Turkish Muse

My Favorite Thing About Turkey: Soaking up Istanbul's Past

We're wrapping up a week of people's favorite things about Turkey with a guest post from long-time Turkish Muse reader Dion Good.

Past the Blue Mosque, down the hill beyond the end of the old Hippodrome toward the Marmara shore, away from the tourist crowds, is a sleepy neighborhood clustered around one of the oldest structures in İstanbul, Kuçuk Aya Sofya (Little St. Sophia).

The mosque itself is nestled right up against the old city wall. Enter the compound and make an immediate right and you will find yourself in one of the loveliest çay bahçeler (tea gardens) in all of Turkey. It occupies one side of a courtyard complex that was once part of a church cloister (the mosque was originally a Byzantine church, and you can still see Latin inscriptions on the walls inside). It now houses a cultural center and a couple of book shops in addition to the çay bahçe. In the center of the courtyard is a garden with a fountain, and shade trees.

Surrounded by cool stone walls in the shadow of the mosque, the past is present here, more so than in more famous places thronged with tourists. It is a dreamy place, where, for a few hours, you can read a book and forget which century you are from. Ottoman tombstones dot the mosque’s yard and a rear gate opens onto an ancient cobbled street which leads away along the original sea wall.

The mosque has been renovated recently and some of the decrepit buildings around it have been torn down. It is almost a pity; some of its character has been lost. Yet I will continue to come here each time I am in İstanbul, because it is a place where the past still feels accessible, where one can feel connected to the river of life which is history.

About the Author: Dion Good is a cartographer living in San Francisco. He has worked for Lonely Planet, Affordable Travel Press, Art-Sites Press, and The Intrepid Traveler.

My Favorite Thing About Turkey: Up Close and Personal with History

Paris! Anniversary! Wine! Cheese! Until I come back, more guest posts on what other people have to say about their favorite thing about Turkey. Today's post is from Wendi.

Living in Turkey has presented incredible opportunities. It has coupled with it unique challenges. There are many things I wish were different. There are a variety of things I miss about my “home” in the USA. I complain. I reflect. But one thing that I know I will always be able to look back on and be thankful for is the opportunity to see history up close and personal.

In 2010 my husband and I moved to the Adana area of Turkey. We have spent the year that follows attempting to take in as much of the past that this country can offer us. Living in the USA, you can't get more than a few hundred years old. Here in Turkey, a few hundred years old is usually your baseline.

A few highlights:

• Ephesus: In the Roman period, it was the second largest city of the Roman Empire, ranking only behind Rome! Ruins from Ephesus date back to the 1^st century BC. What an opportunity. What history.
• Cappadocia: Can actually be traced back to the 6^th century BC and is located in central Turkey. Cappadocia contains several underground cities used by early Christians as hiding places. The entire region is filled with fairy chimneys and houses were carved from these formations.
• Istanbul: It is hard to believe that I live in a country that boasts a city that served as the capital of the Roman Empire from 330-395. The history of this city dates back to around 660BC.

If you are a Bible reader, you will be amazed at how vividly the pages of the Bible will come alive to you in this country. We were able to see the place that Mary spent the last days of her life. We have been able to run on the shores of the Mediterranean. We have climbed castles that were built before Christopher Columbus ever sailed the ocean blue.

All because we had the great opportunity to spend a few years living in Turkey.

Wendi and her family in Ephesus

About the Author: Wendi and her husband JB have lived in Adana, Turkey since the summer of 2010 with their 2.5 children and dog. A retired English teacher by trade, she has spent the last six years editing and writing from home while taking care of their growing family. You can visit her life at Life in The ...

My Favorite Thing About Turkey: The Kindness of Strangers

The Turkey lovefest continues today! Today's guest post is brought to you by Phyllis Nobles.

I’ve been in Istanbul teaching English for 14 months now. And while I’ve studied successful blogs and started up a half dozen of my own, there’s always the morning that I wake up and take everything down. I even blogged from Venice in February, but once back in Istanbul felt I sounded so Elizabeth Gilbert [editor's note: EG is an American writer best known for her 2006 memoir "Eat, Pray, Love") that I deleted 26 of the most beautifully photographed posts you will never see.

