golfkat Travel Blog

New Istanbul Airport

Posted by golfkat on May 20, 2019

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President Erdogan is opening what he claims will eventually become the world’s largest air transport hub on the 95th anniversary of Turkey’s establishment as a republic. It’s a symbolic launch, as only limited flights will begin days later and a full move won’t take place until the end of the year.

Tens of thousands of workers have been scrambling to finish the airport to meet Erdogan’s Oct. 29 deadline. Protests in September over poor working conditions and dozens of construction deaths have highlighted the human cost of the project.

Istanbul New Airport, on shores of the Black Sea, will serve 90 million passengers annually in its first phase. At its completion in ten years, it will occupy nearly 19,000 acres and serve up to 200 million travelers a year with six runways. That’s almost double the traffic at world’s biggest airport currently, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson.

“This airport is going to be the most important hub between Asia and Europe,” Kadri Samsunlu, head of the 5-company consortium Istanbul Grand Airport, told reporters Thursday.

The airport’s interiors nod to Turkish and Islamic designs and its tulip-shaped air traffic control tower won the 2016 International Architecture Award. It also uses mobile applications and artificial intelligence for customers, is energy efficient and boasts a high-tech security system.

All aviation operations will move there at the end of December when Istanbul’s main international airport, named after Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is closed down. Ataturk Airport now handles 64 million people a year. On the Asian side of the city, Sabiha Gokcen Airport handled 31 million passengers last year. It will remain open.

Erdogan is expected to announce the official name of the new airport, part of his plan to transform Turkey into a global player.

Turkish Airlines will launch its first flights out of the new airport to three local destinations: Ankara, Antalya and Izmir. It will also fly to Baku and Ercan in northern Cyprus.

Nihat Demir, head of a construction workers’ union, said the rush to meet Erdogan’s deadline has been a major cause of the accidents and deaths at the site that employs 36,000 people.

“The airport has become a cemetery,” he told The Associated Press, describing the pressure to finish as relentless and blaming long working hours for leading to “carelessness, accidents and deaths.”

The Dev-Yapi-Is union has identified 37 worker deaths at the site and claimed more than 100 dead remain unidentified.

Turkey’s Ministry of Labor has denied media reports about hundreds of airport construction deaths, saying in February that 27 workers had died at the site due to “health problems and traffic accidents.” It has not commented since then.

Airport workers in September began a strike against poor working conditions, including unpaid salaries, bedbugs, unsafe food and inadequate transport to the site. Security forces rounded up hundreds of workers and formally arrested nearly 30, among them union leaders. The company said it was working to improve conditions.

Megaprojects in northern Istanbul like the airport, the third bridge connecting Istanbul’s Asian and European shores and Erdogan’s yet-to-start plans for a man-made canal parallel to the Bosporus strait are also impacting the environment. The environmental group Northern Forests Defense said the new airport has destroyed forests, wetlands and coastal sand dunes and threatens biodiversity.

These projects are spurring additional construction of transportation networks, housing and business centers in already overpopulated Istanbul, where more than 15 million people live. Samsunlu, the airport executive, said an “airport city” for innovation and technology would also be built.

The five Turkish companies that won the $29 billion tender in 2013 under the “build-operate-transfer” model have been financing the project through capital and bank loans. IGA will operate the airport for 25 years.

Financial observers say lending has fueled much of Turkey’s growth and its construction boom, leaving the private sector with a huge $200 billion debt. With inflation and unemployment in Turkey at double digits and a national currency that has lost as much as 40 percent of its value against the dollar this year, economists say Turkey is clearly facing an economic downturn.

Despite those dark financial clouds, the airport consortium hopes the world’s growing aviation industry will generate both jobs and billions of dollars in returns.

“Istanbul New Airport will remain ambitious for growth and we will carry on mastering the challenge to be the biggest and the best. That’s our motto,” Samsunlu said.

