the Masquerade

The Venice Carnival has been brought back from the dead by the Italian government in the 70s to reinstate the Venetian tradition of the mask and costume, which was only allowed to be worn during specific times of the year due to the 'immoral' behavior mask-bearers would indulge in.  But most likely, the revival of this carnival was to promote tourism. I must say it works, as I found myself in the narrow cobbled streets  of Venice last weekend during the last three days of the carnival.

Despite the annoying number of annoying tourists in the city, I could get some great shots of men and women donning their most elaborate costumes and masks (check out my DeviantArt gallery for the photos).  There is something magical and a bit eerie in the way they hold themselves - very still with only the slightest of movements.  For most of them, I couldn't even see their eyes behind their full-face masks, called bautas.  I could only see blank, black holes that looked out at me.  The background of gondolas, San Marco, and the aquatic city just made the whole experience very cinematic.

I created a video from my trip to highlight this eerie feeling of statuesque poses and slight movements that belie it all.  Check it out on Vimeo! Link here.

"I couldn't even see her eyes moving behind the bauta. Her statuesque pose echoed the city's stillness. Then the slightest of movements - a nod, a shift of the fingers, a footstep - gave away what lay underneath the mask and the costume. It was in those fleeting moments that Venice came to be as it once was. Every man and woman in a masquerade ball pretending; a carnival celebrating the Venetian tradition of anonymity."

Louvre in Istanbul: the Exhibition

While I was in Istanbul for a friend's wedding last weekend, I got the chance to see the 250-piece exhibition Louvre in Istanbul featuring Islamic art from the three capitals of Islamic art history, Istanbul, Isfahan and Delhi. The exhibition was housed in the lavish mansion that used to belong to a famous Turkish businessman, Sakip Sabanci, and was curated extremely well.

The historical introduction to each segment of the exhibition provided the necessary backdrop for understanding the pieces as they were perceived at their time, though most of the carpets, calligraphy and china on display were breathtaking solely through their artistry and beauty. Needless to say, I was very proud to have seen the exhibition, but slightly annoyed that the Louvre was housing all of these national treasures from our past, but that's another story so I'll move on...

The mansion itself was beautiful. Designed by an Italian architect in the 1940's, it hints at Versailles and other European royal courts with its interiors. The mansion is widely referred to as Atlı Köşk (Equestrian Villa) because of the bronze horse statue that sits in its front garden welcoming anyone who enters the premises. The view of the Bosphorus from the garden is a sight to behold. What I would give to have that view every morning of every day...

Check out the link to see some pics of the pieces on display and some other pics from my trip to Istanbul last weekend.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/SpringInIstanbulApr2008

On a further note, I found the TV spot that was created for the exhibition on youtube. It's minimalistic but very effective. Check it out!

Cancun - Little America

Having spent almost a whole week in Cancun, Mexico, I can now join the ranks of vacationers everywhere who descend upon this Caribbean spot during the winter. 27-30 C temperatures for winter sound great to me. No humidity, white sandy beaches, palm trees and drinks at the pool...and not to forget, the jet skis. Aaahh, the resort hotel experience. My one concern about Cancun is that it doesn't feel like you've left the US at all. All the American chains (food, coffee, clothing, you name it) are in Cancun, they accept dollars here so no need to get any Mexican pesos, the tourists are segregated to 20 odd miles called the Hotel Zone outside of downtown. The experience is pampering but there is no Mexican culture involved in Little America, Cancun. They don't even collect your US departure card when you leave for Mexico for less than 30 days. It's as if you've never left the US, even for the government!

After days of meetings in the hotel (work function), I made sure that I spent enough time at the beach, saw the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, and ate as much Mexican traditional and fusion food as possible. All in all, this was a successful and relaxing time. All I needed before enduring another month of snowy Chicago. The crazy snow storm that hit the city today meant that my flight had to be rerouted to St. Louis for refueling and waiting until the Chicago airport reopened. Chicago never fails to make my trips more adventurous than they should be. :)

Check out the photos!
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/CancunMexicoFeb2008

Dec 07 in a nutshell

The day after New Year's Eve, I realized I hadn't blogged for the longest time! That's not because there hasn't been anything happening since Thanksgiving, but more because there has been a lot going on. As I had promised myself when I arrived in Chicago, I traveled within the US as much as possible. In order to keep things concise, I'll give a quick overview of the past month.

1st off, there was San Francisco...
And such a beautiful and intoxicating city it is! My sister and I had great French food at Cafe Claude, the city's best cafe au lait at Cafe de la Presse, good times on the old but still cool trams, had some dungeness crab and visited Alcatraz. Feel free to check out the pics!

