ISTANBUL ISTANBUL ISTANBUL
Engin Yergin
Culture Under the Sun: Summer Comes
Early in Istanbul
By Stephen Kinzer
New York Times Service
ISTANBUL --After John F. Kennedy Jr. married Carolyn Bessette
in one of the major social events of 1996, the couple stole away for
the requisite romantic honeymoon. But unlike socialites past, they
did not choose Paris, a Caribbean island or a Mexican resort.
INstead they flew to Istanbul, the great metropolis on the Bosporus,
one of the world's most fascinating and romantic cities.
This is, after all, the city of sultans and harems, long the seat of
an immense empire, describe over the centuries as the pole to which
the world turns, the envy of kings, city of the world's desire.
In one tribute, the Ottoman poet Nedim wrote: "O city of Istanbul,
priceless and peerless! I would sacrifice all Persia for one of your
stones!"
The warm weather arrives early in Istanbul, and from April through
October much of public life is outdoors. This is the ideal time to
discover marvelous old neighbourhoods, take a boat ride along the
Bosporus and dine under the warm sun of evanescent starlight.
Istanbul's status as the only city in the world that lies on two
continents is more than simply a geographical curiosity. Visitors can
pick almost any part of the city, step out of a taxi and sense the
extent to which this city combines the cosmopolitan flair of Western
capitals with the exotic flavor of the East. It is overcrowded, noisy,
unclean and chaotic, but highly dramatic and exciting.
Cultural life in Istanbul is at its peak in spring and summer. At
the
Ataturk Cultural Center, the city's largest concert hall, the spring
schedule of the Istanbul State Opera includes performances of
"Carmen," "Salome," "Lucia di Lamermoor," "Turandot" and "Aida."
Turkish and German jazz musicians take a turn on March 7.
The Royal Cencertgebouw Orchestra appears on June 19 and 20,
and Ravi Shankar plays on July 4. Ticket prices range from $10 to
$60; for information call 249-1135 (the country code for Turkey is 90,
the city code for Istanbul 212 on the European side, 216 on the
Asian side).
The Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, which also performs at
the Ataturk Center, offers a series of concerts with such soloists as
the pianist Gulsin Onay, May 16 and 17, and the saxophonist Atilla
Sentin, May 23 and 24. Tickets are great bargains at $1.50 and $2;
call 251-0507.
At the modern Cemal Resit Rey hall, outstanding Fasil
ensembles, who perform traditional Ottoman music on original
instrument, will appear on March 3 and April 9. The flutist
Jean-Pierre Rampal plays on April 21 and 22, the Moscow-based
Obraztsov Puppet Theater performs on April 23 and 24, and a
concert blending the music of Turkish synagogues with that of the
mystic Sufi order is scheduled for April 30. Tickets are $2.50 to $14;
call 2332-9830.3
CONTEMPORARY ART
Contemporary Turkish painting, not yet fully appreciated in other
countries, will be on display at many of the city's leading galleries.
The Aksanat Art Center, 16 Zambakin in Beyoglu, will show the
works of Tomur Atagok, who creates luminous paintings on metal
surfaces, from March 13 to April 12, and follow with a show by the
abstract painter Mustafa Ata from May 1 to 30.
Istanbul's legendary attractions live up to their reputations. Two
excellent books are "Istanbul," part of the colorful Knopf Guide
series, and "Strolling Through Istanbul" by Hilary Sumner-Boyd and
Jahn Freely (Istanbul: Redhouse Press), which lays out a series of
suggested walks. In front of imposing edifices like the Topkapi
Palace or Hagia Sophia are guides are erudite historians who have
quit low-paying jobs as university professors and now offer private
tours.
Be sure to take at least one stroll along Istiklal Caddesi, the
pedestrian boulevard that was once the main street of Pera,
Istanbul's European quarter. Here you can eat cheaply at
cafeteria-style Turkish restaurants, sip strong coffee in
tradition-shrouded cafés, buy porcelain and other handicrafts, and
drop in at bookstores and art galleries. When you arrive at the far
end of the boulevard, near Tunel Square, walk another couple of
blocks to the 650-year-old Galata Tower and climb to the top for one
of the city's most spectacular views.
Adjacent to Tunel Square, at 15 Galip Dede, is a 500-year-old
monastery of the Mevlani Brotherhood, known to Westerners as
whirling dervishes. The dancers perform their entrancing ritual for the
public on the last Sunday of each month at 3 P.M. Admission is
$4.75; 245-4141.
Several companies offer boat rides along the Bosporus. Find a
ferry at the Eminonu dock, near the entrance to the price market
(Which you must visit for a sensual riot of colors and aromas) or call
Turkish Maritime Lines for information, 522-0045. Prices range from
$2.25 to $4.50.
