Cultural Icons - Take a Guess - In Turkey and ... Elsewhere!

Why are some countries known for certain things?

The definition of icon is: a person or thing regarded as a representative or symbol of something.

    When we think of different countries and places, it often brings to mind specific symbols or iconic stereotypes that make us think of the place, even if we've never been there. 

    As an example, when you think of Scotland (the land where Fiona was born and raised), it brings to mind bagpipes, kilts, and Scotch whisky.  Or when you think of Australia you think of kangaroos or beaches or barbecues.  "put another shrimp on the barbie"

    So Fiona and I set off today to discover and experience the iconic things that Turkey is known for.  Not by design, we just had a few things we wanted to do and see, and they turned out to be Turkey Icons.  Maybe that could be a good name for a rock band, the Icons of Turkey ... 

    Anyway, we kind of overslept this morning, and that hasn't happened very much on this trip.  Normally we wake up early because of time changes, but we got a slow start today. 

If you are not familiar with Turkey, we will supply the iconic references

    One of the things that certainly comes to mind for Istanbul is the incredible Mosques they have here.  The Blue Mosque is very famous around the world and rightfully so.  

    And then we went around the city and had a late lunch with - Turkish Coffee - surely you've heard of this.  It is served in a very small cup and is thick and very strong.  In fact, I was in a funk, lacking energy for no good reason, and with a shot of Turkish coffee, I got back in the game big time.  

    It gets it's name from the way it is brewed.  Kind of like tea, they just put the rich coffee grounds in the pot and leave them to brew.  It comes out very strong, and they put in sugar or honey, and it's served thick with the coffee grounds settling at the bottom.  Major caffiene rush.

    This picture was taken with a view of the Bosphorus Straits in the background where we had lunch.  They serve a glass of water with the coffee, because you need to rinse the coffee grounds out of your mouth when you're done with the coffee.

  

    *** Note: By the way, maintaining energy with constant traveling is sometimes a challenge.  We tend to hit it hard every day.  We did not undertake this journey to lay around by the pool. We usually head out first thing in the morning and don't get back to the hotel until 10:00 at night - and then get up the next day and do it again.  And we were a bit worn out from Senegal, it was a lot like work there.  

    And throw in constant plane trips and airport delays and not eating right half the time and sleep deprived, and well, you get the picture.  And let's face it, we're not getting any younger ... 

Another cultural icon of Turkey is smoking strong cigarettes

    This is not my favorite thing.  Everybody smokes here, and they smoke in restaurants, on the Metro, pretty much everywhere.  Doesn't matter if other people are around, or kids, they're smoking.  Strong stuff too.  

    We used to call the Turkish cigarettes Balkan Sobranie.  A cup of their coffee and one of their cigarettes and your head will explode!  

And you can't ever forget Turkish Delight and especially Baklava

    These guys know how to do sweets.  Baklava is a wonderful concoction of light and delicate pastry mixed with nuts and honey.  

    We found a special local place tonight to engage in this ritual and it was out of this world!  Absolutely amazing flavor, mixed with pistachios and walnuts and dripping with honey and delicate pastry, Fiona rightly described it as heavenly.

  

     I'll include the picture just because I raved about it, but the pic is rather inadequate to match the experience.  I was sorely tempted to lick the plate ... but I maintained my limited dignity. 

East meets West, and Old meets New

    Istanbul, and Turkey in general, is an important crossroads between Europe and the West, and Asia and the East.  This place is dripping in history.  These are some pictures we took on a boat trip this evening as the sun was going down, on the Bosphorus Straits, the body of water that separates the two continents.  This really is a special place. 

    And this last picture shows a castle built in the 12th century up against the backdrop of the new modern bridge built in 1970.      

    Wow!  And to think at this point we were at the mouth of the Black Sea, which borders Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and former Soviet Georgia.  

One Final Note 

    All countries have their cultural icons, including America.  In fact America has a bunch, and we export them around the world. 

    And guess which cultural icon we saw heaps of today?  

     Marilyn Monroe!  She was in the shops - on t-shirts, hand bags, you name it.  Very popular here.

     An interesting world we live in ...