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/SanFranciscoNov2007

Then, it was back to the Big Apple...
Gozde, Salvo and I made a dash to the Big Apple for a fabulous weekend. Visited most of the touristy stuff so we could show Salvo as much of NYC as possible in two days. We even managed to squeeze in some ice-skating, which I had never done in my life before. Just so you know, I suck at it! So, don't try and take me ice-skating... ever! Check out the pics!

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/NYCDec2007

Who said skiing in Vail was only for the famous...?
Seriously! The snow was fluffy, the weather was gorgeous, the company was fun, the food absolutely home-made and delicious-every single night. Our amazing organizer, Gozde, pulled it all together and we had a condo in Vail with a hot tub, swimming pool and sauna, which was about 5 min walking distance from the slopes. I had a half-day skiing lesson and got addicted so I'll definitely be hitting the slopes again sometime soon. Ice-skating I may suck at, but skiing comes naturally. ;) Pics, as always, are available:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/SkiingInVailCODec2007

A little stint in Toronto proved why Canada is called Canadia...
Toronto was, in one word, boring. The city had no spirit, wasn't interesting and had no charm whatsoever. Even the people living there looked a bit...umm...weird and suspicious in some way I can't explain. The only good thing that came out of it was my parents visiting their old friends who had emigrated here long ago and taking a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls. Feel free to pass up on Toronto and head to Quebec if you're ever in Canada.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/TorontoNiagaraFallsCanadaDec2007

Discover why Montreal and Quebec City rock...
These two cities are incredible... I was absolutely speechless when I saw the European grandeur in these two North American cities. Mind you, Quebec City is the oldest city in North America, who celebrated its 400th anniversary this New Year's Eve. The French influence is very strong here and the people of Quebec have a real sense of identity that's clear and strong, which separates them from your average Canadian. I was highly impressed with the standard of living, the care, love and respect they show for their cities, and their hospitality. The Quebecoises bent over backwards to speak in English when I couldn't converse in French. I would definitely visit these cities again, despite the -20C temperatures I had to endure.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/MontrAlQuBecJan2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/QuBecCityQuBecJan2008

So, there's my December 07 in a nutshell. Happy New Year to all of you and I hope to see you all very soon!!!

Bonne Annee!

Living the Jetsetting Life - Thanksgiving in Shelton, UK

Thanks to my lovely Australian friends, I'm living the jet-setting life! I made my way back to London for four days to go north (Norwich to be exact) to some small town where we rented a manor house. The manor house was called "The Rectory," where Queen Elizabeth I played as a child. How could I miss a manor house fit for a queen???? Well, I didn't. I booked my flights, made my way to Liverpool Street Station right after landing in London, and dragged my jet-lagged ass over to Diss.

The weekend was fabulous, filled with good food, wonderful company of so many people, and me finally breaking out of my shell to sing in public! :) Check out the pics of the whole weekend. And I must bow down to Joyce's incredible organizational skills. Not only did she rent the house and arrange taxis for everyone, she also managed to order food and get it delivered to our door. I love you, Joycey!

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/ManorHouseChristmasLondonNov2007

So far Chicago

So, I've been back in the windy city for over three weeks now (good God, time flies by!) and I have been extra busy at work and off work. At work, I've been finalizing the training program my team will be going through along with holding the fort at my 'old' position. Off work, here's what I've been up to:

the Turkish 'gang'
As soon as I came back to Chicago, I found myself in the middle of a new Turkish 'gang.' This gang is so fun and outgoing that I've been out with them almost every single night. We end up hanging out at the same Turkish cafe, discussing politics, music, books, you name it! The recent tensions in Turkey is really worrying all of us so we end up talking about that for the majority of the time. To guide the smooth-flowing conversation, we get incredibly good Turkish food and bottomless wine until we leave the place. We usually stay there so late that the place is literally ours and ours only. We invite friends and all of a sudden, it's a spontaneous party! We can even close the place down- i.e. tomorrow we're throwing a pumpkin carving party at the cafe for us and our friends! I feel VIP, and I love it.

Films!!!!!
Approaching the Christmas and New Year's season, there are films galore in the cinemas, and I'm enjoying only paying $10 to see these film, instead of 10 pounds! I'm loving the dollar. So far, I've seen:

• Lars and the Real Girl (highly recommended, really touching and ingenious)
• Dan in Real Life (feel good comedy starring Steve Carell)
• the Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson style awkwardly funny comedy)
• the Heartbrake Kid (horrendous film featuring Ben Stiller)

Chic and trendy
Thanks to my new work colleagues and the no-cover majority of Chicago entertainment spots, I've been to incredibly chic and trendy restaurants and bars. Thought-out decoration, tasty food, good wine and reasonable prices. I'm rediscovering Chicago! Below are pics from a few of the places I've been to.

