Happy Spring from Almaty!

While a large portion of North America and parts of Europe were taking a battering from big snow storms this week, the city of Almaty has been in the full-on embrace of spring. Most people in Kazakhstan will tell you that spring begins on March first.  Most years this is probably just wishful thinking.  This year, however, March first saw a dramatic warming of the weather.  By March fifth, most of the snow was melted and sidewalks began to show through the thinning layers of ice and sand.  By the time the Nauriz Holiday began on the 20th, it was warm enough to venture outdoors in shorts and a t-shirt.

A valley just west of Almaty and the site of my first hike of the season

Spring is my favorite time of year in Almaty.  Spring brings clean air and warm sun-filled days.  Spring brings green grass and bright flowers.  Spring brings the return of hiking weather and day trips to the mountains and the steppe.  Spring brings people out of their grey buildings with carpets and blankets to lay across fences and beat with sticks.  It brings the sounds of children on the playgrounds of Gagarina park, and the frantic chirping of birds in the branches of barely budding trees.  Nothing beats the arrival of spring after a long white and grey winter.

Spring also brings me back to the blog that I have so sorely neglected these last two months.  I apologize to the seven of you who read every post and have been missing me (I'll try not to let it happen again).  So in the spirit of new beginnings and fresh starts:  Happy Friday, Happy Spring, Happy Easter everyone.

P.S.  I am thinking about collecting treasure maps but maybe not in this forum.  Let me know what you think.

Friday Photo(s): Embracing an Almaty Winter

Skiers at Shymbulak January, 2013

If you are in (or plan to be in) Almaty anytime between November and the middle of March, you might as well get used to one simple fact:  Almaty winters are snowy and cold.  You can beg, cry, and plea with the weather gods all you want but nothing can change this fact.  You have two choices when it comes to dealing with the cold: you can stay indoors for five months, or you can embrace the winter by finding and trying as many fun cold weather things as possible. 

A man cross-country Ski-ing in Gagarina Park, Almaty

During the course of an Almaty winter you can ice skate, sled, ski, snowboard, back-country ski/snowboard, snowshoe, cross country ski, Build snowmen, or practice sliding down the icy sidewalk on the bald soles of your shoes. If enjoy attending live sporting events, there is hockey, basketball, bandy, and the occasional ski-jumping, and ice fishing competitions.

Almaty HC January, 2013

Personally, I recommend ice skating at Medeo (common, how many people can say they've skated on some of the fastest ice in the world?!), catching a free Almaty HC hockey game (it's free and you can't beat free), and spending the day and perhaps a night at Shymbulak or Ak Bulak.  Whatever you decide to do, go prepared with warm clothes, warm drink, and a great attitude.  Bring on the winter!!


 P.S.  I tried snowboarding for the first time last weekend.  The pain was definitely worth it!

Shymbulak by night from the Gondola

Tidbit Tuesday: On buying books in magical bookstores

On the corner of Gogol and Furmanova, tucked in under an overhang and almost hiding beside a large pharmacy (more on that later) sits a little bookshop called Академкнига (academic books - established in 1950).  Now, don't get the wrong idea, Almaty has plenty of bookstores - we have the large, sterile, Barnes & Noble-esque establishments of Meloman and Booking, and the little tiny mall bookstores and even a couple of amazing Kazakh bookstores, but this shop is different.  This shop is something pretty special.

Inside, behind the unassuming, yellow facade are more books than you can possibly imagine! There are shelves from floor to ceiling filled with books.  There are books piled on carts that are taller than me.  There are books in bins and books stacked on top of the books in the bins. There are books stacked neatly on the floor and books piled somewhat sloppily in corners.  There are books in Russian, English, and Kazakh, and even a few books in Russian, English, and Kazakh all at the same time.  There books tucked in little nooks and crannies that you might not see if not for the help of the shop assistants who all bear an eery resemblance that librarian we all knew as children. In this magical little shop there are books everywhere space can be found to put a book.  In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that the shop had somehow managed to defy the laws of physics and put a pile of books where there wasn't any place to put a book.  With all of these books there really isn't much room to move, and squeezing between piles of books can be an adventure. To be quite honest though, the expanse of universes contained within those books more than makes up for their cramped housing.  If you ever find yourself in Almaty (and you love books as much as I do) go find this shop and buy a book!

