https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/12
type: Collection
type: Container
contains: week-in-review
contains: photos-pomorie
contains: week-in-review-2
contains: photos-burgas
contains: photos-sozopol
contains: photos-istanbul
contains: photos-istanbul-2
contains: photos-istanbul-3
contains: cat-istanbul
contains: photos-istanbul-4
contains: week-in-review-3
contains: photos-istanbul-5
contains: woken
contains: fire
contains: working
contains: air
contains: photos-misi
contains: photos-bursa
contains: week-in-review-4
contains: back
contains: excuse
contains: raining
contains: thunderbird
contains: turkish-tea
contains: yoga
contains: future
contains: photos-bursa-2
contains: people
contains: week-in-review-5
contains: photos-uludag
contains: photos-uludag-mounaim
contains: photos-uludag-juli
name: Posts between 2019/12 and 2020/01
total items: 32

air
type: Note
content: The air has been bad in Bursa since I got here, not quite as bad as Sarajevo but still makes me cough outside; but this morning the smoggy haze has even reached my village. Remind me not to abandon the coasts in winter in future.
published: 2019-12-20T11:55:00+03:00
tag: weather
tag: life
tag: travel
tag: turkey

back
type: Note
content: After several days of downtime following another forced PHP upgrade, I have fixed and we are back, all new and 7.2 compatible. Didn't even notice it was gone, did ya?
published: 2019-12-23T13:44:00+03:00
tag: indieweb
tag: hacking
tag: sloph

cat-istanbul
type: Note
content: Every cafe in Istanbul is a cat cafe.
published: 2019-12-15T21:37:00+03:00
tag: travel
tag: istanbul

excuse
type: Note
content: um excuse me but i don't understand why finn and poe didn't kiss
published: 2019-12-23T23:09:00+03:00
tag: life
tag: star+wars

fire
type: Note
content: I thought having a fire this winter would be nice but actually I'm alternating between being completely incompetant at keeping a fire in and freezing to death, and dying of smoke inhalation and being terrified of burning the house down. Long story short my host has managed to find me a place with central heating I can move to tomorrow and I'll gladly pay the gas bill.
published: 2019-12-18T15:00:00+03:00
tag: life
tag: travel

future
type: Note
content: Given that my ultimate future goal is to open a nice cosy welcoming vegan cafe, whenever I spend a lot of time (and money) in ones I find with the vibe I want, that counts as market research and thus a business expense right?
published: 2019-12-26T13:17:00+03:00
tag: future
tag: vegan
tag: life
tag: travel

people
type: Note
content: I met some wonderful lovely people at the Bursa English Speaking Club tonight, which I found via Couchsurfing. Lots of locals, but also others from around the world. Being immediately welcomed into this kind of community is all it takes to make a place feel like home.
published: 2019-12-27T23:59:18+03:00
tag: life
tag: travel
tag: turkey
tag: couchsurfing

photos-burgas
type: Add
content: Ice on the beach and fireworks in Obzor. Then down the coast to Burgas. Black sand, walks through the sea garden, a lovely town center, and run to Sarafovo.

photos-bursa
type: Add
content: The air was pretty clear today, and it was warm but windy. I went into the city center, the old part of Bursa, Osmangazi by bus then metro. I found the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) and Koza Han, which was busy with people drinking coffee in the courtyard. Nearby a giant line of people waited at a lokma truck. I sat on a bench to watch what was happening. Finally the line began to move as a new batch of lokma was ready, and everyone was handed a bag for free. No wonder the line was so long. I wasn't sure if there was a qualifier though, and was too shy to join, even though I really wanted lokma... I thought I might try again later, but by the time I got back there they were packing up. I wandered into the main bazaar, which is adjoined with many sub-bazaars, partly covered, for miles and miles. I let myself get lost in there for three our four hours. There's everything you could ever need. I stopped for cig kofte for lunch, mid-afternoon, at Adiyaman near Kayhan market. Cig kofte is usually vegetarian; typically if a place only sells cig kofte, it's safe. Doner places selling it might sell a meat version. A.. is a chain, though I haven't seen as many of them around as Oses or Lagash, and their logo even says 'vegan food' in it on close inspection. This one was a small place but had upstairs seating. A friendly guy guided me upstairs and took my order. A cig kofte durum and tea set me back 6TL, or less than one (1) Euro. It was a relief to sit down for a bit. I dove back into the market, determined to actually buy something. Eventually I emerged with dates, dried fruit, olives, and wool. I walked to a park which contains a giant dome which warrants further investigation in the future. Then to Yesil, the area with the Green Mosque, Green Tomb, and all manner of other green things. I also visited the Irgandı Bridge, which is a bridge covered in small local artists workshops/stores, but they were mostly closed up by the time I was there. I followed the tramline back to the G…

