Whose flower is tulip?

Spring is fast approaching and I am anxiously waiting for the tulips to bloom.

For about two decades now, city municipality in Istanbul is dedicated to turn Istanbul into a large tulip garden. Starting in mid March till about end of June we see parade of different kinds of tulips, all shapes and colors cheerfully color the streets, parks, public areas.

Visitors seeing these tulips immediately say, "tulips from Holland". That moment, my heart sinks and as a guide as start telling the story, after all it is my job. Origin of tulips and the Turks are the same, Central Asia. As Turks immigrated to Asia Minor from the 10th century on, they carried their beloved tulip bulbs with them, planting it in their new homeland. It was not only known as the Turkish flower, but also the holy flower due to it's name. The original name for tulip in Turkish, lale, comes from Persian (Turks went thru what was Persia on their way from Central Asia to Asia Minor), and it is called "laleh". In Arabic "laleh" and Allah are written with exactly same letters making the flower the holy one. This is why in traditional decoration of mosques, it has been the most popular figure.

Tulips in miniature painting and on tiles of the Rustem Paşa Mosque in Istanbul

The first tulipomania of the world was under the Ottomans in Istanbul in the 16th century, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Tulips became the symbol for power and wealth becoming a status symbol. The flower even gave it's name to the period considered to be the zenith of Ottoman wealth, the Tulip Era. The rare bulbs costed fortunes. The Ottomans had strict laws to regulate cultivation and trade of bulbs, they were not permitted to be taken our of the country.

Emirgan Park, north of the city center is the main destination during spring for tulips.

According to the commonly accepted story, a Flemish scientist growing plants for medicinal purposes got a hold of tulip bulbs thru a European ambassador in the Ottoman court and took it to Holland. The story continues saying that this scientist was so selfish that he did not want to share or sell his bulbs and eventually his garden was raided and flowers finally were freed and spread. Weather this was true or not remains unknown, but we know that tulip bulbs started appearing in Europe and giving way to a frenzy soon. Bulbs were so valuable that they were even used as an exchange medium in trade.

The Yellow Pavilion in Emirgan Park, one of the Ottoman mansions serving as a restaurant. Skyscrapers behind the park mark Istanbul's financial district.

After the decline of Ottomans started, growing tulips became last of their worries and this wonderful flower was forgotten in Turkey. Meanwhile, the Dutch were creating miracles in preserving and growing it and cleverly making a huge industry out of it!

My interest in tulips is not because the season is approaching, but because it is also my name in Turkish, Lale. Tulips grow best in areas that are cold in the winter and higher elevation, such as their homeland, the Central Asia. I hope this will be noticed by greater number of people soon so we can get to see tulips across central Turkey, which is cold in winter with higher elevation.

Emirgan Park is the place for newly engaged and wed as a photo op. This photo shows a newly engaged couple, she is wearing a typical dress popularly worn by more conservatives nowadays, hence her hair is covered.

It is delightful to enjoy tulips in Istanbul. Best tulip watching can be done in the historic Emirgan Park north of the city, along the Bosphorus. It is one of the largest public parks of the city with over 100 acres and there are jogging tracks, playgrounds and historical Ottoman mansions serving as cafes and restaurants. Emirgan park is a small scale arboretum, it has over 120 species.

What is Rick Steves guides doing?

Dear Reader,

Slower winter months give all of us, guides, a chance to focus on meetings, plans and professional training. Rick Steves annually holds a reunion for tour members, and workshops for guides in January.

Turklish guides in Seattle

During the past January, more than 120 of us from different countries in Europe gathered in Edmonds, WA to celebrate and evaluate the past season and be prepared for the upcoming one. For about two intense weeks we participated in meetings in which we handled different aspects of our work. We also got together with our tour members during reunion parties spread over to two days. Our hard work during the day was awarded at the evening, there were social events almost all nights including a big party at Rick’s house.

Training session

Lale (me) and Rick at radio interview

The big event for us was the cultural experience we were provided with. As we introduce our cultures to travelers as we work, Rick Steves staff decided to provide us with a similar experience. They embellished our visit with a cultural activity, a chance to observe the “tailgating”. On that particular day Seattle’s Sea Hawks had a game with Green Bay Packers. Early in the morning yellow school buses pulled in front of the hotel we stayed at to take us to Seattle.