De La Costa Restaurant

Carnivale

Japonais

A Weekend in the Italian Fashion Capital

I spent the last weekend in September in Milan, the fashion capital of Italy. I had to visit the Milan office for work the following Mon and Tue anyways, and considering I had a friend there, I decided to spend the weekend exploring Milan for the first time in my life.

To recap, I loved the food, the people, and the weather! I have always loved Italian food and believe me, I took advantage of my trip in that respect. And the people....oh, the people! They're so lovely, friendly, and hospitable. I remember fighting to pay for my meals during my trip as my hosts, friend or work colleage, would not let me pay for food at all. And finally, the weather! It was warm but not humid; in other words, I was there for the best fall weather to show off my best looking fall clothes.

Day 1:
- Checking into my boutique hotel on Via de Amicis near the Cadorna Stazione.
- Exploring the Duomo and the Castello di Milano
- Having some gelato (pistacchio and tiramisu flavours!)
- Meeting up with Maria in front of the Galleria
- Walking around with Maria towards the canals in the south of the city
- Having aperativo for 5 EUR each (all you can eat good Italian food including one cocktail...too good to believe, I know!)
- Having dinner with Maria's friends near the Centrale Stazione. Good, cheap food and the best lemon sorbet I've had in my life.

Day 2:
- Sleeping in until 11am; relaxing!
- Having a cafe macchiato and a brioche near the hotel
- Walking around towards the Brera district to visit some museums
- Having THE Italian lunch, including antipasto, primi, secondi, fruit, desert, coffee and wine. Most expensive lunch ever!
- Taking a long-needed nap at the hotel before meeting up with Maria for another aperativo session.
- Having some red wine and pretending to understand Italian while Maria's friends get into heated conversations at the local bar

The next two days were mostly spent at the office (very productive two days with the Italian team!) and eating out with the Italian team. I had the best mozzarella di bufala, pasta, pizza, fish and meat, along with great conversation and jokes. I'm considering moving to Italy! Seriously!

the Dam on the Amstel

...and in such fashion Amsterdam was named. Having the opportunity to go there for work, I planned to spend the weekend there as well to explore as much of "the Venice of the north" as possible. I got there on a Friday night from Frankfurt, which I visited also for work. (P.S. Frankfurt has nothing special that would make it a tourist destination. It literally has five historic buildings left as almost the whole city was destroyed by bombs and artillery fire during WWII. Although my hotel was snazzy... you have to ask me about that when you see me. A little snippet: it was called the Innside Premium Suites located right downtown and with elevators that take you straight to your suite. Nice!)

Without further ado, here are the pics if you'd like to skip to the good stuff.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/AmsterdamNetherlandsSep2007

Day 1:
- Having traditional Dutch sweet pea soup with smoked ham at De Roode Leeuw. Excellent, albeit a bit simple and hearty meal.
- Visiting the Van Gogh Museum and learning he had a fascination with Japanese prints! (Did any of you know this?)
- Pretending to be Alexis (my friend who lives in Amsterdam) at the Rijksmuseum to get in for free (she has a museum pass); although the guy rejected me saying the card didn't belong to me because I wasn't a girl... Ummm.. yea. Had to pay 10 Euros to see a reduced collection that didn't even include the Kitchen Maid by Vermeer. I was pissed off! Don't go to the Rijksmuseum until 2009, when they reopen. In its full glory, it's supposed to rival the Louvre...right...
- Biking around Vondelpark with Alexis; I kept on using my trusty rental bike for four straight days to get around everywhere! You also get to shout, push and ring your bell at lame people walking around in your cycle path. It's fun! ;)
- Trying the traditional bitterballen, balls of unidentified meat fried and served with mustard. Yum! I have a nice picture of it in my gallery (testing the macro setting of my camera for the first time!)
- Having drinks with Alexis' friends and then going to a birthday dinner.
- Visiting the Red Light District and then having some more drinks.