Incidentally - you know that pharmacy I mentioned earlier?  It is pretty spectacular too.  Two stories of everything you could ever need including (drum-roll please) the ever elusive Crest Toothpaste.  Granted, you will almost certainly pay and arm and most of a leg for such luxuries but sometimes you just want to brush with Crest.

Trip Log: Top 5 things to do in Istanbul (according to me)

The view of the Istanbul skyline from Gulhane Park

After ten days and countless excursions in the amazing city of Istanbul, I have compiled an Istanbul top 5 list of attractions no one visiting the city should miss.

1.  The Hagia Sophia.  I posted about this magnificent structure earlier and I cannot emphasize the power of this building to inspire.  Do not let the lines at the entrance or the fee to enter deter you.  The experience of drinking in the majesty of this building is more than worth everything!

2.  The Yerebatan Cistern: Built under the city as a source of drinking water during the Byzantine era, this subterranean palace is not to be missed.  Go early (we went right when they opened at 9am) to avoid lines and crowds.  This experience is every bit as awe inspiring as the grandest cathedral if you can see it when it is quiet. As a side note, there is another cistern open to the public (the Cistern of Philoxenos) but it is not as large or as awe inspiring as the Yerebatan Cistern.

3.  Istiklal street - if you are walking the length of Istiklal anyways, you might as well take a side trip to Galata tower and a ride on the Tunel Funicular (2nd oldest underground in the world) as neither of those take much time.  Istiklal on its own is worth visiting because it has so many hidden wonders - from a chocolate cafe which serves possibly the best hot chocolate in the world (I loved their hot pepper flavored chocolate) to magical book shops with fantastical staircases.  This street is definitely something that must be experienced.

Hot Chocolate from J'adore Chocolatier in a short alley off Istiklal

4.  A wander through the maze of old streets:  Many guide books recommend walking in Istanbul, and I cannot agree more.  The part of the city (on both sides of the Golden Horn) of interest to most visitors is small enough for an avid walker to get everywhere by foot.  If you don't have a lot of time to walk - simply walk down the hill from the Grand Bazaar to the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar.  You can't go too far wrong and you will see plenty of tiny and fun old alleyways.  With that route you will get to visit both of the famous bazaars and as an added bonus it takes less time than any other form of transportation!

another extraordinary Istanbul street

5.  As my final choice on the top 5 things to see/experience in Istanbul I have to choose enjoying the grounds and exhibits at Topkapi palace.  This was a tough choice as there are so many other amazing things to do: eat fish at the Galata bridge, wonder at the beauty of the Blue Mosque or the extravagance of the Dolmabahce palace, haggle with a carpet salesman in the Grand Bazaar while sipping apple tea, catch a whirling Dervish Sema, take a tour through history at the Archaeological Museum, or enjoy a lazy day on a Bosphorus Ferry.  While Topkapi, like many of the other sights in the old part of Istanbul can get very crowded, the grounds are large enough that you can find a quiet place away from the crowds to sit and enjoy the same beauty that was created for the Sultans.  There is no tour guide and no prescribed path (unlike Dolmabahce) so you can enjoy the experience at your own pace and according to your own tastes.

For anyone visiting the city during the winter months, have no fear this city is worth it even if it is cold and snowing.  Happy travels!

Trip Log: The quest for Daffy Duck

Our quest, like so many quests, began innocently enough on an ordinary Tuesday morning as we walked briskly down the hill to catch the Bosphorus Ferry.   As we neared the bottom of the hill we saw a pair of boxer shorts in a shop window that had daffy duck on them.  They were the perfect gift for one of my brothers but since we had no time  to stop then, we decided to try to find Daffy Duck on our way back to the hotel later that night - after all, how hard could it be to retrace our steps?