Take adventage of the warm weather to visit Buyuk Ada, the
largest of the Princes' Islands, which lie south of the city in the
Marmara Sea. Its streets are lined with old wooden houses, and no
cars are allowed; the principal form of transport is horse-drawn
carriage. Ferries depart regularly from Eminonu. The round-trip fare is
$2.25.
For a hotel offers a true flavor of Istanbul, try one of the old
wooden mansions that have been lovingly transformed into
guesthouses. Two of the best, both in the center of the old city, are
the 69-room Ayasofya Pension, 513-3660, fax 513-3669, on a
pedestrian-only street (doubles: $100), and the 19-room Yesil Ev,
517-6785, fax 517-6780, where guests can relax in a handsome
garden, revovering from the tumult outside. Doubles: $150. The decor
at both is antique---- brass beds, hand-carved chairs and old carpets.
With the arrival of warm weather, most restaurants move at least
some of their tables outdoors. For a panoramic Bosporus view from
the Asian side, try Korfez, at 78 Korfez in Kanlica, 216-413-4314,
where the newlywed Kennedy's dined after asking a taxi driver to
take them to the most romantic restaurant in Istanbul.
What the taxi driver evidently did not tell the Kennedys is that
the best way to get to Korfez is by taking its private yacht, which
ferries dinners from Europe throughout the day and evening from a
café called Kale Cay Bahcesi in Rumelihisari. The owner says ideas
come to him in dreams; how else could one come up with sole
soufflé marinated in cognac and served with a sauce of bechamel
and white asparagus puree? Dinner for two with wine costs about
$150.
The view from Europe is no less memorable. Scores of seafood
restaurants line the shore road that snakes northward along the
European side of Bosporus. Among local favorites are Iskele, 1
Yahya Kemal in Rumelihisari, 263-29974, which lies in the shadow
of the fortress from which Sultan Mehmet II launched his conquest of
Constantinople in 1453. Its unusual appetizers include grilled hamsi,
a Black Sea anchovy, and baked eggplant with garlic and lemon. Or
try La Mer, 114 Kefelikoy in Tarabya, 223-9671, where the young
chef's creativity shines through in a variety of unusual dishes such
as stuffed mussels with dill and spiced lobster flambé. Dinner for two
is about $110 at Iskele and $75 at La Mer.
No one can claim to have dined like a Turk without spending at
least one evening in a meyhane, at traditional drinking house. The
menu often includes a variety of seafood, and everything is washed
down with raki, the potent anise-flavored national drink.
At meyhanes one normally does not order a main course but
works through an intimidating variety of mezes--appetizers that range
from cheeses and salads to bubbling stews cooked in small
earthenware pots. One favorite is Yakup 2, 35 Asmalimescit in
Tunel, 249-2925, which serves some of the best boreks -- rolled
pancakes stuffed with cheese, spinach and other delicacies. Two
other classics of the genre, both in Beyoglu, are Imroz, 24 Nevizade,
249-9073, and Kallavi 20 (address same as the name), 251-1010,
where Ottoman music is played most nights. Two people can stuff
and intoxicate themselves at such places for less than $50.
Still want kebabs? Try Haci'li Ocakbasi, 5 Guvercin in Levent,
278-4472, where the walls are covered with caricatures of local
celebrities, or Kosebasi, 15 Camlik in 3. Levent, 270-2433, built
around a traditional open grill. Both specialize in the cuisine of
Adana, where appetizers and desserts are often encased in
shredded wheat and many dishes are accompanied by strained
yogurt. Or sample another of Turkey's best-loved cuisines, that of the
eastern city of Gaziantep, at Develi, Balik Pazari Meydani in
Samatya, 529-0833. Specialties include pistachio kebab and
alinazik, a combination of ground lamb, eggplant puree and yogurt.
Dinner at these houses costs about $60 for two with wine.
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1997
John Kyrimis
Engin Yergin <yer...@oj.rsmas.miami.edu> wrote:
> Culture Under the Sun: Summer Comes
> Early in Istanbul
Yeah, and I heard the Olympic effort was going _so_ well, too!
--
John Kyrimis
E-mail: j...@dove.net.au
WWW: http://dove.net.au/~jsk/
Kanca
John Kyrimis <j...@dove.net.au> wrote in article <3323d957.1387860@news>...
> Engin Yergin <yer...@oj.rsmas.miami.edu> wrote:
>
> > Culture Under the Sun: Summer Comes
> > Early in Istanbul
>
> --
> John Kyrimis
John,
Am I glad it did not happen..
I would hate to find myself constantly bombarded with silly spectator games,
crowds and the traffic jams that would have to entail it..
In fact, I would have moved out of Istanbul for the duration should it have
happened.
