The most spectacular landing in Turkey: flying over Lake Van

Landing in Istanbul is spectacular – getting a bird’s eye view of the city is fascinating enough but it cannot be compared to landing in Van. Van wasn’t really one of the most exciting cities, -however, times are changing - but arriving here by plane is one of the most remarkable travel experiences in Turkey. So despite our ever-lasting love for the dolmuş, we strongly recommend taking a flight. Of course, Van has much more to offer than amazing views from the airplane, but that will follow later, so bear with us. Now, we’re just concentrating on the most scenic route and landing.

What's on: July. Music and exhibitions

The avalanche of summer programmes is unstoppable.

What's on: June. From one festival to the other...

Summer is here with an incredibly rich list of events taking place in the whole of the country. Many of these are (partly) aimed at tourists, but most of the festivals mainly entertain locals.

Istanbul offers new temporary exhibitions in the major museums and works of many contemporary artists are displayed in smaller galleries.

What's on: May. Free visits to museums!

Museums for free! You can visit Pera Museum for free from 7pm until midnight on 14 May. You can see the two new exhibitions, paintings by Ihsan Cemal Karaburçak and the fascinating project of Fundamentally Human: Neuroscience and Contemporary Art. Of course, there is no celebration without music, so there will be a live concert and DJs. Both exhibitions can be visited until 3 July. Celebrating Museums Week, Santralistanbul can also be visited free of charge between 18-24 May.

Rafting in Istanbul? Rafring FROM Istanbul!

A calm stretch of the Büyükmelen river

So there we were in the middle of red tape with a free weekend in Istanbul. Out of the blue, friends suggested we joined them on a one-day rafting tour. Small shrieks of joy were followed by tiny shrieks of horror as we had to meet Taner at 5.30 am many miles away from our place. But it’s not every day that you can go rafting from Istanbul.

What's on: culture in April

With the festival season full in swing, you can enjoy even more films in Istanbul. The 30th International Istanbul Film Festival will be held between April 2 and 17. The more then 230 films to be screened represent a wide range from new feature films to classics, Turkish cinema, and documentaries. Are you an owl-type of person? A special treat, the Midnight Screenings is especially for you.

A song for Hasankeyf by Aynur Doğan

Newroz

video - Kardeş Türküler Newroz

What's on - March

 on, Festival time!

A real manifestation of Istanbul’s multicultural history, the Bakla Horani Festival will be celebrated again for the second time on 7 March after a 69-year hiatus. The once 120000 strong community is down to 3000 these days but they are reviving old traditions. The originally 3-day festival of the Greek Orthodox community used to be held just before the 40-day fast preceding Easter. An important feature are the masks and of course all the music, food and drinks. The carnival procession will start from Şişli Belediyesi Emekliler Evi at 8pm and finish at Kurtuluş Spor Külübü Hall, where the festivities will continue into the night. Don’t miss this unique event and send us your report!

What's on - February

!F, the Istanbul International Independent Film Festival is being organised for the 10th time between 17-27 February. A wide range of cutting edge international and Turkish films are on the programme, most of which were produced in 2010. In order to take contemporary films to the countryside, organisers joined forces with an online cinema website and civil organisations. Screenings will be held in 23 cities in Turkey, many of which lack a cinema altogether, and also in Ramallah, Tbilisi, Gymri. Workshops (in Turkish, English and French) on film making and current trends are also organised, some with the contribution of the Sundance Film Institute and Labs. The !F Rainbow party will be held at Babylon and Nublu on 25 February.

Children singing at Beyaz su

Entertaining visitors and generating family income ...

Sunday relaxation - let your hair down Turkish-style

 

People in Turkey love picnics. They take every opportunity to go outside with family and friends, taking the samovar, all kinds of food, and maybe a small portable barbecue. They have a meal, drink endless glasses of tea, chat, might even take an instrument, and play music, but it’s very likely that they would burst into songs at one point.

Beyaz su (Ava Spî) is a very popular picnic spot in the Midyat area. It’s located at Sivrice (Dalîn) village between Midyat and Nusaybin, but people even from Mardin and Diyarbakir flock here for a relaxing day spent with chatting and music, eating freshly barbecued fish.

What to see in Istanbul in January

Istanbul may have said farewell to being the European Capital of Culture and passed the title over to Turku and Tallin but it remains the vibrant city it has always been. Istanbul has been named as the most dynamically developing city and elected as the most popular future travel destination (see here). Once you’re done with the usual must-sees, there still is a lot more on offer. Istanbul keeps its buzz, and offers cultural events showcasing everything from traditional heritage to the latest innovations and moves in arts let it be visual or music.

So, a taster of what to see and listen to in January:

Relationships matter: Aşure, a dessert to pave your way

Of the word aşure, two things are likely to spring to one’s mind. For those, who have already visited Turkey, it is likely to be the pudding one can taste in pastry shops. For politically minded, it may be news flashes of the Shi’a processions with men flagellating themselves.

Aşure is both very complex and simple at the same time. Several layers of religious traditions are related to this period of the year. On the other hand, it is a pure and simple form of thanksgiving to God and an expression of unity and dialogue.

A sweet delight for the cold season - kabak tatlısı

Autumn arrives with an array of warm colours making up for cold winds and morning frost. Markets heave with colours: the deep red of pomegranates, the soft brown or mustard yellow of pears, the crisp greens and reds of apples, and the blast of bright orange of pumpkins.

Pumpkin has arrived to Turkey from the New World via Europe in the 17^th century. Finding optimal environment, it has spread rapidly and has very soon claimed its own niche in Turkish cuisine. Pumpkin with walnuts, pumpkins stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings, pumpkin flower dolma, and pumpkin soup made their way to the sultans’ kitchen as well.

Wild rivers don’t run free anymore

Not only do we all need water, most of us even like it: to quench one’s thirst or just to relax and feel the way water is hugging your body. Some prefer a bathtub filled with Evian others would just dip in the next natural water. No matter which one is your choice, having a water source is a fundamental requirement for all human habitats.

When looking at the map of Turkey, you will find the land criss-crossed by rivers, with huge lakes sitting here and there. Not so surprising, that this land gave home to early human settlements and ancient civilisations. The rivers Euphrates (Fırat) and Tigris (Dicle) define Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation. The once winding and untamed rivers supplied vital water for the crop and provided the settings for Gilgamesh’ story.