ISTANBUL – Before heading out on my next self-selected assignment I met my old friend Sean LaFreniere in Istanbul. He’s in Denmark getting his Masters in Architecture at the Royal Academy. I urged him to come out and visit me in the East. He had never left the comfort zone of Western Civilization and had a hard time believing me when I told him the Islamic East is a far more interesting – and pleasant – place to visit than Western Europe. But he was intrigued all the same and said he looked forward to hanging out with Turks instead of Danes for a change.
“Be careful out there!” his Danish friends said, as though Turkey were teeming with dragons, cannibals, or cartoon-hating Islamist fanatics who wanted to kill him. “Isn’t it dangerous?” one of his professors said. “Don’t let anyone know you’re American or living in Denmark!”
Sigh. Istanbul is in all liklihood safer than Copenhagen. But you just can’t convince some people.
read the rest at michaeltotten.com »
(JK: You've gotta click on the link and read through to the "Turkish surprise." A classic!)
Great article -- but what's Michael doing here? I came here for Joe K & Dan D & Armed L...
See the "Winds Affiliates" category in the right sidebar.
Is the above picture showing Taksim Square in Asian part of Istanbul?
No, it's not.
Somewhat OT: to get some idea of what's going on in Turkey, the fraught history and various stresses on the country's foundations, along with the revival of Islam that appears to threaten Ataturk's revolution, I'd recommend reading Pamuk's Snow.