Fetih (Conquest) 1453 | Sultan Mehmet enters The Constantinople..

The Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (Atatürk'ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı), is an annual Turkish national holiday celebrated on May 19 to commemorate Mustafa Kemal's landing at Samsun on May 19, 1919, which is regarded as the beginning of the Turkish War of Independence in the official historiography.

Spomienka na Atatürka, Deň mládeže a športu  (Atatürk'ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı), je každoročný turecký štátny sviatok, oslavovaný  19. mája na pamiatku pristátia Mustafa Kemala v Samsune 19. mája 1919. Tento moment  je považovaný za   začiatok tureckej vojny za nezávislosť.

Turkey’s largest mosque Istanbul Camlica Mosque

Eskişehir Sazova park

Masukiye Waterfall

Not very far from Istanbul (around 120km) Maşukiye provides spectacular picnic places. Ancient human made waterfalls work like they are just natural and the some restaurants located inside the forest are perfect places to eat fresh trout fish. It is always great to sit on a high dock and rest your eyes and mind, while the river flows beneath the dock with its musical sound. Once you fall asleep, you feel totally rejuvenated when you open your eyes!

Sapanca lake

Like many places in Turkey, there’s a story behind Lake Sapanca’s name. In fact, it derives from a myth that many locals apparently still believe. Sapan is the Turkish word for slingshot, and allegedly an old man carrying one happened across the original town asking for a glass of water. No one was willing to spare one, so on his way out he cursed the entire town to be submerged in a flood. As the story goes, the town was flooded and Lake Sapanca was created. The villagers, awestruck by this prophetic act, deemed this old man with a slingshot worthy of remembrance. Some even say that the original town’s mosque still sits at the bottom of this massive lake.

Getting There

There are a variety of ways to get to Sapanca, the simplest being driving. Having your own wheels is also beneficial because there are nearby areas that can only be accessed by car – it is possible to get these places using a combination of buses and cabs, but that can eat up time and be inconvenient. There’s a high-speed train from Pendik to Arifiye (12 TL) that takes an hour and usually leaves five times a day. You can then take a cab from Arifiye to central Sapanca, which costs around 30 TL and takes about 20 minutes. You can also take various tourist buses. VIP goes directly to Sapanca, while the other companies go to Adapazarı Merkez  (approx. 25 TL), where you can get a bus to Sapanca Istasyonu for 3 TL. The bus journey will take you no longer than 2-3 hours. Actually, we found that it took longer to get across the second Bosphorus bridge from Esenler then it did get from Beykoz to Sapanca.

Where to Stay

On the lake there’s a lot of high-priced villas and homes for rent, and there are also expensive resorts with spas and pools. The most famous is the Richmond Nua Wellness Spa, but a room will run you around $300 a night. I stayed at a place called Ogun House Hotel that was pretty central, clean, comfortable, had bikes that guests were free to use, and was about a sixth of the price of the nearby spas and resorts. One of the employees even gave us a ride around, explained some of the history and showed us points of interest. But if you want something a little more out in the woods or just really want to escape the crowds, there are a lot of campsites around Kartepe, about 20 minutes from the lake, as well as spots surrounding the lake itself where you can either pitch your tent or pay for an actual site.

On the Lake

Once you venture from your hotel or campsite, you’ve got a plethora of options. Fishing is a big draw here, either from the shores or a boat. Trout (alabalık) is the main catch, and you can find it in restaurants all around the lake. In the summer, swimming is obviously popular along with water skiing, canoeing and kayaking. There’s also little stands all along the shoreline where you can rent paddle boats.

As for villages, there’s the signature Sapanca, with its waterfront lined with cafes – the perfect spot for breakfast. We went to Gulizar, which had quite a large breakfast buffet for 30 TL. In the main traffic circle you’ll find some tea gardens and a bar or two (be forewarned the area is on the conservative side – there aren’t many tekels or bars – so you may want to BYOB). If you travel in the other direction on the waterfront away from the restaurants it will take you to the yürüyüş yolu. It’s a pretty bike and walking path that is a good place for your morning run or just an afternoon lounging in the grass. There are also benches and picnic areas if you prefer to have a cookout. We had dinner at Sasa Harmanlık, which is located right before the start of the bike path. It has decent enough food with a dining section situated on a pier over the wate. 

Kırkpınar is another place where you can lie in the grass along the shore. It’s about a 20-30 minute bike ride from the center of Sapanca, but definitely worth the trek. There’s a number of tree farms on the way, sporting different types of firs and pines that made the ride smell like a living room during the Christmas season. When you finally get to Kırkpınar there’s a beautiful little strip of grass along the lake, dotted with brides and grooms having their wedding photos taken, where you can grab tea or have a barbecue. If you want to head inland, there’s a lot of farmland and an interesting rural landscape that stretches for a couple of miles. Some of these farms have in-house restaurants and sell their own organic products (although there is debate about the legitimacy of the organic claims at some of these places). Otherwise, to get into the more scenic sections inland you need to hop in a car and drive for about half an hour. 