Here is the latest (November, 2018) info on the new airport:

Turkey has great ambitions to become a new meeting point between east and west. Its national carrier, Turkish Airlines, already flies to more countries than any other airline globally, and with the prosaically named Istanbul New Airport opening soon, the country now has a gateway to be proud of.

Replacing the older Atatürk Airport, it is a mega hub that will eventually be capable of handling 150 million passengers per year, perhaps even rivaling Dubai in terms of connecting travelers.

The airport’s official opening is scheduled for October 29, 2018, but the latest reports say it won’t be fully operational until the middle of 2019. I will land here as well as take off from here. Wish me luck! new airport new ist airport turk map

Four Romanian Nobels

Posted by golfkat on May 19, 2019

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This rather small, obscure country has produced four Nobel prize winners: Romania is home to four Nobel Prize laureates: George Emil Palade (medicine), Elie Wiesel (peace), Herta Müller (literature) and Stefan Hell (chemistry). Of course, Elie Wiesel is the only one most of us are familiar with.

Mr. Wiesel made it his life’s work to bear witness to the genocide committed by the Nazis during World War 2. He was the world’s leading spokesman on the Holocaust. He was a barely alive 17 year old when the Americans opened the camp, having lost his parents and a younger sister in the camps.

But he did not fight only to remember the Holocaust, he fought indifference, and saw it as a struggle for peace. His words, “The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.” He passed away in New York in 2016. He won the Novel peace Prize in 1986.

Dr. George Palade was a Romanian cell biologist who won his Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1974. He developed tissue preparation methods, advanced centrifuge techniques, and conducted electron microscopic studies resulting in the discovery of several cellular structures. He was a Romanian-born American, and passed away in 2008,

Herta Muller won the Nobel prize for Literature in 2009. Her literary works address an individual’s vulnerability under oppression and persecution. She describes life in Romania under Ceausescu, who bred fear and alienation that messes with an individual’s mind. She went into exile in German in 1987. she is still alive.

Dr. Stefan Hell received the Nobel prize (share with two others) for Chemistry in 2014. He used fluorescence to illuminate certain substances, particularly one method with one light pulse which caused florescent materials to glow. It makes it possible to track processes occurring inside living cells.

The primary reason for even bringing up the Nobel winners from Romania is the “brain drain” from former Soviet bloc countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, millions left Eastern Europe for the west, whether that was western Europe or the United States. Romania lost about ONE-SIXTH of its population during this time. The jobs offered in Romania do not compare to jobs outside of the country. Adding to the problem are the ex-pats sending money home, making the remaining Romanians less inclined to work.

I will be interested to observe what is going on here. Perhaps it will be a repeat of Russia, where I only saw youngsters smoking in the park, and old people waking around in a daze. I really hope they have progressed beyond that.

The Legend of Dracula

Posted by golfkat on May 18, 2019

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From the Romania website:

“We Draculs have a right to be proud… I am the last of my kind” – Dracula, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Dracula (Vlad Tepes, Vlad Dracul) Some say that Transylvania sits on one of Earth’s strongest magnetic fields and its people have extra-sensory perception. Vampires are believed to hang around crossroads on St. George’s Day, April 23, and the eve of St. Andrew, November 29. The area is also home to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and it’s easy to get caught up in the tale while driving along winding roads through dense, dark, ancient forests and over mountain passes.

Would you believe that Dracula translated in Gaelic as Drac Ullah means bad blood? Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel was published in Romanian for the first time in 1990.

Tales of the supernatural had been circulating in Romanian folklore for centuries when Irish writer Bram Stoker picked up the thread and spun it into a golden tale of ghoulishness that has never been out of print since its first publication in 1897. To research his immortal tale, Stoker immersed himself in the history, lore and legends of Transylvania, which he called a “whirlpool for the imagination.”

