided to go out for dinner in the busy downtown area through a packed mall about 2km SW of Taksim square.The restaurant was 9 floors up and had 360 degree view of the city - elegant and high quality Turkish food, and with Belgian beer!


I managed to take this 9 photo panorama of sunset over the roof tops and the Bosphorous straits in the background.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=280448&stc=1

[BobL]

Taken from another restaurant under the Galata Bridge looking out of the Golden Horn water way to the Bosphorous straights.
Lots of fishing poles dangling over the side of the bridge
Yes it does appear that all I am doing is going out to restaurants but I am working during the day - Honest!


http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=280722&stc=1

[elchulo11]

Hi! i am really envious! istambul is one of my favourite places in Europe, great environment and wonderful monuments to be visited.

[BobL]

Anzac Cove.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=281052&stc=1


The Lone Pine cemetery is one of the most beautiful and tragic
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=281053&stc=1


Anzac ceremonial area where they hold the annual Aussie commemoration ceremonies in April.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=281056&stc=1


The famous Sphinx landmark behind the Anzac Ceremonial area.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=281054&stc=1


Anzac Cove cemetery
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=281051&stc=1


Anzac Cove Cemetery from the beachhttp://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=281057&stc=1


Turkish and NZ war memorials - this place t Chunuk Bair where 711 of 762 New Zealanders that helped take these critical heights become casualties.
The Turkisk counter attack which recaptured this highest point on the battle was let by Attaturk which is why his statue is there.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=281055&stc=1

[dai sensei]

Keep the photos coming Bob :2tsup:

[BobL]

Keep the photos coming Bob :2tsup:

Cheers Neil.
That's going to be all I'm afraid. One more day of conference today and I'm back on the plane this evening.
I need to get back to the shed.

[Timless Timber]

The sanctuary of the man cave eh!:2tsup:

[BobL]

The sanctuary of the man cave eh!:2tsup:

Too right

[elchulo11]

one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, specially sunset from Galata Tower, simply amazing

[BobL]

one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, specially sunset from Galata Tower, simply amazing

Humm . . . . . beautiful? - maybe at a a distance.

Up close I noted it's very dirty bordering of filthy in places, the air pollution is about as bad as LA, waterways full of garbage, in back alleys and tunnels the odour of human excrement borders on eye watering, feral cats and dogs, hustlers, pedlars, beggars galore, not to mention the traffic. The traffic is relentlessly jammed, the city layout is like everything else chaotic and overcrowded, few street signs and the road are more like potholes or poorly repaired potholes connected by narrow bridges of tarmac, shall I go on? Come to think about it, it's not all that different to some other European cites

A better description is perhaps Colourful.

Aside from the hustlers, pedlars, beggars, the people are helpful and friendly.

Foodwise - excellent.

Historic - absolutely.

But IMHO definitely not beautiful.

Yesterday while driving to the airport the taxi driver stopped and bought a bag of nuts from a streetside vendor. The driver offered the pack to me and said try these. The nuts were still in their shell and when I asked where to put the shells he said with a smile on his face (these are his exact words) "Just put out window, It's OK, were are dirty arabs you know". When I wouldn't do that and he noticed I was holding a bunch of shells in my hand he put out his hand as if to pass them to him which I did and he threw them out the window. At one point while doing ~100 kph on a short stretch of freeway he was holding a nut with one hand, answer his mobile with the other and steering with his raised knee.

[Allan at Wallan]

Having just read of your travels I am amazed that you
forgot your camera.

Not to worry! Just go into that military museum you
mentioned and borrow a Canon.


Allan

[BobL]

Having just read of your travels I am amazed that you
forgot your camera.

Yeah pretty dopey and its the second time I have done this.
Camera gear travels in several ways.
1) If I go the full kit and caboodle 2 DSLR bodies, 3 lenses etc I take the full on lowpro camera backpack.
2) If I go with the laptop backpack I'l take a DSLR with one lens in a soft pouch attached to the backpack, or in checked luggage.
3) Sometimes I just take SWMBO little IXUS

This time I was going with with Camera in soft pouch in checked luggage. I had the camera out on bed in spare room along with a bunch of other stuff. Packing was as usual last minute (half hour before time to leave for airport ) and I just threw everything in except the camera. I did take the charger and all the cables :doh:


Not to worry! Just go into that military museum you
mentioned and borrow a Canon.
ROFL