Cumhuriet Bayram!
October 29, 2008
Morning Festivities
Today is Cumhuriet Bayram, or Republic Day. This is a big one, a celebration of the 85th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. It began early in the morning (far earlier than I would have liked) as elementary school next door had an all out drum procession and horn march. The festivities lasted for over and hour and sounded pretty interesting so I jumped out of bed and went over to watch. Well worth it- these kids were super intense, I do love the nationalism over here.
Lasers
The day ended with a beautiful fireworks and laser display coming from the Bosphorus bridge which, as I have mentioned before, connects European and Asian Istanbul. This was a fantastic way to look into the heart of the Turkish Republic. I was considering heading to the capital city of Ankara but I will do that this upcoming weekend. Look back here for some updates. I also hope to have a column coming out in this week’s Cornell Sun. When I figure out if it will run or not I will make sure to post a preview. Stay tuned…
Fireworks over the bridge
