Our friends Lyle and Kathy arrived in Istanbul and we spent our first day together wandering all over Sisli, Beyoglu and Sultanahmed, taking in the sights this amazing city has to offer.
We were warned by our host, Cem, that a protest was planned for Taksim Square in the evening and that we should be careful. We had seen the heavy police presence building through the day on Taksim and Istiklal. As we were walking back to our apartment, it became obvious that something was up. Before long, the smell of tear gas was in the air and people came running toward us so we thought it best to get out of there.
We ended up taking refuge in a strange little bar for a while and then decided to walk home in a wide arc around Taksim, hoping to avoid the conflict between police and protestors. We got home safely. Here are some photos from the day.
Related articles
- Turkish Police Disperse Thousands of Protesters (novinite.com)
- Turkey: Protests follow allegations of corruption (descrier.co.uk)
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Wow, stay safe my dears. When in doubt, get to the bar!!!! A great idea.
Enjoy the sites, looks amazing.
Pray for snow for us here, very little so far. All the best for 2014. Maybe even a sock….. the whole one.
Jeez, it took me a day and two Ouzos (new time measure) to get it. Good one!
Hi Jan and Paul,
We just started following your journey and we wish you great encounters and tail winds into the new year! Your photograph background shows as your pictures are amazing!
Thanks for sharing your experiences through this blog!
Charles and Denise
http://www.chardenvelomonde.blogspot.ca
Dear Jan and Paul, Wow! You have cycled a long way since Oslo and taken a whole lot of great shots to show us all about it. Wonderful reading and good on the eye. Albania and Greece look fantastic. All well here in Oslo, just aquired an El Ciclo longtail for hauling stuff up the hill and fitted it with Schwalbe studs but still waiting for winter cycling and skiiing. No snow! Øyvind and girls say hello. Will be following you and look forward to seeing where you are headed next. All the very best for the New Year! Stay safe! Love from Oslo
Hi Tharan and Øyvind, Thank you. It’s been quite a trip and there is no end in sight, yet. All the best to you and the girls for 2014. Stay in touch. Love and Peace from Istanbul.