Count Dracula, a fictional character in the Dracula novel, was inspired by one of the best-known figures of Romanian history, Vlad Dracula, nicknamed Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), who was the ruler of Walachia at various times from 1456-1462. Born in 1431 in Sighisoara, he resided all his adult life in Walachia, except for periods of imprisonment at Pest and Visegrad (in Hungary). For more information about Bram Stocker’s Dracula Novel please visit www.literature.org/authors/stoker-bram/dracula/

I will let you read Stoker’s famous book for more details. It is number 31 in the top 100 novels ever written. You might remember the famous Romanian tennis star, ranked number one in the world back in 1973-74, Ilie Nastase? His partner in crime was Ion Tiriac, often referred to as the “Brasav Bulldozer” or “Count Dracula” himself. My buddy, Dirty Pat, says Tiriac is now a billionaire, owns the car dealerships here. He is from Transylvania!

Another similar character based on Count Dracula is Count von Count on Sesame Street. He is modeled on Bela Lugosi’s interpretation of Count Dracula. His main role on Sesame Street, for those of you not familiar, is to help educate children about simple math concepts.

Some sidelights or highlights, depending on your view of Dracula might be as follows:

Dracula may have been inspired by a nightmare.

Vampires share a history with Frankenstein.

Stoker started writing Dracula right after Jack the Ripper terrorized London.

Dracula might have been based on Stoker’s terrible boss.

Vlad the Impaler may have been an influence too.

Stoker never went to Transylvania.

Dracula’s castle was based on one in Scotland.

Lucy’s death scene was based on a real exhumation.

It was almost called “The Undead”.

Movies are what made Dracula a real star.

He has appeared in more films than any horror character.

So, if I run into him while in Romania, I will ask him to visit the White House. They make a great pair!!!!

Other famous Romanians: Nadia, of course, Dr. Ana Aslan (since I know so many Aslans from my hometown), Ilie Nastase and Ion Tiriac, the Unknown Soldier, pianist Radu Lupu, Ernie Grunfeld, Marta Karolyi, and Simona Halep.

Whatever or whoever I find, it should be an interesting stop nonetheless. In many ways, that is what I enjoy, the unexpected!!

The Myth of the Romanian Gymnast

Posted by golfkat on May 17, 2019

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If you saw the Seinfeld episode about the “gifts” of the Romanian gymnast, you know what I am saying. But for most of you, all we know about Romania are the famous gymnasts like Nadia, and the Karolyi coaching team. But a good friend of mine, known as “Dirty Pat” is teaching in Bucharest, Romania this year on a Fulbright Scholarship. He has graciously asked me to join him (and his lovely wife) for a few days, on my way to Istanbul.

Romania is located in southeastern Europe, with a population of only 20 million people. Bucharest, at almost 2 million people, is the largest city. Romania is a semi-presidential democracy, with a bicameral parliament. The President is currently Klaus Iohannis. Romania is in the European Union, as well as NATO.

“Romanian legend has it that the city of Bucharest was founded on the banks of the Dambovita River by a shepherd named Bucur, whose name literarily means “joy.” His flute playing reportedly dazzled the people and his hearty wine from nearby vineyards endeared him to the local traders, who gave his name to the place.

Old Town Bucharest, or Lipscani, is named for the many German traders from Lipsca or Leiptzig. Other streets took on the names of various old craft communities and guilds, such as Blanari (furriers), Covaci (blacksmiths), Gabroveni (knife makers) and Cavafii Vechii (shoe-makers). The mix of nationalities and cultures is reflected in the mishmash of architectural styles, from baroque to neoclassical to art nouveau.

Today, the area is home to art galleries, antique shops, coffeehouses, restaurants and night-clubs. While walking in the narrow cobblestone streets one can imagine the long-gone shopkeepers outside near their stores, inviting bypassers to buy their merchandise.”

The mighty Danube flows 1788 miles from its origin in the Black Forest of Germany to the Black Sea. Just before reaching the sea, it forms 2200 square miles of rivers, deltas, canals, marshes and islands, creating a naturalist’s paradise. It is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. The Danube flows through nine countries, and four capitals, including Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade.

