Efe

This is Yoruk Ali Efe. We visited the house where he lived. Major figure in the Turkish War of Independence.  In this part of Turkey you see almost as many representations of Efe as of Ataturk, and one is rarely not in sight of  a picture or statue of Ataturk. They put up a statue of… Continue reading Efe

Published
Categorized as Turkey

Bashkent

Letter: The ‘Best’ Hospital In Turkey : Planet Money : NPR. This is a letter that was published on Planet  Money blog. I wrote it in 2009, on our first trip to Turkey, just as the debate was heating up as to whether the US can afford to take care of its citizens as well… Continue reading Bashkent

Published
Categorized as Essay, Turkey

WC

This is my favorite men’s room icon in the world. Mr. Cool.              

This is only a test

I love hearing the call to prayer, even at 4:00 in the morning. Thats what the minarets attached to mosques are for. But I have to say, my knee jerk thought whenever I see one is, “ICBM”.    

Ephesus

This was the largest theater in Ionia, the part of ancient Greece that was in Turkey.  Paul the apostle had a gig here that did not go well.As a change of pace, Paul was chased out of town by an angry mob of pagans rather than of Jews. It seems he violated the precept set… Continue reading Ephesus