ON THE ROADS OF LYCIA - September 2014

              Another trip, another book, another stories. I am in the house of Ahmet, Spikey on a sofa of old Anatolian style. CouchSurfing Spirit. I can sleep anywhere. On floor, wood and on land. I am in  Cerci village, on the outskirts of Kaş, I'm at heights 300-350 meters above sea level. This is so natural, roosters, chickens, sheeps are walking around. In my pillow there is smell of pillow where I slept in İspir, Erzurum. As human ages, he wants less sleep and desire more to see new places. I want to tell more and share more. Mehmet and Laureen meet me in old Kas port. They drink malt beers in an Fiat-tipo car. 

Mehmet works in Kaş Marina. We enter to road from old Kaş port and pass rough and hubby roads and arrive to Flag area where a big Turkish flag is waved. Scene is wonderful. Kaş is under our feet. While we drink our beers we put our feet under cliff, and we enjoy the freedom of wind blowing to our spirits. Our topic we share are; Kaş, Israel, Chicago, future, urbanization, constructions, globalization and speed. That is the moment we are lost. She tells me about the port cities Eilat, Chicago and Michigan. I asked about Eliat how was it. How is its water? Laureen tells about red sea. She is a member of American Jewish family, her origins is Askhenazi, dating back to Poland and Germany where they migrated from. Next cities are Ashdod, Jerusalem, West Bank. Naturally we make comments about demeanors of today’s Israeli government. When it comes to politics there is a silence and we go quiet. Our next step is Academy of Dreams. 

Summer camp where our disabled brothers & sisters live. I am so lucky that I have found opportunity to see this beautiful place two days before the camp ends. I take a trip to the library which I fell in love, where I have wanted to sleep between the pages of those many books. We chat with children with Down syndrome and spastics.

             My sincerity with them starts in meal, their trainers two sweet girls say that I should sit near them I could make better conversation. I like temporary tattoos on Gönül’s arm and I tell her then she look better and differently. She smiles inside her eyes. A young boy, whose name i can’t remember reads a disabled poem. Even I am not that good to read a poem like that. How he is smart and he like poems, it is even a long one. There is fat boy at the end of the table. Brother what is your name he shouts? Brother Berat, are you a body builder? Very sincere, he says I will also start to the bodybuilding. Waves hit land. If you ask me he is smarter than me, Berna and Yasemin teacher. I take other trips to the extended garden. They have beach volleyball fields climbing areas and football pitch and basketball areas. It is like another world here, so large, green and clean. With abundance oxygen, this camp presents human serenity and silences. We start for night chatting on wood chairs made of crapped woods. Chatting circulates from one point to another. Wherever the wind takes us. Berna teacher was so sincere and shared her their two months period in camp of dreams. I like this very much and I tell her about my project to visit other parts of the world for helping. She says no need to go such far, we also need people here around. How man’s life is sufficient for such projects, how to reach hearths and hands of other people.  In this camp question to be asked is that: what do humans need in fact? And how much these children, our disabled friends need us? We all need each other whether we are disabled or not. Life needs us and we need life. People accept to need as something vulnerability and not disgraceful. Today’s human struggle, is to be able to be self-sufficient. Life is faster than before, and human should work so much in a short time and they think that human should produce most of the time. General belief is that nobody needs anybody is the most correct way of living.  Deep issues, humanity is concerned, the most sensitive point. Maybe, while there are such disabled people in need of others to this extent, to talk about other needs is very painful and very impertinent. I thank to Mehmet for he bringing me here and Kaş means Academy of Dreams for me, from now on.

            Republican square of Kaş is the most authentic part of Kaş.  

While there are construction in hills, this area is full of Ottoman and Greek houses with balconies which protected old architecture. There is an old bookstore, many shops selling old things and a few shops. I meet with Ms. Feride in an old book store and we talk about old Kaş. She says they collect Kaş photos from leading families of Kaş and they have their prints. Very nostalgic, in Kaş of 1950s and 1970s there are 7-8 houses near old Kaş port. Today, skirts of mountains covering this are over constructed.  Maybe I came here in the best possible season. Then we walk some streets and go back to Cerci village. We watch the town with night wind and night lights. Water melon that Spikey cut and delivered maybe is the tastiest one I ate recently. Spikey lays down on chair, I get pleasure of the night and I read İlber Ortaylı’s Old World Travels book… My friend accompanied me during my Kaş travel my book and my good spirit fiend Ceren Özbaylı. We are in the roads of Lycia with many shades of blue and green all around us.