Geographically, Romania borders the Black Sea on the southeast, Moldova to the east, Serbia to the southwest, Hungary to the west, Bulgaria to the south, and Ukraine to the north. It gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. In WW2, it was an ally of Nazi Germany, against the Soviet Union. Post war Soviet occupation, and fraudulent elections kept Romania under Soviet control until the mid 1950s. In 1965, the infamous Ceausescu came into power, through 1989 when he was overthrown and executed.

So, how do tourists view Bucharest upon first glance? Some say Bucharest is a dilapidated, joyless, and overcrowded Communist failure. In its defense, they have survived numerous Turkish invasions, two World Wars, two major earthquakes, and a real despot of a dictator. Maybe they are still rehabilitating? But it could make for a fascinating visit.

Trying to unlock its hidden charms with me is my old pal, Dirty Pat, otherwise known as Edward Patrick McDermott, Esquire, who I met in Nawlins during Super Bowl 47. His Ravens played my Niners, and won! But along the way, we forged a friendship, and have visited them in Annapolis a few years back.

Whether that means museums and palaces, or bars and cafe’s, you know what my preferences are. One museum or palace is fine, then it is time to try the local brews. If Bucharest was indeed, the “little Paris” in the early 20th century, it might be challenging to find the hidden charm (often called city of joy), covered up by years of the Ceausescu regime. And they say a decent base of Italian language would serve a tourist well with the Romanian language. Consider me un-served!

One thing, beware of old currency, as in 2005, Romania knocked off FOUR zeroes from their currency! Some are hanging around, though no longer legal tender. Pickpockets are another real problem, usually in the form of young children. Stray dogs are another ongoing problem, with over a million rounded up since 2005. Another big danger: everyone smokes!! And I hear they are racists!

Totally unrelated: In a 2012 heist, thieves entered the Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam and made off with seven works by masters including Henri Matisse, Claude Monet and Paul Gauguin — as well as Tête d’Arlequin, a 1971 painting by Picasso. Authorities put the work’s value at about $900,000. A painting by Pablo Picasso that was stolen from a Dutch museum six years ago may have resurfaced in Romania, prosecutors say.

During the trial of the art thieves, Dutch newspaper NRC reported that an analysis of the ashes from Olga’s oven showed that at least three or four canvases had been burned there — but that authorities would not be able to be prove definitively that it was the stolen Kunsthal paintings that had been burned.

And the fates of the Picasso and Monets were even more mysterious, because they “were produced on board and paper, which wouldn’t leave any traces if burned.”

Now, if this is true, shame on them!!!!

You can guess the above photos: the stolen art, Nadia, and Tricky Dick with Ceausescu.

What Is a Bordeaux Wine?

Posted by golfkat on May 12, 2019

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From the Wine Cellar Insider:

Bordeaux wine gains its unique character and flavor profile from a combination of the grapes planted in the vineyards, the terroir and soil of Bordeaux, climate and the choices made by the wine maker. But it all starts in the vineyard with Bordeaux wine grapes.
First off, it’s important to note that a large part of what makes Bordeaux wine great, is that 99% of all the top wines are produced from blends of different grape varieties. Even though the Bordeaux wine being made today bears little resemblance to the wines produced in the region when the 1855 Classification took place for much of the appellation, the best wines of Bordeaux have always been produced using a blend of different grapes.
It’s the whole of its parts that comes from blending grape varieties that creates the magic tasted in Bordeaux wine. There are a few stunning 100% Merlot wines from Pomerol and St. Emilion, but the vast majority of the time, Merlot, due to its rich, opulent textures is the perfect pairing for blending with the more tannic, firmer Cabernet Sauvignon grape.