Day 2:
- Waking up at 11:30am...
- Being a bit disappointed by the Anne Frank House after having waited almost an hour to get in. The actual rooms where they lived in hiding for so long are moving and emotional (you see the pencil marks they've made on the wall to see how much they've grown), but there is not one exhibition exploring racial/religious prejudice. It could be much more interesting if they could hold temporary exhibitions in the rest of the space there.
- Having bacon and apple pancakes with stroop (Ozlem, you're right. Stroop basically imitates the Turkish syrup known as pekmez. You stealing cowards! :P) It was a delicious mix though, I must admit.
- Taking a canal boat tour, which was really fun. See the pictures!
- Having a few drinks with Alexis and her friends
- Eating some good ol' Italian food, because I needed a break from the exploration and a return to the familiar

Day 3 and Day 4 were mostly spent at the office, which is in the suburbs of Amsterdam where ABN AMRO and Fortis are located. My last wonderful surprise in this city of canals was the incredibly cheap price of the trains to the airport from the city center. 3,40 Euros!!! Now that's cheap... You hear that price Heathrow Express?????

Next stop: MILANOOOOO!!!!! :D

Turks of Obieland Reunite in Paris

I know it's hard to believe, but yes, we actually did a reunion after almost a year, planned hastily and randomly, as is the Turkish custom. :P We should really be featured as a testimonial for facebook or something because this whole thing originated through a harmless wall post by Asli and then we found ourselves in Paris in a week and a half's time. Unfortunately, that meant that not the whole gang could be there. Frankly, we missed many of the Turkish gang from Oberlin when Asli, Zeynep and I were in Paris eating our duck confit in honey sauce and drinking beaujolais wine. ;) No, we really did! It would have been an all-out party then! Before I get into the details, here's where you can find the pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/ObieReunionParisSep2007

Day 1:
- Opening my hotel door to greet Asli in French "Bon soir mon cherie!!"
- Drinking Asli's bordeaux while catching up at the hotel
- Meeting Zeynep and Evrim right in front of the jazz club where Evrim was about to sing that night, the Sunside Sunset Club
- Having our only bad dinner in Paris with Asli, but the conversation was titillating. :)
- Sneaking into the jazz club without paying the 22 Euro cover fee thanks to Zeynep. We were about an hour and a half late which might have helped as well...
- Spending some time at the bar with a colleague of mine from work who had decided to come to the concert
- Hanging out at the jazz bar until about 2 am, talking with Evrim and the rest in between the times she was singing
- Not finding a freakin' cab in Paris at night to get back to the hotel!!! Seriously, what the hell was that about? We wasted an hour trying to find a cab, but the only cars on the streets were full cabs. We ended up taking a night bus to the hotel instead... fabulous? NO! The only thing that made it worthwhile was Asli's comment: "Now I understand what Carrie Bradshaw had to go through in NYC!" Hhahaha

Day 2:
- Meeting Zeynep for some cafe au lait and pain au chocolat at the Latin Quarter. Basking in the lovely morning sun while chatting it up.
- Walking north towards Ile de la Cite where we visited Notre Dame
- Onto the Louvre, the Champs Elysees and the Louis Vuitton store
- Walking at Le Marais part of Paris, shopping at boutiques, people watching, which became my favorite way of spending time in Paris since everyone's so damn good-looking
- Having an absolutely fantastic dinner near the modern Opera building at Bastille.
- Heading back to the jazz club to hang out with the jazz cats one more time!

Day 3:
- Having breakfast (cafe, orange juice and pain au chocolat accompanied by a nutella crepe!) just south of Notre Dame
- Walking through Paris, le Marais towards Etienne Marcel to check out the Paul & Joe store. Huy, I'm not that impressed... I liked the store Et Vous more!
- Stumbling upon the cutest streets and the most local of cafes, restaurants
- Making our way to Montmarte for a second-hand market, meeting cute sellers at the market, who were so cute we actually bought stuff! ;)
- Visiting Sacre Coeur and listening to the guitar players at the foot steps
- Being awed by the panorama of Paris...
- Having a long dinner at Restaurant Montorgueil - highly recommended! Get the pork and some creme brulee to finish things off. I'm not even mentioning the red wine since it's a given.

Then it was back to London on the Eurostar. I can't wait to do another reunion where more of us can join! It was fun, nostalgic and energizing at the same time. I felt like Asli, Zeynep and I never stopped hanging out; when we came together in Paris, it was as if we had been together since the day we all left Oberlin. So reassuring!

Asli, Zeyrek- Allah razi olsun! Muthis zaman gecirdim; umarim sizler de ayni benim gibi eglenmisinizdir.

Bank Holiday Weekend in Stockholm

Stockholm is a lovely city, from the sights to the people, from the its interconnected waterways to its wondrous skies with the puffiest clouds and a perfect sunlight that lasts for more than 14 hours a day. And might I add that all Swedes are handsome/beautiful and very stylish.

I arranged my trip to Stockholm to attend my friends' wedding. Jimmy and Lena decided it was time to make it all official so there I was on Arlanda Express on a Friday afternoon making my way into the center of Stockholm.