Regards,
Basri
vasilios l pilarinos
>>> In message (<01bc31a1$11dd1b10$6f6f6f6f@mavera>),
Kanca (Zka...@ibm.net) wrote :
# # Yeah, and I heard the Olympic effort was going _so_ well, too!
# # --
# # John Kyrimis
#
# John,
#
# Am I glad it did not happen..
#
# I would hate to find myself constantly bombarded with silly spectator games,
# crowds and the traffic jams that would have to entail it..
#
# In fact, I would have moved out of Istanbul for the duration should it have
# happened.
... osa de ftanei h alepou, ta kanei kremastaria. :-)
# Regards,
# Basri
--
Vasilios L. Pilarinos
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"War is an evil thing; but to submit to the dictation of other states is
worse. To you who call yourself men of peace, I say: You are not save
unless you have men of action on your side." Thucydides (c. 460-400 BCE)
E. Gkioulekas
vqp...@is4.nyu.edu (vasilios l pilarinos) writes:
> ... osa de ftanei h alepou, ta kanei kremastaria. :-)
Re Basiln...av to paroume emeis 0a exoume ta idia problnmata.
Avti va koitame ta problnmata tns xwras mas, ka0omaste kai asxoloumaste
me tous Olumpiakous Agwves...Edw ta kavame poutses me tnv politistikn
prwteuousa, kai 0a kataferoume tous Olumpiakous Agwves?
Leu0erns.
Stavros N Karageorgis
In article <01bc3804$1bc63350$01125c8b@mavera> "Kanca" <Zka...@ibm.net> writes:
>>
>> ... osa de ftanei h alepou, ta kanei kremastaria. :-)
>>
>Could someone translate this, please.
>Regards,
>Basri
Translated for content in English, it means 'sour grapes'. Derives from one of
Aesop's fables, the one with the fox . . . those grapes that she couldn't
reach, she would 'label' 'sour grapes'.
Mr. Pilarinos basically finds your statement, to the effect that you would not
have wanted the 2004 Olympics to be held in Istanbul, on account of the
disruptions in your daily routine that such a massive event would entail,
highly unconvincing, and likens what you said to Aesop's fox labelling the
grapes that she couln't reach as 'sour'. It all seems pretty straight-forward
now, right? :-=>
"While every law restricts individual freedom to some extent
by altering the means which people may use in the pursuit
of their aims, under the Rule of Law the government is prevented
from stultifying individual efforts by ad hoc action. Within the
known rules of the game the individual is free to pursue
his[/her] personal ends and desires, certain that the powers of
government will not be used deliberately to frustrate his[/her] efforts."
-- Friedrich Hayek, _The Road To Serfdom_
Regards,
Stavros N. Karageorgis, C.Phil. (Sociology)
E-mail: kara...@ucla.edu
Kanca
Kanca
Stavros N Karageorgis <kara...@ucla.edu> wrote in article <karageor.23...@ucla.edu>...
>
> >Could someone translate this, please.
>
> Aesop's fables, the one with the fox . . . those grapes that she couldn't
> reach, she would 'label' 'sour grapes'.
>
> Mr. Pilarinos basically finds your statement, to the effect that you would not
> have wanted the 2004 Olympics to be held in Istanbul, on account of the
> disruptions in your daily routine that such a massive event would entail,
> highly unconvincing, and likens what you said to Aesop's fox labelling the
> grapes that she couln't reach as 'sour'. It all seems pretty straight-forward
> now, right? :-=>
Stavros,
Thank you for the translation.
May I wish Mr. Pilarinos all the best and most intensive Olympics
[[to take place in the city he has to live]] .. :-))
Regards,
Basri
TaxiDriver
> > ... osa de ftanei h alepou, ta kanei kremastaria. :-)
> >
>
> Could someone translate this, please.
>
Sour Grapes...
vasilios l pilarinos
>>> In message (<5gv65d$7...@nntp1.u.washington.edu>),
E. Gkioulekas (egki...@u.washington.edu) wrote :
# # ... osa de ftanei h alepou, ta kanei kremastaria. :-)
#
# Re Basiln...av to paroume emeis 0a exoume ta idia problnmata.
De lew, kata thn diarkeia twn agwnwn auta ta problhmata pou _hdh_ uparxoun
sthn A8hna 8a ginoun ligaki pio .. a3ioshmeiwta .. ala toulaxiston oi
agwnes 8a feroune mia eisroh kainourgion ependusewnpou pou 8a boh8hsoun
thn polh na antimetwpisei auta ta problimata sto mellon.
# Avti va koitame ta problnmata tns xwras mas, ka0omaste kai asxoloumaste
# me tous Olumpiakous Agwves...Edw ta kavame poutses me tnv politistikn
# prwteuousa, kai 0a kataferoume tous Olumpiakous Agwves?
Mh mou peis, eisai PASOKatzhs. :-)
H dikia mou apopsh einai oti h politistikh prwteuousa mexri stigmhs einai
mia aneu prohgoumenou epituxia. Den exw kammia amfibolia oti 8a exoume the
same level epituxia kai me tous olumpiakous agwnes.
# Leu0erns.