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Salute one of the best Turkish writers of all time, Sait Faik Abasiyanik. His mother donated their home in Burgaz Island to Darüşşafaka Society, a non-profit that provides equal opportunity in education to orphan children in Turkey. #burgazada #turkey #istanbul #museum #saitfaikabasiyanik #saitfaik (at Sait Faik Abasıyanık Müzesi, Burgaz Ada)

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Photo Credit: @mertceylanphotography (at Galata Bridge)

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What is your Istanbul like ?

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Capturing the Moments of 2013 on Instagram

To see more photos and videos of events from around the world in 2013, browse blog posts with the Current Events tag.

In 2013, people used Instagram to not only document and share the world around them, but also capture some of the most memorable moments of the year.

From opening a window into the clean-up operation in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan to hosting the first InstaMeets at the White House and in Russia, here are some of the top moments on Instagram from 2013:

Catholics bid farewell to Pope Benedict XVI and welcome Pope Francis

Egyptians gather in Tahrir Square and revolt against President Morsi

@joemcnallyphoto snaps a #fromwhereistand from atop the Burj Khalifa

People document the for the US Supreme Court decisions on same-sex marriage in California

Instagram celebrates the marriage of @robinmay and @matthewjay, the first known couple to wed after meeting on Instagram

@dguttenfelder, @drewkelly and others share moments from North Korea

Russia sees its first InstaMeet, as does the White House

The world welcomes the birth of Prince George, and another celebrity baby makes her debut.

Michelle Obama joins the #tbt (#ThrowbackThursday) bandwagon

Kobe Bryant walks again

People document the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan’s destruction in the Philippines

Batkid saves San Francisco as crowds document his adventure with the #sfbatkid hashtag

Crowds gather to mourn the passing of Nelson Mandela and celebrate his life

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Growing Up on the "Other" Side

The secret of Kadıköy is the lust for life in the air. Many young people living in this part of Istanbul probably had their first beer, bought their first book, went to the cinema for the first time, or had their first kiss here.

Given the protective nature of Turkish families (and my Turkish family in particular), I went to Kadıköy for the first time alone when I was in high school – to attend a rap party with a friend. One thing I remember is me shouting “ghetto life party!” while waving my arms. Even though today it sounds funny to me, I loved hanging out, literally, underground at that time. In the following years I started spending more time in Kadıköy by strolling around bookstores looking for bargains, going to the cinema, watching football (soccer to you Americans!) games in cafes, lying on the grass by the seaside, drinking tea in Moda and buying posters, rock t-shirts, hand-made jewelery.

When I started university, my favorite place to hang out became Kadife Street, of course. Almost all the bars in Kadıköy are gathered in this small area, which gave it the name “Bars Street”. We go there to watch bands playing or for just drinking and talking. In the wee hours of the night people come out to drink in front of the bars and talk to each other. It was after one of these nights that one of my friends insisted “I’m not drunk!” before climbing into a taxi and promptly falling asleep. If you aren’t already passed out in a cab, these nights should always end at the “soup place” on the street to wake up.

When I look back, I see that Kadıköy is a rare place that feels like home at many ages– a place where I can always find myself.

Irmak Özgenoğlu

For my other favourite streets beside Kadife, check out the question below:

What are some of Istanbul's best streets to get lost on?

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Experience the best of Istanbul's art scene with @artwalkistanbul #atdaa #istanbullove #istanbul #traveling #travel #instatravel #istanbullove #loveistanbul #art

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Recommendations for Arsenal fans coming to Istanbul

Arsenal plays against Fenerbahce for the first leg of the Champions League playoff round on 21 August 2013. The Gunners are all excited to come to Istanbul on Wednesday, and enjoy a great night full of soccer as well as the atmosphere at Fenerbahce's Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, which will be full of hot blooded Turkish soccer fans. 

Jack Wilshere of Arsenal said "We have the big Champions League qualifier coming up and we don't want to waste all the hard work we did last year."

"We have got to be up for that and get into the Champions League."

We agree that it will be a hard game, and we wish both teams best of luck!