During the drive, our volunteer guides -Rick Steves staff members- provided us with the cultural background and insight for the American football and tail gating. After a drive thru the city and a stop at the Space Needle, we got off the bus in the city center to walk to the stadium for the party and people watching. We were properly prepared with accessories given to us, blue and green bead necklaces!

Bus snack! Donut with Sea Hawks colors.

Our day proved to be a true NW experience as rain started to pour down. Most of us took shelter in coffee shops, crowded the window front seats to watch the Sea Hawks fans not minding the rain to support their team. 

Socializing with locals!

Honestly, the football game didn’t matter much to me, I am not a big soccer fan in Turkey either, but the chance of sharing that festive time with my colleagues and Seattleites was priceless. It was amazing how much the game helped us bond faster with the new guides and new friends we met in Seattle. I am so glad we got to do it. Eventually, I was happy Sea Hawks won, the glory of the day carried joy for the entire following week, during our meetings:) 

Rick Steves guides in Seattle

Inside our school bus.

Of course, thru all of this we learnt about the famous 12th man of Sea Hawks, the supporters. When Sea Hawks people learnt who we were and what we were doing in Edmonds, they gave some 12th man flags to be passed on to guides so we could take them beyond the borders and share photos! After we returned to Turkey, we posed with the flag in Cappadocia, on the Bosphorus and Ephesus. We still have the flag and we will keep taking the 12th man flag to tours with us. Enjoy the 12th man photos below, I exercise my guiding skills explaining the locations of photos1.

From now, knowing the value and meaning, I will be on the watch out for similar chances to share with American travelers in Turkey.

Happy Travels to all,

Lale

You see two continents in this photo. Our guides are next to Bosphorus. On the background there is the Bosphorus Bridge and a late Ottoman period mosque. They are all in Europe. The land across the water is the Asian continent. 

12th man in front of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul. This structure is from the 6th century and was the ONLY grand cathedral for about 1000 years until the Reneissance in Europe. Today, it is one of the most popular sights in Istanbul and serves as a museum.

 12th man in Ephesus. At the back is the Roman theatre from 2nd century. It can seat about 25,000 people! St. Paul wanted to peach Christianity from this theatre, he couldn't and had to run away, thus he ended writing "Letters to Ephesians".

12th man hanging onto the basket of a hot air balloon in Cappadocia!

Impressions of Rick Steves guides of their trip in Turkey

Dear Reader,

I was anxiously waiting to hear back from my colleagues about their impressions of Turkey. Small businesses such as ours thrive on the word of mouth as we don't advertise. Because of this, traveler feedback is very important to us, especially if the are from our experienced colleagues.

Below are the feedback from my colleagues.

Thank you for reading. If you like this article and want to read my future posts, please "like" this page and "share" it.

My coming up posts will be about transportation and Christmas in Istanbul.

Happy Travels,

Lale

Impressions of a Scotsman in Turkey, by Colin Mairs

About Colin: 
Colin Mairs guides Rick Steves Best of Scotland tour. 

A native of Glasgow he is a licensed Blue Badge Guide and also conducts his own tours throughout Scotland in a variety of languages: English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
Colin's Facebook page is www.facebook.com/excursionscotland and his website is www.excursionscotland.com 

I had previously visited Turkey in 2010 for a 2 week holiday. I can easily remember the year because I had to have my passport hurriedly renewed before going. Turkish rules state that the visitor's passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Turkey and have at least 3 months validity from the date you leave Turkey; mine would have been short by a couple of weeks. On that occasion however I just visited the beach resort of Ölüdeniz. My memories are of the great food, paragliding and enjoying the beach and the sea. This trip provided a much greater foray into Turkish culture and history.

