Venturing outside of Istanbul

Today we had a long and exciting day- after the usual, delicious Turkish breakfast we left on the bus to Bursa, a city that dates back to 200 BC, and was known as the 1st political centre of the Ottoman empire.

But first, actually getting out of  Istanbul gave us a better insight into how large this city of 18 million people is: it takes a long time to leave!  We saw some very interesting modern architecture alongside the many, meticulously restored old buildings. The city is amazingly clean and looks prosperous, pretty much throughout.  Today's paper reports that Turkey hosts 800 million tourists a year, and it seems that investing in restoration and excellent public transit has paid off.

To get to Bursa was a 3.5 hr drive, including a lovely ferry ride. Bursa is a historic town with yet more mosques, of course. It is known though as the silk capital and it was fun visiting the silk bazaar: an amazing variety of silk scarves. I particularly liked some of the newer silk and wool felted ones but even with bargaining, they were pricey: 100-150 Turkish lire, about $65. I also found a small antique mall with old garments and hats, exquisite but pricey too. The highlight was finding and talking to a master puppeteer, specializing in Turkish shadow theatre. As some of you may know, shadow theatre is usually associated with Java and China - here, researchers claim that it has Mediterranean origins, dating back 3 thousand years. I got to see the set and the puppets and learn about some of the main stories- sorry that we did not plan in an actual performance.

Next, we traveled on to a small village -Cumalikizik- dating back to the 1300s, and situated in the Marmara region.  Many of the buildings were multi- family style dwellings, beautifully restored. I loved seeing the authentic stone walls, cobble paths, and gorgeous old doors. Lunch was delicious thin grape leaves, sweet cherries, and a local sweet made of chestnut paste and chocolate. The women and children in the village were particularly nice, another reminder that often times 3 words of language in common is quite enough. BTW, Bursa and Cumalikizik are considered to be 2 outstanding examples of early  Ottoman urban and rural life.