19. Istanbul to Yalova - 1970

Well I made it to Istanbul and it seems like the end of the journey. The train stopped at the Serkaci terminal in Istanbul, which is just around the corner from the famous floating Galata Bridge.

Galata Bridge

At that time there was a Ferry that left twice a day from Istanbul to Yalova with two stops at the Princes Islands.  One was the island of Heybeliada and the other was the island Buyukada.  The first one was not developed in the 70's.  It was just a Navel Cadet school and a Greek Orthodox Seminary with a few homes The second one was Buyukada, a resort island with no automobiles, just donkeys and horse drawn carriages.  The only motorized vehicles allowed are service vehicles (ambulance, fire, police and I think a garbage truck). 

Buyukada

From there, it is on to Yalova and the end of the first half of my journey.  Yalova is one of the two towns near Karamursel Air Station, a base that I was stationed at from 1967 - 1970.  I spent most of my time either visiting or living in Yalova.  Yalova was virtually destroyed in August 1999 by an earthquake that killed about

Relief After the Quake

10,000 people in the Yalova area itself.   It has since rebuilt but I an afraid it will never be as we remembered it during the 70's, a vibrant seashore international community with a strong work ethic.

After the Quake in Yalova

 Now it seems that everything was built over as a resort and it seems only catering to tourists.  I know I am probably biased in my view, but I have never been able to reconnect with my Turkish friends.  Here are a couple of photos of how it is now.  Hopefully, my next post will be about how it was in 1970.

The New Yalova

The New Yalova

Thought 1

Lilliputian man,
Seas of time,
Swirling

The New Yalova