photos-bursa-2
type: Add
content: I managed to drag myself outside before noon, and caught the bus, metro and another bus to the cable car base station (Teleferik) which took about an hour. On the way I stocked up with simit and cig kofte, in case there was no food at the top of Uludag Mountain. The cable car was closed though. It didn't say why, but later I checked their twitter and it was because of strong winds. The winds were indeed strong. So probably for the best. As far as I know there's no other way to get up the mountain though if you don't have a car, or are part of a coach trip, or want to pay for a taxi. But anyway, the cable car was most of the point of this adventure. I was in the vicinity of the Cars and Carriages museum though, so I wandered over there. It's set in a really nice grounds with some archaelogical ruins. The museum itself is small, and was free today (no idea why - there was a cash desk but nobody there and the security guard just waved me in). There's not much written information, but lots of old carriages to look at, and diagrams. Around the corner is a 500 year old hammmam which contains a museum for weights and scales. That was also free, and super cool! I recommend. Next I walked to the City (Kent) Museum. That was also free, what a day, but had no information in English at all. It's pretty sizeable, and was quite busy. I walked around all three floors looking at the pictures and exhibits. It would definitely have been a good 'un if I could have ready anything. I wandered back through town, took a quick look by Koza Han in case there were free lokma again - some ladies were packing up, but not the food truck this time. I stopped inside the Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) which was very peaceful despite all the people, and beautiful in a serene way. I stoped by Balibey Han but the shop I want to visit in there was closed again. I took in some more views from Tophane, in daylight this time. I walked to the Kulturpark, which is a big green space with fun things to do if you li…

photos-istanbul
type: Add
content: Goodbye Bulgaria... hello Istanbul! Arrived on the nightbus and sleep-worked at cafes and hung out in Gulhane Park. Ate cig kofte by the port.
published: 2019-12-13T21:29:18+03:00
summary: Amy added 48 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201912-tr/
target: 201912-tr

photos-istanbul-2
type: Add
content: A walking tour in Istanbul. Visited the Hippodrome (ancient chariot racing stadium) remains, including some very old granite pillars that have survived major earthquakes. Through the old town, the grand bazaar and spice market, and views across the city from the Suleymaniye mosque. A delicious, hearty and cheap lunch at Vegan Istanbul, which felt surprisingly very local.
published: 2019-12-14T14:12:39+03:00
summary: Amy added 61 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201912-tr/
target: 201912-tr

photos-istanbul-3
type: Add
content: A 30 minute wait in line to climb Galata Tower. The views were worth it. Then a walk to Taksim Square, and far too many sweet things. Ended the day with a visit to Cemberlitas Hammam.

photos-istanbul-4
type: Add
content: A packed day of touristing. Went into Hagia Sofia to see epic architecture and mosaics. Around the corner is a small complex of Sultans' tombs, which I only found out about because of signage inside the Hagia Sofia grounds, but actually you can enter there for free from the street. To the extensive underground Basilica Cistern, which doesn't take long to explore but is definitely worth a stop. Lunch at Community Kitchen which is full of cats (and delicious vegan food). The Museum of History of Science and Technology in Islam is really interested and full of cool stuff. Then the ferry to the Anatalyan side of the city to catch the end of a vegan food festival at Hos Atolye.

photos-istanbul-5
type: Add
content: My last day in Istanbul. A slightly rushed tour of Topkapi Palace and the Harem. I'd probably go again, even though it's a bit expensive, there is a lot to see in beautiful grounds. Then hasty cig kofte and the 2 hour ferry to Mudanya, Bursa.