One thing I was really looking forward to before coming was finding out more about Islam in Turkey. I was very impressed with the secular approach; keeping state and religion separate. We learned that, although 99 percent of the over 70 million people in Turkey are Muslim, the constitution explicitly states that religious groups cannot become involved in the political process (by forming a religious party for instance) and no party can claim that it represents a form of religious belief. Despite this, religious sensibilities are generally represented through conservative parties.
Our discussions with an Imam in a mosque answered many if the questions we had about Islam and, to my mind, showed it to be not that different to any other monotheistic religion. Aside from the (légère) obligation to pray 5 times a day and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, Islam, as explained to us by Imam Emir anyway, is about being a good person, serving God/Allah and helping fellow human beings. Most Turkish people are happy to keep the separation of state and religion, not least because this was an important part of Atatürk's (the father of the Turks) Reforms at the foundation of modern Turkey.

One of the biggest highlights for me on the trip was the food. My favourite meals were at Meze by Lemon Tree in Istanbul (twice) and Şef (pronounced like the English word "Chef") in Kuşadası. In Lemon Tree chef Gençay was extremely hospitable in this classy yet informal setting. From an array of mezes my favourite was the octopus, which was the most tender and perfectly cooked I have ever tried. In Şef the highlight, and first for most of us who enjoyed that meal, was the main course of barracuda. Let alone the excitement of eating the 'Tiger of the Sea', it was a very tasty dish with a taste and texture like a meaty piece of tuna.

The people of Turkey were extremely warm and hospitable. Everywhere we went we were greeted with smiles and a friendly "Mehaba!". Oftentimes it was hard to tell, however, when this was genuine friendliness or when it was just someone wanting to sell you something. And in Turkey it seems that almost everyone is a salesman or woman.

I concluded that people in Turkey are in equal measures friendly by nature and enterprising by nature. The two things go hand in hand, and that's not a bad thing. My overall impressions at the end of these 2 weeks was of a welcoming land which is safe to travel in, with food, museums, culture and history to rival any of the most popularly visited countries of Europe. 

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Chris Coleman's impressions of the Best of Turkey tour and Turkey. 

Chris leads France tours for Rick Steves and she is a master yogi. She has two yoga sutdios in MN. Travel and yoga are Chris's passions and sometimes she organizes yoga tours to France.
Chris's web site is: www.yogahus.com and her Facebook page you can follow announcements and updates is: www.facebook.com/chris.coleman.716970?fref=ts
 
Turkey impressions

Before leaving home (which is in the USA) for this trip to Turkey, some family members expressed concern for my safety.  There had been an incident just a few weeks prior to my departure involving American Navy personnel being attacked by protestors in Turkey.  The attack involved launching verbal insults and balloons filled with red paint as well as protestors trying to put bags over the Americans' heads.  I told my family that this was an isolated incident and that I would be fine.  I was excited to learn more about this intriguing country in the cross roads of Europe and Asia and I know that what we are fed by the media are the dramatic events that don't tell the whole story of the place.  What I learned about the incident was that the protestors were a small group of college students that were upset by mistreatment of Turkish soldiers in Iraq by American forces that mistook them for insurgents and put bags over their heads.  The Americans apologized to the Turks for this treatment but this particular group is still upset and staged an aggressive protest that got into the international news.  Mert did a excellent job explaining the complicated relationships with neighboring countries, history, education/literacy and economics with regard to Turkey.

I arrived a bit late on the first day and made it just in time to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel and then go to dinner with my fabulous tour guide colleagues.  I love to chat with taxi drivers when I'm traveling and in this situation we couldn't communicate well in English or French.  So it was a very quiet ride which gave me time to reflect on how many of my tour members must feel while in France with regard to the language.  There were many situations of this very kind that happened throughout the tour in Turkey and I felt it was a great teaching moment for me to be reminded of how my tour members must often feel in France, my second home.

The time that I have spent with colleagues during this tour has been invaluable.  We rarely have such time to exchange ideas, debate and learn from each other as we have had during this time together.    We had the Brits talk about the Scottish question and the referendum earlier this year and the Spaniards also got up and talked about Catalunya and their talk of independence.  The themes of nationalism, extremism and independence were interesting topics of subsequent discussions- as well as making historical connections between the amazing history and sites we visited in Turkey to the countries and places in which we guide.

