by Dennis | September 8, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Fall, Orhaneli, See, Do, and Play
Sadağı Canyon lies hidden in the rugged mountainous area of Bursa’s Orhaneli district high up on Uludağ. The canyon is one of Bursa’s natural gems, and an accessible, 1.8-kilometer trail follows the babbling mountain stream that runs through the serene canyon. The...
by Dennis | August 30, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Fall, Kestel, See, Do, and Play, Summer
Nestled on Uludağ’s mountainside a dozen kilometers above the town of Kestel lies the hidden little village of Saitabat (Güvercinlik). Surrounded by plane tree forests, fruit orchards, and honey farms, the village itself is a sleepy little burg consisting of not much...
by Dennis | July 15, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Nilüfer, See, Do, and Play, Summer
Under the shade of sprawling plane trees on a warm summer afternoon, my family and I sat at a table in the cobblestone village square with our friend, Murat, who had graciously offered that day to take us for a drive through Bursa’s countryside. There in the square we...
by Dennis | July 9, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Osmangazi, See, Do, and Play, Summer
We rolled out of bed one summer day off with nothing really on our agenda. Our kids suggested we head for the local pool or the little indoor amusement park at the shopping mall, both good options. But while thinking about it over my morning cup of coffee, a better...
by Dennis | June 26, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, See, Do, and Play, Summer, Yildirim
It was a sweltering hot mid-summer day down in the valley. The kids were wasting their time lazily lounging on the sofa in the salon under the steady flow of artificially cooled air from the A/C. My wife and I were getting tired of being cooped up in the house. And we...
by Dennis | April 28, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Culture and History, Iznik, See, Do, and Play
Just about an hour’s drive east of Bursa’s city center, hugging the shore of a freshwater lake and surrounded by olive tree-blanketed hills, lies the little town of Īznik. At first glance, it seems hard to believe that this traditional Turkish farm town was at one...
by Dennis | March 10, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Eat, Shop, and Stay, Nilüfer
Originally published on March 10, 2015. Updated December 25, 2015. Update: As of December 2015, Organik Ev is no longer open to the general public as a walk-in cafe/restaurant. Organik Ev now specializes in hosting workshops, courses, and private parties. Please see...
by Dennis | February 11, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Culture and History, Osmangazi
As I wander through the long winding bazaar in Bursa, Turkey’s centuries-old city center, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the buzzing marketplace, I notice in the corner of my eye a dimly lit corridor. The small sign above the entrance reads, “Çukur Han,...
by Dennis | January 19, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, Eat, Shop, and Stay, Osmangazi
I had been hearing for some time from friends about this interesting place next to the Demirtaşpaşa metro station in downtown Bursa that serves an excellent, uniquely blended Osmanlı çayı, or Ottoman-style tea. I just had to try it, they told me. They assured me that...
by Dennis | January 6, 2015 | Bursa's Neat Places, See, Do, and Play, Winter, Yildirim
It was a rainy 7 degrees centigrade when my buddy, Mehmet, called me out of the blue and asked me if I’d like to go with him on a Saturday afternoon drive up Uludağ Road to the mountaintop. “Um, okay,” I said with a slight bit of trepidation, wondering in the back of...
