Gilded cage for the Sultan's window

Gilded cage for the Sultan's window, originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

Imperial Council Chambers...
Via Flickr:
"From the window with the golden grill, the Sultan or the Valide Sultan was able to follow deliberations of the council without being noticed. The window could be reached from the imperial quarters in the adjacent Tower of Justice (Adalet Kulesi). When the sultan rapped on the grill or drew the red curtain, the Council session was terminated, and the viziers were summoned one by one to the Audience Hall (Arz Odası) to present their reports to the sultan."
Topkapi Palace Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkap%C4%B1_Palace

Suggested readings from Amazon.com:
In The Topkapi Palace
Palace of Gold and Light: Treasures from the Topkapi, Istanbul
Topkapi Palace Inside and Out: A Guide to the Topkapi Palace Museum and Grounds

The first chamber of the Imperial Council "The Kubbealtı"

The first chamber of the Imperial Council "The Kubbealtı", originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

Via Flickr:
"Inside, the Imperial Council building .....
On its façade are verse inscriptions, which mention the restoration work carried out in 1792 and 1819, namely under Sultan Selim III and Mahmud II. The rococo decorations on the façade and inside the Imperial Council date from this period. The main chamber Kubbealtı is, however, decorated with Ottoman Kütahya tiles. Three long sofas along the sides were the seats for the officials, with a small hearth in the middle. The small gilded ball that hangs from the ceiling represents the earth. It is placed in front of the sultan's window and symbolises him dispensing justice to the world, as well as keeping the powers of his viziers in check."
Topkapi Palace on Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkap%C4%B1_Palace

Suggested readings from Amazon.com:
1877 Map Ottoman Empire Greece Black Sea Cyprus
Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East

"The Roman Bath" Perge Turkey

Perge, originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

KURSUNLU Falls near Antalya Turkey

KURSUNLU Falls, originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

I love how there is always this luchous greenery around any fall with these big vivid green leafy trees.

Downtown Ottawa June 2009

Ottawa, originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

I remember taking these photos of Ottawa with a broken foot last year. I had also taken a hop on hop off bus tour that was awful the driver wont give a single moment where he wasnt driving fast and all the photos were moving photos. I took many bus tours of cities before and many hop on hop off buses Ottawa's was the worst.

Post #13: The Romantic Road To Cirali Part One... Finding it!

Cirali Turkey June 2009, originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

Finding Cirali wasn’t an easy task. You always hear about Antalya and when you search for nearby areas on the Turkish Mediterranean Sea, you will find other places. Cirali isn’t usually a place people talk about. After I stayed there I think I understand why it’s a hidden secret, because I too was left with a feeling that I want to keep it for myself, so that it wouldn’t be ruined by floods of tourists that cause it to lose its charm.

It all began when…
I had a few days off after my work related trip was going to finish. I was going to be passing through Turkey on my way back and felt that I was in need of a place to rejuvenate, lay back, and relax. That’s when the thought of Antalya and the Turkish Riviera sprung to my mind. I wanted sun and beach. To become disconnect from the world and disappear for a while. With that thought a decision was made, the destination to accomplish all that will be The Turkish Riviera.

I looked for airline ticket fares, and found that since I was booking two months ahead I found cheap seats to and from Antalya on Turkish airlines online. I booked it right away and that was quickly checked off the list. Now the task of finding a hotel. I wanted something peaceful, romantic, authentic, and on the beach. That was when the problems started and hours of searching were spent. You find Authentic and quite hotels in the old part of Antalya called Kaleici but no beach of a walking distance away. Then you find sun and beach in all inclusive crowded resorts which all to me looked the same with no genuine authentic character. Don’t get me wrong I have times when this is where I will be looking for to stay, but it mainly depends on the city and the type of trip. This was not that kind of trip. Mushkillah (means problem in Arabic).

How to solve the problem, well for starters may be divide the trip into two parts, part in Antalya’s old town Kaleici (because I wanted to see the city) and part somewhere else much more calmer and away from the city atmosphere. I have heard of such places but don’t know any names. Now was the hard part searching the internet and everything being scattered with info here and info there. I was looking for somewhere where it is a close drive from Antalya, not too far but far enough.

Finally I stumbled upon a travel forum in Trip Advisor with destination suggestions on traveling the Turkish Riviera by car and suggested stops. There was an expert on the area that suggested few stops and one of them was Cirali. Others were Patara and Olympos.

Patara was closer to a town called Kalkan which is very popular with the British tourist, many own apartments and villas there. To get to Patra it was closer to fly in by Dalaman airport. Antalya airport was further away. Cirali and Olympos were closer distance (1 and ½ to 2 hour drive) from Antalya airport. All areas had small pensions and inns close to the beach away from all the city lights. Olympos was mainly a backpacker’s destination with their much favored tree house accommodations. I liked Cirali which seemed a very romantic option. It is situated off the main road going down a small very curved road and you will find it hidden between the mountain and the blue turquoise sea…

That’s when the charm of finding a little cabin hotel called Kibala a very special place started but that’s in one of the next posts in this series, so stay tuned…

Suggested Links:
Antalya Website
Cirali Tourist Site
Turkey Travel Planner by Tom Brosnahan is a very informative site to look up when you are searching to go to Turkey.
Go Turkey

Write to you soon…

Post #5: "Sightseeing The Turkish Riviera... Aspendos Theater Video Part2 of 2"

This is a post from my original site "Travel Sights With Lilliy.com"

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Sightseeing The Turkish Riviera.. Aspendos Theater Video Part 2 of 2



This is a 360 degree video view of The Amphitheater from the ground floor...