Rambling reflections: Turkish flags displayed everywhere, conservatism, modernity, male dominance, mysterious underworld, simplicity and complexity.  Call to prayer, women in head scarves and harem pants, better and cleaner toilets than in France, weak coffee, good tea, fantastic salep, sweet apple tea, yucky-too-sweet-for-me helva, yummy vegetables, fresh OJ and pomegranate juice everywhere, good food, simple and bad wine, great beer, and very friendly Turks.  Ancient history and ruins galore, fantastic museums and archeological sites.  What a dream.  Amazed at the number of military bases we passed.  Interesting how men seem to dominate the service industry and most businesses - except at the hamam, where it was great to see women run the show.   The insistent call to prayer and in small town Turkey the announced prayer in the marketplace where everyone stops in their tracks and opens their palms to the sky to offer a prayer was impressive.  Hovering and barking sales people at rest stops and stores got a bit annoying at times.  Cats and evil eyes everywhere - cats well fed and cared for thanks to Rumi.   Not the same story for stray dogs.   An amazing place Turkey, I can't wait to return.

***************************************************************************************

An Italian in Turkey. Susanna Perruccchini's Impressions of the Best of Turkey tour and Turkey.
Susanna is an Italian living in Madrid. She leads Italy and Spain tours for Rick Steves. 

Hello Lale,

Now that the tour is over, I want to thank you for all you  have done for us, professionally
and personally , opening your home to us , having the priviledge of meeting your
wonderful children.

I genuinely enjoyed and liked Turkey , a country of big contrasts , geographically and socially (the traditional and the modern).
As a woman, I particularly enjoyed chatting with Mine and Yaren (women lead guides in Turkey for Rick Steves), but also with 3 generations of Turkish women in Cappadocia during that special  lunch cooked by them (through Mert transalating our questions and their answers).
Turkey is an ancient land, has an ancient soul but, in many ways, a very modern 'look'. Istanbul is a cosmopolitan place where you can find the new, the old, the ancient,
the super contemporary and much more.
But then, in Cappadocia I felt in another world and to be honest I loved both.
One of the best and most meaningful experiences of the tour has been having a tea in a local place in the little village of Korkuteli.
The warmth of the people , their welcoming smiles and generosity are memories that I will never forget and that I will treasure forever.
It seems that Turkey is a country of great potential, huge spaces, resources and heading to a bright future. It seems that it is evolving rapidly into a strong, global powerful nation.
It was fascinating for me to be in a Muslim country, to know more about this religion and also to break some cliche's and establish a better understanding of it.
As a woman, I always felt safe and welcome and I only wish I had more chances to talk to local people and especially women about their past and especially what they think about their futures.
I will return to Turkey with my daughter and possibly with my mom (I want to do the Hot Air Baloon in Cappadocia) and I don't think  I need an organized tour - this tour helped me to have an overview of several places and decide which ones I want to visit again. Cappadocia is one of those and, of course, Istanbul!

I don't have enough words to express my deep feelings of gratitude, affection and appreciation for Mert, our guide 'EXTRAORDINAIRE', who was so bold to accept this exceptional task . Grazie, Mert!

A special 'thanks' for Rafet, this legendary driver, who made us feel safe and welcome on his bus.

I would like to finish mentioning the amazing archaeological sites ( Aphrodisias and Ephesos just to mention the best known ), the splendid Museums (really World class - my favorite : the one in Ankara and in Antalya) and the food, always good, fresh and tasty!!

My final line comes from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, 'Peace at home, Peace in the world' 

... and if there is something that can help finding Peace is Traveling...

Good Appetite or Good Digestion, being a Gourmet and the Ottoman Topkapi Palace

I try hard not to forget wishing "Good Appetite" to my travelers before meals, as, in my language and culture we wish "Afiyet olsun" and it is uttered after meal is finished. Afiyet means well being, health. When we say "Afiyet Olsun" after a meal, we wish a person well being and health, meaning may the food they eat bring good health for them. Well, after a certain age, you can take this as good digestion!