One of the narrow alleys behind the spice bazaar

Later that evening we began back up the hill from the ferry, doing our very best to follow the exact same path through the narrow maze of streets that we had taken that morning.  By the time we reached the top of the hill, we knew something wasn't right - we were nowhere near where we started that morning.  We started back down the hill and then went up the hill a different way.  This time we had more success eventually finding ourselves in the familiar "underwear alley" where store after store of both men's and women's unmentionables line the narrow cobbled street. You might think that this would be the perfect place to find Daffy Duck plastered on a pair of boxers, but you would be wrong.  Lots of kinky Santa Clauses (don't ask) but no Daffy Duck.

rows of jeans on display

'That's OK' we thought.  'We still have a few more more days here, we can look again tomorrow'.  So we made our way back up the hill to our hotel.  The next day, after meeting some friends up on Istiklal street on the other side of the golden horn, we once again decided to look for the shop on our way up the hill from the Galata Bridge.  This time I was determined to find it.  We wound our way making sure to cover each and every street until we reached the main clothing avenue leading up the hill to underway alley.  We found thread, material, socks, jeans, skirts, scarves, tools, guns, belts, shoes, and lots of other stuff - but no Daffy Duck. 

After a good night's sleep, however, we were ready to tackle the quest one last time. We were so serious about it that it was, in fact, the only thing on our agenda for Thursday.  So, after petting a cat for good luck and getting a cup of coffee to set a good mood, we set out down the hill once more.  We stopped at every corner to decide which way we had turned on Tuesday morning, until at last we reached a corner where we really couldn't remember which way we had turned.  We chose the alley to the left.  It quickly became clear that this alley, lined with shops selling thread, buttons, and ribbon, was one we had not seed yet, and was unlikely to yield Daffy.  

Giant shoe in the shop next door to the one with our boxers.

We did the only thing to be done:  we turned around and retraced our steps to that last corner and turned right.  There it was.  About halfway down the alley in a window display were the ever elusive Daffy Duck Boxers.  Between the wild boxers, the shop across the street carrying umbrellas with fuzzy fringes, and the shop next door with a bag shaped like a giant shoe, the street carried the distinct aroma of absurd and bizarre.  No wonder it was so hard to find.

Trip Log: Christmas in Istanbul

While Christmas (on December 25th) isn't really a holiday here, there are plenty of ways to celebrate it if you find yourself in Istanbul.  You can take a tour of the alleys behind the Egyptian (spice) bazaar looking at holiday decorations and dancing Santas.  You can go gift shopping on Istiklal and while you are at it check the times for Christmas day services at one of the Catholic churches.  Or, you can do what we did: take a ferry ride up the Bosphorus.

A view of the Galata Bridge from the ferry

There are a number of boats that do "tours" of the Bosphorus, but the one most frequently recommended is the public ferry.  This boat leaves from a dock on the Bosphorus side of the Galata Bridge and currently costs 25 TL for a round trip ticket to the Black Sea and back.

Rumeli fortress built by the Ottomans in 1452

The trip is definitely worth doing on a day when the weather is nice as you get great panoramic views of the city as well as of the colorful houses and the Ottoman and Byzantine ruins that climb the steep hillsides on either side of the strait.  For us, the weather was perfect.  It was warm enough to go without a coat, even out on the edck and the skies were blue (if a little hazy).

Anadolu Kavagi

The ferry's last stop is the town of Anadolu Kavagi, within view of the Black sea.  The remains of a Byzantine fortress "Yuros Castle" lie on a hill high above the town.  The streets are lined with fish restaraunts and souvenir shops for visitors as they wait for the Ferry to make the return trip to the Golden Horn. 

Yuros Castle

the sun setting beyond Istanbul.

There really isn't a more relaxing way to spend a day in Istanbul than this!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Trip Log: From old to new to old again

  

From old...