Suggested Links:
Efe KISLALI - Nessun dorma - ASPENDOS Festival listen to the strength of the vocals in this theater.

Up to 10,000 calling minutes to landlines for one low monthly fee - the new Skype calling subscriptions.

Post #3: "Sightseeing The Turkish Riviera… Aspendos Theater Part1 of 2"

Aspendose Amphitheater Turkey, originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

This is a post on my previous site "Travel Sights With Lilliy.com"

Transfer Post #3:

Previous original post and link:
Sightseeing The Turkish Riviera… Aspendos Theater Part1 of 2

Do you want to be taken to ancient times and experience how entertainment was in the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD then if you are ever in the region and in mid June- early July you can with the little help of modern technology. Attend an opera at Aspendos Theater in the ancient city 50 km east of Antalya.

The Aspendos Amphitheater located on the Euromedion River (now the Koprulu River) was constructed around AD 162 by the architect Zeno during The Romans in the era of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 161-80) and restored during the 13th century.

The stadium has unique acoustics and lighting that changes when night falls. Attending an opera at night gives remarkable effect with the magical atmosphere of the ancient architecture and the strength of the vocals through out the stadium which was tested even during those ancient times by the architect to asses the power of the sound, its echo and reflection backwards at different parts of the theater and made adjustments to give the desired remarkable effect.

The theater was ruins for a long period of time till Ataturk came while touring the region in 1930’s declared that it has to be used, and restorations were started. Since that time it stages operas, concerts, ballet, and folklore festivals till today. One of which is a very popular festival worldwide The Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival, It is the only festival of its kind in Turkey, which hosted its 16th Anniversary this year, is still running this month. The last two performances will be Romeo and Juliette Opera (30 June 2009) and A Journey with Magical Music of Disney Movies and Dance Music (3rd July 2009). The best performance of this festival is The Opera Aida that reflects the theaters antique atmosphere with the costumes and music, every one who has attended this performance raved that it was unique. If you are visiting the area with in these days I highly recommend that you check it out, or if you are planning a trip to Antalya try to make it during the time when you can attend one of these performances.

When I walked through the doors of Aspendos into the ground floor of the theater I was astonished by its grandness and how even that long ago The Roman Civilization had set the standers to be followed afterwards by so many in architecture, physics, and entertainment. I stood there in awe of its magnificence and wondered how will our times be remembered hundred of years from now, have we left anything that will stand through out time that the generations of hundreds years to come, will they too stand in awe of what we have left behind.

Suggested links:
The official site for The Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival
Tickets with hotel pick up and drop off can be arranged by this touring company which I highly recommend:
Solymos Travel
Tel:+90 242 248 17 48
Fax: +90 242 248 19 17
e-mail: info@solymostravel.com

Part 2 of 2 of this post will be the panoramic video of The Aspendos Theater.

Priceline.com Airfare - Choose your EXACT flight & time!

Post #1: "Top 5 favorite things about Istanbul"

Galata Bridge Istanbul Turkey, originally uploaded by Fun Lilliy.

From my original site "Travel Sights With Lilliy.com"

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Original previous post and link:
Top 5 favorite things about Istanbul

Welcome! this is my first post on my new launched site and I choose it to be about one of my favorite cities.. Istanbul!.. These are my top 5 things that keeps me coming back for more:

1- The boutique hotels in the historic part of the city Sultanahmet with its preserved exterior by law so not to lose its authenticity and keep its own charm. There is something personalized about the service that you feel once you walk through the door. Till now most hotels that I stayed in the people working in it try very hard to make you feel welcomed and try to make you fell at home. There is always a nice setting/eating area that you will enjoy either on the roof top terrace or an inner garden that is mostly tranquil with a soft breeze on good nights that you sit and enjoy sipping your chay (tea) or drink. The rooms are usually smaller than American standards but are clean, comfortable, and with character. As usual you can use sites like Trip Advisor to check before you reserve, which has now became a very informative site that I never book with out first checking other traveler’s reviews.

2- The vivid history of Istanbul which because of its strategic link between east and west has made it a focal point of interest through civilizations and conquers that each left their mark on this mystical city with fingerprints apparent in Aya Sofia, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Dolmabahce palace where it marked the decline of the Ottoman empire. All will take you through a journey to the past you will see Byzantines emperors, empresses walking through the doors, hear the fighting of the men as the ottomans conquered and entered Istanbul, see The Harem dancing and singing to the sultan in the quarters with peacocks and gold, then the revolution and New Turkey emerging on the streets to what you see today.

3-The Bazaars both The Grand Bazaar ((Kapali Carsi) and The Spice Bazaar or Egyptian Market (Misir Carsisi) where you almost see the caravans filled with spice and silk coming from the east and hear the merchants shouting as it is today asking you to come in and try the nice silk and try the new spices that fill the air with fragrance and feed your eyes with all its colorful display.

4- Istanbul was able to combine the old culture, and tradition with the new modern urban life. You can enjoy a nice chay and nargeleh in a garden or on the street on wooden chairs with Turkish seating playing backgammon watching people pass by to swanky lounges and restaurants with the glitterati of Istanbul in the Ortakoy area in the most hip restaurants and lounges beside the Bosphorus looking at The Bosphorus Bridge that connects Europe with Asia listening to new lounge music that turns into dance floors after midnight.

5- Turkish Delights and Turkish coffee. To me you haven’t visited Istanbul or Turkey if you haven’t tried both and they make for great gifts that every one enjoys when you take back home.

There is so much more to see and experience in Istanbul but these things are a must on my list when ever I visit Istanbul.

Write to you soon…

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