Around the Lake

When you do make it inland – and I suggest you do – the big tourist draw is Kartepe. Mainly a ski mountain and resort in the winter, there’s also a fair amount of trekking to be done on foot or ATV during the rest of the year. I didn’t get to see much in the few days I visited, but I’m definitely going back to explore the views. One side gives you Lake Sapanca with the other showing off the Gulf of Izmit. All of this with vistas of the Samanlı Mountains in between.

Another must see all year round is Maşukiye. Located more towards the base of Kartepe, the area is known for its series of man-made waterfalls that wind around breakfast balconies and cabins. When you get tired of all the people, you can go for a walk on the nearby trails. If you’re more of an adrenaline junkie there are ATV tours that will let you see more in less time (they’re also easy enough for beginners). If that’s too much excitement for you, there’s a pretty mild zip-line before the restaurant area where you can at least get a little rush before you relax at a cafe and listen to the water stream down. My biggest disappointment was that I didn’t take advantage of the paintball courses halfway up the road – who doesn’t love shooting at your friends in a beautiful, natural setting?

Lake Sapanca offers leaf peeping in the fall, skiing in the winter, and boating and fishing in the spring. But whenever you decide to visit, it will always provide you a quiet and peaceful escape into nature.

Palandöken ski

Erzurum

Palandoken ski center

Çamlıca tepesi .... Çamlıca hill

Çamlıca Hill (Turkish: Çamlıca Tepesi), is a hill in Üsküdar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Situated on the Asian part of the city at 268 m (879 ft) above sea level, Çamlıca Hill has a panoramic view of the southern part of Bosphorus and the mouth of Golden Horn.

The hill is a popular visitor attraction. There is historical-designed teahouses, cafes and a restaurant inside a public park with monumental trees, flower gardens and fountains, run by the Metropolitan Municipality.

Çamlıca Mosque is set to be completed as the largest mosque in Asia Minor by the end of 2016, able to accommodate 37,500 people, and will include a museum, art gallery, library, conference hall, and underground parking lot.

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Historic tram on Istanbul’s İstiklal Avenue back in operation

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

The historic tram connecting Istanbul’s Tünel Square and Taksim Square was reopened on Dec. 30 after a year of renovations on İstiklal Avenue.

Rides on the tram will be free for one week, after which a ride will cost 2.6 Turkish Liras for a full fare and 1.25 liras for a discounted fare. The line, which spans the length of İstiklal Avenue, is 1.64 kilometers.

The reopening ceremony on Dec. 30 was attended by Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin Istanbul Mayor Mevlüt Uysal, and Beyoğlu District Mayor Misbah Demircan. Speaking at the ceremony, Uysal said the renewal of İstiklal Avenue – which has caused consternation on the historic thoroughfare for over a year – mean it will “hopefully” not have any problems in terms infrastructure for the next 20 to 30 years.

“Our shopkeeper friends here have had problems [due to the renovations]. But hopefully no problem will be experienced for the next 20 to 30 years,” he said.

“[Renewal of] Taksim Square started in 2015 and it is now almost over … The Atatürk Culture Center will also meet its new building, as the former building will be soon demolished,” Uysal added.

 Şahin also spoke at the ceremony, praising the thoroughness of the renewal work.

 "Perhaps our citizens and shopkeepers experienced troubles. But hopefully [thanks to the renovations] this will be worth the inconvenience they have gone through,” he said.

Following the ceremony, Şahin and Uysal got into the historic tram at the Tünel Square for a trip up İstiklal Avenue to Taksim Square.

The historic tram is the only vehicle permitted on İstiklal Avenue during regular hours besides official (police, state and municipal) vehicles.

The nostalgic tram operates with three mortises and two wagons, making 14,600 trips per year amounting to 23,944 kilometers. The tram carries an average of 6,000 passengers per day and has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Istanbul.

How to Get an Istanbul Kart

Istanbul Kart (Istanbul Card) is in essence an all-round public transportation boarding pass. To immediately answer the question raised in the title: yes it is worth getting one if you plan to use (the advantages of) public transportation multiple times during your stay in Istanbul. So, unless you prefer to do everything on foot or take a taxi to get around, please do continue reading to find out where to get it, how to use it, and the advantages it has.
What is Istanbul Kart?
The card was introduced in 2009. It’s a contact less or RFID (Radio-frequency identification) card for public transportation fare payment. It has the exact same size as a regular credit card, so it fits perfectly in your wallet. The card is pre-paid and easily rechargeable.