We also think that Arsenal fans should take this opportunity to have a great time in Istanbul. As a unique city guide, we would like to provide you Gunners some great recommendations written by locals and expats living in Istanbul. Here we picked few of our best questions for you. You'll find a lot more on atdaa.com. Hope you have a great time in Istanbul!

team atdaa :)

Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu Stadium is in Kadikoy, so we would suggest you to start learning about the Kadikoy a little bit, and then move on to the more generic questions:

What is there to do in Kadikoy, Istanbul?

How does public transportation works in Istanbul? 

What are the must see sights in Istanbul? 

How to get to your hotel from the airports? 

And, here you can find many more information that would help you with your trip to Istanbul: www.atdaa.com

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During the Gezi protests in Istanbul, someone spotted T800 :))

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Someone made a great remix by using RTE's speeches saying "we know it well". 

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Making Us Laugh Until We Cry (No, That's Not the Teargas)

The great, bespectacled American comedian Mo Rocca has said “When it comes to war, we focus more on the mainstream coverage of the event, rather than the event itself. People dying is never funny. Protest puppets are always funny.”

Since May 31st, 2013, protests of various sizes and levels of violence have spread from Istanbul across Turkey. Images and articles emerging from international news agencies highlight clashes between protestors and police as they battle over Turkey’s future. Fair enough - reporting Turkish citizens’ frustration with the current government and that government’s response is, well, their job.

  But, while the conflict in Turkey - and the ‘coverage of the event’ - is no laughing matter, those in the midst of the protests are experiencing a very different event. The ‘event itself,’ populated by thousands from (largely) Generation Y, has co-opted every move by the opposition as a source of humor.

  To be sure, protesters see serious problems with the current regime and are committed to realizing change. But as they do so, they have employed an edgy, pointed sense of humor that draws from Turkey’s dark, incisive comedy tradition and the quick visual wit of digital culture.

  It is from this nexus that, in the face of clouds of tear gas and high-velocity water cannons, Istanbul’s protestors have not only made us proud, they’ve made us laugh.

  Just a few examples of the clever humor and high spirits that have characterized the protest since Day 1:

  1. Any visitor to Istanbul resorts to asking directions from time to time. Not every visitor is this well prepared. He is asking "Friend, how can I get to Taksim?"

2. Playing off municipal signs warning against throwing gum on the ground, for fear that Istanbul’s hordes of seagulls might think it is breadcrumbs and try to eat it, this public service poster says "please do not throw rocks at the police; seagulls may mistake them for bread."

3. Classic fart jokes have a place in any protest. You have probably already guessed, but this has a simple quote, "I just passed gas." - the Police.

4. One of Tayyip Erdoğan’s declarations most often railed against as personally invasive and sexually discriminatory is that all women should bear at least three children. This poster asks the prime minister "Tayyip! Do you want three more kids like us?!!"

5. The term çapulcu (chapuljoo) - meaning a looter, marauder or rebel - was used by Erdoğan to insult the protestors. To his probable dismay, they actually embraced their “çapulcu” status, encouraging everyone to “çapul” (chapul) every day. More from Wikipedia, and some examples of fine chapulling here:

5. Pop culture has also provided plenty of fertile ground for mockery. "Biber" refers to pepper spray (used liberally on the protestors), and is pronounced just like your favorite floppy-haired teen sensation. Now this is a movement we can be Believers in.

6. On the wings of the mobile media generations, this movement flew to Ankara, the capital.

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Explore Istanbul's Street Food

Street food is considered to be a big portion of a typical Istanbulite’s daily diet. Long stretched working hours combined with the time spent on commute makes it convenient for most locals to have all of their meals outside, rather than cooking at home daily. Overall, this might not be such a bad thing because Istanbul has a great street food selection helping us have yummy times all day long. When it comes to street food, Istanbul is perhaps considered the mecca of street cuisine considering the a variety of food items, price and location accessibility. Street food vendors are practically the experts at locating themselves on strategic corners. Let’s take a look of the legion of yummy Turkish Street food in Istanbul:

  SIMIT [smith]:  Simit, one of the most popular street foods, is a round bread covered with sesame seeds. It pairs well with cream or feta cheese and tea for breakfast.

ACMA [ach-mah]: Turkish style bagel -has eggs and milk in it.