Edinburgh, Romantic Athens of North.

Pete Doherty, a musician in Lawnsmarket' .  He plays and sings 'Sweet Child of Mine from Guns n Roses. Scottish ambience dominates his song. I keep rhythm with my feet to his song, energy is coming from his beautiful eyes. All of these charming houses are sequenced from High Street in the row like pearls. This clean and fresh air city, reminds me of Reykjavik . From Calton Hill it is like I'm looking Edinburgh from a bird’s wings.   Yellow daffodils cover the hills of Edinburgh. Hill slopes here smell of daffodils. There are few meters down the road lovers, making love, kiss, showing their love to each other. This town is windy and cloudy, which houses a separate romance inside. Calton Hill looks like a virtual Acropolis. When I look tower and monuments it makes better sense of why, they say Athens of North for this place. , I'm starting to Edinburgh tour from    historical buildings surrounding Royal Mile.  First of all St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scottish Parliament and, Hollywood were historical palaces attracted my attention. I see the effects of   Gothic architecture to postmodern understanding.   Gothic buildings, homes, churches make us one of the heroes of a fairy tale.   When I walk in the house of Canongate I look finely squared white windows and I live stories of people who live in that houses. There are stairs and belts in streets of city connecting down streets to uppers streets. In my first day in Edinburgh, I stay in the house of my Polish friend Eliazs from Couchsurfing site.  Eliazs is a social, chatty, slightly punk, slightly R&N style friend and flat of Eliazs is located in 300-400 meters to the castle from “Old Town” and there is a pub in the entry named Jolly Jodge. Pub is opened to a yard with few trees and I drink 2-4 pint Tenents in its old chairs and feel this good atmosphere in my soul. At nights this gothic city is windy. While Canongate is full of tourist in daytime, it is very silent at nights. Squared windows of my room kiss wind all night.

I start my second day in Edinburgh with British breakfast in Urban Angel as scheduled in mu Lonely Planet guide. In a slightly ramp street doors of houses remind me New York, and ramps of roads and slopes remind me San Francisco. This city contains something from everywhere: few London, few Athens, few New York and few San Francisco. My breakfast menu is scrambled egg, big Scottish mushrooms, crispy bacon and fresh orange juice. Of course a breakfast to keep me alive. Girls in café are also friendly. Then I continue. People established stands in East Princess Streets through yard of castle.  Help campaigns attract my attention. This campaigns help to African women violence victim young people, AIDS patients. Among these stands one with 8- people attracts my interest. They help hungry people in Tanzania. Activities of constructing school, provision of food and transportation of water are the remain activities. Scottish people give their used commodities, pens, books and etc., there are many boxes collected for these African people. Further, there is a stand of women with 104 pairs of shoes and photograph exhibition.

They took photographs of women's shoes that have been exposed to violence.   And then, these shoes are distributed to people who need shoes or to the poor people. These women are without race, language, Muslim, Christian from any place of world.   Interestingly I did not see, this style of   exhibitions in most countries I have traveled. United Kingdom is a different land people are very civilized and level of progress at the highest possible levels.  I meet African elegant women at the end of park. I go there and enter their company. I don’t know whether they speak Nigerian or Ghana language. I think they are from West Africa. I observe their hairs, shoes, skirts, skin and colors. They have very colorful earrings, bracelets and necklaces I appreciate their beauties. As our ancestors say “It is a grace to look at beauty.” Beautiful energy of their beauties covers my soul. Trees, flowers, dogs and humans in park all are in harmony and feed each other. After park I find Lucano Café on my road. Tea time 5 o’clock as English people says came. I make a change and drink orange tea instead of Earl Grey tea and watch people running to stores from large windows of café. There is also jug of water in my table as natural and clean water from tap; water always accompanying me, washing my inside and purify my problems, water reaching to our mouth and neck from high mountains of Scotland.

 Edinburg is a city begs for being discovered. All corners invite you there with rural atmosphere in urban area. Sudden view and unexpected scenes and green, sunny heights call you from every corner. I strongly recommend making plans to visit this festival city in the shortest possible time with your lover, close friend or family.