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Home » Travel

Travel

Old wooden door, Safranbolu

Safranbolu, Part 4

May 16, 2022

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. And 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 …

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Gökçüoğlu Summer Mansion, Safranbolu

Safranbolu, Part 3

May 13, 2022

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 …

Read moreSafranbolu, Part 3
Macunagasi Izzet Efendi Mansion, ceiling detail

Safranbolu, Part 2

May 10, 2022

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 interesting sign …

Read moreSafranbolu, Part 2
Safranbolu at sunrise

Safranbolu, Part 1

May 5, 2022

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 …

Read moreSafranbolu, Part 1
Temple to Zeus, Diocaesarea (Uzuncaburç)

Old Photographs and Older Places

July 1, 2020

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 on the Taurus (Toros) …

Read moreOld Photographs and Older Places
Ironsmith works

Scanning Strategies

February 13, 2020

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 …

Read moreScanning Strategies
Colorful walls on a narrow street in Ayvalik. No, I did not put that E there

Finalizing the Ayvalik Visit

November 15, 2019

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 …

Read moreFinalizing the Ayvalik Visit
Ma'Adra Vineyards

Ma’Adra Vineyard Visit

November 13, 2019

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 …

Read moreMa’Adra Vineyard Visit
Olive Harvest at Melin Olive Grove

Melin Olive Grove

November 10, 2019

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 …

Read moreMelin Olive Grove
Inside the mirror (Ayna) at Ayna Restaurant

Another Birthday in Ayvalik for Mina

November 6, 2019

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 …

Read moreAnother Birthday in Ayvalik for Mina
Is this Dubaiesque

Istanbul Architecture

November 2, 2019

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 …

Read moreIstanbul Architecture
Mehmet-Cemal-Suleyman

Visiting Friends and Family in Turkey, Part 2

October 30, 2019

Continuing from part 1, this is the end of our second week visiting Istanbul. 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 Mehmet and Isin’s house where the girls would …

Read moreVisiting Friends and Family in Turkey, Part 2
The Falling Leaves on Mt. Nebo

Mt. Nebo and Fall Colors in Utah

November 10, 2018

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, …

Read moreMt. Nebo and Fall Colors in Utah
Utah is still a site where they make westerns

The Marina and The Golden Spike

November 8, 2018

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 …

Read moreThe Marina and The Golden Spike
Jan, Elif, Mina on the curved walkway

An Outing in Salt Lake City

November 1, 2018

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 …

Read moreAn Outing in Salt Lake City
Somewhere over the USA

Flight To Salt Lake City – 2018

October 31, 2018

A week ago on 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, the exit gate for us was next to the connecting flight gate to Salt Lake City. Take a Window Seat in …

Read moreFlight To Salt Lake City – 2018
Reflection on Istanbul Modern

The Pleasant Sides of Istanbul

November 28, 2017

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 …

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Tower to grave connection

Discomfort of Istanbul

November 8, 2017

This photograph has been in the making for about 20 years, maybe even more. When I first thought of taking a photograph from this point, on the exit connector from the freeway, the trees were not nearly as tall nor have the looming towers were built. The apartment buildings are situated on the slopes of …

Read moreDiscomfort of Istanbul
St. Augustine Chapel

St. Augustine Chapel

October 12, 2017

Dinner With Friends Our friends invited us to Fenerbahçe Dalyan Club last week. As we arrived, we saw an old stone building which I later learned was an old seminary attached to a church. Little did I know that it was St. Augustine Church, like the one we saw in Sheffield. During the dinner, I excused …

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Binnaz and Jan at Ismet Baba

Our First Couple of Days in Istanbul, 2017

October 2, 2017

Our first couple of days in Istanbul started on the right foot! After a wonderfully comfortable flight, we arrived in Istanbul about 75 minutes earlier than expected, always a pleasant surprise! Mustafa met us at the airport, and we left the parking lot to a surprise! The ever crowded and jammed traffic was surprisingly flowing, …

Read moreOur First Couple of Days in Istanbul, 2017
Restoration Next Door

Restoration Next Door

January 16, 2017

Restoration Yields Abstract Photographs Restoration next door? No, not here on Spring Green Rd., but in Ayvalik, Turkey. Ergun sent me a few photographs he took inside the house next to theirs last September, while it was undergoing renovation. A few he sent were promising abstract photographs, and I encouraged him to take more. The …

Read moreRestoration Next Door
Dare you!

Always Colorful Markets

November 14, 2016

Various types of markets, called pazar in Turkish, are a way of life in Turkey. There are permanent markets, like the Kadikoy Pazari (market). Others, like the Kuzguncuk Pazari, have a large weekly and a smaller permanent market. The goods range from vegetables, edibles, meat, fish, cheese, spices; to housewares, kitchenware, and many things in …

Read moreAlways Colorful Markets
Ceiling of Taxiarches - 2016

A Disappointing Restoration Project

November 3, 2016

Disappointing! One word. Although I strongly favor keeping the old architecture alive, restoration, repurposing, and keeping the texture of cities and towns to the extent possible, the old church disappoints. I see preservation in Rhode Island where I live, and in nearby states. In fact, I saw 100-year-old photographs of New York compared to photographs …

Read moreA Disappointing Restoration Project
In candle light, Mina's birthday dinner at Ayna (mirror)

Mina’s Excellent 10th Birthday

October 30, 2016

Mina is now 1o years old, time flew by, and she has become a graceful girl. This year, many things came together and we were able to celebrate first Ergun’s, then Jan’s, and finally Mina’s birthdays in Turkey with family and friends. A couple of days after Elif and Mina arrived in Istanbul, we were …

Read moreMina’s Excellent 10th Birthday
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