POGACA [poa-cha]: Another must have staple of Turkish breakfast. Salty baked yeasty dough with yogurt, filled with creamy feta cheese & parsley inside.And, it’s easy to see charismatic acma & pogaca salesmen around the city.

  BOREK [bo-reck]: Baked or fried flaky pastry consisting of several thin layers -made with phyllo (yufka), filled with cheese, feta, minced meat or vegetables.

CAY [Chai]: Turkish tea is a must have drink for Turkish people. Mostly consumed during breakfast, however, there is no limit to it.

  BALIK-EKMEK [bah-luke eck-mac]: Fish sandwich made with grilled fresh fish and served with green onion, onions, spices.

  PIDE [pee-deh]: Oval-shaped pide breads topped with lamb, sujcuk (a spicy Turkish sausage), cheese and eggs then baked in stone oven.

LAHMACUN [lah - ma - june]: This is the Turkish pizza you can find almost anywhere in Istanbul. Round and thin slice of dough topped with minced lamb or beef, then served with tomatoes, parsley with a sprinkle of lemon juice.

  AYVALIK TOSTU [eye-vah-luke toast-uh]:  It's a sandwich in a special bread using special hotdogs, chili, cheese, ham, pickles, mayonnaise, and usually served with Ayran (below).

  AYRAN [eye-run]: Similar to Indian Lassi. It is a mixture of yogurt and cold water, with a pinch of salt. 

KOKOREC [koh-koh-rich]: Variety lamb or goat meat piled on skewer, then wrapped with intestines. One of the best drunk food in town.

  MIDYE TAVA [mid-yeah tah-va]: Deep fried mussels, served with “Tarator” sauce made with tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Of course don’t forget to have a beer with it.

ISLAK HAMBURGER [is-luck hamburger]: This wet burger is so easy to eat, and loved by the party go-ers of the city. It’s a special late night snack made by a special tomato sauce soaked hamburger bread and patty.

  TURSU SUYU [tour-shoe sue-you]: You are perhaps shocked that people are drinking pickled vegetable juice on the streets. Pickles are a pretty common sider in the Turkish cuisine. 

  KUMPIR [come-peer]: Baked potato with variety of fillings including grated carrots, sliced pickles, green olives, sweet corn, sweet peas, red cabbage, ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc.

  MIDYE DOLMA [mid-yeah doll-mah]: Mussels stuffed with seasoned rice, served with a lot of lemon juice. It goes well with beer, and is one of the top selling late night snacks.

  DONER DURUM: Everybody know doner kebab. Durum is the version that the sliced meat is wrapped in a lavash bread. Salad, seasoning and the yumminess is included of course.

  KESTANE KEBAB [kes-tah-neh]: Chestnuts roast outside in the fall and winter, when kestane kebab carts are all over town making Istanbul smell more authentic.

  HAMSI TAVA [hum-see ta-vah]: Fried anchovies. Coated with eggs and corn flour. Served with lemon juice.

  MISIR [mih - ser]: Freshly boiled or grilled corn on cob, often sprinkled with spices and salt.

  FRUIT JUICE VENDORS: They are everywhere. It’s great to have the option to drink pomegranate, orange, carrot, apple juice on the go.

  BOZA [boo-zah]: Fermented wheat drink that is considered it to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Served with cinnamon, and leblebi(roasted chickpeas).

  TULUMBA TATLISI [too-loom-bah]: Tulumba dessert is made from unleavened dough lump given a small ovoid shape with ridges along it using an ‘icing’ bag with a special nozzle, then soaked in sugar syrup.

  After eating all this food, you should take a moment to digest, and enjoy the scenery along the Bosphorus strait. 

Visit www.atdaa.com to learn more about the food in Istanbul. You can ask anything you’d like to know.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook. We’ll love you back! :) www.facebook.com/atdaapage

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You can take the ferry everyday, and the experience can still be as fresh as the first time. 

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Moritz von Oswald will be featuring Tikiman on Friday, Nov 23rd @Babylon Nightclub. We are giving away free tickets for this great night. Please check out our facebook page for the instructions here. 

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People in Istanbul call this "Raki - Balik". Raki is the anice based Turkish national liquor, and balik means fish. It's pretty much like the fish and chips. 

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Who says Istanbul doesn't have hippies? This city has a diverse music scene that can make you go boom boom! :)