Saturday, March 12, 2011

ROMANIA -- Yeeaahh...Our first snow...

It was 3rd week of December 2010 when we had our first snow... it was 4 degC outside. As other first thing in life... we were enchanted seeing the snow fell down and whitening our balcony and common park area.

During snowing...
After 2 days of snowing...


As we look closely at the snowflakes... the shape is really like in the picture or cartoon movies.. unfortunately my shoot is not good enough (:amateur lens)



Wednesday, March 9, 2011

TURKEY -- weekend getaway between ANKARA and ISTANBUL

November 2010... I had a meeting with client in Ankara, Turkey on Thursday and Friday. Knowing this, with no doubt, Bunda wants to tag along.. of course with Ayska. Since going to Ankara must transit in Istanbul, we decided to spend the weekend there. We even bought a guide book.. full colors. A weekend getaway between Ankara and Istanbul.

We flew from Bucharest on Wednesday morning to Istanbul.. it is about an hour flight. Rush.. panic.. we only have an hour left to buy visa on arrival and pass the immigration before the domestic flight to Ankara take off. There was a long queue for both... it took us 30 minutes to get the visa. If we followed on the immigration queue  I am sure we will miss our flight. So I asked a person with airport badge (I thought we would know something and help)... he replied "I dont know, it is not my problem" ... I want to smash his head off. Then I talk to the guard close to immigration counter, he suggest me to the last counter on the corner... I run there, confirmed that I can pass through there... run back to Bunda... and finally we pass the immigration without have to stand in the queue. But the fight was not offer yet... we need to run from International airport to Domestic airport... and we made it.. huff huff... 

ps. the price for visa on arrival for Indonesian is USD 25, and it is only for Single Entry, for staying upto 30 days.






ANKARA
It is the capital of Turkey. Unfortunately we did not have much time to do sightseeing in the ancient city. I was meeting the client right after we land in Ankara. It is good that there is mall near the client office where Bunda spent her time waiting for me. Bunda was walking around and window shopping near the hotel while I had a meeting on Thursday. The client was pretty nice, he knew that my family was in Ankara and told me not to come back on Friday, but to enjoy the city with my family. So.. Friday noon we flew to Istanbul and the next voyage was begun.

ISTANBUL
We were staying in the old city, Sultanahmet area. Amazingly very crowded area.. many small hotels and the road are quite narrow, only fit for one car. On Friday night, we were just walking around the area near hotel and having kebab and rice pudding for dinner.
Basically there are few historical places within walking distance from our hotel, namely Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Bazaar. I think we did not manage our time quite well... yeah we did not read the guide book thoroughly. Also, there is another reason... Ayska is not feeling well.

1. Hagia Sophia
It was originally a cathedral, but converted to a masjid by Ottoman (namely Sultan Mehmed II) as they conquered Constantinople (i.e. Istanbul). You could ask Mr.Wikipedia (=Hagia Sophia) for brief history :). High ceiling with many chandeliers make the room looks beautiful. There was huge symbol of Allah and Muhammad, and also the four khalifah. The remaining  Christian figures were also preserved in the second floor.




2. Sultan Ahmed Masjid (Blue Mosque)
Basically it is a masjid, quite big and actively used for sholat. There is dedicated space provided for non-muslim to see the praying hall. It is beautiful with its high ceiling and decorations. It is worthwhile to see while praying there. Meanwhile, I also think... "why we can not attract international tourist similar like this... we have Istiqlal and Gold-Dome Masjid". Here is what Mr.Wikipedia (=Sultan Ahmed Mosque) said. Between Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed is a park where we had our "Ottoman Drink", it is thick, mixed of milk, cinnamon, fruits... I forget what else, served very hot.



3. Topkapi Palace
We think this is the most remarkable place that we went to. Unfortunately, we had not much time to explore its every detail. We would definitely spend more time here than the 2 places abov if we come back to Istanbul someday. There were many building and rooms, one of them is facing the Marmara Sea. I think the most interesting in this place is the artifact of Islam history.. such as Key of Ka'bah, Sword of Abu Bakar and Ali, Clothes of Fatimah.. and many more, of course pictures are not allowed. If you have time to go to Istanbul, make sure you spend a day here. Here is some reading material from Mr.Wikipedia (=Topkapi Palace).




Culinary
Anywhere you go.. you should try local dishes (of course the Halal ones for us).

  • Kebab... of course. Lamb or Chicken?
  • Baklava ... sweet pastry made in layers and sweetened with honey or syrup, some with nuts, pistachio.. it's really good and sweet
  • Rice pudding... I guess it is self explanatory
  • Turkish ice cream... I was wondering why the seller always stir the ice cream with full force... apparently the ice cream is using nougat... sticky.
  • Ottoman drinks...