You have to know that I am no Elizabeth Gilbert. Meaning, I’ve tried. And trying to be EG has to date cost me about $30,000. A long story from 2008 involving a Molotov Cocktail of an already desperate financial situation, a Doubleday editor who helped acquire "Eat, Pray, Love" who asked to see my unfinished manuscript, Credit Cards R Us, oh, and a recession. Ah, 48. Such a naïve and complicated age. Back when I thought I needed to model my life after someone else’s.

Which brings me up to Barbara, and her gracious offer to let me post while she’s in Paris. Barbara so wisely said about my blog crisis, I’m sure that as you continue writing you will find your writing niche and your blog will feel more like home to you. Which brings me to my favorite thing about Istanbul: the kindness of strangers.

People who don’t even know you and need nothing from you who hold out their hands. The guy at the bakery who offers you a bite of something sweet. Or the olive and the pistachio men at the grocery. The bus driver who spots you — the crazy American walking on the edge of a dangerous highway — and gives you a ride back to the city. The family out in the country whose garden you admire who invites you in for tea.

And these guys whose photograph I wanted to take who made me sit down first to talk — even though they don’t really speak English and I don’t really speak Turkish.

I’ve found something very retro American, circa late 1960s about Istanbul. Back when we cared more about people than about money. And happiness. Which brings me up to one morning last week when — thanks to Barbara’s advice that I thought about all evening — I woke up a million miles from home at home inside my own skin. Something that has miraculously solved all my blogger problems. And, I suspect, my Elizabeth Gilbert Complex.

About the Author: Phyllis Nobles is from Oxford, Mississippi, USA and is editing "Cowgirl Up: How to Write a Best-Seller in a Chick-Lit Market", "totally 20☮ how i spent my economic crisis" and a new blog at The Sweet Life of Phyllis Nobles.

My Favorite Thing About Turkey: Meyhane Sokak in Bodrum, a Liberal Oasis

Jeff and I are in Paris this week, and while we're gone, I'm publishing a few guest posts on people's favorite thing about Turkey for your enjoyment! Today's guest post is from Jack Scott.

July 2010 and it was Türk sezon. Bodrum was heaving with an abundance of people of all generations drawn from across the country taking their annual holidays before the start of Ramazan. The narrow streets were grid-locked and the air was filled with the piercing sound of angry monotone horns.

We ventured out into the sticky evening to imbibe the ambiance and sink a few jars. Slowly snaking behind the marina promenaders, we headed for Meyhane Sokak, a narrow lane off the bazaar and home to a cluster of small bars exclusively frequented by Turks. The place overflowed with good-humored trendy young things swaying to the deafening Turkopop. We managed to squeeze onto one of the tall bench tables lining the lane to enjoy the tequila-slamming crowd.

Our neighbor on the congested bench seemed particularly taken with Liam and popped a cherry in his mouth. Our forward friend was the manager of a particularly famous Turkish pop band and invited us to meet the band at a neighbouring club. We politely declined.

Next up were four young Turks, two of each gender. The ladies wore impossibly short shorts and skimpy strappy tops. Ladies of the night, I assumed. I could not have been more wrong. All four were European Turks visiting Bodrum and old friends. Conversation flowed as quickly as the alcohol and before we knew it, the only British punters were accepted into the throng with open arms. The atmosphere was electric.

We spotted a couple of beef cakes standing provocatively outside the bar opposite. On the adjacent table was a pair of fey gays. Had we finally reached the end of the Yellow Brick Road? We’d happened upon the only almost gay bar in Bodrum and all completely by chance. We shall return.

About the Author: Jack Scott describes himself as "a diminutive, myopic, washed up ex-pretty boy with my best years behind me, living in Turkey with a distinctly perverse and frivolous view of the world. I write about my experiences to stave off the inevitable descent into alcoholism." Jack blogs at Perking the Pansies.

My Favorite Thing About Turkey: The Neighborhoods

Jeff and I are in Paris this week celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary, and while we're gone, I've got a few guest posts on people's favorite thing about Turkey lined up for you to enjoy! Today we're kicking things off with a guest post from Deniz Bevan.

My favorite thing about Turkey... besides the food, the weather, the SEA... is the neighborhoods!

Whether you're in a small village where everyone's trying to feed you köy yemekleri (and how can you resist?), a tourist-crowded resort town, or in sprawling Istanbul, every place in Turkey feels delightfully small, and hidden treasures abound.

