Tag: Turkey

travel, Turkey1 Comment

Ayvalık – Turkey’s Olive Riviera

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It was the first time I had been to Ayvalık , literally “quince orchard”,  off-season.  Only about 120 km from my hometown of Izmir, I used to frequent this small fishing town of 30,000 for delicious seafood lunches on Sundays during the spring months.  It dawned on me that I had not set foot in Ayvalık since moving to Istanbul in 2006. In reality what started out to be a day business trip from Istanbul, coupled into being a delicacies shopping fest. After contemplating with my colleagues which mode of transport to use, the unanimous decision was the comfort of … Continue reading Ayvalık – Turkey’s Olive Riviera

Turkey6 Comments

BIRBICER – Delicious kebab in humble surroundings

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For me, the opportunity to sample different local cuisines is the reward for crack of dawn business flights. Waking up at 4:00 am to catch a 6:30 flight from Istanbul to Adana for an 8:30 am meeting is not super fun, especially when the meeting is all number crunching… On the particular visit to Adana, I became cognizant of my hunger just as the meeting was coming to a close and all negotiations were finally settled during which I did gulp down numerous cups of strong heavenly Turkish coffee. Having to work around a tight schedule it had to be … Continue reading BIRBICER – Delicious kebab in humble surroundings

ART, Istanbul, Turkey2 Comments

BIG SALUTE TO THE ARIK LEVY’S EXHIBITION IN ISTANBUL

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I simply loved everything about the Arik Levy exhibition at Galerist in Istanbul. The way my friend Aylin surprised me with the invitation a few hours before the opening, the imperfectly painted gallery walls serving as a sophisticated backdrop to his magnitizing oeuvres, the curious fans at the opening, my companion to the exhibition and of course the emotions his brilliant artwork evoked in me. The exhibit was undoubtedly meticious. There was absolutely nothing below par except of course not meeting Mr Levy in person – that would have been the icing on the cake. A genious and a design … Continue reading BIG SALUTE TO THE ARIK LEVY’S EXHIBITION IN ISTANBUL

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The unbeatable pleasure of participating in the 35th Istanbul Marathon

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I imagine there is not another marathon which has a two- continent route past spectacular monuments with great historical and cultural heritage. The 35th Istanbul marathon was held on November 17th 2013, and were we fortunate with the weather…. Istanbul has been the capital of three magnificient empires in history: Roman Empire (330-395), Byzantine Empire (395-1453), and Ottoman Empire (1453-1922). Thus, the city has been known with different names throughout history: Byzantium, Constantinople and Stambul. The 10 km race I participated in was so visually stimulating, so magnetizing, so outstanding that it was simply sublime. There were runners from all … Continue reading The unbeatable pleasure of participating in the 35th Istanbul Marathon