Keep in mind, the terroir and climate in Bordeaux is much different than you find in California, so while wines from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon are sublime from regions like Napa Valley, on its own, Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the gravelly terroir of Bordeaux is too hard and austere.
But when blending with other grapes, the wine gains in complexity in the nose and more importantly, the textures and mouth feel of the wine at its best develops elegance and opulence and silky, velvet textures. While Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are unarguably the two most important grapes used in Bordeaux blends, you can also find varying amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec in the blends. But that wasn’t always the case as you will see.

Cabernet Franc is one of three main grapes used in Bordeaux wine blends. The grape reaches its best expression and potential in the limestone soils found in the Bordeaux wine appellation of St. Emilion. Pomerol also offers fertile soils for the varietal.
Cabernet Franc is planted with varying degrees of success in other French wine regions; for example, the Loire Valley. In fact, the Loire Valley is where Cabernet Franc first became popular during the 1600’s. It at least 100 more years before plantings of Cabernet Franc began to appear in Saint Emilion and Pomerol.
While Cabernet Franc first earned its popularity in the Loire Valley in the 1700’s, when it was known by its original name, Bouchet, perhaps its greatest claim to fame is due to the fact that it gave birth to Cabernet Sauvignon after it was crossed with Sauvignon Blanc.
It has continued gaining in popularity in America with its best success taking place in California in the Napa Valley, Washington State and Oregon. Cabernet Franc is also planted in other wine producing countries including: Italy, (in Tuscany in the Bolgheri wines as well as in Friuli), Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Hungary, Canada, Bulgaria, Croatia and most recently China.

Cabernet Sauvignon is planted all over the world in a myriad of climates. It reaches its full potential in Bordeaux, especially in the Medoc as well as in Pessac Leognan, and of course the Napa Valley region in California. It is used to produce much of the world’s most expensive wine.
It is also used to make a lot of inexpensive wine. Cabernet Sauvignon continues to gain in popularity as a grape for wine. To illustrate the grapes explosive growth, in 1990, it was the 8th most widely planted varietal in the world. By 2010, it jumped to being the world’s most popular grape variety!
To give you an idea on how popular Cabernet Sauvignon is today, there are over 300,000 hectares of the grape planted all over the world. That is more than 741,300 acres! In 1990, 100,000 hectares were planted. Cabernet Sauvignon is so popular, the grape has its own holiday, International Cabernet Sauvignon Day is celebrated every August 30.
Clearly, Cabernet Sauvignon is now the most famous red wine grape in the world. What you might find surprising is, it was created relatively recently. At some point in the 17th century, it is thought that Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc was originally the creation of nature when the vines first propagated.

From there, French wine growers continued crossing Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. This new creation was named as you can see from the two varieties it was created from, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Because of this natural creation, Cabernet Sauvignon is limited in its genetic diversity. Working with the natural selection, growers continued working on the new variety to bring out its special flavors, tannins and tough, thick skins that made it easy to grow and harvest.

Merlot is the most popular and widely planted wine grape varietal in France, reaching its true zenith of expression in Bordeaux wine. Around the world, it’s the fifth most planted wine grape.
Merlot has also been used to make stunning wines in Tuscany and to a much lesser degree in Switzerland, Australia, Argentina and numerous other countries, as well as in America. Merlot continues to gain in popularity as a grape for wine. In 1990, Merlot was the 7th most popular grape.
By 2010, Merlot jumped to second place as the world’s most widely planted grape. Only Cabernet Sauvignon has more vines planted.
According to studies conducted by the University of California in Davis, the Merlot grape is related to Cabernet Franc and Carmenere. Thanks to DNA, it is now thought that Merlot is a cross between Cabernet Franc and the obscure grape Magdeleine Noire des Charentes.

