Istangay

So it's been about (exactly) two months since I wrote in this thing, I thought I would write about the most mind blowing event I experienced in Turkey. The day was June 27th, my birthday. Barbara had the coolest day planned of seeing the Aya Sophia, and other famous landmarks that Istanbul had to offer. So we did all that (more about it later) till about 5ish when we met up with Sophia whom took us to Lambda (Istanbul's LGBT Center ) where i stood around for a while looking like a creeper, not talking to anyone.

Sophia

Then came time to rally the troops and start the march! So we headed outside to meet up with the marching band that were psyching themselves up for an epic performance. Once some signs were handed out and some idea of organization was there they started marching, myself in tow.

Marching band

My face contorted in all astonishment like a father seeing the birth of his son snapping away at my camera so I was to never forget this moment. I was seeing the birth of a huge movement in an area where queers were actually oppressed. Granted this was not the first time gay pride was ever put on in Istanbul, it was actually the 18th consecutive year. Regardless it was certainly a birth for me and I was so proud of my brothers and sisters from different tongues. So many languages were represented yet most of them I haven't the slightest idea what they were saying.

One of Many Signs

 I was mumbling so i could keep up with the chanting. My favorite part of the event was the sheer disorganization of the march. It was as empowering as the Washington DC march i went to in October, yet i felt like i was a part of a community. Something small yet BIG.

Something Big

I felt like I was actually doing something instead of the charade that american pride parades provide.  I feel as though american pride is a mockery of itself where the most important thing is finding someone to fuck. Where as Istanbul pride is speaking out against or escaping from oppression AND finding someone to fuck. What do you think? We are only human.

Couple more Pics

Selcuk; The Perfect Center

Selcuk is where we stayed over the weekend. It's perfect location-wise. It has an Otogar (bus station) that can take you to every tourist town in the area as well as some sights of its own like a beautiful ottoman castle above the city on a hill that's lit up at night, (that i forgot to get a picture of) Tons of stork nests, an Efes Museum, lots of hotels, hostels, and restaurants. It also has a downtown shopping center and the nicest residents I've met in Turkey.

Statue of Artemis 

(At Efes Museum)

Storks!

Sirince; Turkish Wine and Women

The next day after our PMD tour, we visited Sirince a small tourist town that has lots of wine shops and turkish knickknack shops as well as modern greek influenced architecture. Due to the fact that, after the Turkish Republic was formed in the 1920's there was a mandated population exchange. Where Greece forced turkish people to move out of Greece, and Turkey forced greek people out of Turkey.

Houses in Sirince

St. John The Baptist Church

Local Women

Man Blowing Glass outside the Church

Miletus; Home of Thales

Our second stop was Miletus, also a major port city was said to have the smartest people of Anatolia. A couple of examples are Thales, Leucippus, Hippodamus and Aspasia.

The Theatre

The Theatre Entrance (with view of The Caravenserai)

The Theatre Hall

The Theatre 

The Faustina Baths and The Palaestra

The Frigidarium

The Calidarium

The Calidarium

The Theatre

Didyma; City of Prophesy

The last "city" we visited only had one building, but this was one Awesome building. The sheer size of the columns are logic defying. I cant even imagine how they built this almost three thousand years ago.

Temple of Apollo

Temple of Apollo

Walkway of Passage to Adyton

Row of Columns

Row of Columns (one still standing)

The Adyton (Secos)

Relief Scuptures

Priene; Mountain City

The first ancient city Barbara, Jeff, and I saw was Priene. Which was a port city with three levels. The lower level for the most part remains unexcavated and the upper level atop the mountain isn't open to tourists. So we explored the middle level.

The Theatre

The Acropolis

The Temple of Athena

This wheel was on every site, if someone knows what it means please let me know. I'm really curious.

The Temple of Athena

Priene Houses

The Bouleuterion (Council House)

Efes; Not the Beer

So this past weekend Jeff, Barbara, and I went on a weekend trip to a few ancient - and some not so ancient - cities. I took tons of photos so the next couple of entries are just pictures of those cities.

The Marble Street

The Library of Celsus

The Library of Celsus

The Library of Celsus

The Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre

The Grand Theatre (back entrance)

The Latrina

The Temple of Hadrianus

The Stoa Basileios (The Royal Walk)

The Marble Street

The Gate of Hercules / Kuretes Street

The Odeion

The Fountain of Domitianus

The Stoa Basileios (The Royal Walk)

The Temple of Domitianus 

The Monument of Memmius

Kuretes Street

The Grand Theatre