Writing about food tempts me to share a recent Ottoman vocabulary I learnt during the recent 3 week intensive workshop for the Topkapi Palace. Ottoman was the language of the palace court and it was a mix of Turkish, Arabic and Persian. The word gourmet had a counterpart in the Ottoman language, and it was "Şikenperver". Both words are from Persian, "şiken" means tripe and "perver" means to love, the phrase translates to "someone who loves her/his tripe", therefore provides the tripe delicious foods to digest!

During the visit of my colleagues, Rick Steves guides, in Istanbul and Turkey, I was also running to the Topkapi Palace almost daily, for 3 weeks to attend the intense workshop put together for guides who want to specialize. There are some jobs, when you finish their school you are done learning. My job is not one of them, we need to keep up with new researches and publications. Luckily, guiding is taken as a serious career in Turkey and the strong / influential guide's chamber regularly puts together specialization courses for certified guides to attend. Usually, lecturers are professors, the best of their topics. The downside is, not all guides can attend. These courses usually have a quota up to approximately 50 people and admittance is first come (sign up) first served. Dates of these courses sometimes coincide with the peak season preventing many guides to carry on without attending any. Out of approximately 12,000 certified guides nationwide, there were about 50 of them attending the Topkapi Palace workshop.

Group photo of the guides who attended the specialization education at the Topkapi Palace.

My recent daily trips to the palace gave me a chance to take some photos. I particularly photographed the ticket booths, so I can visually suggest the ways to enter the palace to individual travelers.

The traditional way of entering in is lining up in front of the ticket office to buy your ticket.

There are many ticket booths next to one another.

At these booths, you buy the tickets both for the Palace and the Harem. Yes, you are right, you aren't reading incorrectly. You need additional tickets to enter the Harem. In case you forget or don't want to buy them as you enter the palace, you still have chance to change your mind as, inside the palace, just outside the Harem entrance there is a ticket office solely for Harem tickets.

Admission fees to Palace and Harem (December 2014)

If there is a scary long line at these ticket booths, don't be upset, there is a plan B. There are vending machines for the tickets. At these machines you can buy the ticket just for the palace and you can buy your Harem ticket once you are in the palace.

Vending machines for Palace tickets.

The sign next to the ticket office tells you exhibits that are open for that particular date.

Daily sign of exhibits

Once you equip yourself with a ticket, proceed to the security check at the Gate of Salutations.

Gate of Salutations. Arabic inscription at the top of gate is Profession of Unity (oneness of God).

Before you arrive at the Gate of Salutations, pay attention to the marble fountain resting against the wall on the right. This was the "Executioner's Fountain" where he washed his hands, swords and axes after an execution. It is known that there were executioners in the pay roll in the Palace, at certain periods. While an official position, people never wanted to be anywhere near the executioners, not even after they die, therefore they were buried in graveyards outside the city and their gravestones were completely blank.

The executioners fountain should not discourage you from visiting the Palace, it is full of interesting corners and the Harem!

Executioner's Fountain. The small platforms either side of the basin is to display the "head".

Thank you for reading. 

Lale

PS: If you like my articles providing bits of information for travelers in Istanbul and Turkey, please "like" and "share" this. 

Menu of Rick Steves' guides last supper in Istanbul

Dear Friends,
 
The taste of the food we had at Mezze Restaurant is still fresh in my mind. Gençay, chef and owner provided the explanations of the dishes, they are below.
 
At the very bottom is my recipe for an easy to prepare Turkish bulgur salad called "kısır". It isn't as trendy as the new Istanbul cuisine, but delicious and easy to prepare. 

You can shop for ingredients at any market, no need to go to a specialty store.

Lale

Sea Bass seviche marinated with lime and grapefruit juices and finished with Rose wine, fresh coriander and raddish.

Fresh green bean sprouts braised with white wine and topped with condensed garlic yoghurt and home made tomato sauce

Fresh sweet peppers; deep fried and stuffed with smoked salmon, sheep feta, wasabi-mustard and clotted cream.

Japanese sea weed (Wakame) with pickled ginger and cherry peppers.

'Tarama' dip; whipped with carp fish roe and octopus pate.

Smoked anchovy pate with mascarpone, labne, walnuts and celery leaves.

