Mt Uludag in the distance famous for skiing
Ladies from a village near Ankara( about 4 hr away) on a “field trip” sponsored by the government
They seem to be checking out the competition in the lace market.
And yes the restaurant where I had 3 glasses of raspberry juice
I traveled to Bursa by fast ferry
Wonderful form of transportation that runs on German time (so the say here) hence quite efficient.
My day in Bursa was spent mostly in the historic village of Cumalikizik
Located beneath Mt. Uludag and near the city of Bursa. The town was established by Ottoman Turks in 14th century to provide logistic just before the conquer Bursa from Byzantine. The town has preserved not only its architecture but also the traditional lifestyle. The village of Cumalikizik is one of the best examples of early Ottoman civilization.
Cumalikzik is famous for raspberries and its natural raspberry juice. Which I had many glasses of for lunch!
The season has begun
And Japanese seem to be the majority at the moment
Though I hear by late May Europeans will flood the streets.
Today was Easter, in Istanbul the start of the tulip festival.
One million tulips, so they say, planted in Emigran Park
15 million people (the current population of Istanbul).
Yes, everyone in Istanbul was at the park, or on the road to the park.
Istiklal caddesi
Is a main street, a pedestrian way
Full of people night and day.
You never know what you will find happening on Istiklal Caddesi.
On Tuesday morning I confronted balloons, pink and thousands of them
Istanbul is smiling…(the translation)
Later the same day a demonstration by a workers party…
Sunday I traveled by ferry to the Asian side to visit a colleague.
The Bosporus is like the streets of Istanbul chaotic and crowded yet somehow it is navigated. Forever full of ships, of all sizes.
Looking back to Istanbul, reminds me of the circle line, you see the city all up hill from the sea, the skyscrapers against the old city.
In a city of 15 million there is not a lot of room for trees, yet they are protected, as best can be.
I had heard on the Asian side that I would find trees in the middle of the streets.
And yes my colleague lives on top of a hill, the view to the bridge, which connects the two continents over the Bosporus, and the view back to the European side of Istanbul
As this was taken last weekend 27 march
You can see they are already in bloom,
(today 3 April I am headed to the official tulip festival)
I found a park ,yildiz park, wandering paths and teahouses amongst trees!
And again one must walk straight up hill and the view out to the seaside. The cargo ships hundreds a day, are enormous even from here.