I still remember my surprise at stumbling across Cezayir Sokaği in the Taksim neighbourhood, that street of lovely multi-coloured restaurants and cafés. The layers of history are equally astounding – scratch a little in the sand and you uncover civilizations that go back thousands of years. You might even find a Greek statue or Mycenaean pottery on a snorkeling expedition, as my uncle often does.

There’s also the friendly stray cats, the sunshine – and the language that, despite many borrowed words, still sounds like hardly any other language on earth and is so terribly useful for even the simplest of phrases, especially with repeated words: mışıl mışıl uyuduk, hayal meyal hatırlıyorum...

Something indescribable gets into your bones when you’re in Turkey, so that months away feel like years, and if more than a few years have gone by since your last trip there, you begin to feel a certain ache. A longing... And sights like this one, with the mountains in the distance, leave you gazing wistfully into space, dreaming of sun baked roads and low green hills, rolling toward the horizon.

About the author: Deniz Bevan is a writer who has recently returned to romance after a foray into young adult and middle grade novels. She is currently editing her latest romance, "Out of the Water", set in Spain and Turkey in 1492. Her non-fiction work, including travel articles and book reviews, has most recently appeared in the trilingual newspaper Bizim Anadolu. Deniz blogs at The Girdle of Melian.

Expat Bloggers in Turkey

Tomorrow morning Jeff and I will be on our way to Paris to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. I am beyond excited at this point, though I'm still in the "can't-quite-believe-this-is-real-am-I-actually-finally-going-to-Paris?" stage. I've wanted to visit Paris for a loooooooong time and I can't think of any other way to do it than with Jeff.

While we're gone, I've got several guest posts lined up for next week on people's favorite thing about Turkey, so stay tuned for that. And today I wanted to share with you some links to some of my favorite expat bloggers in Turkey whose blogs I find both refreshing and fun.

A Seasonal Cook in Turkey: Amazing Turkish recipes using fresh seasonal ingredients from an expatriate living in Istanbul. Great for figuring out exactly what to do with all that great produce you just picked up at the pazar!

A Foreign Perspective: I just discovered this blog, and I wish I had found it sooner! Jake blogs about life and food in Adana. I love his 52 Things To Do series.

Being Koy: Karen's website is part blog, part travel resource for visitors to Kirazli village near Kuşadası. It's a must-read if you're going to that area of Turkey.

Istanbul Calling: I don't touch politics on this blog, but thank goodness Yigal Schleifer does because this blog's commentary and analysis of Turkey's goings-on is excellent. Look here to decipher just what the hell is going on around here.

Istanbul Eats: This isn't an expat blog, per se, but one that focuses on where to eat well in Istanbul. I love perusing through back posts, jotting down names and addresses for my next trip to the 'bul!

Istanbul's Stranger: This is a tell-it-like-it-is blog that walks a fine line between absolutely hilarious and completely caustic. Stranger's commentary on Turkish culture is dead on, like at the end of this post.

Life in The ...: Wendi and her 2.5 children live near Adana. She blogs about life and travel in Turkey, children and family. Stay tuned next week for a guest post from Wendi on her favorite thing about Turkey!

Passion Taking Flight: Moe blogs about everyday life in Istanbul and topics include food, weddings, friends and kitties!

Perking the Pansies: Jack's website describes this blog best: "Imagine the absurdity of two openly gay, recently ‘married’ middle aged, middle class men escaping the liberal sanctuary of anonymous London to relocate to a Muslim country." Look forward to a guest post from Jack next week!

The Light Garden: This is an adorable blog! Verity lives with her husband and 3-year-old son in Istanbul and blogs about arts and crafts. If you have children or love art/illustrations/drawings, this one's for you!

The Turkish Life: My friend Jen doesn't post often but when she does, it's excellent stuff. Posts range from travel entries about Turkey and dealing with making a life for yourself as a foreigner in Turkey.

Turkey's For Life: A fun, upbeat blog by two British expats living in Fethiye that will definitely make you want to visit! The site also includes helpful, practical info on where to eat and what to see in Fethiye.

Ayak's Turkish Delight: Ayak's point of view and thoughts of Turkey from the vantage point of her small village along the coast are both delightful and illuminating.

Turkish Travel Blog: Natalie first came to Turkey from the UK nine years ago and now documents her travels in Turkey with photos and quirky stories. She also answers readers' questions about travel.

