Photographs and articles by A. Cemal Ekin
While visiting Elif and Mina in Salt Lake City this past Christmas, we learned that there were over 250 murals in the city and its immediate surroundings. Elif had a printed list of them, and we visited as many public art pieces as possible in two weeks. There is an organization similar to The Avenue …
We have had a couple of fun days as we approach our return to Rhode Island. I want to share a few more photographs before we leave on Wednesday morning. December 30, 2023 As they previously arranged, Mina went to spend a couple of weeks with her father on Saturday afternoon. That morning, she drove …
Since the last post introducing Kahve Cafe, we have enjoyed our time with Elif and Mina and even managed to have an adventure that now looks funny. Keep reading … Of course, we revisited Kahve Cafe and chatted with some customers as they too were enjoying Christmas with their families. They were surprised and pleased …
It has been over five years since we last came to Salt Lake City to be with Elif and Mina. We decided to fly to see them as it would have been almost impossible for them to close shop, Kahve Cafe, to visit us. For easier traveling, we decided to fly directly from Boston to …
Many years ago, thirty-six to be precise, I was on my first sabbatical from Providence College and went to Turkey earlier than usual. Jan and Elif came to join me there when Elif’s school ended. Binnaz, Ergun, and I took a long Aegean trip and stopped at many places. I will do my best to …
Mina wanted to go to Boston when she came to visit us. Given the difficulties both Jan and I have with walks, I tried to find a compromise that would allow easy parking, a short walk, and extensive sightseeing. I remembered seeing the funny-looking vehicles of Boston Duck Tours. With some research, I found that …
As we come to the end of 2022, Jan and I wish you all happy holidays and a wonderful new year. Happy Holidays &A Happy New Year We survived another year! A series of health issues tried to tackle us, but we managed to move on. Elif and Mina managed to sneak out of school …
In this closing article about Safranbolu, we will wander around town and see a few locals, take a ride up north, and visit Bartin and Amasra. The final experience will be a visit to another mansion run by the Touring Club of Turkey. That seems to be the last day of our trip. Some Safranbolu …
As I said, we stayed at Paşa Konağı while in Safranbolu. It was a very nice hotel run by a very friendly couple, Ismail Urgancıoğlu and his family. In addition to showing us great hospitality at Paşa Konağı, they took us around to show us their other mansion, Gökçüoğlu Summer House, and beyond. Judging by …
In the previous post, I presented general views of Safranbolu. This one will focus on one well-restored mansion and its owners. And after that is a short presentation of Cinci Han, an old caravanserai. Let us go in … Zamanlık for Safranbolu While walking on one of the narrow streets, Ergun noticed an eye-catching sign …
Seventeen years ago, when Jan and I were visiting Turkey, we drove to the historic town of Safranbolu. Binnaz and Ergun had arranged everything, and the four of us spent a few days in the time capsule. Back in those days, I did not write articles on my site. It recently occurred to me that …
Old Photographs from Film Days When we were living in Adana, many ancient historic places were a day trip away. We could go west or east and stop at different places to see the remnants of times long gone. In this article, I would like to take you to a place in the Taurus (Toros) …
I have scanned many slides, negatives, prints over the years. Since late December 2019, I have been doing it as a project to convert old photographs to digital and, in some ways, relive the memories. The result, I hope will be an archive of family members, gatherings, events as well as many photographs I took …
Although this time we stayed in Ayvalik for only four days, we managed to do and see quite a bit. Ayvalik is colorful and charming that invites exploration. We also met new people and saw new places. In this final post of the ongoing travelog, I will try to give you a feel for the …
Ma’Adra Unites a Mythological Couple When we visited the olive grove for the second time in the morning, we went to Ma’Adra Vineyards on the hills of Madra mountains for lunch. The road was winding and rough, the weather a bit foggy, but traveling as a two-car convoy we made it to the vineyards high …
A couple of years ago, Binnaz and Ergun purchased an olive grove as a future revenue source for the ASKEV foundation. The grove has about 1,000 olive trees, mostly old with a few newer ones. Since the purchase, they have done additional work to make the grove conform to high-quality agriculture standards with automated irrigation …
After the first two weeks in Turkey and seeing the family and friends, Elif and Mina arrived at the beginning of our third week. We spent the first night in Istanbul and the next day Mustafa drove us to Ayvalik as the girls wanted. The new roads and the bridge crossing the Izmit Bay cut …
I am probably beating a dead horse by writing about the very strange change in Istanbul’s architecture. I wrote before about the discomfort of Istanbul and I experienced the same when we visited there in October 2019. In my previous visits and related posts, I referred to the city with the nickname I coined for …
Continuing from part 1, this is the end of our second week visiting Istanbul and spending quality time with family and friends. Elif and Mina arrived on October 14 and we all went to Ayvalik on October 15 to return to Istanbul on the 19th. October 11, 2019 As planned, I dropped Jan off at …
The fall color in Utah, at least in the parts I have seen, is yellow unlike in New England where colors are a mix of reds, oranges, yellows all mixed in. Fall in Utah around Mt. Nebo is an intense, vibrant, almost light-emitting yellow. Yellow is unique in the color spectrum. It is naturally luminous, …
This post is dedicated to the memory of our good friend Alan French who passed away yesterday. He loved trains, I wish he could have seen some of the photographs. Rest in peace Alan. A day trip to the Golden Spike National Historic Site started at the Salt Lake Marina and ended with dinner at …
It was good to see Elif at the Salt Lake City airport waiting for us. The weather was very nice and it would remain so for the rest of our stay. We arrived at Elif’s house and settled in our bedroom Elif fixed for our arrival. Mina had gone on a trip with her father …
A week ago Monday, Jan and I flew to Salt Lake City to see Elif and Mina. The first leg of the flight, Providence to Baltimore was about an hour. By sheer coincidence, our exit gate was next to the connecting flight gate to Salt Lake City. Take a Window Seat on Flight to Photograph …
As much as I wrote about the discomfort and stress I get in Istanbul, I should also mention the comfort zones, the pleasures even if they may be in the midst of the dreaded construction everywhere. There are still pleasant sides of Istanbul and you can find them. Let’s Talk About the Pleasant Sides Around …