The Advantages of Istanbul Kart
There are quite a few advantages to getting an Istanbul Kart as opposed to buying tokens or ticket every time you’re going to use public transportation.
 

1. Multi-Purpose — This single card enables you to pay for multiple types of transportation: buses, metros, ferries, funiculars, and tramways (yes, even the nostalgic one running on Istiklal Caddesi). Moreover, most of these transportation types no longer accept cash payments, so you’ll have to buy some kind of token or ticket before boarding anyway.
 

2. Pre-Paid — Istanbul Kart is a prepaid and rechargeable card. This means that you don’t have to stand in line (and maybe miss the bus or tram) to get a valid boarding pass every time you plan to make use of public transportation. And uploading more credits can be done at designated machines, most of the times without a queue in front of you.

3. Ease of Use — It is not necessary to bring the Istanbul Kart in contact with the reader. You can pay for your fare by ‘waving’ the smart card within 8 cm (3.1 in) of the reader. In most cases you don’t even have to take it out of your wallet, purse or light hand bag. Upon making a successful payment, the reader will make a sound and the screen will light up showing the amount left on the card. In case of insufficient funds, the screen will read Kontör Yetersiz.
 

4. Multiple Travelers — There is no need to buy multiple cards since one Istanbul Kart can be used

for up to 5 passengers. After paying the fare for the first passenger, let him or her hop on or pass through the turnpike, wait a few seconds, and again wave the card in front of the reader.

5. Discounts — By using the card, you already benefit from a 10% discount over the normal fare. Instead of paying 5 TL per ride, you pay 2,6 TL. And there is more. You can make up until five transfers/connections within a two hour period, and you’ll pay less for every transfer, already only 2,4 TL for the first transfer.
 

Where to Get an Istanbul Kart
The easiest way to get the Istanbul Kart is at major transit stops such as the airport,Sultanahmet, and Eminönü. To buy an Istanbul Kart, you need to pay a non-refundable 10 TL fee (for the actual card and the service), and of course an amount of your choice to load onto the card.
How to Reload the Istanbul Kart
To reload the card, you can either go to newsstands and small shops (look for the phrase Akbil Dolum Noktası) which offer this service, use self-service special purpose machines at major transit stations. The machines accept notes of 5, 10, 20, and 50 TL and have instructions in multiple languages

Celebrating Christmas in Istanbul By Erlend Geerts

Celebrating Christmas in Istanbul 

The roots of Santa Claus lay in Turkey, to be precise in Patara near Myra. Already in the 4th century A.D.E. St Nicholas dropped bags of money down the chimneys to help people. But today, in a country with a 98% Muslim population, Christmas is a day like any other day. Yet, spending Christmas in Istanbul is not that odd an idea — here’s why.

5 Reasons Why Istanbul Is a Nice Christmas Destination

• Christmas Decoration — Starting mid-December, streets and stores are decorated in a similar fashion Western countries do for Christmas. You’ll find plenty of Christmas trees, (street) lights and even an occasional Santa Claus. Not that Turks celebrate the birth of Christ; they’re just gearing up for New Year celebrations. But the atmosphere leading up to that day is similar to what we’re used to for Christmas in the West.
• No Christmas Hype — You can enjoy the Christmas atmosphere without all the commercial elements. I personally don’t miss 30 repetitions a day of Jingle Bells or White Christmas, just to name a few. There simply aren’t any special celebrations, except for masses held at some churches (see below).
• Lesser Sightseeing Queues — In Istanbul, December 25th is business as usual. In other words, Istanbul spends the festive season in much the same way as it always does: bustling and at your service. Not only are all the historic sights open, on top of it they are fairly quiet with pretty short queues — a blessing.

• Christmas Masses — If you wish to attend a special Christmas mass, that’s no problem. Just go to Anthony of Padua, the largest Catholic church in Istanbul. It’s located on Istiklal Caddesi, on your left as you walk from Taksim towards Tünel. On foot it will take about 20-25 minutes. To be on the safe side, please check out mass hours at least a day beforehand.
• It’s Only a Week from New Year — Istanbul’s New Year celebrations are famous. On New Year’s Eve Istanbul is at full swing with restaurants, cafes, bars and night clubs fully booked. And if you prefer to celebrate outdoors, head for Nişantası‘s giant street party. So why not combine both year-end festivities while you’re here?

Why an Istanbul Christmas May Not Be Your Cup of Tea

• Not Really Low Season — Istanbul’s winter is not the most attractive travel weather for the average tourist. Yet, the last week of the year hotel prices tend to rise a bit. Be on the lookout for early booking discounts.
• It’s Winter Time — If you don’t like the summer heat, the festive season is a great alternative. But Istanbul winters can be wet and cold. To make sure you’ll have a fantastic time, pack something waterproof and wear lots of layers.

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