The Little Engine that Could
Today's class centered around railroad history and Istanbul's industrialization. However, before we get into the academic stuff, I should tell you of the small trip Amanda and I had to see two hamams.
On our previous trip to visit hamams we saw 3 out of 4 hamams that we wanted to inspect. Today we decided to wake up early, before class started, and walk over to Istaklal and find the Galatasaray hamami. We had read somewhere that the Galatasaray hamami was only $6-$12; however, to our surprise, it was actually $36. There were some odd prices that listed $6, but that did not gain you access into the hamam. Dismayed, we walked back to a hamam right down the street from our flat. The hamam by our flat was incredibly small. We found out that it only cost 10 ytl, however it only serviced men and only had 1 room (compared to the other hamams with at least 3 different-temperature rooms). Amanda and I decided that we would probably take the class to the Gedikapasi hamami when we actually do our presentation. Now, back to class.
We watched a video by our guest speaker about railroads, but there was a big catch: the whole video was in Turkish. This proved to be a hassle, as Yekta (our Turkish liaison) had to pause the video every other sentence and translate. The 30 minute video turned out to be over an hour! I did not find the video particularly interesting or pertinent to the class, as it only discussed Ottoman railroads/industrialization for the last 5 minutes. The rest of the film touched upon the entire history of railroads--keep in mind it was all in Turkish. Then we went up to the terrace to continue class and discuss industrialization.
The rest of class was much more interesting as we learned of the impact railroads had in Istanbul, whether it be political, social, or economic. Then we segued into the industrialization of Istanbul. We were asked to read two articles the night before dealing with Istanbul's city planning, or attempts to change the city. I found the articles to be intriguing. Istanbul, during a period, was going to be Turkey's Paris! Instead of the charming city with numerous monuments placed in all different areas, it was going to be a city with a distinguishable center with radiating arms. The articles discussed the impossibilities of these dreams and fantasies of the sultans. We also discussed the obstacles and hurdles that would have prevented Istanbul from becoming a copy of Paris. Instead of Istanbul becoming the Paris the elite class yearned for, Ankara took its Parisian title when it became Turkey's capital. Now, I'm about to go to the Prof's house for some delicious (and FREE) dinner! And afterwards? The terrace, where else?
On our previous trip to visit hamams we saw 3 out of 4 hamams that we wanted to inspect. Today we decided to wake up early, before class started, and walk over to Istaklal and find the Galatasaray hamami. We had read somewhere that the Galatasaray hamami was only $6-$12; however, to our surprise, it was actually $36. There were some odd prices that listed $6, but that did not gain you access into the hamam. Dismayed, we walked back to a hamam right down the street from our flat. The hamam by our flat was incredibly small. We found out that it only cost 10 ytl, however it only serviced men and only had 1 room (compared to the other hamams with at least 3 different-temperature rooms). Amanda and I decided that we would probably take the class to the Gedikapasi hamami when we actually do our presentation. Now, back to class.
We watched a video by our guest speaker about railroads, but there was a big catch: the whole video was in Turkish. This proved to be a hassle, as Yekta (our Turkish liaison) had to pause the video every other sentence and translate. The 30 minute video turned out to be over an hour! I did not find the video particularly interesting or pertinent to the class, as it only discussed Ottoman railroads/industrialization for the last 5 minutes. The rest of the film touched upon the entire history of railroads--keep in mind it was all in Turkish. Then we went up to the terrace to continue class and discuss industrialization.
The rest of class was much more interesting as we learned of the impact railroads had in Istanbul, whether it be political, social, or economic. Then we segued into the industrialization of Istanbul. We were asked to read two articles the night before dealing with Istanbul's city planning, or attempts to change the city. I found the articles to be intriguing. Istanbul, during a period, was going to be Turkey's Paris! Instead of the charming city with numerous monuments placed in all different areas, it was going to be a city with a distinguishable center with radiating arms. The articles discussed the impossibilities of these dreams and fantasies of the sultans. We also discussed the obstacles and hurdles that would have prevented Istanbul from becoming a copy of Paris. Instead of Istanbul becoming the Paris the elite class yearned for, Ankara took its Parisian title when it became Turkey's capital. Now, I'm about to go to the Prof's house for some delicious (and FREE) dinner! And afterwards? The terrace, where else?
Hey Edward it sounds like you are having a blast..I wish I could be there, too! Have your Turkish friends made any comments about what they think of Germans because I know that Germans have a huge animosity against Turks that live in Germany, so I was just curious. I don't totally remember why there is such a hatred..do you know? Don't ask them if it is something that might come off as offensive or inappropriate :]
Miss you..Kate