Tulip Time Again!

It's that time of year again when Istanbul explodes into a fountain of colors.  After a dreary and grey winter it seems like everyone is thirsty for sunshine and brightness. On weekends hordes makes their pilgrimage to Emirgan Park where the most spectacular display of tulips is found.  

Istanbul Municipality's website states that 120 different tulip species have been planted for this year's annual Tulip Festival in Emirgan, in all, 20 million plants at the cost of 13 million TL (more than 7 million US dollars)!

Pretty difficult to find a place to park your car close to the park on weekends during the Tulip Festival, and the roads leading in an out of the park are packed with people.

Beautiful backdrop for wedding photos

Not all of the park is full of people and tulips.  This woman is looking for fresh herbs to pick.

 

 

....and orange is my favorite color....

A spring day on the map

There are certain places in the world where you get a strong feeling that you know exactly where you are.  If you put a pin on a map right on the northeastern shore of the Bosphorus Strait, where it enters the Black Sea, the pin would have gone straight through our heads this Sunday in late March.  There are two lighthouses marking the entrance (or exit) of the Bosphorus in the north,  

Rumeli Feneri to the west...

and Anadolu Feneri to the east.

The light house, Anadolu Feneri, was built in 1834, and is located next door to the local mosque.  The lighthouse and minaret stand tall side by side on the cliffs high above the water, and the little fishing village runs along the edge and down towards the shore where the fishermen pull up their boats.  There are several family run fish restaurants serving the catch of the day, while a horde of stray cats await on the curb for the scraps.

On the way home we stopped in the neighboring village, Poyrazköy, where they have bigger fishing boats and bigger restaurants.  Poyrazköy seems to be a popular destination for escaping the summer heat, with beaches and picnic areas.  According to the town's official web site they have three beaches, with one designated only for women.  

We found ruins of a 600 year old fortress, where some of us could enjoy yet another beautiful view (ahem), while certain others preferred to climb around and explore an underground, dank tunnel.

Istanbul in the distance

Transylvania Castles

When you visit Transylvania, you "have" to see Count Dracula's castle.  So, after skiing for five days we took the sixth to travel the surrounding region and take in some of the rich history.  The castle that is marketed as Dracula's house of horror, is more correctly called Bran Castle (because it is located in the town of Bran).  According to Wikipedia, Bran Castle has only tangential associations with Vlad III (Vlad the Impaler), who is said to be the inspiration to Bram Stoker's Dracula.  The information at the castle itself was also quite clear this manufactured association, while good marketing, is not exactly accurate - there is no evidence that Stoker had Bran Castle in mind when he wrote his famous novel.

Anyhow, we visited the castle with Dracula in mind, and it looked pretty scary as we approached.  The interior was (luckily) not so terrifying, and for us it was a little glimpse into the lifestyle of the upper class back in the 1200.  It seemed as defense was more important than glitz back then, or they were just very modest people.  The castle was quite charming with small rooms, tight staircases, and a cute, little courtyard.  The buildings smelled heavily of wood polish, but we didn't get the sense of dread we had anticipated walking up the hill.

The staircases and doorways were proofs that people used to be much shorter than C

The countryside we saw was bleak, and people seemed very poor.  I am sure if we visited in the summertime, it all would look greener, happier, and friendlier.

----- - -----

The town of Sinaia, in the Carpathian Mountains

The beautiful Peleş Castle used to be the summer home for King Carol I of Romania, and is located in the Carpathian Mountains.  On the same compound is the Pelişor Castle, also built by King Carol I, and this was the residence for his nephew and heir, King Ferdinand.

The Peleş Castle

King Carol I in front of his summer home

The Pelişor Castle

Love the gutters

Romania had a royal family from 1867 until 1947.  

To put an end to the internal struggles for power, Romanian politicians appointed the German prince Carol of Sigmaringen-Hochenzollern as prince of Romania in 1866. He continued the independence policy of his predecessor and declared 1877 (after the Turkish defeat in the Crimean War) the independency from the Ottoman Empire which was recognized one year later by the Peace Treaty of Berlin.   http://www.welcome2romania.ro/en/history/kingdom-of-romania.htm