There you have it! I generally while away more time than I care to admit perusing those lovely blogs. Do you have any other favorites? Do let me know in the comments please!

The Hunt for a Good Bar and Cafe on Izmir's Kordon

Come August, I will have lived in Izmir for two years. Isn't that crazy? I only thought we'd be here a year and it looks like we will be here for three! (Though I am putting my foot down at more than that, come hell or high water.)

In all that time, though, I have yet to find my favorite pub or cafe along Izmir's famed Kordon, that stretch of waterway along the Aegean in Alsancak lined with bars, cafes, restaurants and a few shops. It is the place in Izmir to watch the sun set over the water, and I'm astounded at myself for not having found my own little home on the Kordon yet.

I much prefer to drink a beer at the pubs lining Alsancak's back alleyways -- which, while not as plentiful as Taksim's, are still good for a night out -- where the breeze off the water isn't as refreshing but the atmosphere is spot on.

The thing about the Kordon is, well, it's expensive. And I think it lacks character. Every bar looks exactly the same to me, with the same badly stained outdoor furniture covered in the same make of rain-resistant pillows, all serving the exact same drinks at the exact same prices.

But I think it's high time I gave the Kordon -- and its commercial residents -- another chance. Because, gosh darn it, I want to take the ferry to Alsancak after work, plop down in my favorite chair at my favorite bar and order my white wine to watch the sun set over the water. And this is going to be the summer I do it.

I've decided to leave the fish restaurants out of my search entirely. I'm not a fan of the ridiculously high prices the waterfront restaurants are charging for fish these days; I can eat better and more cheaply in my own neighborhood. What I'm seeking instead is one good pub where I can have a drink, and one good cafe where I can have a tea. Even better if they turn out to be the same place!

Starting in June, after we return from Paris, I'll make more of an effort to seek out the best of the bars lining the Kordon and report back to you on what I find. Do you have a favorite place along the Kordon? Any suggestions for what I should try first?

"Priene Desolation"

Ever since we went on a day trip to Priene, Miletus and Didyma last summer, I've been fascinated by Priene in particular. The city is just so haunting and desolate, sitting high atop a craggy hill isolated from nearby towns. The day we were there last summer, the thunderous clouds overhead added to the ambiance and I've come away from that day telling anyone going to Selcuk to definitely take a day trip to see it.

Fast forward to last fall and we accompanied a couple of our friends of ours to a photography show by an old friend of theirs. I love photography exhibitions and I especially love when the subject is Turkey. And, of course, Jeff and I simply couldn't help ourselves: we ended up walking away with one of the printed photographs.

The title of the photo is "Priene Harabeleri" or, "Priene Desolation". It's an apt title for a photo that I think captures beautifully the bleakness and the forlornness of the abandoned city's ruins.

A photographer named Aykut Erdoğdu took the photo, and one of the reasons I like his photography so much is because of its 360-degree aspect. It adds so much to the photo, so much life and artistry.

Of course, not all of Aykut's photos are quite this haunting. One of my other favorites is a 360-degree, panoramic shot of the Alsancak train station. It is super cool, but since I've never been to the train station, I didn't want to buy the photo and hang it on my wall.

After much debate, Jeff and I decided to hang "Priene Desolation" in our entryway, right above where we kick off and put on our shoes, where we can see it every day. It didn't quite fit in our salon, which is much more colorful, and we didn't want to put it in the guest room where we wouldn't see it often. So in the entryway it hangs.

If you're interested, you can check out Aykut Erdoğdu's work on his website.

Psst! We're getting down to the wire on the guest submission deadline! If you're interested in sending me 300 words or so and a photo on your favorite thing about Turkey, you'd better do it soon!

Ask the Expat: Should I move to Istanbul or Izmir?

It's been a while since our last Ask the Expat post, but I've got a vexing question from Viviana today about whether she should move to Istanbul or Izmir:

Dear Barbara, My name is Viviana, I am from Italy, but I live in China (Shanghai). My husband and I are moving from China to Turkey in a few weeks! Nevertheless I write to you because we are still indecisive between living in Istanbul or in Izmir. The main doubt is about the job opportunities that are available. My husband is a lawyer with expertise in commercial-international law and has good experience in different European markets and in China (he has lived in Shanghai for 5 years). He speaks German (his mother tongue) and fluent Italian, English and Chinese. Unfortunately he still doesn’t speak Turkish! Here in China I teach economics in an American Business School. I had previously 5 years of experience in an Italian consulting company. I speak Italian (mother tongue) and fluent English and Spanish. Again...I don't speak Turkish yet!