First of all, I should mention my hotel, which looked like it was a cruise ship. This meant awful carpeting, single beds, doors and corridor lighting that would rival that of any dirty cruise ship... the doors even opened out into the corridor...weird... Although this could not make my trip miserable because the city and her people are just downright lovely (even the concierge at the hotel!). Pictures can be found at the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz/StockholmSwedenAug2007

Day 1:
- Walking along Gotgatan street in Sodermalm to reach Gamla Stan, the old town. Along the way, we saw the famous restaurant Gondolen, which is suspended in the air between a shopping mall and the Katarina elevator.
- Having delicious cakes and coffee at Gamla Stan's oldest coffee house, Sundbergs Konditori. Highly recommended!
- Getting lost in Gamla Stan's tiny alley ways. Gozde, you would love this place! One of the alley ways is just under 1m wide!
- Walking towards Normalm, capturing many shots of hot air balloons making their way over Stockholm.
- Having dinner and drinks at this local restaurant mostly frequented by Swedes. We were brought here by Tobias' friends. Good food, good beer, good company.

Day 2:
- Meeting Joyce at Chokladkoppen for the city's best hot chocolate, gossiping and exchanging stories about many of the people who are reading this. Hahah!
- Giving Joyce a tour of Gamla Stan (having explored the small island the day before, I had become an expert on its alleyways). Shopping for goods with moose on them and Christmas decorations.
- Getting dressed up for the church wedding at 2pm. I was blown away by how good-looking all of Jimmy and Lena's friends and relatives were. I couldn't live in Stockholm because I'd be perpetually single due to the stiff competition.
- My first church wedding!! Check out the pics.
- Having champagne at Hotel Rival, which is owned by one of ABBA's members.
- Mingling with the guests at the nearby palace where the dinner took place, oozing intelligence. ;)
- Laughing at jokes and speeches even when they were in Swedish, dancing wild with Natasa, breaking two glasses, kissing Jimmy after a host of women in line, seeing Jimmy shed a tear for the first time.
- Ending the night with some tunnbrödsrulle (Swedish drunken food consisting of a sausage and mashed potatoes in a rolled up pita cone) and some Pilsner beer.
- Slowly making my way back to the hotel at 4am in the morning...

Day 3:
- Having brunch with the newly-weds near the Vasamuseet (might I add this was at 1pm...I could barely wake up.)
- Being awed by the Vasamuseet...check the pics, really! Seeing a 17th century warship is a bit geeky but god damn, it's cool!
- Walking along the Strandvagen to the docks where I caught one of the boats to see the canals and waterways of Stockholm. Natasa came with me and ended up paying to take a nap on the boat. :P
- Meeting Joyce at the best restaurant in Normalm, called Sturehof. Dining on five different kinds of herring, lobster soup with cheese, and grilled turbot with baby potatoes and a creamy sauce. All in all, great food, wonderful company.

Day 4:
- Meeting the Morningstar gang, Jimmy and Lena for a boat trip to the archipelago, mainly Vaxholm and some of the outlying islands.
- Lunching on board with Swedish meatballs, pear cider and traditional Swedish ice cream.
- The lunch was so good, we decided to stay on the ship instead of getting off and made our way back to Stockholm. Total of 3 hours or so.
- Walking around in Kungsholmen, seeing the City Hall and having a cinnamon bun and coffee at Thelins Konditori.
- Dining at the Royal Opera house with salted salmon and baby potatoes, while chatting with a Swedish couple sitting next to me, Ulf and Rositta. Getting a free pear cider from the Italian bartender. ;)
- Shopping at Hugo Boss!!!!!!
- Watching "Knocked Up" with a bunch of Swedish high school students; it was quite the experience!! :D

Then it was back on Arlanda Express to catch the plane to Heathrow. I would definitely come back to Stockholm again, mostly because of the people. Swedes are very beautiful, friendly, stylish, yet they still manage to be modest. Make sure Stockholm is on your list of places to see!!

Viva la Espana!!!

I must admit this was the most fun vacation I've had in a long time. Nel and I planned a fabulous 12 days around Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona, during which we went to the beaches (obviously!), ate a lot of choricitos and empanadas, met a lot of interesting people, made friends with a few Italians (lovely people!), saw a flamenco show, got pick-pocketed at Sagrada Familia, biked for six hours straight in Valencia, went clubbing in Barcelona and got VIP treatment thanks to Nel's connections!

All in all, it was a success! Check out the pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/ysolmaz

Nel, we have to plan a new trip!