photos-misi
type: Add
content: I moved to Misi, which is a small village just south of Bursa. There are old houses, a river, and many cats, dogs, goats, chickens. I moved into an old house heated only by a wood burning stove. I didn't have huge success with this, and temperatures are dropping, so I built a quite excellent blanket fort in my bedroom. But eventually my host relocated me to a place down the road with central heating. Bursa's two vegan cafes, Good Call and Vegan Kantin, are both on my side of this sprawling city, so that's handy. On a nice day I walked. Otherwise I can take the bus into town.
published: 2019-12-20T21:19:21+03:00
summary: Amy added 53 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201912-tr/
target: 201912-tr

photos-pomorie
type: Add
content: A lazy weekend in Pomorie. Beautiful sea views, salt pans, black mineral sand, salt water jacuzzi time, some unsurprisingly mediocre food and some surprisingly good food (at 24 Restaurant), and an ancient Thracian 'beehive' tomb (closed in winter).

photos-sozopol
type: Add
content: A day out in the ancient town of Sozopol (Apollonia). A really nice rugged coast with lots of ruins, and cat-guides. Not a whole lot to do at this time of year but eat fried potatoes and watch the sea.
published: 2019-12-12T19:19:07+02:00
summary: Amy added 69 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201911-bg/
target: 201911-bg

photos-uludag
type: Add
content: I visited Agora market in Nilufer, having heard that is a good place to buy a second hand coat, and wow, what a market. In a shocking turn of events, I voluntarily went to a place with snow. Some people posted on couchsurfing.com that they were going to stay in a wooden house on the mountain (Uludag), so I joined them. It was beautiful, but cold. The house was cosy once the fire was lit, and we spent most of the time eating and talking. We went for a short walk in the snow. I don't have appropriate shoes, but wrapping my feet in plastic bags worked fine. Not many amazing views, because it was pretty cloudy. On the way back to the city we visited a 610 year old tree, and had coffee and gozleme there. Then we ended up staying out late for dinner in someone else's apartment. I missed the last bus home, so I stayed over chez one of my new friends in Gorukle, and the next day we had breakfast at veggie cafe At Kafe (more gozleme).
published: 2019-12-30T13:43:00+03:00
summary: Amy added 69 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201912-tr/
target: 201912-tr

photos-uludag-juli
type: Add
content: Photos from Uludag weekend, taken by Juli (or someone else with Juli's camera).

photos-uludag-mounaim
type: Add
content: Photos from Uludag weekend, taken by Mounaim.
published: 2019-12-30T14:21:38+03:00
summary: Amy added 64 photos to https://i.amy.gy/201912-tr/
target: 201912-tr

raining
type: Note
content: It's raining, and all I can hear is the rain. No cars. The occasional cockerel crow. And rain, pattering through the broad leaves of the tree outside the window, tapping the stone walls, clattering across red tile rooftops. I can't see the mountains because a cloud is sitting over the village. I've had my fill of going outside for the past few days, so this is a perfect cosy day.
published: 2019-12-24T11:33:18+03:00
tag: turkey
tag: weather
tag: life
tag: travel
tag: rain

thunderbird
type: Note
content: TFW thunderbird actually does something smart and quietly looks up someone's PGP key using .well-known/openpgpkey/ in the background but leaks your location in the process. Oh thunderbird. (I had my VPN off cos it fights with docker okay.)
published: 2019-12-24T11:59:00+03:00
tag: hacking
tag: thunderbird

turkish-tea
type: Activity
type: Note
content: Turkish tea is very substantial. I can drink it all day and forget to eat. Which is a very cheap way to survive, though I'm not sure about the long term nutritional value.
published: 2019-12-24T13:21:00+03:00
tag: food
tag: travel
tag: tea
tag: turkey

week-in-review
type: Article
content: Mostly stayed home in Obzor and worked, wrote, and watched the rain. It got cold. Did a bunch of DID spec stuff. Day trip to Varna, cafe wrote, vegan pizza. Completed nanowrimo! With 50,029 words of Quest for Brothers, about 2/3 of the story. Watched lots of netflix.
name: Week in review: 25 Nov - 1 Dec
published: 2019-12-01T23:59:59+02:00
tag: bulgaria
tag: nanowrimo
tag: week+in+review
tag: travel

