Highlights!

There are soooo many things from the past year that I would like to recapitulate - so many places and moments to return to. Unfortunately, I cannot show them all... so I stick to these, from a glorious (but hot and humid!) summer day spent in Istanbul with my husband and a close friend. And be sure that there is more to come - if you keep coming back to see me here.

Landscape

Another view over the amazing surroundings in this extraordinary landscape...

You really can't tell...

... but a significant change for the anniversary has taken place, an upgrade of the template format. ;-)

Buy an emission right!

Do our climate a favour and buy an emission right for one ton of carbondioxide!

Every emission right bought diminishes the number of rights available to emit on (the link above helps you buy emissions rights allocated to Sweden but maybe there is a possibility in your country also).

Especially now, approaching holiday times, this can be the perfect gift for someone who already has it all.

More cave frescoes

This cave church was in the Ihlara valley. Our guide claimed that at least some of the damage to the frescoes, especially their faces, was due to the practice of setting semi-precious stones as eyes - which later were picked off and sold.

Many of the frescoes depict biblical and saintly scenes. St George is a common motif, and I think he was one of the originally Cappadocian saints actually. Very many of the early church saints were Anatolian (as much of early church history was) and the Roman persecutions of Christians, i e under Domitian in the 3rd century, hit very hard in this area.

Cave frescoes

Again, I've probably shown pictures from the site before. But it is worth it. The Göreme Outdoor museum with mainly churches and monastery service functions (you can see a toilet below) built into caves really illustrates the long interplay between nature and man. And highlights developments in medieval Christian art in Anatolia - I will get to some later artwork in a subsequent posting.

Ihlara valley

Also in Kapadokya, we spent an hour or so hiking through this gorge. Note the contrast between the surrounding stony escarpments and the lush greenery along the stream at the bottom.

Kapadokya cliffs

Weeks ago by now, we spent a weekend in the dramatic landscapes of Kapadokya. Rarely, if anywhere, have I experienced this particular brand of alluring meeting between nature and culture. I believe have I told you this before, but the impression is so striking, that I really don't mind repeating myself on this point.

Contrasts

Well, this was 3 weeks ago, in Kemer. Dramatic scenes where the mountains inland caught the sea humidity, turning it into clouds. But the weather was great and allowed bikinis and sea-bathing for 4 days! And last week we had snow in Ankara, as you've seen. Very odd feeling, I must say!

Global water

I just want to direct your attention to today's launch of this year's UNDP Human Development Report Beyond Scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis.

One figure highlighted is that the cost for reaching the millenium goal on water is half of what people in rich countries spend on bottled mineral water. I would happily support an initiative giving contributions to water development projects raised by a 0,1 €/litre raise in the cost of bottled water, if there was one!

Snoooooow????

It's not 2 weeks since I sunbathed on the coast and today we have a completely white Ankara!!!!

Approaching an anniversary

It is too early to celebrate as yet, but on November 29 this weblog has been up for a whole year!

Grave secrets?

On the corner of Divanyolu and Bab-i-ali - in the centre of Istanbuls old city - there is a graveyard. Well, actually, now it's a tea garden. Who the people buried here are I don't know - but we paid them a visit on an August morning.