The reason why we decided to move to Turkey can sound “strange”, but reading your interview I felt good and I thought you could maybe understand us. After a long time in China we really need to get closer to Europe, to our culture and tastes…like good Mediterranean food!! Nevertheless, we wouldn’t like to go back home, but we prefer to experience a new culture and to enjoy the beauty of wonderful Turkey! We are also considering to have children in the near future and from this point of view I would consider Izmir much more suitable than Istanbul! Then…it is a great DILEMMA! If we knew that in Izmir we could have more job opportunities, I think we would choose it… We are going to commit ourselves very much in our job research, but we know it will take a lot of patience and time! Can you give me your opinion? Thank you very much! Your help to foreigners approaching beautiful Turkey is PRECIOUS!

Cheers, Viviana

That is indeed a dilemma, Viviana! A few considerations stand out to me after reading your letter: 1) that you both are looking for work; 2) that you are interested in Mediterranean food (and, I am assuming, a Mediterranean lifestyle); and 3) that you would like to have children in the near future.

As for number 1, Istanbul is your best bet, hands down. The majority of working foreigners in Turkey find jobs in Istanbul as the country's other cities simply don't offer the same kinds of job opportunities for foreigners who don't speak Turkish. That said, if your husband wishes to continue practicing as a lawyer, the only way he can practice law in Turkey is by learning Turkish and then passing the bar exam in the city in which he wishes to practise. This is a pretty big feat to accomplish in and of itself, and because there is already a ready supply of qualified Turkish lawyers in the economy, law firms tend not to hire foreigners with little experience of the Turkish legal system. (UPDATE: Check the comments for more info on how to be a legal "consultant" in Turkey!)

As for you, being a teacher makes your job prospects much easier. It is not necessary for you to teach in Turkish as long as you can find a school that uses English as its predominant teaching language. I'm sure you already know about the Chronicle of Higher Education, but you can check there for job opportunities available in Turkey and to research various schools here. You can find some more information about finding work in Turkey here.

Of course, that's not to say that finding a job outside of Istanbul is impossible! I know plenty of foreigners who live outside of the city who have jobs; you just have to be a bit more creative to find them.

As for Mediterranean food lifestyle, Izmir's certainly got that -- plenty of fresh food, easy access to numerous coastal towns and beaches in summer, a very chill laid-back vibe. However, the city is far from being an international and cosmopolitan one. I've written before about Izmir's lack of an international air; then again, I've also written about how much I love my neighborhood.

If what you're looking for is a city where lots of different people speak lots of different languages, Istanbul is where you need to be. The vibrancy of Istanbul simply cannot be matched anywhere else in Turkey. On the other hand, if you're looking for good Mediterranean food, want to have children and are maybe looking for a more laid back life-style, Izmir's probably where you want to be.

It's a tough decision for you to make, Viviana, and I don't envy you for having to make it, that's for sure! I've lived in both places now, and my answer has always been Istanbul over Izmir, even though that's where I live now. The more I stay in Izmir, the fonder I grow of it, but I love Istanbul much more, I consider it home, and I would choose it any day over Izmir. Best of luck with your decision, and let us know what you decide!

Readers, what advice or suggestions do you have for Viviana?

Sunday on the Aegean: A Photo Story

Sundays are lovely days in Izmir. The pace of life is already pretty slow here, but on Sundays it practically grinds to a complete halt. Very few shops are open, save for a handful of grocers and the neighborhood pet shop happy to sell 130 TL worth of cat food to a couple of foreigners.

Now that the weather is starting to warm up -- finally! -- and it isn't too hot yet, everyone's out on Sundays along the Aegean Coast, picnicking with their families, flying a kite with their children, or simply sitting in the sunshine.

It's one of the nicest things about living close to Izmir's waterfront. Hopefully, wherever you are today, whatever you're doing, a bit of Izmir's relaxed vibe can rub off a little on you too...

Enjoy your Sunday, everyone, and the rest of the weekend!