The Turkish Baths (Hamam)

September 20, 2008 by Victoria Ice  
Filed under Out & About

The Turkish bath or hamam as it is known has been around for thousands of years, it is thought that it first came when the rulers of turkey was the Romans. The Seljuk’s and Ottomans built large Turkish baths in some of the most populated areas of Turkey for the Turkish people to use, this was because the Turkish people did not have baths in there homes so they would go to the local bath.

A visit to the Turkish baths these days is a day out for the Turkish who often take a picnic with them to eat after bathing, the Turkish baths is an enjoyable luxury which is used as a method of cleansing the body and used for the relaxation of the body, which most people visit the baths at least once in there lifetime.

For the Turkish people it was more than just a place to cleanse the skin, it became a way of life, a place where everyone came no matter who you was, where you lived or whether you was man, woman or child, of course women had separate times in the baths to men. The Turkish bath was a familiar place to go during the earliest year’s right up to the present day. The Turkish mark special occasions during ones times life in which they celebrate a newborns fortieth day and a brides bathing before marriage with food and live music, and the avowal of a promise, a contingent on the fulfilment of some important wish, for which is was a custom in Anatolia.

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Turkish Airlines Announces New Birmingham Operation

September 19, 2008 by Victoria Ice  
Filed under News

Birmingham International Airport is pleased to welcome another high calibre major global network carrier – Turkish Airlines – which has confirmed that it will commence services to Istanbul from 15th December. The new service will offer Midlands travellers the first direct scheduled service to Istanbul from the region.

Turkey’s flag-carrier and member of the Star Alliance global airline grouping will operate five weekly flights to Istanbul and will provide onward flight opportunities within Turkey, the Middle East and the Far East, through its own established route network. 

Turkish Airlines currently has a four star ranking according to SKYTRAX, the world airline star rating programme that ranks airline product and service standards, similar to that achieved by Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic. Read more

What’s Blue And Grows Like The Clappers In The Fethiye Area

September 19, 2008 by Victoria Ice  
Filed under Out & About

I expect many of you will have walked or driven past a splash of blue color on an uncultivated bit of ground or growing on a fence. Probably without taking much notice of it. Gardeners among you may have wondered what it is. There is nothing that grows like it in the UK, apart from bindweed.

The plant in question is a perennial morning glory. It is called oceanblue morning-glory, blue morning-glory, and also blue dawn flower.
The latin name is Ipomaea indica. It is native to Hawaii and the New World tropics, but has been introduced into many countries.

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