Merlot started earning a reputation for producing quality wine in 1784, due to the growing fame of the wines produced in the Right Bank of Bordeaux.
While the Right Bank of Bordeaux discovered Merlot in 1784, it took several decades until the grape started to become widely accepted in the Medoc, even though it is only used as a blending variety in that region.
Merlot based wines are perfect for the lunch or dinner table, It’s naturally soft textures and rich flavors works well with a diverse array of foods. For the best wine and food pairing tips.
Try matching Merlot wines with meat, lamb, veal and stewed dishes. Mushrooms, chicken and pork work great. Depending on the preparation, use it with fish, if you add earthy sauces or flavorings. Merlot based wines are also perfect for a myriad of different cheeses. Merlot and Chocolate work for some people, although it’s never excited me personally.
The grape earned its moniker from its eye catching, dark, blue color. Merle in French is translated into a blackbird, which could be taken to reference either the color or the birds fondness for the sweet flavored, thin skinned grape.

Merlot is now so popular, it has its own holiday. International Merlot Day is celebrated every November 7. International Merlot Day
Merlot thrives best in the clay and limestone soils of Pomerol, Saint Emilion and Lalande de Pomerol. In those soils, Merlot delivers a unique expression that Christian Moueix, the owner of Trotanoy, La Fleur Petrus and other estates that combines feminine and opulent qualities.

So, there you have the three main varietals of the Bordeaux region. Also found here are Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere. White varietals include: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle, and Sauvignon Gris.

I intend to try them all! And at this point, you know as much as I do about Bordeaux wines.

What about Bordeaux?

Posted by golfkat on May 11, 2019

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Did you know that Bordeaux’s can be red or white, though it is normally associated with red wine. Bordeaux is always made from a blend of Cabernet sauvignon and Merlot wines, the proportion depending on where the winery is located. In fact, 90% of Bordeaux wines are red wines made with Cab and merlot.

Red Bordeaux are: Cab, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cab franc, and Malbec. White Bordeaux are: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle. The dominant favors of red: black current, cedar, plum, graphite, and cedar. The dominant white wine flavors are: lemon-lime, gooseberry, grapefruit, chamomile, and lemon curd. Good vintages are: 2015, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2005, 2003, 2000, 1998, and 1990.

From Vine Pair: The Gironde estuary cuts through the center of the region creating two banks: a left bank and a right bank. It is a winery’s location on either bank that determines the proportion of Merlot to Cabernet inside each wine. If the winery is located on the Left Bank, the blend created will have more Cabernet Sauvignon than Merlot. If the winery is instead located on the Right Bank of the river, the wine will have more Merlot in the blend than Cabernet Sauvignon. This determination also allows us to make a few generalizations about the wine depending on the bank on which it was created. Here are the general rules:

Left bank: blends tend to be higher in tannins, alcohol and acidity. They are powerful, rich wines that are said to age a bit better than wines from the Right Bank. This is also the bank that made the region famous.

Right bank: blends tend to be softer, less tannic and lower in alcohol and acidity. Because Merlot is the dominant grape, they are much more juicy and usually ready to be drunk much earlier than Left Bank Bordeauxs, and they’re often less expensive.

But why are Bordeaux wines so popular? As in all real estate, and places of business: LOCATION! The climate and soil are ideal for growing grapes. Bordeaux was also able to capitalize on its port city location, sending wine with wealthy merchants to distant locations.

So how much should one pay for a decent Bordeaux? A good one to drink now, from a smaller producer should run between $15 to $25. A Bordeaux from a top producer, one that can be aged runs upwards of $30 or more. Famous Chateau Margaux is one of five first growth wines estates here in Bordeaux. And some years ago, I had an exceptional Margaux from 1961, while on a golfing trip to Bandon, Oregon with an old friend, who happened to own some very expensive wines.

Now this is rather disturbing: Bordeaux is facing a two-thirds fall in production over the next 40 years due to climate shifts that affect rainfall, temperature, and hours of sunshine. According to Wine Spectator, at the Vinexpo conference in Bordeaux last summer, Harvard professor John Holdren predicted that the land suitable for grape-growing will potentially shrink by 23 percent by 2050. So, either go before it is gone, or go before the Bordeaux wines are prohibitively pricey. B wine