The weather in Istanbul has been gradually improving, and we have been slowly moving our activities outside.  Sunday was still overcast but not cold, so we used that day to visit the Topkapi Palace on top of the hill behind the Hagia Sophia. Construction on the Topkapi Palace began in 1459 and it was the primary residence for the Sultans until nearly 1856 when the court moved over to the Dolmabahce Palace.  

The palace grounds today hold the Hagia Irine Church (not usually open to visitors) with its legendary acoustics, the Archaeology Museum, along with the exquisite palace and grounds and the relics and Ottoman treasures (including the arm and scull of John the Baptist and the sword of Mohammed). We spent most of the day wandering the grounds and admiring the beauty of the building and the view from the hill.  This sight is one of the top attractions listed in most tour books and it is certainly not one to miss.

  

To new...(er)

On Monday the sun came out, the temperature rose and we ventured out doors to do a modified version of this National Geographic Walking Tour.  We skipped the attractions that we had already visited and instead used the tour to see the French Quarter and the more modern part of Istanbul on the other side of the Golden Horn.  

Our tour took us from the Galata bridge, up the steep, narrow street to the Galata Tower, then up the colorful Galip Dede Caddesi - a cobbled lane lined with musical instrument shops, and then along the famous İstiklal Caddesi - a shop-lined pedestrian avenue.

We returned to the Galata bridge for a fish-wich lunch from one of the fishing boats by the bridge before heading back to the old town for the afternoon.

To old again

Later in the evening we returned to Istiklal to celebrate Christmas eve at the Duch Reformed church and to dine.  The highlight of our evening trip was a trip in the first subterranean urban rail line in continental Europe (the second oldest in the world).  The Tunel funicular, has only two stops and it takes you from the Galata Bridge to the bottom of Istiklal.

Trip Log: from the outside in and from the inside out

From the Outside In - the Dolmabahce Palace

The exterior of the Domabahce Palace with Thursday's snow still on the ground

For the last couple of days we have spent more time exploring cultural extremes of the ancient city of Istanbul.  Yesterday, in an attempt to escape the near 0 temperatures, we went to sample the extreme extravagance of the Dolmabahce Palace - a Sultan's palace built in the European style during the 19th century.


From the elaborate ornamentation on the massive gates outside of the palace to the gold plated ornamentation and giant crystal chandeliers inside the palace to the beautifully designed grounds, the complex is a tribute to the lavish riches controlled by the Ottoman empire in the 19th century.

The interior of the palace can only be seen on a guided tour that, even in the winter will be crowded and that takes around two hours to complete.  Even once inside the palace I was left with the distinct impression that a mere glimpse of half visible royal rooms through roped-off doors was the closest encounter with this lavish life-style I will ever taste.

From the Inside Out: the Narrow Streets of Old Istanbul

shop lined steps

Today, with the first part of a thaw on a gentle breeze, we decided to brave an aimless meander through the maze-like back streets of old Istanbul with the ultimate goal of the Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Bazaar on the southern bank of the Golden Horn as our only compass point.  The only point on our agenda was "to enjoy and experience the city."  For me, this meant finding a good cup of coffee.

We began in the shoe district by our hotel where streets are lined with shops selling shoes, material, soles, and laces.  Then we walked through the streets just below the Grand Bazaar where shops carry a wide variety of men's and women's unmentionables.  Our ins and outs took us down shop-lined staircases and streets too narrow for cars until, at the bottom of the hill, we emerged from the maze and found ourselves next to the spice bazaar.  

All of the main shopping districts in Istanbul are hopelessly congested with tourists from all over the world and the Spice Bazaar is no exception.  The market is exactly as advertised: stalls containing beautiful stacks of Turkish delight, spices, teas, and other knick-knacks line the T-shaped structure. 

Inside the spice Bazaar

Finally satisfied as to the market's general content, we moved on from the Spice Bazaar by way of a crowded and colorful backstreet and found a little sweet and coffee shop in which to enjoy a quiet cup of Turkish coffee and some honey-saturated pastries - mission accomplished.