A very large-scale pissing contest

This was the view from the Koç University tower in August 2013. See the Black See in the distance?

I'll have to go back up the tower to get a similar shot, but can you see something poking up over the horizon?

 Well, look at that, these are the pylons for the third Bosphorus bridge--

right in the middle of the exclusive KU view!

That's how much the Prime Minister of Turkey dislikes the Koç family and it's fancy university...

Not funny / Funny?

Not funny

The toilet in our apartment was leaking; apparently, it had a crack. The KU building management workers arrived on Tuesday while Alex and I were out. In the process of replacing the toilet, they left behind the most disgusting and disheartening mess in the bathroom. I don't know how, but the tub was covered with debris and filth. I kid you not. There is a photo, but you don't want to see it. Oh, and the replacement toilet leaks too.

Funny?

I woke up from an intense anxiety dream at 3am last night. I dreamed I was one of the judges for a figure skating event at the Olympics. I freaked out because I realized that I had the wrong rubric! Only a teacher would have this dream and consider it a BAD THING. I woke up with a clenched jaw and a crick in my neck. Reeeeedunkulous.

Bayan şöfer: Lady (bus) driver!

What year is it? 2014, really? Well, let me tell you that the mere sight of a woman driving a city bus will make the passengers on the next bus over gawp, point, and exclaim for a good 10 minutes. On the ride from Sarıyer to the apartment complex, there are steep narrow roads that don't always accommodate two vehicles at the same time, especially if these two vehicles happen to be city buses. This time the driver of my bus had to back up several meters to let the other bus turn the corner and go uphill. As he did so, the passengers on my bus did their best Archie / Edith Bunker impressions... I wanted to laugh soooooo much. At least some people were making approving comments; it wasn't all shock and horror.
While there have been women in management and leadership roles in white collar work for decades, the gender divide in service and manual labor has only changed a little from what we saw in 1999. In 2008, I remember it was a jolt to see women working on the garbage trucks in Greece after spending the summer in Turkey. Alex has mentioned that there are women who work as security officers at the Archives, and that's true at the entrances to malls and museums as well. Still, that was the first time I've seen a woman driving a city bus here--may there be more!

Aynur Doğan concert

Look carefully at the photo--can you see the guy with the red shirt close-ish to the stage? That's Alex! You can't see me because I'm standing in front of him.

I'm still in pajamas and drinking coffee (at 11 in the morning) because we went out to see Aynur Doğan in concert last night. Her voice is incredible--she sang for two hours--and the crowd knew most of her songs by heart. (Here's a clip from Facebook promoting her new album.) As you can see, the venue was tiny and packed. There was even some side drama when some older men got offended by the young folks in front of them (and almost got themselves kicked out). 

One highlight of the concert was her being accompanied by a Spanish guitarist, Javier Limón. I was impressed by the combination of their styles and harmonies. It reminded me a lot of the musical connections documented in the film, Latcho Drom.

Aynur was featured in another of my favorite documentaries, Crossing the Bridge.

The concert was definitely a great way to celebrate the end of winter break. Next week Monday, classes begin again!

Cornbread--a minor victory!

This is just to report that I have successfully made one batch of cornbread without any baking powder. Thanks to our friend, the internet, I learned that a little baking soda plus plain yogurt will do the trick, and it did. It was also a nice antidote to a little homesickness...

A few of my favorite things...

I still have a few more days before I have to think about teaching, so yesterday I went out to see a couple of my favorite places in Istanbul--the Archaeological Museum and Aya Sofya, and one place I hadn't been since 1999, the Basilica Cistern (which I won't count as a favorite place, and this visit should last for another 15 to 20 years at least).
Ten days in France hadn't obliterated my Turkish, and I was able to get a Museum card with my residence permit, which is quite a bargain--about 15 dollars to see more than 300 museums around Turkey!
Apparently, it was field trip day for the schoolkids of Istanbul--mercy! It's miracle any of the artifacts survived that onslaught of rambunctious kiddos. I wish I had dared to take a photo of these two guards who were obliviously playing on their smartphones while the little ones poked and prodded ancient things. I didn't take nearly as many photos as before, which you can see on these posts from 2008: Gezme: Sightseeing, Hafta sonu Istanbul'da: The weekend in Istanbul, and Aya Sofya en iyi: Hagia Sophia is the best!
Here are the highlights from yesterday:
(I couldn't use a flash in the museums, so some of these came out dark.)

Archaeological Museum

Aya Sofya

 Cats basking in the heat of the lights

 Medusa Head from the Basilica Cistern

 Sunset from the patio at home

France, not Turkey

Yesterday evening Alex and I returned from our visit with his family in France. It was great to see everyone again and enjoy seeing the Alps for the first time. Alex's sister and her family live in very small settlement, Les Geymonds, in a plateau of the Vercors range of the French Alps. Of course, people there love skiing and anything wintery-outdoorsy. This winter, though, has been a big disappointment--when we arrived the high temperatures were in the 50s. It did snow a little, but the rain kept winning out. For us, the point was to spend time with family, so no skiing was not an issue at all! It was a lovely visit with time to hang out, play cards, play chess, eat incredibly delicious vegetarian meals prepared by Alex's sister, and just be.
Here are a few side trips we took:

Le Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval / The Ideal Palace of Postman Cheval

Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924) collected rocks on his route delivering the mail and built the palace of his dreams over 33 years! It was such a delight to explore this fanciful place. 

Le Mémorial de la Résistance / The Resistance Memorial

Reminders of the struggle and sacrifice of World War II are frequent around Vercors. With Alex's dad, we went to the Resistance Memorial which commemorates local fighters and supporters in the local community. Some of the most cruel massacres happened in the last months of the war. 

The road from the memorial to Pont-en-Royans

Gorgeous gorges, winding roads, one-lane archways--truly astounding!

Pont-en-Royans

Don't let cliffs or a river stand in the way of building a town!

Grenoble

Look, a Calder!

Alex and I spent one day in Grenoble, where we visited two museums and walked around the old part of town. The Archeological Museum encompassed a two-thousand-year-old-site which had begun as a Gallo-Roman burial ground and developed over time as a church and monastery. The website is worth seeing for the photos, but here is a montage from the postcards and bookmarks we got:

At the Musée Dauphinois, we saw a variety of exhibits based in local culture and arts. The most interesting to me was one about sundials, and the surprise was a history of the lingerie industry in Grenoble--who knew?

On the last day, some of us went on a hike to a mountain inn. The weather was pretty cold and wet, so Alex chose not to get soaked in his only pair of shoes. It was definitely an effort for me to keep up, but I'm glad I did, and the rain turned to snow as we went up. Our reward was blueberry/raspberry pie with mulled wine!

And then it was time to go back to Turkey... the end!