'İmam Bayildi'; egg plant chunks baked together with caramelized onions, peppers, tomatoes, currants, herbs and pommegrenate molasses.  

Monk fish & octopus stew with 'feta chesse-red wine gravy' and celery. 

KISIR (Bulgur Salad)

Fine bulgur: 2 cups

Boiling water: 2 cups

Medium size tomatoes: 2

Medium size cucumbers: 2

Medium size onion: 1

Garlic: 1 clove

Sweet red pepper paste: 1 spoon full

Extra virgin olive oil: 1/3 to 1/2 cup

Fresh lemon juice or pomegranate sour: 1/4 cup

Parsley

Green onions: 10-11 (fine / thin ones preffered)

Salt: 1 tsp.

Black pepper: 1/2 table spoon

Red hot chilli pepper flakes:1/2 table spoon

* It takes about half an hour to prepare kısır.

How to prepare:

Put the bulgur in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water over it. The water should completely cover the bulgur by about ¼ inch. If two cups isn't enough, add a bit more water. Cover the bowl and set it aside for about 15 minutes to allow the bulgur soften (this duration may change if you use larger bulgur).

Meanwhile prepare your vegetables. Chop all as fine as you can, the finer these are the better your salad will be.

Using your hands and fingers fluff the bulgur that has been waiting (so it does not stick).  Add the pepper paste and some oil and stir until it is evenly distributed.

Then add the finely chopped vegetables. Stir again until all are evenly dispersed.

Add the lemon or pomegranate sour.

Add the peppers and salt.  

Stir again.

Now, you can keep your kısır in the frigde till you serve it. For a dinner service you can prepare the kısır in the morning, but if it waits over the night the bulgur swells more than it should.  

Before you serve, fluff it with your fingers or utensils.

*** Kısır is very good with bbq meats, chicken and fish. It is easy to prepare and is filling. If you like hot, you can put more red hot chilli peppers.

December 06 - Day 13: Tour Over After Breakfast

Breakfast is provided, but there are no group activities today. You can hop a ferry to the Greek island of Samos (where you'll find easy plane/boat connections to other islands and Athens), or take the tour bus to nearby Izmir for quick flights to Athens or Istanbul and home. Güle güle!

New Istanbul Cuisine

Dear Reader,

After the tour ended some of our friends flew to Istanbul. This gave us a chance to gather for the last time in a small restaurant across from the Pera Palace Hotel.

Turkish cuisine is a fun one. It is the mix of all cuisines of the three continents Ottoman Empire spread over once. Trend setting palace chefs entertained the sultan with dishes made with ingredients coming from different corners of the empire, creating unique recipes. Today, this is the heritage we are proud of we call the Turkish cuisine.

Lately, there is a new trend in Istanbul, we call it the new Istanbul style. It has been created by young and innovative chefs who have studied different cuisines of the world. It is a mix of traditional Turkish cuisine and chefs' experiences of other cuisines.

Delicious see weed meze. Photo by Jamie Blair Gould.

These young chefs are not meant to be in the kitchen, they move back and forth between the kitchen and restaurant, conducting the harmony.

For the final dinner we went to such a restaurant, Mezze by Lemon Tree , Chef and owner Gençay is an ex-tour guide. He is sociable and connects with the client easily.

The restaurant is similar to the others following the new Istanbul style, unpretentious. Their claim is the food and friendly approach. Tables are close to one each other. It feels like a crowded dining room of an extended family. Clients seem to be regulars and like-minded travelers, effortlessly connecting one another. Personality of Gençay contributes to this.

One last dinner and it had to be with Gencay of Meze by Lemon Tree. Another fabulous array of creative meze and other dishes. A great way to finish a fabulous tour! Photo by Jamie Blair Gould.

We left the wine choice to Gençay, he served us a variety based on the food served along., and one delicious dish followed the other.

Spicy shrimp dish. Photo by Jamie Blair Gould.

 Sote of octopus, one of the main courses. Photo by Jamie Blair Gould.

Gençay promised me that he would share the recipes. When I receive them, I will share them with you.

Lale and Tankut, who made possible this tour in conjunction with Rick Steves. Photo by Jamie Blair Gould.

Thank you for reading.