week-in-review-2
type: Article
content: Celebrated nanowrimo win with a lazy offline weekend in Pomorie. Then mostly stayed home in Obzor under a blanket. Occasional short beach walks. Lots of co-op work. Finished Ad Vitam and several movies.. including Atlantiques, and The Irishman, split over two days. Started The 3% Ate so much potato. Packed up and left my favourite chair in the world to date; headed down the coast to Burgas.
name: Week in review: 2 - 8 Dec
published: 2019-12-08T23:59:59+02:00
tag: week+in+review
tag: travel
tag: bulgaria

week-in-review-3
type: Article
content: Ran from Burgas center to the suburb of Sarafovo. Continued work on OCDS DRT stuff. Worked from some nice Burgas cafes, one on the beach. Went on a day trip to Sozopol. Resumed BSG season 4. Took a nightbus to Istanbul. Did all of the touristing.
name: Week in review: 9 - 15 December
published: 2019-12-15T23:59:59+03:00
tag: bulgaria
tag: week+in+review
tag: travel
tag: turkey

week-in-review-4
type: Article
content: A final morning in Istanbul then the ferry to Bursa. Moved to Misi village. Worked from Bursa's vegan cafes. Did some touristing in Bursa.
name: Week in review: 16 - 22 Dec
published: 2019-12-22T23:59:59+03:00
tag: travel
tag: week+in+review
tag: turkey

week-in-review-5
type: Article
content: Worked in the quiet of everyone else being on holiday on docs for the OCDS DRT and internal co-op admin stuff. Didn't really get much done though. Saw Star Wars Rise of Skywalker. Went to some museums in Bursa. Went to Bursa English Speaking Club and met some cool people, who I then went up Uludag mountain with (more photos).
name: Week in review: 23 - 29 Dec
published: 2019-12-29T23:59:59+03:00
tag: turkey
tag: travel
tag: week+in+review

woken
type: Note
content: Being woken up by goats, roosters and the mosque is much preferable to traffic and people sounds.
published: 2019-12-18T10:30:00+03:00
tag: travel
tag: life

working
type: Note
content: I think working hours 12-20 suit me well. I always used to think being in a late timezone was an advantage because I could be productive in the morning then have my 'morning' meetings in the post lunch slump. But today I had a slow start, bopped around a bit, then had my 'morning' meetings after lunch and rode the second-wave of productivity to work into the evening. Which felt better than trying to force myself to wake up and start working immediately like a normal human.
published: 2019-12-19T21:45:00+03:00
tag: work
tag: life

yoga
type: Note
content: Went to what I thought was gonna be a yin yoga class, but it was more like fast paced hatha, a bit chaotic in a good way, with headstands right in the middle of class.. anyway I have been brutally reacquainted with my core.
published: 2019-12-26T13:15:00+03:00
tag: exercise
tag: life
tag: yoga

https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/12
type: CollectionPage
type: Container
contains: week-in-review
contains: photos-pomorie
contains: week-in-review-2
contains: photos-burgas
contains: photos-sozopol
contains: photos-istanbul
contains: photos-istanbul-2
contains: photos-istanbul-3
contains: cat-istanbul
contains: photos-istanbul-4
contains: week-in-review-3
contains: photos-istanbul-5
contains: woken
contains: fire
contains: working
contains: air
contains: photos-misi
contains: photos-bursa
contains: week-in-review-4
contains: back
contains: excuse
contains: raining
contains: thunderbird
contains: turkish-tea
contains: yoga
contains: future
contains: photos-bursa-2
contains: people
contains: week-in-review-5
contains: photos-uludag
contains: photos-uludag-mounaim
contains: photos-uludag-juli
items: week-in-review
items: photos-pomorie
items: week-in-review-2
items: photos-burgas
items: photos-sozopol
items: photos-istanbul
items: photos-istanbul-2
items: photos-istanbul-3
items: cat-istanbul
items: photos-istanbul-4
items: week-in-review-3
items: photos-istanbul-5
items: woken
items: fire
items: working
items: air
items: photos-misi
items: photos-bursa
items: week-in-review-4
items: back
items: excuse
items: raining
items: thunderbird
items: turkish-tea
items: yoga
items: future
items: photos-bursa-2
items: people
items: week-in-review-5
items: photos-uludag
items: photos-uludag-mounaim
items: photos-uludag-juli
name: Posts between 2019/12 and 2020/01
next: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/01/
part of: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/12
prev: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2019/11/