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Travelogue 02

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It seems like everywhere you go, there's one of these guys. Straight-faced, they weather the idiocy of tourists, the curious stares, the jokes, and all the other attempts to get them to do anything other than stand there, sternly immobile.

This particular one is outside the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, the habitation of the last sultans before the formation of the Republic of Turkey by Kemal Ataturk 82 years ago. The Turks--at least the urban ones--take great pride in being a secular and European nation, or at least this is the impression they try very hard to convey to tourists. They are still trying to join the EU, and there is some question of how complete the reforms begun by Ataturk really are. One thing's sure, though, the Turks speak of Ataturk with the same reverence that Americans do George Washington, or JFK. And they're very serious about tourism--I asked our guide, and he said he went to school for three years to get his certification, and it showed--he gave us the entire history of Turkey, from the Turks' origins in western China/central Asia, through the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire all the way through to the Republic, AND a rundown on the country that included major cities and regions of production....you name it, he knew it. It was amazing.

That, and Turkish food is wonderful. :)
Image size
388x534px 117.84 KB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon PowerShot A60
Shutter Speed
1/807 second
Aperture
F/2.8
Focal Length
5 mm
Date Taken
Sep 24, 2005, 5:15:56 AM
© 2005 - 2024 rueyeet
Comments5
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idreamofzombies's avatar
if i ever saw one of those soilders i would probably be one of the idiot tourists that try to annoy them by poking them or something.